Sermon summaries and audio files
10/26/2023 0 Comments The Two Sons and the Wicked HusbandmenJesus’ two parables in St. Matthew 21:1-14 are directed against the Pharisees, but they teach all of us. On the two sons, though the first was insolent and brash in saying to his father that he refused to go work for him, yet because he later repented and went, it was not counted against him. So also we know that God does not hold our sins or shames against us either, when we repent and turn to Him for grace. This also the publicans and harlots did coming to Jesus. But the Pharisees would not; thus their hypocrisy is laid bare. In the second parable, it is clear that the landowner’s fury against the wicked tenants was indeed carried out in God’s judgment against the Jews in Jerusalem in ad 70 as a result of their killing of Jesus. But let us beware, for if He did not spare even His chosen people when they refused to repent, neither will He spare us without repentance. Thus let us gladly learn that His mercy is abounding and His forgiveness for Christ’s sake is complete, and in learning this, let us also go to work in His vineyard, each according to his station in life. Sermon for Midweek of Trinity XX.
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10/22/2023 0 Comments The Marriage of the King's SonJesus in this Gospel speaks of the prophets who went to the Jews (the servants sent by the king) whom the Jews did not receive. Then he sent other servants. Here he speaks of what was currently about to happen, namely the sending of the apostles with the Gospel. But they were mistreated and killed. And this made the king angry and he destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. Here he is prophesying the events soon to come, namely the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70. And the reason for that was the anger of God. This was a foretaste of the final judgment. And at that judgment the king will inspect the guests and see who is and is not wearing a wedding garment. The one who refuses to wear it, who is speechless, finds out just like the Jews in Jerusalem that although God is kind, he is not without justice and truth. Anyone not wearing the wedding garment of Christ’s righteousness will likewise be condemned. Thus let us approach the altar at this wedding feast today to receive that righteousness again, by mouth, and embrace Christ and the gift of his salvation here. Sermon for Trinity XXII.
Jesus’ words to the paralytic are the sweetest words ever heard: “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Let us rejoice in these words, for they are a bulwark against the devil and an evil conscience. He who receives them must acknowledge that he is a sinner, and must also reckon with the fact that for Jesus’ sake his sins are put away. And this, in spite of the world and those who cry blasphemy or all manner of attempts to pull these words away from us. Yet they are as true as the fact that Jesus then healed this man. And for us, likewise, they are as true as the fact that we have been baptized and receive the holy Supper. For we receive mercy through the ear and on the tongue, a guarantee from heaven. And see also, what follows this forgiveness is healing; and for us what follows is life and eternal salvation. Sermon for Trinity XIX.
10/12/2023 0 Comments Apart from him we can do nothing.Jesus is the vine, and his word is the sap that feeds the branches; without him we can do nothing; that is, apart from his word his apostles and pastors can do nothing. But with his word the fruit is produced from the vine through the branches; and the people of God receive Christ, his mercy, his Sacraments, and his life. And without his word they too can do nothing; but in him they are heirs of salvation and possess all things. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Sermon For Midweek of Trinity XVIII.
10/8/2023 0 Comments Loving God and the Neighbor are alike, especially since God is become our Neighbor in Christ.Jesus’ enemies likely were hoping to trip him up on the question of the law, because in their minds he had broken it by healing on the Sabbath; yet he made clear that the essence of the commandments is love: love for God and for your neighbor who is made in God’s image. They woefully mishandled the law of God; and moreover they had little use for the matter of the Christ. Whose son is he? They knew him to be the Son of David, but not the Son of God; they did not grasp the Gospel because in the first place they even misunderstood the law as applying to themselves. And we therefore must pray lest we fail, and learn of the love of God toward us in Christ, and then redouble our efforts to love Him and our Neighbor. For Christ is both our God and our Neighbor. Let us love him, and in him also the rest of our neighbors. Sermon for Trinity XVIII.
A new patch cannot fix an old garment, as Jesus says. What is needed is a new creation. This is why his enemies could not understand him, for they needed to be born anew. He is himself the eternal Bridegroom, and there can be no fasting on the part of his children while he is with them. He is not merely a prophet or a new king sent from God; he is the fulfillment of the Scriptures: David and his men eating the showbread were a foretelling of this, but Jesus’ enemies were themselves an old garment, and so did not understand. Sermon for midweek of Trinity XVII.
'Mammon' and 'money' are not the same thing; it's informative that in the centuries following the days of Jesus, 'mammon' began to be sometimes used to describe a demon. And well it should, because here Jesus does not speak of mammon as something that would serve you somehow--as money might--but that you serve. And we know that the devil prowls like a lion to devour Christians. So mammon is his instrument, and if we understand that we'll be better off. Moreover, the way to resist mammon is by considering the birds of the air and the lilies of the field: birds do not sow or reap, but receive their food as God provides. And see: they eat worms from the ground. So also, as Jesus said, I am a worm and no man, and in this humility was crucified, dead, and buried; but he rose from the dead, that is, came out of the ground; and in the Sacrament we feast on Christ himself, for our salvation. And the lilies: they do no work of any kind at all, but are clothed. So also Baptism clothes us Christians in the righteousness of Christ. Jesus says in this Gospel that we should seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Here is where we find it: in the Sacraments of the Church; so let us live by faith in Christ and in his gifts. Sermon for Trinity XV.
9/14/2023 0 Comments Holy Cross DayWhen in 335 Constantine ordered the erection of a basilica in Jerusalem on the site of the crucifixion, the excavations uncovered three crosses, one of which, tradition tells us, was the cross of Jesus, and from that point people made pilgrimages to see it. But in the early seventh century, the Persians ransacked Jerusalem, taking the cross’s remains with them. Then the emperor Heraclitus became convinced he must go to battle to recover the holy relic. This he did, and when he in a great ceremony tried to carry it up the hill to its holy place, he found that he could not, until he removed the royal robes and pomp, removed his shoes, and began again in humility to ascend the hill. This time he easily did so. Whether that legend is true or not, it illustrates the importance of Christian humility in the face of the cross. Let us all approach life itself with humility and a faithful desire to honor the Crucified. Sermon for Holy Cross Day.
9/10/2023 0 Comments The Ten LepersThe ten lepers were outsiders, castaways from society, yet they were united in their plight, and no doubt found encouragement in one another’s company. In the same way we congregate in church to encourage one another by a common confession and faith. Yet more than this we require the pure word of Christ. Note how nine of the lepers did not return, which, as Luther pointed out, is likely due to a strong sermon from the priests to whom Jesus sent them. His enemies abound even today, and thus we need vigilance about returning to him for our own strengthening by his Word and Sacrament. Let us, like the returning leper, find ourselves overwhelmed to be recipients of his mercy, and rejoice evermore in his presence. Sermon for Trinity XIV.
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