Title: Jesus is forgiveness and mercy over and over again!
Text: Matt. 18:21-35
Facebook live: Jesus is forgiveness and mercy over and over again!
21 Peter came up and said to [Jesus], “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
You remember the story of Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens, A Christmas Carol? He was a man of means and one who held onto what he had in this life with little or no love for those around him. He had no interest in Christmas, Bah Humbug! and were it not for the visits of the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas yet to come he would have remained in his state of miserly misery until death closed his dark eyes and he returned - in the sleep of death - to the earth awaiting the final yet to come visit without hope, without peace and without comfort in his life.
We too are all born Scrooge like in our sinful state and destined to die with the idols we cling to in this life left behind for others, while we await the judgment to come.
But in the Christ of Christmas, there is a marvelous change that takes place whereby we are made new and hope, peace and comfort are given freely in an eternity yet to come - that never ends.
“That is the mystery which is rich in divine grace to sinners: Luther writes, wherein by a wonderful exchange our sins are no longer ours but Christ’s and the righteousness of Christ not Christ’s but ours. He has emptied Himself of His righteousness that He might clothe us with it, and fill us with it.
And He has taken our evils upon Himself that He might deliver us from them [and] in the same manner as He grieved and suffered in our sins … we rejoice and glory in His righteousness.”
–Martin Luther, Werke (Weimar, 1883), 5: 608.
In the gospel reading for today Peter asks Jesus a probing question.
“Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
It’s easy to see that Peter believes himself to be quite generous in his view of forgiveness. Maybe even thinking that at some point certainly after seven times, I’ll be able to justly not forgive my brother and end this nonsense.
To this Jesus replies:
“I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
It is not the Lord’s intent to show a definite number of times where forgiveness is to be delivered but that for God’s people who have been forgiven by grace, may understand that the content of their hearts should contain … only God given love and forgiveness.
But for we who are Christians, saved by the mercy and grace of our Lord, we live daily within that tension of being both saint and sinner. Both, brought forth in iniquity, and conceived in sin as Psalm 51:5 reminds us, yet justified by faith, receiving God’s peace through Christ’s work by the power of the Holy Spirit as St. Paul writes in Romans 5:1.
We have received in essence, the favor of God on account of Christ through this blessed exchange, our sin … for Christ’s righteousness.
“The idea is not simply that we have been forgiven, and therefore ought to forgive [others], but that God Himself, in Christ, has forgiven us, and therefore our debt is truly incalculable.
No matter how much has been done against us, it is little compared with the offense we have thrown in the face of our Lord.
Take for example the parable our Lord tells today in the Gospel:
The servant owes his master 10,000 talents.
This is a large sum.
1 denarii = a day’s wage
1 Talent = a hundred days wages
10,000 Talents = you are in big trouble!
For you and me when we think of billion dollars. It is a bit beyond comprehension.
$100, 1000, 100,000, 1,000,000, 100,000,000, 1,000,000,000, it’s beyond what we can even think or imagine in reality … the sum is that great.
Now, you are called in to the King and he gives you your debt. Let’s say it is $100,000,000. What do you do? If you are like me, you can’t pay. Even if you sell everything you have at the best possible price, your home, your stuff, and at the most favorable time and price you can’t even cover 1/100 of the debt.
So you go to the King, which in our case might be the IRS – it’s a joke - and you say as you fall on your knees:
“have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.”
You know you can’t … and you’re just pleading for mercy.
And this is the part of the story that won’t pertain to you or me,
27 And out of pity for him [the IRS] released him and forgave him the debt.
But Jesus says, in light of the great debt and the Lord’s great mercy, you and me and the servant in the parable are forgiven!
If we know anything of [our own] forgiveness, if we have glimpsed anything of the magnitude of [our own sin] and the debt we owe to God … our forgiveness of others will not seem to be such a large leap.”
–D.A. Carson, Love in Hard Places (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2002), 80-1.
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God. … not even one.” Rom.3
The truth is that as sinners we have a very high view of self and a very low of sin. To that end, the indebtedness that we owe to Christ for our rescue is devalued and you either see your sin as really not all that bad or Christ’s forgiveness and rescue as really not all that good or necessary.
The servant in the parable’s joy didn’t last very long.
When he was confronted with a fellow servant who owed him 1/10,000 of the debt he himself had owed and had just been forgiven of, he showed no mercy to him and had him put in prison until he could pay.
What should he have done?
Well, he should have forgiven the debt, bought him the big Christmas Turkey in the window, picked Tiny Tim up in his arms and proclaimed,
“God bless us, everyone!”
As sinners, we too can be Scrooge like with grace. We expect it for our own wrongs but are stingy and hell bent at times when doling it out.
But, apart from God’s action and working, every one of us would remain, dead in trespass and sin. And like Lazarus who was unable to free himself from the bonds of sin, death, and the tomb, wrapped in grave cloths and dead until the voice of Jesus called, “Lazarus, come out!”
We too would remain entombed in our own sin, dead to God, forever separated from the love of Christ found only in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Christ’s mercy for we who deserve death is a nothing but pure gift.
Even one sin would separate us from the love of God in Christ, not to mention the 10,000 talents, worth of sins and more that we have been forgiven of!
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,
This 5th petition in the Lord’s Prayer has real significance for you and me in how we see sin - our sin - and how we see the Lord’s forgiveness and grace.
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
God bountiful mercy is given us for the sake of Jesus, who paid the debt of our sin.
He has [freed] us from the imprisonment we deserve and has forgiven the debt.
Therefore, we have the obligation of gratitude resting upon us that we gladly forgive our fellow-men what they have sinned against us.
Even if such a [sin] great in the sight of men, it cannot come into consideration in comparison with the debt which God has mercifully forgiven [you and me].
Luther – Kretzmann NT pg. 103
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
You have been set free from eternal death may the love of Christ live freely in each one of us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, September 14, 2026
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Sermon Sept. 5-6, 2026
Title: Seeing Jesus through the eyes of faith!
Matt. 18:1-20
Facebook live: Seeing Jesus through the eyes of faith!
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Some years ago, after I finished one of our Sunday services, I was standing in the Narthex greeting the people by the door as they came out of church. It was a time of joy and laughter; hugs and handshakes as was the norm for that time. As I stood there, little four-year-old Atarra Rich walked out, looked at me, waved and said, “Hi Jesus!”
It’s funny. I laughed as did those who heard it. But in reality Atarra didn’t see me – as Russ, or even Pastor Tkac.
In the robe and stole she saw the one called to be Christ’s under shepherd, here at Peace.
She saw Jesus and heard his word proclaimed, not in my person but in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Though she might have not heard and understood all that was proclaimed. God, by the working of his Spirit as one baptized and marked as God’s redeemed, she recognized Jesus by faith.
Today in our lesson we learn of this faith, and that to be true Disciples of Christ one must first:
Be childlike in faith and love!
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Last week we talked about being a disciple of Jesus and picking up our cross to follow Him. The bearing of one’s cross can, in this life lead to death, or as Jesus said:
“… whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
But, the disciples start talking among themselves wondering who, among them, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
The work of Satan and their own sinful pride were at work in them.
Though they had been discussing this privately, Jesus knew what had been going on as he in the gospel of St. Mark asks them specifically, in chapter 9:
“What were you discussing on the way?” Mark 9:33b
So, Jesus, as has been his way, teaches again the disciples an important lesson. He calls a little child to himself so as to illustrate the point in a very tangible way.
St. Mark goes on to say that Jesus took the child in His arms [Mark 9:36] and we could understand the Lord’s comfort, to this little one, as he places the child in their midst saying:
“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
To this we need as well to be reminded to be childlike in faith and love!
Because, sinful pride can become arrogance.
During the Civil War, Union general John Sedgwick at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, was inspecting his troops, urging his men to leave a ditch in which they lay in order to cover from the Confederate snipers hidden 800 to 1000 yards away.
According to Martin T. McMahon, Brevet Major-General, he and General Sedgwick were walking along the line when General Sedgwick noticed a soldier dodging a near-passing bullet, and said to him:
"What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you. I'm ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
Seconds later he fell forward with a bullet hole below his left eye.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitworth_Sharpshooters
How also our own sinful pride can drop us once again to the dirt and sin, back into our own filthy rags from which we have been washed clean, by the righteous blood of the Lamb.
Pride can cause us to look at who we are in the Kingdom, and what status we hold, or to even look at others and be ashamed with our own prideful arrogance.
Jesus says that:
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
Matt. 18:1-20
Facebook live: Seeing Jesus through the eyes of faith!
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Some years ago, after I finished one of our Sunday services, I was standing in the Narthex greeting the people by the door as they came out of church. It was a time of joy and laughter; hugs and handshakes as was the norm for that time. As I stood there, little four-year-old Atarra Rich walked out, looked at me, waved and said, “Hi Jesus!”
It’s funny. I laughed as did those who heard it. But in reality Atarra didn’t see me – as Russ, or even Pastor Tkac.
In the robe and stole she saw the one called to be Christ’s under shepherd, here at Peace.
She saw Jesus and heard his word proclaimed, not in my person but in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Though she might have not heard and understood all that was proclaimed. God, by the working of his Spirit as one baptized and marked as God’s redeemed, she recognized Jesus by faith.
Today in our lesson we learn of this faith, and that to be true Disciples of Christ one must first:
Be childlike in faith and love!
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Last week we talked about being a disciple of Jesus and picking up our cross to follow Him. The bearing of one’s cross can, in this life lead to death, or as Jesus said:
“… whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
But, the disciples start talking among themselves wondering who, among them, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
The work of Satan and their own sinful pride were at work in them.
Though they had been discussing this privately, Jesus knew what had been going on as he in the gospel of St. Mark asks them specifically, in chapter 9:
“What were you discussing on the way?” Mark 9:33b
So, Jesus, as has been his way, teaches again the disciples an important lesson. He calls a little child to himself so as to illustrate the point in a very tangible way.
St. Mark goes on to say that Jesus took the child in His arms [Mark 9:36] and we could understand the Lord’s comfort, to this little one, as he places the child in their midst saying:
“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
To this we need as well to be reminded to be childlike in faith and love!
Because, sinful pride can become arrogance.
During the Civil War, Union general John Sedgwick at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, was inspecting his troops, urging his men to leave a ditch in which they lay in order to cover from the Confederate snipers hidden 800 to 1000 yards away.
According to Martin T. McMahon, Brevet Major-General, he and General Sedgwick were walking along the line when General Sedgwick noticed a soldier dodging a near-passing bullet, and said to him:
"What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you. I'm ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
Seconds later he fell forward with a bullet hole below his left eye.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitworth_Sharpshooters
How also our own sinful pride can drop us once again to the dirt and sin, back into our own filthy rags from which we have been washed clean, by the righteous blood of the Lamb.
Pride can cause us to look at who we are in the Kingdom, and what status we hold, or to even look at others and be ashamed with our own prideful arrogance.
Jesus says that:
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
Those who trust Christ with simple faith have Jesus and receive all that Jesus has promised.
Martin Luther writes:
Consider Christ himself, how he draws little children to him, how urgently in Matthew 18 he commends them to us and praises the angles who wait upon them, in order to show us how great a service it is when we train the young properly.
LW Vol. 45 pg. 372
Martin Luther writes:
Consider Christ himself, how he draws little children to him, how urgently in Matthew 18 he commends them to us and praises the angles who wait upon them, in order to show us how great a service it is when we train the young properly.
LW Vol. 45 pg. 372
As we consider our regular worship, school, and all that our normal life is, we also need to get back to the good and holy work God has given us to do,
To, train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6
The responsibility even from the time of infancy calls parents of those who have been brought to faith in baptism, to not let these little ones who believe in me to fall - back into the sinfulness they were born into - before being called to faith in Jesus Christ by the working and power of the Holy Spirit.
You have a Godly calling as a parent to raise your child in the faith, especially if they are baptized, and to make sure that they are brought to God’s house for worship, where Christ gives his gifts of word and sacrament.
Also, the good work done by many in Sunday school and VBS helps all of these little ones, by God’s Holy Spirit, to see Jesus and to stay connected to him.
We all have in Christ, a Godly calling to keep children connected to Jesus and his word.
So why do so many parents and their children who have been baptized or confirmed, fail to do this and not remain connected to the church and Christ?
It’s work!
Children fight against it!
It is not fun like the world offers.
When I worked in the piano business I attended a piano teachers forum. One question was asked about parents who find it difficult to get their children to practice.
One teacher replied:
“If you don’t make them brush their teeth, they won’t do that either.”
The devil, the world and our sinful nature rebel against that which is good in God’s economy.
Piano lessons, travel teams, theatre and other programs are good in the life of children but they can get to these unless parents take them and much the same for church. If parents don’t come to church, children can’t and won’t and both suffer the loss of the gifts Christ gives in his word and through his sacraments, here.
12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Friends,
Parenting is hard, but the reward great in God’s mercy and forgiveness for we who have been brought to the knowledge of the truth. Christ has promised to be where his church gathers.
Let us come and receive all that he has promised in humility and joy!
So that, he will bring forth, by faith, those who believe in him so they too can confess as the church confesses in Jesus,
“You are the Christ the Son of the Living God!”
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
To, train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6
The responsibility even from the time of infancy calls parents of those who have been brought to faith in baptism, to not let these little ones who believe in me to fall - back into the sinfulness they were born into - before being called to faith in Jesus Christ by the working and power of the Holy Spirit.
You have a Godly calling as a parent to raise your child in the faith, especially if they are baptized, and to make sure that they are brought to God’s house for worship, where Christ gives his gifts of word and sacrament.
Also, the good work done by many in Sunday school and VBS helps all of these little ones, by God’s Holy Spirit, to see Jesus and to stay connected to him.
We all have in Christ, a Godly calling to keep children connected to Jesus and his word.
So why do so many parents and their children who have been baptized or confirmed, fail to do this and not remain connected to the church and Christ?
It’s work!
Children fight against it!
It is not fun like the world offers.
When I worked in the piano business I attended a piano teachers forum. One question was asked about parents who find it difficult to get their children to practice.
One teacher replied:
“If you don’t make them brush their teeth, they won’t do that either.”
The devil, the world and our sinful nature rebel against that which is good in God’s economy.
Piano lessons, travel teams, theatre and other programs are good in the life of children but they can get to these unless parents take them and much the same for church. If parents don’t come to church, children can’t and won’t and both suffer the loss of the gifts Christ gives in his word and through his sacraments, here.
12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Friends,
Parenting is hard, but the reward great in God’s mercy and forgiveness for we who have been brought to the knowledge of the truth. Christ has promised to be where his church gathers.
Let us come and receive all that he has promised in humility and joy!
So that, he will bring forth, by faith, those who believe in him so they too can confess as the church confesses in Jesus,
“You are the Christ the Son of the Living God!”
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, August 31, 2026
Sermon Aug 30, 2026
Title: Death is overcome in Christ!
Text: Matt 16:21-28
Facebook live: Death is overcome in Christ!
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Nobody likes bad news.
The business deal, you’ve been working on for the last 6 months, has been awarded to you competitor.
Your anniversary, and the meeting you need to attend, are on the same night.
The sale of your house fell through, but the purchase agreement of your new home has been approved, where will you find the money?
Your child is sick.
Your lifelong friend has passed away, unexpectedly.
At times, for we who have been blessed with the good news of eternal life, it is hard to live in the present and keep our eyes fixed on the prize; while the gifts of this temporal life seem to be slipping away.
In our Gospel today we read:
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
The disciples are on a Roller Coaster too. Up one minute and down the next.
Just this month in our readings:
There are too many people here to feed, send them away.
A storm on the sea of Galilee brings fear, and Peter takes a sinking step.
There’s pleading from a mother for her daughter’s healing, which brings first silence.
The disciples are asked, “Who do the people say I am?”
Then, “Who do you say that I am?”
Concern, storms, pleading, questions, and each time the Lord Jesus brings comfort.
All were fed.
Peter was rescued, the sea was calmed, and Jesus entered the boat.
The woman’s faith received the gift of healing for her daughter.
God speaks and the people hear through his appointed messengers.
You are the Christ, the son of the living God, and this good News is revealed to all through God’s working.
But here Jesus speaks the reality of life in a broken world and the entire purpose for his coming, and still the sinful flesh can’t comprehend the good, the bad, and the ugly presented here.
So, we live like the disciples, day by day, up and down, in and out, good and bad, forgetting how blessed you are, and how blessed I am - now and then seeing today and tomorrow as the great joy that we hold to.
Weddings,
Baptisms,
Family reunions
Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings, oh my!
Hope, loss, falling short, and even waiting until next year.
To the words of Jesus, Peter has a hard reply:
22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
To what Jesus revealed to the disciples, Peter says, no!
To this rock of a man that some would build their church upon, the Lord himself turns and counters the hope of the here and now, peace and tranquility that Peter rests in, saying:
23 … “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Do our lives ever blind us from the eternal perspective?
Do we live for the moment, thinking that we control our destiny?
Peter and the other disciples did, and we do as well.
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Taking up our cross in this life is not what we plan to do for today, or tomorrow, and certainly not on a holiday.
Life can blind you and me.
25 For whoever would save his life] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
When I was growing up, truth seemed much simpler.
Boys and girls, dads and moms, brothers and sisters, men and women, husbands and wives.
Nathaniel mused, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46
Thomas needed proof in the hands and side of Jesus. John 20:24-25
Life and crosses can keep our eyes off Jesus.
My friend Paul, knows a cross I hope I never know, the loss of his child. His daughter Dianna was born prematurely but didn’t live two days.
After the birth of his second daughter Michelle, he wanted to write her a song of praise and he wrote Michelle’s Song which is sub-titled Keep your eyes upon Jesus.
Oh, my child, keep your eyes on Jesus and not on me.
If you keep your eyes on my I’ll only let you down.
But I’ll try to be consistent with the word I know is true.
But there’s so much more I need to say to you.
Keep your eyes upon Jesus
He’ll never let you down, oh no, he’ll never let you down
Keep your eyes upon, Jesus
He’ll never let you down, oh no, he’ll never let you down
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Text: Matt 16:21-28
Facebook live: Death is overcome in Christ!
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Nobody likes bad news.
The business deal, you’ve been working on for the last 6 months, has been awarded to you competitor.
Your anniversary, and the meeting you need to attend, are on the same night.
The sale of your house fell through, but the purchase agreement of your new home has been approved, where will you find the money?
Your child is sick.
Your lifelong friend has passed away, unexpectedly.
At times, for we who have been blessed with the good news of eternal life, it is hard to live in the present and keep our eyes fixed on the prize; while the gifts of this temporal life seem to be slipping away.
In our Gospel today we read:
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
The disciples are on a Roller Coaster too. Up one minute and down the next.
Just this month in our readings:
There are too many people here to feed, send them away.
A storm on the sea of Galilee brings fear, and Peter takes a sinking step.
There’s pleading from a mother for her daughter’s healing, which brings first silence.
The disciples are asked, “Who do the people say I am?”
Then, “Who do you say that I am?”
Concern, storms, pleading, questions, and each time the Lord Jesus brings comfort.
All were fed.
Peter was rescued, the sea was calmed, and Jesus entered the boat.
The woman’s faith received the gift of healing for her daughter.
God speaks and the people hear through his appointed messengers.
You are the Christ, the son of the living God, and this good News is revealed to all through God’s working.
But here Jesus speaks the reality of life in a broken world and the entire purpose for his coming, and still the sinful flesh can’t comprehend the good, the bad, and the ugly presented here.
So, we live like the disciples, day by day, up and down, in and out, good and bad, forgetting how blessed you are, and how blessed I am - now and then seeing today and tomorrow as the great joy that we hold to.
Weddings,
Baptisms,
Family reunions
Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings, oh my!
Hope, loss, falling short, and even waiting until next year.
To the words of Jesus, Peter has a hard reply:
22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
To what Jesus revealed to the disciples, Peter says, no!
To this rock of a man that some would build their church upon, the Lord himself turns and counters the hope of the here and now, peace and tranquility that Peter rests in, saying:
23 … “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Do our lives ever blind us from the eternal perspective?
Do we live for the moment, thinking that we control our destiny?
Peter and the other disciples did, and we do as well.
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Taking up our cross in this life is not what we plan to do for today, or tomorrow, and certainly not on a holiday.
Life can blind you and me.
25 For whoever would save his life] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
When I was growing up, truth seemed much simpler.
Boys and girls, dads and moms, brothers and sisters, men and women, husbands and wives.
The trial and cross, was not so much who you struggle to be, but who are you going to ask on a date!
For me this being an especially difficult cross to bear when you consider, there was one centralized phone in the kitchen, and my dad was not spending hard earned money for an extension line - just so you had a little privacy during this most sensitive time in a young boy’s life - and the darn cord was too short to reach down the hallway into a near bedroom to talk privately!
Whatever I asked and whatever the answer; everyone knew!
Now, getting a date or not is not that big of a cross to bear, is it?
Well, what if in doing so, the person you date leads you into a life style that is contrary to God’s desire or design?
What if this relationship leads you away from Christ or in some way a life at odds with our Christian view?
What if the person leads you to unbelief?
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
The cost of following Jesus is a cross we all need to bear.
For me this being an especially difficult cross to bear when you consider, there was one centralized phone in the kitchen, and my dad was not spending hard earned money for an extension line - just so you had a little privacy during this most sensitive time in a young boy’s life - and the darn cord was too short to reach down the hallway into a near bedroom to talk privately!
Whatever I asked and whatever the answer; everyone knew!
Now, getting a date or not is not that big of a cross to bear, is it?
Well, what if in doing so, the person you date leads you into a life style that is contrary to God’s desire or design?
What if this relationship leads you away from Christ or in some way a life at odds with our Christian view?
What if the person leads you to unbelief?
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
The cost of following Jesus is a cross we all need to bear.
Peter was not the only one to miss the Lord’s intent and reason for his coming.
James and John were sure that sitting at Jesus’ right or left in his Kingdom were places of honor in an earthly world they desired and the cup they could drink. Mark 10:35-45
James and John were sure that sitting at Jesus’ right or left in his Kingdom were places of honor in an earthly world they desired and the cup they could drink. Mark 10:35-45
Nathaniel mused, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46
Thomas needed proof in the hands and side of Jesus. John 20:24-25
Life and crosses can keep our eyes off Jesus.
My friend Paul, knows a cross I hope I never know, the loss of his child. His daughter Dianna was born prematurely but didn’t live two days.
After the birth of his second daughter Michelle, he wanted to write her a song of praise and he wrote Michelle’s Song which is sub-titled Keep your eyes upon Jesus.
Oh, my child, keep your eyes on Jesus and not on me.
If you keep your eyes on my I’ll only let you down.
But I’ll try to be consistent with the word I know is true.
But there’s so much more I need to say to you.
Keep your eyes upon Jesus
He’ll never let you down, oh no, he’ll never let you down
Keep your eyes upon, Jesus
He’ll never let you down, oh no, he’ll never let you down
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, August 24, 2026
Sermon Aug. 22-23, 2026
Title: Who do you say Jesus is?
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Facebook live: Who do you say Jesus is?
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
In our Old Testament lesson, we read:
5 My righteousness draws near,
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples;
the coastlands hope for me,
and for my arm they wait.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;
And here is the key.
but my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
In our Gospel reading today:
13 … Jesus and his disciples came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
Now, Caesarea Philippi during the time of Jesus was a lush, deeply pagan city located about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee at the base of Mount Hermon.
Ruled by Herod Philip, it featured a massive cliffside cave, a white marble temple to Caesar Augustus, and an active shrine dedicated to the goat footed Greek god Pan.
The ancient Greeks were very much a polytheistic culture and had belief in many gods. In fact, in polytheism, the more the merrier. Let us have a god for every unique need. Certainly, a very different belief than the Jews who hope is in the one true God, who created all things, delivered them from bondage in Egypt, and fed and sustained them in the wilderness for 40 years. It is in that context and in the district of Caesarea Philippi that,
[Jesus] asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Maybe even in this context we can also understand the answers the disciples give:
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
In fact, the people see Jesus as one of the prophets even thinking John the Baptist, having recently been beheaded might be embodied in this Jesus who is speaking now, or one of the prophets of old, Elijah or Jeremiah who now speak through the voice of this new prophet Jesus.
They were familiar with the prophets of old and the word that was delivered from their mouths as the writer to the Hebrews would record for our benefit writing in Hebrews Chapter 1.
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
They might see God move as he had done in the past through men whom God had called to bring his word to the people - as it says, in time past, so that the people might hear, and that they might believe, and God could certainly do this again, they believe.
God speaks and we hear.
Maybe the people believe that this is who Jesus is? One of the prophets, sent to deliver God’s word, and so they listen, sometimes with belief and trust, and at other times, with doubt or misunderstanding.
In John chapter 6 Jesus calls himself the bread that comes down from Heaven to which,
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”
So here, in the district of Caesarea Philippi, in the vicinity and among a polytheistic culture and Pagen gods, Jesus asks his disciples – which means followers:
15 [saying] to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
A hard question for sure.
What do they believe?
Didn’t they already answer about the people?
What might Jesus be getting at?
They possibly don’t really know or understand the question.
Maybe even thinking, “What should they say?”
And wondering, “What if we’re wrong?”
No one likes hard questions and wrong answers!
I know what your answer would be given the context of our gathering together here in worship at Peace, the Gospel account appointed for today, and Peter’s answer:
You and I like Peter would reply,
16 … “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
At least, I’d hope we would!
Many of those disciples with Peter heard and agreed as well, or at least they were waiting to see how Peter’s response was received by Jesus.
But for us in our day it might depend on the time and place, and the context in our lives and what those attendance might think?
Would we speak safe answers calling Jesus one of the prophets, and a good man that lost his life in a most terrible way, but also fail to point to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? Our true hope and the hope for the world?
Unfortunately, some miss the connection.
Many years ago, I was watching the Phil Donahue show. If you are unfamiliar with Phil, he had a talk show and guests in the afternoon and I probably watched this in the 70s. His guest was Dr. Adrian Rogers who was a Baptist minister and theologian. At one point Phil asked:
“Dr. Rogers, can the Jew be saved?”
To which Dr. Rogers replied, “Apart from faith in Christ, no.”
This is how I remember it all these years later. No hope apart from Jesus.
Faith and trust in Jesus!
Like the mother from last week simply looking for the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.
Now to Peter’s confession Jesus exclaims,
17 … “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
As we discussed in the sermon last weekend, the woman who came to Jesus for healing for her daughter would not be deterred. Her faith in Jesus was given to her as a gift by the infinite mercy of God and the healing for her daughter was given immediately.
Jesus blesses Peter:
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
It is all gift, and it is all God!
Now to the part of the gospel lesson that brings questions both about Peter and the rock that Christ Jesus will build on.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The question of who do the people say that I am was addressed to all of the disciples who were with Jesus, and some answered about John the Baptist and the prophets as so also the question of, Who do you say that I am was addressed to all of the disciples as well - to which Peter gives reply:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The other disciples may not have understood this fully yet and Peter was certainly the one who stepped out of the boat, so it is not surprising that he speaks this truth on their behalf as well and for their benefit.
Because it was made clear by Jesus:
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
This is not something they or we can know outside of God’s working.
So, I would submit that the rock that the church is built on is not Peter the man but on Christ Jesus the Son of the living God and the gift of faith and trust in this God/man Jesus Christ our Lord, whom Peter confesses.
It is interesting to note that in Caesarea Philippi in the time of Jesus a massive cliffside cave where a deep spring was viewed by ancient pagans called the - Gates of Hades – was seen as a mystical portal or boundary where the god Pan traveled to and from the underworld, giving the site a heavy reputation associated with the realm of the dead.
To this Jesus replies to Peter:
That the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!
Trust in Christ will overcome the works of the devil to deceive and lead the faithful into bondage and captivity. For we who are given freedom through Christ’s work and by faith in him we too confess:
You are the Christ the Son of the living God!
To this the keys of heaven have been given to the Church to call to repentance with the binding key of the law, and to set free all who repent with the key of gospel, so that sin, death and the power of the devil would be overcome by Christ and his work!
This, dear friends - as Luther writes in the Small Catechism – is most certainly true!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, August 17, 2026
Sermon Aug. 15-16, 2026
Title: Great is your faith in Jesus!
Text: Matt. 15:21-28
So here is Jesus, out of place we might think and in a wrong place.
But maybe this is exactly where Jesus needs to be?
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
This Canaanite woman comes to Jesus anyway.
She calls him Lord. Maybe there is more to her then meets the eye?
She is not putting her trust in a dead Philistines giant or the god of the Philistines, but in the Son of David who as a shepherd boy slew that Philistine giant with a sling and a smooth rock.
Jesus owes her nothing. Jesus owes us nothing.
“Have mercy on me, she pleads, my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
23 But he did not answer her a word.
I’d like to think that I’m a pretty good husband and father. Not perfect, by any means. But I have tried to care for my wife and children and to be loving to them and to do what I can, especially when they are or have been in great need. Sickness can especially be that need.
What does the Lord owe me? Or you?
And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
The disciples too, having left the feeding of the 5000 two weeks ago in chapter 14 with 12 baskets full of left over pieces seem to have forgotten that call of “You, give them something to eat.”
But I don’t believe that Jesus is using this to belabor that point.
24 Jesus answered her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
She’s a descendent of Cain.
A daughter in the destroyed place of the Philistines.
Absolutely not worthy of the blessings of Israel.
What does she deserve?
The same as all sinners: death, damnation, and eternal separation.
When do we come to Jesus?
When we can’t.
When we won’t
When all is lost.
When someone pleads on our behalf.
When God himself draws us.
All of the above.
25 But she came and knelt before him, in an act of worship saying, “Lord, help me.”
26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Now, much is made of the Greek word κυναρίοις.
This word points to a small or house dog which some try in a sense to say that Jesus wasn’t being disrespectful when Jesus says in a sense that giving her aid is like throwing bread meant for the children to the dogs.
Now let it be known that though I often feed my dogs treats and at times a few table scraps – okay, many table scraps - find there way to them, and I love my dogs dearly. Jesus is not saying,
“It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the cute little puppies that I love so much.”
As dogs we are excluded.
We are not given a chair at the table or a room in the Kingdome.
You and I, apart from Christ and his work, are not partakers of God’s gifts.
And here this women is with her faith-based reply:
27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.”
Friends, we don’t deserve the scraps either, let alone the gifts. We don’t deserve the pieces left over in the twelve baskets either. They are all gift.
Christ gives us all that is his and all that we could never get. Dogs don’t get that! No matter how sweet and loving they might be.
My dogs can sit and look cute and beg and at times cry out but at times my reply is, “Go lay down!”
You can’t plead for what is not be yours!
Yet, Christ gives it anyway!
28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”
What you don’t deserve, Christ gives!
What you can’t have, Christ gives!
What you can’t earn. Christ gives!
The dogs in the world have become the children of the kingdom!
Great is your faith in Jesus!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Text: Matt. 15:21-28
Facebook live: Great is your faith in Jesus!
28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
In the Book of Jerimiah we read:
47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza.
2 “Thus says the Lord:
Behold, waters are rising out of the north,
and shall become an overflowing torrent;
they shall overflow the land and all that fills it,
the city and those who dwell in it.
Men shall cry out,
and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.
3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions,
at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels,
the fathers look not back to their children,
so feeble are their hands,
4 because of the day that is coming to destroy
all the Philistines,
to cut off from Tyre and Sidon
every helper that remains.
For the Lord is destroying the Philistines,
the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.
With Jerimiah’s writing in the Old Testament our Gospel begins:
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
So, in this desolate place, this place where we are told, where men cry out and the inhabitants of the land wail, and at the stamping of hooves and the rumbling of chariot wheels, fathers look back not to their children, because so feeble are their hands.
Fathers feel there is no hope.
Fathers feel they can’t do anything.
I always wondered why Jesus would go to this place, Tyre and Sidon. This once destroyed home of the Philistines. The Philistines who had fought against Israel and produced a champion of their own, Goliath. But the Lord defeated Goliath through his anointed David - the shepherd boy, son of Jesse, in the Valley of Elah.
So here is Jesus in the district of Tyre and Sidon. A place, we might say - this side of Hell on Earth - enemies of Israil, the Philistines, Goliath …
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
Now, this is a Canaanite woman?
You remember Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel and the Lord banishes him from the garden of Eden
24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden [God] placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. Gen 3:24
He didn’t want Cain to return. At least not to the Tree of Life, and at least, not yet.
Now to my question why would Jesus go to Tyre and Sidon?
Well, why not?
If Jesus has come to be the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world and to die for the sins of the whole world, descend to Hell to proclaim victory over sin, death and the power of the devil, and rise so that we might have faith and peace with God.
Then why not go to Tyre and Sidon?
28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
In the Book of Jerimiah we read:
47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down Gaza.
2 “Thus says the Lord:
Behold, waters are rising out of the north,
and shall become an overflowing torrent;
they shall overflow the land and all that fills it,
the city and those who dwell in it.
Men shall cry out,
and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.
3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions,
at the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels,
the fathers look not back to their children,
so feeble are their hands,
4 because of the day that is coming to destroy
all the Philistines,
to cut off from Tyre and Sidon
every helper that remains.
For the Lord is destroying the Philistines,
the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.
With Jerimiah’s writing in the Old Testament our Gospel begins:
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
So, in this desolate place, this place where we are told, where men cry out and the inhabitants of the land wail, and at the stamping of hooves and the rumbling of chariot wheels, fathers look back not to their children, because so feeble are their hands.
Fathers feel there is no hope.
Fathers feel they can’t do anything.
I always wondered why Jesus would go to this place, Tyre and Sidon. This once destroyed home of the Philistines. The Philistines who had fought against Israel and produced a champion of their own, Goliath. But the Lord defeated Goliath through his anointed David - the shepherd boy, son of Jesse, in the Valley of Elah.
So here is Jesus in the district of Tyre and Sidon. A place, we might say - this side of Hell on Earth - enemies of Israil, the Philistines, Goliath …
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
Now, this is a Canaanite woman?
You remember Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel and the Lord banishes him from the garden of Eden
24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden [God] placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. Gen 3:24
He didn’t want Cain to return. At least not to the Tree of Life, and at least, not yet.
Now to my question why would Jesus go to Tyre and Sidon?
Well, why not?
If Jesus has come to be the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world and to die for the sins of the whole world, descend to Hell to proclaim victory over sin, death and the power of the devil, and rise so that we might have faith and peace with God.
Then why not go to Tyre and Sidon?
So here is Jesus, out of place we might think and in a wrong place.
But maybe this is exactly where Jesus needs to be?
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
This Canaanite woman comes to Jesus anyway.
She calls him Lord. Maybe there is more to her then meets the eye?
She is not putting her trust in a dead Philistines giant or the god of the Philistines, but in the Son of David who as a shepherd boy slew that Philistine giant with a sling and a smooth rock.
Jesus owes her nothing. Jesus owes us nothing.
“Have mercy on me, she pleads, my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
23 But he did not answer her a word.
I’d like to think that I’m a pretty good husband and father. Not perfect, by any means. But I have tried to care for my wife and children and to be loving to them and to do what I can, especially when they are or have been in great need. Sickness can especially be that need.
What does the Lord owe me? Or you?
And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
The disciples too, having left the feeding of the 5000 two weeks ago in chapter 14 with 12 baskets full of left over pieces seem to have forgotten that call of “You, give them something to eat.”
But I don’t believe that Jesus is using this to belabor that point.
24 Jesus answered her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
She’s a descendent of Cain.
A daughter in the destroyed place of the Philistines.
Absolutely not worthy of the blessings of Israel.
What does she deserve?
The same as all sinners: death, damnation, and eternal separation.
When do we come to Jesus?
When we can’t.
When we won’t
When all is lost.
When someone pleads on our behalf.
When God himself draws us.
All of the above.
25 But she came and knelt before him, in an act of worship saying, “Lord, help me.”
26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Now, much is made of the Greek word κυναρίοις.
This word points to a small or house dog which some try in a sense to say that Jesus wasn’t being disrespectful when Jesus says in a sense that giving her aid is like throwing bread meant for the children to the dogs.
Now let it be known that though I often feed my dogs treats and at times a few table scraps – okay, many table scraps - find there way to them, and I love my dogs dearly. Jesus is not saying,
“It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the cute little puppies that I love so much.”
As dogs we are excluded.
We are not given a chair at the table or a room in the Kingdome.
You and I, apart from Christ and his work, are not partakers of God’s gifts.
And here this women is with her faith-based reply:
27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.”
Friends, we don’t deserve the scraps either, let alone the gifts. We don’t deserve the pieces left over in the twelve baskets either. They are all gift.
Christ gives us all that is his and all that we could never get. Dogs don’t get that! No matter how sweet and loving they might be.
My dogs can sit and look cute and beg and at times cry out but at times my reply is, “Go lay down!”
You can’t plead for what is not be yours!
Yet, Christ gives it anyway!
28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”
What you don’t deserve, Christ gives!
What you can’t have, Christ gives!
What you can’t earn. Christ gives!
The dogs in the world have become the children of the kingdom!
Great is your faith in Jesus!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, August 3, 2026
Sermon Aug. 8-9, 2026
Theme: The Word That Saves! – Rev. Terry Nelson
Text: Romans 10: 5-17
Facebook live:
31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
Text: Romans 10: 5-17
Facebook live:
31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
Sermon Aug. 1-2, 2026
Title: The Lord gives all that we need!
Matt. 14:13-21
Facebook live: The Lord gives all that we need!
19Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20And they all ate and were satisfied.
He was in the hospital, so I needed to make a visit.
A routine doctor visit caused the doctor call an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
It was more serious than they first expected.
It was going to require surgery.
It was Friday afternoon.
When I arrived, he seemed to be doing alright. Nothing, looked out of the ordinary. I gave him communion and we talked. I had a prayer for successful surgery and told him that I’ll see him again after surgery and to rest easy.
I got a call on Monday.
Mark had passed.
He didn’t get to the surgery that was planned because he had a heart attack as he was being prepped for surgery.
I was shocked to say the least.
I needed time to be alone.
This was unexpected.
So too Jesus.
Death has a way of getting your attention.
What had been, is no more.
John the Baptist had been beheaded in prison …
And Jesus withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.
Human emotion calls us to withdraw, separate, and to renew.
Jesus needed time to process John’s death.
Sometimes you don’t get that time.
But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
Do you ever feel like that?
The crowd just won’t let you rest.
You just want a few minutes to process things,
to be by yourself.
Loss has taken its toll.
Friends, I’m no Jesus, and neither are you.
We feel loss and the suffering and grief can need time to process.
At times, time is not what we have.
“Pastor, can I see you for a moment?”
The sinful self wants to scream.
Thankfully Jesus shows us another way.
14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Compassion is defined: as a deep feeling of care for others that leads to an active desire to help.
Sin tears compassion apart.
We look inward.
“Can’t you see? I’m hurting!”
We don’t often see, and often can’t see the pain others are suffering.
But Jesus can!
15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
The disciples see the need, but the answer is to send them away.
Pain and suffering can cause us to send those in need in our lives away too.
Can you help me? No!
Do you have a few minutes? No!
16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
But, we don’t … and We can’t … and like the disciples …
17 … “We have only five loaves here and two fish.”
When you can’t, when you don’t, and when you won’t, you have to come to Jesus.
Jesus can, Jesus does, and Jesus will.
Jesus can.
Because he hears your prayers and cries for help. It is his desire to always hear the pleas of his children.
John 9:31
31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.
Deuteronomy 31:8
8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Jesus does.
Matt. 14:13-21
Facebook live: The Lord gives all that we need!
19Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20And they all ate and were satisfied.
He was in the hospital, so I needed to make a visit.
A routine doctor visit caused the doctor call an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
It was more serious than they first expected.
It was going to require surgery.
It was Friday afternoon.
When I arrived, he seemed to be doing alright. Nothing, looked out of the ordinary. I gave him communion and we talked. I had a prayer for successful surgery and told him that I’ll see him again after surgery and to rest easy.
I got a call on Monday.
Mark had passed.
He didn’t get to the surgery that was planned because he had a heart attack as he was being prepped for surgery.
I was shocked to say the least.
I needed time to be alone.
This was unexpected.
So too Jesus.
Death has a way of getting your attention.
What had been, is no more.
John the Baptist had been beheaded in prison …
And Jesus withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.
Human emotion calls us to withdraw, separate, and to renew.
Jesus needed time to process John’s death.
Sometimes you don’t get that time.
But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
Do you ever feel like that?
The crowd just won’t let you rest.
You just want a few minutes to process things,
to be by yourself.
Loss has taken its toll.
Friends, I’m no Jesus, and neither are you.
We feel loss and the suffering and grief can need time to process.
At times, time is not what we have.
“Pastor, can I see you for a moment?”
The sinful self wants to scream.
Thankfully Jesus shows us another way.
14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Compassion is defined: as a deep feeling of care for others that leads to an active desire to help.
Sin tears compassion apart.
We look inward.
“Can’t you see? I’m hurting!”
We don’t often see, and often can’t see the pain others are suffering.
But Jesus can!
15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
The disciples see the need, but the answer is to send them away.
Pain and suffering can cause us to send those in need in our lives away too.
Can you help me? No!
Do you have a few minutes? No!
16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
But, we don’t … and We can’t … and like the disciples …
17 … “We have only five loaves here and two fish.”
When you can’t, when you don’t, and when you won’t, you have to come to Jesus.
Jesus can, Jesus does, and Jesus will.
Jesus can.
Because he hears your prayers and cries for help. It is his desire to always hear the pleas of his children.
John 9:31
31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.
Deuteronomy 31:8
8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Jesus does.
Because he has promised to hear and to answer.
Psalm 116:2
Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
Psalm 118:5
Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.
Psalm 138:3
On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.
Jesus will.
Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.
The disciples know …
17 … “We have only five loaves here and two fish.”
18 And [Jesus] says, “Bring them here to me.”
The trouble, the fear, the wants and the needs have to go to Jesus.
Jesus is our Sabbath rest.
There is no other help that makes sense.
There is no other help that brings peace.
There is no other help that brings forgiveness.
19 Then Jesus ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
Jesus broke the loves and gave them to the disciples and they fed the crowd. Five thousand men besides women and children. A sizeable number of people and all were satisfied.
There were twelve baskets full of broken pieces that remained as a reminder for the disciples of what the Lord had done and could do. The gospel remains for me and you as a sign of what Christ has done and can do in our lives.
That what seems impossible for man is possible with God. He is able to fill the impossible in our lives and to use us to fill the impossible in others’ lives.
We bring our needs to Jesus and we come to him with thanksgiving for all that he has done for us.
The Lord gives all that we need!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Psalm 116:2
Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
Psalm 118:5
Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.
Psalm 138:3
On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.
Jesus will.
Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.
The disciples know …
17 … “We have only five loaves here and two fish.”
18 And [Jesus] says, “Bring them here to me.”
The trouble, the fear, the wants and the needs have to go to Jesus.
Jesus is our Sabbath rest.
There is no other help that makes sense.
There is no other help that brings peace.
There is no other help that brings forgiveness.
19 Then Jesus ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
Jesus broke the loves and gave them to the disciples and they fed the crowd. Five thousand men besides women and children. A sizeable number of people and all were satisfied.
There were twelve baskets full of broken pieces that remained as a reminder for the disciples of what the Lord had done and could do. The gospel remains for me and you as a sign of what Christ has done and can do in our lives.
That what seems impossible for man is possible with God. He is able to fill the impossible in our lives and to use us to fill the impossible in others’ lives.
We bring our needs to Jesus and we come to him with thanksgiving for all that he has done for us.
The Lord gives all that we need!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, July 27, 2026
Sermon July 25-26, 2026
Title: Christ is our pearl of great value!
Text: Matt 13:44-52
Text: Matt 13:44-52
Facebook live: Christ is our pearl of great value!
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
As we begin today, we again look at the parables of Jesus in the Gospel of St. Matthew. If we remember the last two weekends we recall that the Sower, who sowed seed everywhere, found that the seed that fell on the good soil took root and produced a crop that yielded 30, 60 and even 100 fold.
Last week we learned that the wheat that grew from the good seed, was planted by the Son of man, in the field of the world, and that the devil also planted weeds among the wheat where both would grow until the harvest, separating both wheat and weeds or believers and unbelievers by God’s angles at the end of the age.
Today we have three short parables and they all bring to mind the topic of the kingdom of heaven. We’ll look at these and see the truth that, through the Gospel:
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
In last week’s parable Jesus explained that the field was the world and the good seed is the children of the kingdom. In today’s parable the children of the kingdom are the treasure hidden in the world brought to faith by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel’s proclamation.
Christ then is the man who found you, His treasure, but this treasure of being his child is hidden apart from faith, in the field of this world.
So to purchase the world back, Christ empties himself, sells all He has, as it were and gives Himself as a ransom to buy and redeem this world lost in sin, death and the power of the devil.
Jesus then says:
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Knowing that a perfect pearl, of large size, of spherical shape, would far surpass in value hundreds of small, imperfect pearls, this merchant, an expert in his line, set out to seek, and, if possible, to find, such a rare valuable pearl. Having found one which seemed to him exceedingly precious, he risked his all, stripping himself of all his possessions in the one great venture of his life. The glory and beauty of God's mercy in the Gospel - so great and precious a gift that all else sinks into insignificance beside it.
Popular Commentary of the Bible, P.E. Kretzmann NT Vol.1 Pg.76-77
The pearl of the Christians is the greatest treasure in the kingdom of God … salvation in Christ!
He who has learned to know this priceless gift will gladly renounce all goods, joys, and delights of this world, and consider all human wisdom and righteousness as loss, in order to gain Christ.
But that is not always the case.
As I was driving some time ago, I caught a story on the Moth Radio Hour. This show has people speaking in front of a live studio audience and relating a story that was of some significance to them.
The speaker was Christof Koch an American neuroscientist who had been raised Roman Catholic and struggled with his own belief in God alongside his work as a scientist. The topic was: God, Death and Francis Crick. Francis Crick was also a scientist, who made his mark in DNA research and was an atheist. The two, though from different generations, spent many years in collaboration and study even authoring a book together called The Quest for Consciousness.
One day as they worked together, Francis Cricks received a call and confirmation that his terminal cancer had returned. Christof said he was immensely impressed with the Stoic faith of his atheist elder friend. “No doom and gloom, no gnashing of teeth and no tears just, “Accept what you can’t change.” And then he went on with what Francis Crick had to say, “Everything that has a beginning must have an end … those are the facts, I don’t like them, but I’ve accepted them.”
This also caused Christof to reflect on his own mortality. Ultimately, he saw Francis Crick as his hero, with how he dealt with his own demise.
The show concluded with Christof speaking of being saddened by the loss of his belief and religion like, fond childhood memories, concluding that we all have to grow up, which is difficult for many and unbearable for the few, concluding that we have to see the world as it really is and stop thinking in terms of magic.
Or, he says, as Francis would have put it, “This is a story for grown men not a consoling tale for children.”
https://themoth.org/stories/god-death-and-francis-crick
To that Jesus answers:
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The net of the Word of God and its Gospel proclamation is cast into the sea of the world and at the end of the age it will be gathered to the shore.
Here the angles will separate those, the righteous, who by the power of the Holy Spirit, are brought to faith in Christ and believe - while others - called evil, will be thrown into the fiery furnace of Hell and there, no matter how stoic they may be in this life, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The first Hymn Martin Luther ever wrote is called Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice.
I’d like to share with you stanzas 4-5, as it speaks beautifully to our message today.
Broken and condemned by the Law we are rescued by Christ and made his child and forgiven. Please turn to Hymn #556 in your hymnal and let us joyfully sing these important words into our hearts receiving the forgiveness they convey in the work of Jesus to give us forgiveness, comfort and peace!
4.
But God had seen my wretched state
Before the world's foundation,
And mindful of His mercies great,
He planned for my salvation.
He turned to me, A father's heart;
He did not choose the easy part
But gave His dearest Treasure.
5.
God said to His beloved Son:
“It’s time to have compassion.
Then go, bright Jewel of My crown,
And bring to all salvation;
From sin and sorrow set him free,
Slay bitter death for them that they
May live with you forever.
We can’t know who will be gathered … but we can trust that God knows.
He will gather his children unto himself and all that believe in Christ will be saved.
Those who have once shared this faith but have fallen away, God, by his Holy Spirit will continue to call and we pray once again give them life by the Spirit found only in Christ.
Because, Christ is our pearl of great value!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
As we begin today, we again look at the parables of Jesus in the Gospel of St. Matthew. If we remember the last two weekends we recall that the Sower, who sowed seed everywhere, found that the seed that fell on the good soil took root and produced a crop that yielded 30, 60 and even 100 fold.
Last week we learned that the wheat that grew from the good seed, was planted by the Son of man, in the field of the world, and that the devil also planted weeds among the wheat where both would grow until the harvest, separating both wheat and weeds or believers and unbelievers by God’s angles at the end of the age.
Today we have three short parables and they all bring to mind the topic of the kingdom of heaven. We’ll look at these and see the truth that, through the Gospel:
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
In last week’s parable Jesus explained that the field was the world and the good seed is the children of the kingdom. In today’s parable the children of the kingdom are the treasure hidden in the world brought to faith by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel’s proclamation.
Christ then is the man who found you, His treasure, but this treasure of being his child is hidden apart from faith, in the field of this world.
So to purchase the world back, Christ empties himself, sells all He has, as it were and gives Himself as a ransom to buy and redeem this world lost in sin, death and the power of the devil.
Jesus then says:
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Knowing that a perfect pearl, of large size, of spherical shape, would far surpass in value hundreds of small, imperfect pearls, this merchant, an expert in his line, set out to seek, and, if possible, to find, such a rare valuable pearl. Having found one which seemed to him exceedingly precious, he risked his all, stripping himself of all his possessions in the one great venture of his life. The glory and beauty of God's mercy in the Gospel - so great and precious a gift that all else sinks into insignificance beside it.
Popular Commentary of the Bible, P.E. Kretzmann NT Vol.1 Pg.76-77
The pearl of the Christians is the greatest treasure in the kingdom of God … salvation in Christ!
He who has learned to know this priceless gift will gladly renounce all goods, joys, and delights of this world, and consider all human wisdom and righteousness as loss, in order to gain Christ.
But that is not always the case.
As I was driving some time ago, I caught a story on the Moth Radio Hour. This show has people speaking in front of a live studio audience and relating a story that was of some significance to them.
The speaker was Christof Koch an American neuroscientist who had been raised Roman Catholic and struggled with his own belief in God alongside his work as a scientist. The topic was: God, Death and Francis Crick. Francis Crick was also a scientist, who made his mark in DNA research and was an atheist. The two, though from different generations, spent many years in collaboration and study even authoring a book together called The Quest for Consciousness.
One day as they worked together, Francis Cricks received a call and confirmation that his terminal cancer had returned. Christof said he was immensely impressed with the Stoic faith of his atheist elder friend. “No doom and gloom, no gnashing of teeth and no tears just, “Accept what you can’t change.” And then he went on with what Francis Crick had to say, “Everything that has a beginning must have an end … those are the facts, I don’t like them, but I’ve accepted them.”
This also caused Christof to reflect on his own mortality. Ultimately, he saw Francis Crick as his hero, with how he dealt with his own demise.
The show concluded with Christof speaking of being saddened by the loss of his belief and religion like, fond childhood memories, concluding that we all have to grow up, which is difficult for many and unbearable for the few, concluding that we have to see the world as it really is and stop thinking in terms of magic.
Or, he says, as Francis would have put it, “This is a story for grown men not a consoling tale for children.”
https://themoth.org/stories/god-death-and-francis-crick
To that Jesus answers:
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The net of the Word of God and its Gospel proclamation is cast into the sea of the world and at the end of the age it will be gathered to the shore.
Here the angles will separate those, the righteous, who by the power of the Holy Spirit, are brought to faith in Christ and believe - while others - called evil, will be thrown into the fiery furnace of Hell and there, no matter how stoic they may be in this life, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The first Hymn Martin Luther ever wrote is called Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice.
I’d like to share with you stanzas 4-5, as it speaks beautifully to our message today.
Broken and condemned by the Law we are rescued by Christ and made his child and forgiven. Please turn to Hymn #556 in your hymnal and let us joyfully sing these important words into our hearts receiving the forgiveness they convey in the work of Jesus to give us forgiveness, comfort and peace!
4.
But God had seen my wretched state
Before the world's foundation,
And mindful of His mercies great,
He planned for my salvation.
He turned to me, A father's heart;
He did not choose the easy part
But gave His dearest Treasure.
5.
God said to His beloved Son:
“It’s time to have compassion.
Then go, bright Jewel of My crown,
And bring to all salvation;
From sin and sorrow set him free,
Slay bitter death for them that they
May live with you forever.
We can’t know who will be gathered … but we can trust that God knows.
He will gather his children unto himself and all that believe in Christ will be saved.
Those who have once shared this faith but have fallen away, God, by his Holy Spirit will continue to call and we pray once again give them life by the Spirit found only in Christ.
Because, Christ is our pearl of great value!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, July 20, 2026
Sermon July 18-19, 2026
Title: We are gathered into the barn of the Lord!
Text: Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43
Text: Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43
Facebook live: We are gathered into the barn of the Lord!
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Sin can often have a gradual and cumulative effect on our lives.
Sitting in my basement a few years ago I saw a bee buzzing around. I picked up a fly swatter and got him. Over the summer it was one or two here and there and I took care of it as I could. I saw a few outside by my porch and sprayed some but that was about it. I didn’t know where they were getting in and over the winter forgot about it.
I saw a few dead bees on my floor and cleaned it up but when I went to turn on the water valve in the drop ceiling of my basement for the outside faucet, I found the basketball size nest that lay hidden in the ceiling. Thankfully, the bees were dead and I just had to remove the nest, but left unattended the hive could have over run my house.
That is how sin can be if left unattended, it grows.
Last week we discussed the parable of the Sower who sowed seed, throwing it everywhere, on the path, the rocky ground and even on good soil.
The parable was explained by Jesus that the seed was the word of God and the Gospel proclamation that went forth, transforming hearts of stone to good soil where the word takes root and brings forth faith in those called by God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today’s parable builds on that by saying:
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
So in explanation to this parable, Jesus says that He is the one who sows the good seed, and that the world is the field, and the wheat that grows - which sprouts from the good seed - are those who are the children of the Kingdom by faith.
The weeds, we are told, are those who are sons of the evil one which is the devil himself - who sows the lies that Jesus is not who he claims to be, which is - the way the truth and the life.
So as is made clear in our text, the world will consist of both those who believe and those who don’t believe, and being that the church is also in the world, we will have our own share of weeds among believers.
So as the church, shouldn’t we look to pull out those weeds among us?
Where do we start?
What should we use to judge each other?
How about little Amelia VanDewater?
As a newly Baptized member of God’s church Amelia has been marked as one redeemed by Christ the crucified, and we like her, have been made good soil by God’s Holy Spirit!
But even those who haven’t been baptized? Paul says in Roman 10:
9 …, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
And then he continues:
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
So belief in the heart is what justifies or makes righteous and those who believe will not be put to shame but will be saved.
So, as Jesus says to the question of,
28”do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 He says, ‘No, because in gathering the weeds you may pull up the wheat as well. 30 Let both grow together … until the harvest, and then I will tell the reapers to Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
In other words, the wheat is left behind after the weeds are gathered to be burned and then gathered into the Lord’s barn.
Growing up in and around the Midwest, I’m sure we’ve all had plenty of experience pulling weeds. As a young boy I was sent out to do weeding around the house and also went with my dad to a farm where he leased five acres to have a vegetable garden, we went to … you guessed it … to pull weeds!
Now, sometimes when I pulled the weed, I also pulled out the plant I was weeding around. My Dad was none too pleased with that. That can be very frustrating and at times you might think that you are doing more harm than good.
It also seems that these weeds seemingly grow up overnight. I would go out and pull weeds with him one day, but the next day, out of nowhere, new weeds had appeared.
Maybe you can appreciate like me the truly demonic nature of weeds and why Jesus used them in the parable?
When sin becomes visible in the church, we are told to call those who are sinning to repentance - with gentleness and respect, and we are to first remove the beam from our own eye before seeking to remove the speck from the eye of our brother.
I’ve been to a number of pastoral installations and ordinations over the years and many verses of scripture are read during the installation service. One of the many verses is 2 Timothy 4:2 which says:
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
The pastor is as well to call to repentance through the preaching of the Law those who are going the wrong way and are in disobedience to God’s word, but also to do this with individuals as well.
This, only deals with the visible sin and it can never show the intention of the heart or the motive and even more importantly, who are wheat and who are weeds.
That will be determined by God himself at the final judgment.
So what do we know?
Well it is Christ’s desire that all would be saved and come to knowledge of the truth, 1 Tim 2:4, even for those whom we believe to be far from the Lord and his reach.
This is accomplished by the proclamation of the Gospel in word and sacrament which will bring to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit those who believe, and by God’s grace, into His family through that same promised forgiveness by faith in Christ’s finished work.
We also know from the parable today, that some - those who are called the weeds in the parable are those who are the sons of the evil one - the devil, and that they will reject the saviors blessed call through the gospel message and through this unbelief be destined for destruction – thrown into the fiery furnace and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This will be of their own choosing as they reject the work of the Holy Spirit choosing to remain dead in trespass and sin.
But you all have this assurance:
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Sin can often have a gradual and cumulative effect on our lives.
Sitting in my basement a few years ago I saw a bee buzzing around. I picked up a fly swatter and got him. Over the summer it was one or two here and there and I took care of it as I could. I saw a few outside by my porch and sprayed some but that was about it. I didn’t know where they were getting in and over the winter forgot about it.
I saw a few dead bees on my floor and cleaned it up but when I went to turn on the water valve in the drop ceiling of my basement for the outside faucet, I found the basketball size nest that lay hidden in the ceiling. Thankfully, the bees were dead and I just had to remove the nest, but left unattended the hive could have over run my house.
That is how sin can be if left unattended, it grows.
Last week we discussed the parable of the Sower who sowed seed, throwing it everywhere, on the path, the rocky ground and even on good soil.
The parable was explained by Jesus that the seed was the word of God and the Gospel proclamation that went forth, transforming hearts of stone to good soil where the word takes root and brings forth faith in those called by God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today’s parable builds on that by saying:
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
So in explanation to this parable, Jesus says that He is the one who sows the good seed, and that the world is the field, and the wheat that grows - which sprouts from the good seed - are those who are the children of the Kingdom by faith.
The weeds, we are told, are those who are sons of the evil one which is the devil himself - who sows the lies that Jesus is not who he claims to be, which is - the way the truth and the life.
So as is made clear in our text, the world will consist of both those who believe and those who don’t believe, and being that the church is also in the world, we will have our own share of weeds among believers.
So as the church, shouldn’t we look to pull out those weeds among us?
Where do we start?
What should we use to judge each other?
How about little Amelia VanDewater?
As a newly Baptized member of God’s church Amelia has been marked as one redeemed by Christ the crucified, and we like her, have been made good soil by God’s Holy Spirit!
But even those who haven’t been baptized? Paul says in Roman 10:
9 …, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
And then he continues:
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
So belief in the heart is what justifies or makes righteous and those who believe will not be put to shame but will be saved.
So, as Jesus says to the question of,
28”do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 He says, ‘No, because in gathering the weeds you may pull up the wheat as well. 30 Let both grow together … until the harvest, and then I will tell the reapers to Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
In other words, the wheat is left behind after the weeds are gathered to be burned and then gathered into the Lord’s barn.
Growing up in and around the Midwest, I’m sure we’ve all had plenty of experience pulling weeds. As a young boy I was sent out to do weeding around the house and also went with my dad to a farm where he leased five acres to have a vegetable garden, we went to … you guessed it … to pull weeds!
Now, sometimes when I pulled the weed, I also pulled out the plant I was weeding around. My Dad was none too pleased with that. That can be very frustrating and at times you might think that you are doing more harm than good.
It also seems that these weeds seemingly grow up overnight. I would go out and pull weeds with him one day, but the next day, out of nowhere, new weeds had appeared.
Maybe you can appreciate like me the truly demonic nature of weeds and why Jesus used them in the parable?
When sin becomes visible in the church, we are told to call those who are sinning to repentance - with gentleness and respect, and we are to first remove the beam from our own eye before seeking to remove the speck from the eye of our brother.
I’ve been to a number of pastoral installations and ordinations over the years and many verses of scripture are read during the installation service. One of the many verses is 2 Timothy 4:2 which says:
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
The pastor is as well to call to repentance through the preaching of the Law those who are going the wrong way and are in disobedience to God’s word, but also to do this with individuals as well.
This, only deals with the visible sin and it can never show the intention of the heart or the motive and even more importantly, who are wheat and who are weeds.
That will be determined by God himself at the final judgment.
So what do we know?
Well it is Christ’s desire that all would be saved and come to knowledge of the truth, 1 Tim 2:4, even for those whom we believe to be far from the Lord and his reach.
This is accomplished by the proclamation of the Gospel in word and sacrament which will bring to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit those who believe, and by God’s grace, into His family through that same promised forgiveness by faith in Christ’s finished work.
We also know from the parable today, that some - those who are called the weeds in the parable are those who are the sons of the evil one - the devil, and that they will reject the saviors blessed call through the gospel message and through this unbelief be destined for destruction – thrown into the fiery furnace and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This will be of their own choosing as they reject the work of the Holy Spirit choosing to remain dead in trespass and sin.
But you all have this assurance:
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, July 13, 2026
Sermon July 11-12, 2026
Title: The word gives growth unto a great harvest!
Text: Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23
Text: Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23
Facebook live: The word gives growth unto a great harvest!
23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
When I worked in sales in the piano business and began waiting on customers there’s a principal we all learned: It is called the “KISS Principle,” as in, K-I-S-S: And it means, Keep It Simple, Stupid! In other words, if you want people to understand what you’re saying, and in my case showing them the benefits of owning a piano, I was reminded by the KISS Principal … to keep it simple. Don’t talk to technical or in ways that people can’t understand what you are really trying to say.
It seems a bit strange then that Jesus would use parables or stories that were something like a riddle at times to teach the crowd.
How will they learn from these parables?
Wouldn’t this complicate understanding?
The disciples even asked about this:
“Why do you speak to them in parables?” (v 10).
Actually, hearing God’s Word with understanding isn’t just a matter of “getting” the parables. Understanding God’s Word is hard anytime, and there are good reasons for this, but particularly when Jesus speaks in parables.
Jesus knows his audience well.
There are things He knows that are keeping them from hearing and understanding what He is saying. Jesus teaches his disciples that even though 12 the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, Heb 4:12, the hearer – which is you and me - in our sinful state has the ability to resist and misunderstand God’s word.
As Luther says in the explanation of the Third Article of The apostles Creed:
I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.
We understand that faith is a gift of our loving God.
So, what is it that keeps us from hearing … understanding and bearing fruit?
First, Jesus says, it’s the devil.
He is like the birds that come and snatch the seed off the path. Certainly, we all can attest that the devil exists … because we notice the sinfulness of our thoughts even, at times as we wonder off while listening to a sermon.
No that would never happen.
What are you thinking about right now?
Are you thinking about what you did last night, or what you might do after church?
Whatever it is … you can be sure that the devil will shorten your attention span and even introduce thoughts into your mind … that have no business being there at this time!
Years ago I attended a funeral for a classmate and, though the funeral had many good points and opened the ears of those who needed to hear, there was one speaker who closed the ears of all by talking too long, being unfocused, and turning the funeral into a Bible Study, so that the loved ones having ears closed - had to lead him back to his seat.
“You mean I’m done?” “Yes. You’re done.”
We need to know when to speak and when to hold back and just love those who are hurting before they close their ears to the message.
The second thing Jesus says is that it’s your flesh.
The sinful flesh, yours and mine, looks for the next spiritual high. As long as everything is going well, we’re all for the Word. But when problems arise, or when tribulation and persecution come, we’re quick to abandon the word and leave it far behind.
This is like the seed that falls on the rocky soil. We avoid suffering and substitute something more palatable and to our liking.
I officiated at a funeral many years ago that had that had many ears opened through the evangelizing work of Robert Fisher who was a member of Peace and had passed away. I heard from many friends at the funeral how he brought Jesus to so many of them through his mentoring in AA.
One man who I talked to told me that Bob was his sponsor and mentor for 17 years ... "He literally saved my life!"
What a blessing he was to many that heard the word from him.
23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
When I worked in sales in the piano business and began waiting on customers there’s a principal we all learned: It is called the “KISS Principle,” as in, K-I-S-S: And it means, Keep It Simple, Stupid! In other words, if you want people to understand what you’re saying, and in my case showing them the benefits of owning a piano, I was reminded by the KISS Principal … to keep it simple. Don’t talk to technical or in ways that people can’t understand what you are really trying to say.
It seems a bit strange then that Jesus would use parables or stories that were something like a riddle at times to teach the crowd.
How will they learn from these parables?
Wouldn’t this complicate understanding?
The disciples even asked about this:
“Why do you speak to them in parables?” (v 10).
Actually, hearing God’s Word with understanding isn’t just a matter of “getting” the parables. Understanding God’s Word is hard anytime, and there are good reasons for this, but particularly when Jesus speaks in parables.
Jesus knows his audience well.
There are things He knows that are keeping them from hearing and understanding what He is saying. Jesus teaches his disciples that even though 12 the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, Heb 4:12, the hearer – which is you and me - in our sinful state has the ability to resist and misunderstand God’s word.
As Luther says in the explanation of the Third Article of The apostles Creed:
I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.
We understand that faith is a gift of our loving God.
So, what is it that keeps us from hearing … understanding and bearing fruit?
First, Jesus says, it’s the devil.
He is like the birds that come and snatch the seed off the path. Certainly, we all can attest that the devil exists … because we notice the sinfulness of our thoughts even, at times as we wonder off while listening to a sermon.
No that would never happen.
What are you thinking about right now?
Are you thinking about what you did last night, or what you might do after church?
Whatever it is … you can be sure that the devil will shorten your attention span and even introduce thoughts into your mind … that have no business being there at this time!
Years ago I attended a funeral for a classmate and, though the funeral had many good points and opened the ears of those who needed to hear, there was one speaker who closed the ears of all by talking too long, being unfocused, and turning the funeral into a Bible Study, so that the loved ones having ears closed - had to lead him back to his seat.
“You mean I’m done?” “Yes. You’re done.”
We need to know when to speak and when to hold back and just love those who are hurting before they close their ears to the message.
The second thing Jesus says is that it’s your flesh.
The sinful flesh, yours and mine, looks for the next spiritual high. As long as everything is going well, we’re all for the Word. But when problems arise, or when tribulation and persecution come, we’re quick to abandon the word and leave it far behind.
This is like the seed that falls on the rocky soil. We avoid suffering and substitute something more palatable and to our liking.
I officiated at a funeral many years ago that had that had many ears opened through the evangelizing work of Robert Fisher who was a member of Peace and had passed away. I heard from many friends at the funeral how he brought Jesus to so many of them through his mentoring in AA.
One man who I talked to told me that Bob was his sponsor and mentor for 17 years ... "He literally saved my life!"
What a blessing he was to many that heard the word from him.
Third, Jesus says it’s the world.
We have many cares, some that even steal away the joy of listening to the Word. Yes, at times the word of God is joyful, but we have work to do, whether from our employer or a teacher at school or even well intention friends.
We may be concerned about our income, our children, the rising expenses of health care, and other essentials to our life – as our costs go up … sometime our income goes down.
What to do?
When you deprive yourself of preaching and the word you steal the Good News God wants you to hear.
The devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh make up the unholy trinity that keeps us from hearing and bearing fruit – they block the word if you will.
The meaning of the Third Commandment, you shall keep Holy the Sabbath day, calls on hearers not to despise preaching and God’s Word. It needs to be “set apart” which is what holy means, yet when you are listening, problems and a lack of understanding happen and then this is precisely what occurs. The Preaching … and God’s Word are both despised.
But God’s Word is heard, and when it is - understood - what a blessing!
Jesus said to the Twelve,
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (vs 16–17).
How does that happen?
Jesus answered the disciples’ question this way:
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (vs 11–13).
Did you hear that?
Hearing and understanding God’s Word is given; it’s a gift.
You have just been gifted … Just now.
Again … you have been given the Spirit of God in Christ. For many of you, that first happened at your Baptism.
Your eyes have been opened to see that Jesus truly is the Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world by dying for you on the cross.
And you continue to hear God’s Word that kills the sinner inside and raises the new man to life … just like the seed that dies in the ground and then sprouts and grows and eventually bears fruit.
It is the listening to God’s Word and his preaching that does this.
With his death on the cross, Jesus has conquered the devil, the world, and our flesh. This gives you and me the authority and the comfort to pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
We have many cares, some that even steal away the joy of listening to the Word. Yes, at times the word of God is joyful, but we have work to do, whether from our employer or a teacher at school or even well intention friends.
We may be concerned about our income, our children, the rising expenses of health care, and other essentials to our life – as our costs go up … sometime our income goes down.
What to do?
When you deprive yourself of preaching and the word you steal the Good News God wants you to hear.
The devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh make up the unholy trinity that keeps us from hearing and bearing fruit – they block the word if you will.
The meaning of the Third Commandment, you shall keep Holy the Sabbath day, calls on hearers not to despise preaching and God’s Word. It needs to be “set apart” which is what holy means, yet when you are listening, problems and a lack of understanding happen and then this is precisely what occurs. The Preaching … and God’s Word are both despised.
But God’s Word is heard, and when it is - understood - what a blessing!
Jesus said to the Twelve,
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (vs 16–17).
How does that happen?
Jesus answered the disciples’ question this way:
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (vs 11–13).
Did you hear that?
Hearing and understanding God’s Word is given; it’s a gift.
You have just been gifted … Just now.
Again … you have been given the Spirit of God in Christ. For many of you, that first happened at your Baptism.
Your eyes have been opened to see that Jesus truly is the Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world by dying for you on the cross.
And you continue to hear God’s Word that kills the sinner inside and raises the new man to life … just like the seed that dies in the ground and then sprouts and grows and eventually bears fruit.
It is the listening to God’s Word and his preaching that does this.
With his death on the cross, Jesus has conquered the devil, the world, and our flesh. This gives you and me the authority and the comfort to pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
This evil is not just some impotent, inanimate, impersonal substance. It is the evil one, who steals the Word from our hearts, who tempts us with suffering, and coaxes the world to follow him.
But our Lord has overcome the evil one, and in faith in his victory we may pray confidently and resist the snares and traps he sets.
Our Lord has chosen you – dear friend - to receive this gift of faith so that you may hear and understand. This is grace and grace alone. No merit on your part has caused this, but our Lord and his love for you give it freely.
Jesus teaches the disciples to sow the Word of God liberally.
There are no places, regardless of their potential to grow, where the Word of God may not or should not be preached.
The Sower, in the parable is spreading seed everywhere … over the path, the rocks, and the weedy areas. That’s because God’s grace is for everyone.
Everybody who hears the words you have heard today may be certain that Jesus really has died and has risen for them, has forgiven them, has given them eternal salvation.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
But our Lord has overcome the evil one, and in faith in his victory we may pray confidently and resist the snares and traps he sets.
Our Lord has chosen you – dear friend - to receive this gift of faith so that you may hear and understand. This is grace and grace alone. No merit on your part has caused this, but our Lord and his love for you give it freely.
Jesus teaches the disciples to sow the Word of God liberally.
There are no places, regardless of their potential to grow, where the Word of God may not or should not be preached.
The Sower, in the parable is spreading seed everywhere … over the path, the rocks, and the weedy areas. That’s because God’s grace is for everyone.
Everybody who hears the words you have heard today may be certain that Jesus really has died and has risen for them, has forgiven them, has given them eternal salvation.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Saturday, July 11, 2026
Sermon July 5, 2026 - Pastor Terry Nelson
Title: Rejoice and Hear God's Promises!
Text: Zechariah 9: 9-12
Text: Zechariah 9: 9-12
Facebook live: Rejoice and Hear God's Promises!
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Monday, June 29, 2026
Sermon June 28, 2026
Title: Peace is found in Jesus!
Text: Matthew 10:34-42
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.
42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Being received into Christ is your great reward!
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Peace came to the Earth at the promised birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
He came to restore the peace that was lost through the fall into sin between God and man.
Peace was earned at the cross by Jesus Christ where the price of sin was paid in full and satisfaction made.
God and man are now at peace.
But, there also is another effect as a result of the Gospel being proclaimed. Maybe you’ve experienced it? Jesus tells his disciples:
36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.
Man against father and daughter against mother, daughter-n-law and mother-n-law will be at odds. This sounds very similar to last week’s reading and Jesus gives us a warning as well.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life in this life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Where Jesus says that he came not to bring peace but a sword we need to understand this a bit more. What is the sword that He brings that his disciples should be aware of?
Paul gives us a glimpse in Ephesians chapter six when he uses the metaphor of putting on the whole armor of God and he here also gives us a better picture of who the fight is truly against
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood … but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The fight may appear to be against father and son or mother and daughter and this fight will have the battle scars of a true fight, but the truth is first that those who are opposed to the word of truth proclaimed and received by the work of the Holy Spirit are led by a different spirit … the spirit of darkness who fight against the sword that Christ has.
Paul gives us the armor:
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
The armor that is put on has different functions:
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
All of the armor that is given for the use of the disciples and us is defensive.
All that we put on gives protection from the darts of the evil one though one … is given for our use as a weapon.
The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God!
True Peace is found in Jesus!
I had a conversation a number of years ago with a friend who I had been witnessing to. I had invited him to church and he said, “Sunday mornings are the time that my wife and I do things and go places.”
His wife was not a believer or interested in hearing about Christ at all. I asked, “Do you get up early Sunday and do things?” He said, “No, we don’t really get up until about 10:00 am.” So, I said, “Why don’t you go to an 8:00 am service and you can be back home before your wife gets up and 10:00, then you have the whole day to spend together?
“No, that won’t work … because she’ll be mad that I went to church … she thinks it’s stupid.”
Ultimately, they got a divorce.
Both were at fault.
Unfortunately, their marriage was not built on the hope that Christ gives.
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life in this life will lose it, even if it appears that the love of wife, brother, sister, father, son-n-law, daughter-n-law or whomever, is a reason to forsake Christ and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
The cross of Christ can take us many ways. At times it feels like a hard place to be but Jesus promises never to leave you or forsake you.
Jesus comforts us all:
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.
Your reward is in Christ. He has given you the most blessed reward of eternal life which is the prophet’s reward and the reward of a righteous person … Jesus Christ!
It is yours because you are His! This gift is not only for you, but for all who have been brought to faith by the work of the Holy Spirit.
42 … even the little ones given a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” Your reward is held fast in Christ by God Himself and you are His now and for eternity!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Text: Matthew 10:34-42
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.
42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Being received into Christ is your great reward!
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Peace came to the Earth at the promised birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
He came to restore the peace that was lost through the fall into sin between God and man.
Peace was earned at the cross by Jesus Christ where the price of sin was paid in full and satisfaction made.
God and man are now at peace.
But, there also is another effect as a result of the Gospel being proclaimed. Maybe you’ve experienced it? Jesus tells his disciples:
36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.
Man against father and daughter against mother, daughter-n-law and mother-n-law will be at odds. This sounds very similar to last week’s reading and Jesus gives us a warning as well.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life in this life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Where Jesus says that he came not to bring peace but a sword we need to understand this a bit more. What is the sword that He brings that his disciples should be aware of?
Paul gives us a glimpse in Ephesians chapter six when he uses the metaphor of putting on the whole armor of God and he here also gives us a better picture of who the fight is truly against
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood … but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The fight may appear to be against father and son or mother and daughter and this fight will have the battle scars of a true fight, but the truth is first that those who are opposed to the word of truth proclaimed and received by the work of the Holy Spirit are led by a different spirit … the spirit of darkness who fight against the sword that Christ has.
Paul gives us the armor:
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
The armor that is put on has different functions:
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
All of the armor that is given for the use of the disciples and us is defensive.
All that we put on gives protection from the darts of the evil one though one … is given for our use as a weapon.
The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God!
True Peace is found in Jesus!
I had a conversation a number of years ago with a friend who I had been witnessing to. I had invited him to church and he said, “Sunday mornings are the time that my wife and I do things and go places.”
His wife was not a believer or interested in hearing about Christ at all. I asked, “Do you get up early Sunday and do things?” He said, “No, we don’t really get up until about 10:00 am.” So, I said, “Why don’t you go to an 8:00 am service and you can be back home before your wife gets up and 10:00, then you have the whole day to spend together?
“No, that won’t work … because she’ll be mad that I went to church … she thinks it’s stupid.”
Ultimately, they got a divorce.
Both were at fault.
Unfortunately, their marriage was not built on the hope that Christ gives.
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life in this life will lose it, even if it appears that the love of wife, brother, sister, father, son-n-law, daughter-n-law or whomever, is a reason to forsake Christ and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
The cross of Christ can take us many ways. At times it feels like a hard place to be but Jesus promises never to leave you or forsake you.
Jesus comforts us all:
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.
Your reward is in Christ. He has given you the most blessed reward of eternal life which is the prophet’s reward and the reward of a righteous person … Jesus Christ!
It is yours because you are His! This gift is not only for you, but for all who have been brought to faith by the work of the Holy Spirit.
42 … even the little ones given a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” Your reward is held fast in Christ by God Himself and you are His now and for eternity!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, June 22, 2026
Sermon June 20-21, 2026
Title: Fear not for God loves you and is with you!
Text: Matthew 10:5, 21-33
Text: Matthew 10:5, 21-33
Facebook live: Fear not for God loves you and is with you!
31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
The Bohemian reformer John Hus, who lived about 100 years before Martin Luther, was a man who believed the Scriptures to be the infallible and supreme authority in all matters of faith. He died, burned at the stake, for that belief in Constance, Germany, on his forty-second birthday. As he refused a final plea to renounce his faith, Hus's last words were, "What I taught with my lips, I seal with my blood."
Source Unknown.
The prospect of standing for what one believes is getting more and more difficult. Simple truths that have been understood for years are being challenged. My truth … is the phrase of the day.
1 John 2:16-17 summarizes a bit of the dilemma:
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
In his goodness and mercy God has called us to be his people.
He has forgiven us our sins.
Daily and richly, he supplies all our needs.
He has set before us eternal life.
All of this is by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
During the days of his public ministry, our Lord sent his disciples out to preach the gospel. First, it was the twelve, then the seventy-two and finally it became the general commission for all of his followers.
Today it is our commission.
This brings us to our Gospel reading today:
5These are the twelve that Jesus sent out, instructing them, …
But the bulk of our text today points to what await those who profess faith in Christ.
21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
The work of those who were sent would not be fun or easy.
Persecution would be part of the lot of those sent.
Not only would the world hate them but so too their family, brother, father children and so on. Christ says,
Have no fear of them … proclaim the truth!
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Our Lord put it in various ways:
Preach the gospel to every creature.
Make disciples of all nations.
Be my witnesses in all the world.
Preaching, making disciples, and witnessing – this is our task!
It is our call; it is our work. This is what the Lord has given us to do. The importance of this work is plain:
Apart from the gospel there is no salvation. Apart from Jesus Christ there is no hope.
Jesus has said:
6 … “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
In the words of St. Peter:
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
The urgency of the commission is also plain. Generations are born; they live and die. While they live, each member of the generation has an opportunity to know Christ and find salvation in him. For we who know Jesus we are given the opportunity and task to make him known to others. Once life ends, eternity and judgement come.
The love of God overcomes fear!
Today, the brokenness is laid bare for all to see and at times embraced, at least by the world and the worldview of many.
No more is Christ the way the truth and the life for those whose peace is found only in:
My way! My truth! And my life!
The persecution of those who proclaim the name of Christ is growing.
It is and has been dangerous to those around the world.
Proclaiming Christ in our country too is being met with anger and only time will tell the extent of the persecution we all might feel.
So, what do we who are Christians do in light of this evil in the world?
Well certainly we pray, but we also need to be in the world though not of the world or conformed to its ways.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in a very poignant way as he was confronted with all that Hitler and the Third Reich were doing leading up to and including World War II.
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
He continues on in his book, The Cost of Discipleship:
“Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.
It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.
It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.
Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price’ and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.
Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
Fear not for God loves you, and is with you!
It is the mission of the church as we learned to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Matt 28
It is a mission of the Church at large, our own LC-MS, and of we here at Peace:
To make disciples, to proclaim Christ, to baptize and teach;
It is a rough road, and a dangerous road. Many die along the way, in doing the work of proclaiming the gospel. But Christ says, Fear not!
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
We have many sparrows next week coming for VBS. We show them Jesus in our service to them as neighbors and point them to the truth of who Jesus is as our savior and redeemer.
Christ has promised that where he is you too will be also. He has a room prepared and where He is you too will be also. And He gives you and me the work to do with this promise:
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, John 14:12a
I’d like to close with these words of comfort from Luther:
Now, since these promises of God are words of holiness, truth, righteousness, liberty, and peace, and are full of universal goodness, the soul, which cleaves to them with a firm faith, is so united to them, nay, thoroughly absorbed by them, that it not only partakes in, but is penetrated and saturated by, all their virtues.
Be my witnesses in all the world.
Preaching, making disciples, and witnessing – this is our task!
It is our call; it is our work. This is what the Lord has given us to do. The importance of this work is plain:
Apart from the gospel there is no salvation. Apart from Jesus Christ there is no hope.
Jesus has said:
6 … “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
In the words of St. Peter:
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
The urgency of the commission is also plain. Generations are born; they live and die. While they live, each member of the generation has an opportunity to know Christ and find salvation in him. For we who know Jesus we are given the opportunity and task to make him known to others. Once life ends, eternity and judgement come.
The love of God overcomes fear!
Today, the brokenness is laid bare for all to see and at times embraced, at least by the world and the worldview of many.
No more is Christ the way the truth and the life for those whose peace is found only in:
My way! My truth! And my life!
The persecution of those who proclaim the name of Christ is growing.
It is and has been dangerous to those around the world.
Proclaiming Christ in our country too is being met with anger and only time will tell the extent of the persecution we all might feel.
So, what do we who are Christians do in light of this evil in the world?
Well certainly we pray, but we also need to be in the world though not of the world or conformed to its ways.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in a very poignant way as he was confronted with all that Hitler and the Third Reich were doing leading up to and including World War II.
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
He continues on in his book, The Cost of Discipleship:
“Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.
It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.
It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.
Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price’ and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.
Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
Fear not for God loves you, and is with you!
It is the mission of the church as we learned to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Matt 28
It is a mission of the Church at large, our own LC-MS, and of we here at Peace:
To make disciples, to proclaim Christ, to baptize and teach;
It is a rough road, and a dangerous road. Many die along the way, in doing the work of proclaiming the gospel. But Christ says, Fear not!
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
We have many sparrows next week coming for VBS. We show them Jesus in our service to them as neighbors and point them to the truth of who Jesus is as our savior and redeemer.
Christ has promised that where he is you too will be also. He has a room prepared and where He is you too will be also. And He gives you and me the work to do with this promise:
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, John 14:12a
I’d like to close with these words of comfort from Luther:
Now, since these promises of God are words of holiness, truth, righteousness, liberty, and peace, and are full of universal goodness, the soul, which cleaves to them with a firm faith, is so united to them, nay, thoroughly absorbed by them, that it not only partakes in, but is penetrated and saturated by, all their virtues.
For if the touch of Christ was healing, how much more, does that most tender spiritual touch, nay, absorption of the word, communicate to the soul all that belongs to the word!
In this way therefore the soul, through faith alone, without works, is from the word of God justified, sanctified, endued with truth, peace, and liberty, and filled full with every good thing, and is truly made the child of God, as it is said,
“To them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” John 1: 12
And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in and through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior now and forever.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, June 15, 2026
Sermon June 13-14, 2026
Title: Pray, send, go, and tell the Good News!
Text: Matthew 9:35-10:8
Facebook live: Pray, send, go, and tell the Good News!
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
In our gospel today:
35 … Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
In the proceeding part of chapter 9 Jesus:
Healed a paralytic brought to him lying on a mat.
He called the apostle Matthew, the tax collector, to follow him.
He raised a daughter from death to life.
He healed a woman from bleeding who touched the hem of his garment.
He restored the sight of two blind men who asked him for mercy.
And cast out a demon from a man unable to speak who then spoke.
Our compassionate Lord went to those in need or they came to him.
He brought life where only death reigned.
He healed those who had been unable to be healed.
He restored sight and cast the demons away.
[Jesus] had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
We’ve talked a bit over the last months about the need for pastors and the churches that are without one and going through the process to self-evaluate. They are trying to be honest with themselves as their needs and church has changed.
Our Pastor’s conference in Frankenmuth last month had a number on conversations about that and our Synod convention next month will deal with this as well.
We have symbols from two sister congregations in our Narthex that for many of their members now call Peace their home, and there are other churches in our circuit that are in need of pastors. It is a hard reality for many more churches in the future.
I mentioned last weekend that we had a husband and wife visit us on Trinity Sunday from a Prescott Valley Arizona and they asked for prayers for their congregation, Trinity Lutheran as they struggle without a pastor.
After all, the church is the gathering of the faithful no matter where it may be, and all churches need an under shepherd of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ to proclaim God’s word and distribute his gifts!
The Twelve Apostles
10 And [Jesus] called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Each church in our circuit grows and falls as the Lord dictates.
I think pastors are given calls to move the process along. After all we are creatures of habit. We would all stay put and do things just as they are unless moved along by the Lord.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out,
The 12 disciples were probably not looking for a change.
They liked Jesus and were content to follow him and stay where they were.
But he sends them out, taking them out of their comfort zone and giving them marching orders.
“Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
Life and needs have changed for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Some are without a shepherd and waiting on the Lord.
Some are watching services online.
Some can’t come or drive.
Some are in care facilities.
Some are dealing with cancer and other illnesses.
Some can’t do stairs.
Some are mourning the loss of a spouse and struggle with grief.
In some cases other Circuit Pastors are visiting church members to help out.
We all, in compassion for the Lord’s sheep, are trying as best we can to serve God’s people as his under shepherds, where we are.
I am thankful for all my brother pastors and their efforts.
No one size fits all here. “The times they are a changing,” as Bob Dylan once sang and we all have to have our eyes open to this reality.
Every year things change.
2026 is no different.
The hope is not to avoid change but to hold dear to the unchangeable Jesus.
Jesus is after all: The way the truth and the life!
Sickness, war, protests, midterm elections, our Synod convention, birth and death. Everything the world deals with, the church deals with, and the root cause, result, and solution, are the same.
Sin, death and Jesus
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23
Whether like Peace member Erna Gidcumb, who rests in Jesus having finished the race in this life last month. Or, the myriads of other members and loved ones from this church and others who have once blessed us with their presence in this life and now joy in Christ’s presence, the sting of death is real.
It hurts, It’s personal, it’s troubling, and it’s no respecter of age, race, gender, status or political affiliation. So, the mandate from Jesus to his disciples should ring in our ears as well.
38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Our prayers are for both the Lord to send laborers; knowing that we might be called upon to be one of those to bring Christ to those in need as pastor’s, helpers and friends.
While death is the result of sin, Jesus is the solution for sin.
Christ needs to be proclaimed in this life with or without pastors - not to diminish the concerns in this life but to illuminate the greater reality.
All roads lead to death in this life, but only one way leads to peace and life eternal and that’s Jesus.
Our sermon hymn 826 Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying brings all of our concerns and in a wonderful way points to the Blessed Hope that Jesus is.
Your hope, trust, and security in this life is only for a while.
Let us rest in Jesus’ call as the lyrics of our hymn make clear.
1. Hark! the voice of Jesus calling, "Who will go and work today?
Fields are white, the harvest waiting, “Who will bear the sheaves away?"
Loud and long the Master calls out, Rich reward he offers free:
Who will answer, gladly saying, "Here am I, send me, send me."
2. If you cannot speak like angels, f you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus, you can say he died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked, With the judgment's dread alarms,
You may lead the little children, To the Savior's waiting arms.
4. Let none hear you idly saying, "There is nothing I can do,"
While the multitudes are dying, and the Master calls for you.
Take the task he gives you gladly; Let his work your pleasure be.
Answer quickly when he's calling, "Here am I, send, send me."
Pray, send, go, and tell the Good News!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Text: Matthew 9:35-10:8
Facebook live: Pray, send, go, and tell the Good News!
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
In our gospel today:
35 … Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
In the proceeding part of chapter 9 Jesus:
Healed a paralytic brought to him lying on a mat.
He called the apostle Matthew, the tax collector, to follow him.
He raised a daughter from death to life.
He healed a woman from bleeding who touched the hem of his garment.
He restored the sight of two blind men who asked him for mercy.
And cast out a demon from a man unable to speak who then spoke.
Our compassionate Lord went to those in need or they came to him.
He brought life where only death reigned.
He healed those who had been unable to be healed.
He restored sight and cast the demons away.
[Jesus] had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
We’ve talked a bit over the last months about the need for pastors and the churches that are without one and going through the process to self-evaluate. They are trying to be honest with themselves as their needs and church has changed.
Our Pastor’s conference in Frankenmuth last month had a number on conversations about that and our Synod convention next month will deal with this as well.
We have symbols from two sister congregations in our Narthex that for many of their members now call Peace their home, and there are other churches in our circuit that are in need of pastors. It is a hard reality for many more churches in the future.
I mentioned last weekend that we had a husband and wife visit us on Trinity Sunday from a Prescott Valley Arizona and they asked for prayers for their congregation, Trinity Lutheran as they struggle without a pastor.
After all, the church is the gathering of the faithful no matter where it may be, and all churches need an under shepherd of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ to proclaim God’s word and distribute his gifts!
The Twelve Apostles
10 And [Jesus] called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Each church in our circuit grows and falls as the Lord dictates.
I think pastors are given calls to move the process along. After all we are creatures of habit. We would all stay put and do things just as they are unless moved along by the Lord.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out,
The 12 disciples were probably not looking for a change.
They liked Jesus and were content to follow him and stay where they were.
But he sends them out, taking them out of their comfort zone and giving them marching orders.
“Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
Life and needs have changed for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Some are without a shepherd and waiting on the Lord.
Some are watching services online.
Some can’t come or drive.
Some are in care facilities.
Some are dealing with cancer and other illnesses.
Some can’t do stairs.
Some are mourning the loss of a spouse and struggle with grief.
In some cases other Circuit Pastors are visiting church members to help out.
We all, in compassion for the Lord’s sheep, are trying as best we can to serve God’s people as his under shepherds, where we are.
I am thankful for all my brother pastors and their efforts.
No one size fits all here. “The times they are a changing,” as Bob Dylan once sang and we all have to have our eyes open to this reality.
Every year things change.
2026 is no different.
The hope is not to avoid change but to hold dear to the unchangeable Jesus.
Jesus is after all: The way the truth and the life!
Sickness, war, protests, midterm elections, our Synod convention, birth and death. Everything the world deals with, the church deals with, and the root cause, result, and solution, are the same.
Sin, death and Jesus
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23
Whether like Peace member Erna Gidcumb, who rests in Jesus having finished the race in this life last month. Or, the myriads of other members and loved ones from this church and others who have once blessed us with their presence in this life and now joy in Christ’s presence, the sting of death is real.
It hurts, It’s personal, it’s troubling, and it’s no respecter of age, race, gender, status or political affiliation. So, the mandate from Jesus to his disciples should ring in our ears as well.
38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Our prayers are for both the Lord to send laborers; knowing that we might be called upon to be one of those to bring Christ to those in need as pastor’s, helpers and friends.
While death is the result of sin, Jesus is the solution for sin.
Christ needs to be proclaimed in this life with or without pastors - not to diminish the concerns in this life but to illuminate the greater reality.
All roads lead to death in this life, but only one way leads to peace and life eternal and that’s Jesus.
Our sermon hymn 826 Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying brings all of our concerns and in a wonderful way points to the Blessed Hope that Jesus is.
Your hope, trust, and security in this life is only for a while.
Let us rest in Jesus’ call as the lyrics of our hymn make clear.
1. Hark! the voice of Jesus calling, "Who will go and work today?
Fields are white, the harvest waiting, “Who will bear the sheaves away?"
Loud and long the Master calls out, Rich reward he offers free:
Who will answer, gladly saying, "Here am I, send me, send me."
2. If you cannot speak like angels, f you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus, you can say he died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked, With the judgment's dread alarms,
You may lead the little children, To the Savior's waiting arms.
4. Let none hear you idly saying, "There is nothing I can do,"
While the multitudes are dying, and the Master calls for you.
Take the task he gives you gladly; Let his work your pleasure be.
Answer quickly when he's calling, "Here am I, send, send me."
Pray, send, go, and tell the Good News!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Monday, June 8, 2026
Sermon June 6-7, 2026
Title: Let us all, like Matthew, follow Jesus!
Text: Matthew 9:9-13
Text: Matthew 9:9-13
Facebook live: Let us all, like Matthew, follow Jesus!
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
As we begin today with our gospel reading, Jesus sees Matthew as he is sitting in his Tax office and he says to him, “Follow Me.”
The response is immediate. Matthew got up and followed him.
This begins a life of service to his Lord. It was not always easy, but we can be sure that it was always special as he walked in the presence of the living Christ.
This man had been called Levi, the son of Alphaeus as St. Mark tells us in his gospel, but from now on Matthew continues with a new name and a new calling.
It is possible that Matthew may have known Jesus before this time.
He may have heard of him or even heard him, but there is no mistaking he is now the Lord’s and God’s call is always effective. Jesus was directly enrolling Matthew in the Lord’s work and he would be standing in Christ’s closest circle of followers.
The words of Jesus were simple and direct.
I don’t know if there were other conversations that preceded this call but the simple two words were
enough for him: “Follow Me.”
Jesus called others too: fisherman, brothers, Nathaniel who he saw while he sat under a fig tree, and even one who would betray him. But today it is Matthew.
The invitation and calling still comes to us today.
Some of you heard the call as infants in the waters of Holy Baptism, while others hear God’s inspired word that calls you to believe as you talk to friends or grieve the loss of a dear loved one at a funeral or visitation. God works through the ordinary times and circumstances of life to bring himself and this reality to you.
God’s word and his call are sure.
We shouldn’t think that it was easy for Matthew to walk away from his life and the work he did. He probably had a lucrative income and a family, we’re not sure but it is never easy to give up things that are important in our lives and in our past to serve Jesus. But God makes it happen and rewarding.
The gospel continues in a most interesting way.
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
If you had friends over to your house, who would they be?
Well, maybe people like you.
People that work with you, socialize with you, live with you, live near you, and those whom you desire to know or get to know better.
You also might want them to know your friends and those friends that are new to you, like Jesus.
It is not surprising that Matthew had tax collectors and sinners in his home and at this feast. He may have even invited the Pharasees to expand his circle of friends or to bring them the Good News to follow Christ as well.
They were not happy with the whole affair or Jesus who reclined at table.
Saying, to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Which is another way of saying,
“Why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Which is another way of saying,
“Why does your teacher eat with you?”
To this Jesus answers with his words of great perspective:
12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
Also quoting the familiar words of the Prophet Hosea from our Old Testament reading today:
‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus takes his critics to task.
Jesus points out the inherent problem with their reasoning.
They think they are well!
They don’t realize the sickness that dwells with in all born in sin who are all born to die. They think those connected to Jesus have the problem, but Jesus is not the problem, he is the cure.
Christ alone is the great physician!
He alone can save!
He alone can heal!
The person who thinks he is spiritually well, who thinks he is righteous and perfect and without sin, may not feel the need for a savior - having a lifelong rebellion against God and the things of God.
You know them and I know them. If fact we were them, especially when we think:
“I’m doing pretty good and I can make it one my own. At least, I’m not as bad as, you know who!” Tax collectors and sinners!
Many live that way and are without hope.
No Jesus.
No future hope.
No eternity in his presence.
But a real eternity, separated from God in Christ forever.
Don’t fight and throw away the gift!
Jesus doesn’t want your work. He wants you.
Jesus doesn’t want your stuff. He wants you.
Jesus doesn’t need your money. It’s all his anyways.
But his does want you to be his child, and he wants you to trust all that he came to do, for you!
The Pharisees never really felt the need for the mercy of God, or the comfort he gives because they trusted themselves. Maybe that is why they were so unloving towards others?
Many today live the life of a pharisee as they trust themselves, trust their schools, trust their jobs, and trust their families and friends, to be their guide and aid in the good and bad times of life.
Don’t place your hope in things that pass away.
It was not easy for Matthew to walk the way of following Jesus. It cost him much but also gave him much more that he gave up.
Our call is to follow Jesus and to invite others to know him because he desires that they would be his children as well.
Look to the empty tomb and know that because Jesus Christ, conquered sin, death, and the devil we too by faith in his work shall rise to an eternity with him also.
Hear the call of the Lord. Follow me!
Let us all, like Matthew, follow Jesus!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Jesus called others too: fisherman, brothers, Nathaniel who he saw while he sat under a fig tree, and even one who would betray him. But today it is Matthew.
The invitation and calling still comes to us today.
Some of you heard the call as infants in the waters of Holy Baptism, while others hear God’s inspired word that calls you to believe as you talk to friends or grieve the loss of a dear loved one at a funeral or visitation. God works through the ordinary times and circumstances of life to bring himself and this reality to you.
God’s word and his call are sure.
We shouldn’t think that it was easy for Matthew to walk away from his life and the work he did. He probably had a lucrative income and a family, we’re not sure but it is never easy to give up things that are important in our lives and in our past to serve Jesus. But God makes it happen and rewarding.
The gospel continues in a most interesting way.
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
If you had friends over to your house, who would they be?
Well, maybe people like you.
People that work with you, socialize with you, live with you, live near you, and those whom you desire to know or get to know better.
You also might want them to know your friends and those friends that are new to you, like Jesus.
It is not surprising that Matthew had tax collectors and sinners in his home and at this feast. He may have even invited the Pharasees to expand his circle of friends or to bring them the Good News to follow Christ as well.
They were not happy with the whole affair or Jesus who reclined at table.
Saying, to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Which is another way of saying,
“Why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Which is another way of saying,
“Why does your teacher eat with you?”
To this Jesus answers with his words of great perspective:
12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
Also quoting the familiar words of the Prophet Hosea from our Old Testament reading today:
‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus takes his critics to task.
Jesus points out the inherent problem with their reasoning.
They think they are well!
They don’t realize the sickness that dwells with in all born in sin who are all born to die. They think those connected to Jesus have the problem, but Jesus is not the problem, he is the cure.
Christ alone is the great physician!
He alone can save!
He alone can heal!
The person who thinks he is spiritually well, who thinks he is righteous and perfect and without sin, may not feel the need for a savior - having a lifelong rebellion against God and the things of God.
You know them and I know them. If fact we were them, especially when we think:
“I’m doing pretty good and I can make it one my own. At least, I’m not as bad as, you know who!” Tax collectors and sinners!
Many live that way and are without hope.
No Jesus.
No future hope.
No eternity in his presence.
But a real eternity, separated from God in Christ forever.
Don’t fight and throw away the gift!
Jesus doesn’t want your work. He wants you.
Jesus doesn’t want your stuff. He wants you.
Jesus doesn’t need your money. It’s all his anyways.
But his does want you to be his child, and he wants you to trust all that he came to do, for you!
The Pharisees never really felt the need for the mercy of God, or the comfort he gives because they trusted themselves. Maybe that is why they were so unloving towards others?
Many today live the life of a pharisee as they trust themselves, trust their schools, trust their jobs, and trust their families and friends, to be their guide and aid in the good and bad times of life.
Don’t place your hope in things that pass away.
It was not easy for Matthew to walk the way of following Jesus. It cost him much but also gave him much more that he gave up.
Our call is to follow Jesus and to invite others to know him because he desires that they would be his children as well.
Look to the empty tomb and know that because Jesus Christ, conquered sin, death, and the devil we too by faith in his work shall rise to an eternity with him also.
Hear the call of the Lord. Follow me!
Let us all, like Matthew, follow Jesus!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
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