Month: September 2017

Text: Matthew 20:1-16
Date: Pentecost XVI (Proper 20) + 9/24/17

Salvation unto us has come
By God’s free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom,
They help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
Who did for all the world atone;
He is our one Redeemer. (LSB 555)

Today we are asked to put away our calculators, time clocks, and bucket lists. For these are the things of the work-a-day world, of employment, of union negotiations, of wages, bonuses and paychecks, the world of equity and fairness. And indeed, when we gather here as a Christian congregation this morning we gather, to quote The Great Seal of the United States, E Pluribus Unum, out of many, one. When the first thing we say here are the baptismal words, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” we are declaring our identity all other distinctions and differences aside. We all are equal to each other in Christ, for we stand before God as sinners-all, redeemed-all by God’s grace alone, by God’s free grace and favor. Continue reading “By God's Free Grace”

Text: Matthew 18:21-35
Date: Pentecost XV (Proper 19A) + 9/17/17

Now, wait a minute! “And in anger his master delivered him to the jailer, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your hearts.” Wait a minute! “This is the Gospel of the Lord”? No. This is NOT the Gospel of the Lord! This is threatening Law, bad news, not good news. So again You are coming down on us about forgiveness! “Matthew 18, Matthew 18!” they shout. First You tell us unless we become like children we will not enter the kingdom. Like children we are to act like and admit that we’re dependent on You for everything, like a child. Then we’re commanded to bring forgiveness to everyone who might be falling away. Now today it’s forgiveness again. What? Haven’t we done enough forgiveness yet that we have to hear about it over and over and over again? “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Well then how about 70? No? Then 490? No. Now You tell us a parable that says literally we are to forgive other people “gazillions” of times.[1]
Continue reading “Then His Master Summoned Him”

Text: Matthew 18:1-20
Date: Pentecost XIV (Proper 18A) + 9/10/17

In my first parish as a pastor they used to have voters’ meetings every month, a sign, by the way, that there was very little trust of one another. There was one gentleman, I don’t know why he always attended the meetings because, at some point there would be a heated discussion. A lot of the time the issue wasn’t even one of doctrine or of a program aimed at helping someone in need but one of much less importance and significance. I remember one heated discussion on what color the new phones ought to be! Anyway, it didn’t seem to matter what the particular issue was but this man would, (believe me) every month, get so worked up he would issue one final blast and then stomp out of the meeting, slamming the door behind him. There were other incidents in that and other congregations I served where someone had sinful, offensive thoughts or words against someone else calling for the need of repentance and forgiveness. How many times have we heard, when confronted with some difficult situation, someone calling out “Matthew 18!”? In this chapter of Matthew’s gospel, we seem to be attracted to these verses where our Lord gives an outline of the Christian way of calling forth someone away from their sin and toward the way of repentance and faith. Unfortunately, we quite often think of the words more from an attitude of how to punish or get back at someone who has offended us but maybe “in a little more Christian way.” Continue reading “His Rule is Over All”

Text: Matthew 16:21-28
Date: Pentecost XIII (Proper 17A) + 9/3/17

In Matthew chapter 16 the evangelist brings us to the climax of everything that went before, namely, the big question of the identity of Jesus. Opposition to and rejection of Him have increased from the very beginning. We have followed Him increasingly so far avoiding the conflict that will surely be His end-goal. The disciples are gradually coming to faith in the truth, as they said in that wind-battered boat, that Jesus is the Son of God. Now, however, in a place almost furthest away from Jerusalem He teaches them what His ultimate purpose and work and goal is. At His own inquiry God the Father reveals to and inspires Peter to confess Jesus to be the promised Christ, that is the Savior anointed to bring the Kingdom of God and to be its King. Jesus says Peter was blessed by the Father for that confession which certainly had to increase Peter’s boldness and maybe even pride. Continue reading “The Son of Man Coming in His Kingdom”