Advent II

Jesus says, "Watch," which admonition must be weighed against whoever else may say, or scoff, that there is no reason to be concerned about a Day of Judgment. Jesus does not lie, and therefore we must watch, for the Day is surely coming. And how much better for men to have "hearts failing them for fear" today, than to have them fearful on that Day, when it is too late. Let us therefore take to heart his admonition to watch. It means two things: first it means to repent, to turn again from our forgetfulness and failure to believe--for it is easy to envy, to covet, to desire, to steal, when you do not believe the One who is coming with his reward, and it is easy to judge, to condemn, to assume jurisdiction in your heat, when you do not believe that the Judge will sit on the throne of his glory--and second it means to be comforted and believe him who came the first time in humility. Advent is a precious time, for it is both a time of contrite recognition that he will come in glory, and a time of comforted preparation for Christmas, our celebration of his coming in humility for us and for our salvation. Advent is the merging of these two things in our minds, and so it is a time of contrition and of joyful faith. The sermon.

St. Andrew

St. Andrew was close to Jesus. He abode where he was staying. He had listened to John's preaching, and so was able to tell his brother, "We have found the Messiah." So he gladly went forth preaching, even unto his martyrdom. The sermon.

Advent I

Jesus rides to the rescue. "God save the King" is the fulfillment of the cries of the people at Solomon's coronation, which is what "Hosanna" means. The sermon.

The Ten Virgins

The only difference between the five wise and the five fools was the lack of oil. They all went forth, they all had lamps, they were all virgins. So consider that without faith it is impossible to please God. Even the Word of God is of no use if it is not believed. You shall have as much as you believe. Therefore hold fast to what you hear Jesus say, for it is Wisdom, and Wisdom, as Solomon says, is your life. The sermon.

Come unto Me

Christ speaks to all who are burdened by sin and the weight of the law, when he offers rest, in St. Matthew 11:25-31. The sermon.

The Disguise of God

Today's Gospel indicates that Jesus disguises his glory in the present day, even as he has always done. Most importantly he did this at the cross, where he was a worm -- which the devil came and devoured, and was snared by the hook (Jesus' divinity) and the world was redeemed by Jesus' blood. The humble disguise of Jesus is also worn by his preachers after him, and this is all part of the divine plan. But in the end his glory shall be revealed. The sermon.

The Destruction of Jerusalem as Preview of the Judgment

The events of 70 a.d. which Jesus predicted in today's Gospel are a foretaste of the final judgment, and reason enough in themselves to flee to the cross (and Sacrament) for refuge. The sermon.

All Souls: Resurrection and Life

Reason says there is no life after death. Jesus says otherwise, in today's Gospel. He also proved otherwise, by healing the sick, raising the dead, and by his own resurrection at Easter. Since there is life after death, there is also judgment. But who shall be granted life? Who is he that "does good"? Since Jesus in this same Gospel says that whoever believes shall be saved "he that . . . believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life"), therefore it must be that everyone who believes also has works, though the works do not merit grace. The sermon.

All Saints: Why the Color is Red

All Saints is especially about the unnamed martyrs of the faith, as its appointed readings make clear. All souls (Nov. 2) is about all the faithful departed. And martyrdom is part of the the Spirit's way of spreading the faith. The sermon.

Reformation

Luther: Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things; love is patient and kind, therefore love yields. But not faith. Faith will not stand for anything. When it comes to faith, I want to be stubborn, and I want to be known as someone who is stubborn. Faith will not yield the least little bit, not to the Pope, or Peter, or anyone. The sermon.

Become as Little Children

The Gospel on Wednesday was St Matthew 18:1-20. The sermon.

The Unforgiving Servant

According to Jesus' parable at St. Matthew 18:23-35, the unforgiving servant grieved his fellow servants, and angered his master, because he did not receive with gratitude his own forgiveness; else why would he be so harsh? Well do we pray, Forgive us as we forgive. For the forgiveness we give comes from the same place as the forgiveness we received. The sermon.

St. Luke

So much for which we have to thank God regarding the work of St Luke the Evangelist. Consider all that his Gospel and Acts gave us. The sermon.

Thy Son Liveth

The Gospel at St. John 4:46-54 shows Jesus providing the nobleman with the faith he needs, which he didn't yet have. In addition, he provides the 'sign', that is, he heals his son. And it is at the seventh hour, which is the same hour at which Jesus himself was at the point of death, on Good Friday. But Jesus died, in order that this son, and we, might have life. And he rose again, so the Easter message we receive is like the message the nobleman received: "The Son of God liveth." The sermon.

The Marriage Feast

Today's Gospel (St. Matthew 22:1-14) is Jesus' parable of the Marriage Feast. What is the wedding garment? The question has been asked and variously answered over the centuries, but one thing is clear: those who wear the robe of Christ's righteousness, which is given in Holy Baptism, must be wearing the finest garment of all. The sermon.

Angels Ascending and Descending upon the Son of Man

The Gospel at St. John 1:35-51 is a remarkable unfolding of the truth that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Scriptures: he is the Lamb of God (the Passover); he is the Christ (the King); he is the end of Moses and the Prophets; he is the Ladder of Jacob. He is the Incarnate God, who brings heaven to earth that we may ascend to heaven in him. The sermon.

Thy Sins Be Forgiven Thee

The Gospel at St. Matthew 9:1-8 shows that true faith is active, and can be seen: it's not just stowed away in the heart; it wants to embrace Jesus. It carries friends to Jesus, and it expects that Jesus can help. And this faith can hear no sweeter words than the words the paralytic heard: "Thy sins be forgiven thee." For what follows these words is life and salvation. What followed them here was that the man arose and went to his house. But there was an intermittent period, between the forgiveness of sins and the word from Jesus, "Arise, take up thy bed, and to to thine house." So also for us, there is an intermittent period. We hear the word of mercy today, and we can expect that at the last day we shall rise and go to our eternal home. The sermon.

Michaelmas

See that you do not despise on of these little ones . . . The sermon.

St. Matthew

Special mass today for St. Matthews, also because we had a guest preacher: Seminarian Peter Eckardt, my son and son of the congregation. The sermon.

Not to be served but to serve

Jesus' admonition to his disciples also addresses our own sins. And his reference to his life as a ransom explains the basis of mercy. The sermon.