Equal Pay For All?

Text: Matthew 20:1-16

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

I am pretty sure that you all have experienced what is known as the high school mentality of popularity. You know what I am talking about. In most high schools there is a hierarchy – a scale of popularity. It typically starts in grade school and is most clearly seen high school.

Permit me the opportunity to explain a bit more.

I am not talking about being well-liked and admired due to a person being caring and nice in school, but I am referring to that embedded system of ranking and categorizing people. That is to say; I am referring to a popularity scale where those who use their charming personality or their success in academics and sports, actually place themselves above everyone else. Whereas, on the bottom, you have those who… well, can be classified as losers and nobodies.

There are also other names for this system of scales and ranking as well. Sociologists see this in all aspects of life and call this phenomenon the ‘dominance hierarchy.’ The colloquial term used for this system of scales and ranking is ‘the social totem pole.’ Regardless of its name, though, the rules are pretty much the same. The more work you put in and the more power that you exert, the higher you get, along with more popularity, honor, and reverence.

But there is a catch to this high school popularity scale. And that catch is this, those at the top typically try to defend their positions, while those at the bottom may spend a lifetime trying to advance up the scale. And if those who are advancing up the scale get too high, those on the top will either rise higher still or attempt to kick the so-called losers down to the bottom of the scale where they belong.

And there is another catch to this if someone on the bottom manages to get to the top – or let us say it this way: if the whole scale and system are removed, and everyone is made equal, well… those previously on the top will become furious, envious, discontent, and full of hatred. Everything that they have worked for – all that they have done to get to the top and stay at the top will be undone, if the scale and system are removed. Removing the system and hierarchy scale would be one massive slap in the face.

But what does all of this have to do with our church service today?

Dear friends, this is precisely what is going on in our parable from the Gospel reading of Matthew.

In the twentieth chapter of Matthew, we read about a master of the house who goes out and hires a bunch of laborers. Some work long hours and other work shorter hours. Therefore, what we would expect is that at the end of the day, those who worked more should get paid first and should get paid more.  However, the order of payment is switched. Those who barely worked got paid first, and those who worked more got paid last. And to make it, even more, stranger, everyone got paid the same regardless of the amount and time of work they did.

Now, this makes no sense to us at all. The reason why?  Those who work more should get paid more and should be paid first! Right? Those who are on the top of the popularity scale should have more attention and more awe, not less! Right? The more we do should result in us moving upward! Right?

Dear friends, this would be the case if we were operating according to the world, but in verse 1 of Matthew chapter twenty, we read, “For the kingdom of heaven is like…” That is to say; we are not dealing with a kingdom of power, but with a kingdom that is based on grace. And grace does not operate according to our ways of thinking. Yes, Jesus is teaching us in this parable what the kingdom of grace looks like and how it functions.

What does this specifically mean, though?

It means that with the kingdom of grace there are no such things as a high school popularity scales. There is no such thing as a dominance hierarchy with the kingdom of grace. There is no social totem pole in the church. These kinds of systems and this kind of thinking do not exist with the kingdom of heaven.     

Dear friends, when it comes to the kingdom of grace, you and I cannot and do not contribute anything. The kingdom of grace does not operate on a scale. The kingdom of grace does not look to your accomplishments, your spiritual resumes, your popularity, your status in society, the number of degrees that you have earned, or the amount of money you get in your paychecks. God does not repay us according to the size and number of works that we have done but pays us according to His goodness, grace, and mercy in Christ.

Because of this, what we typically see throughout the ages is that poor sinners are always quicker to enter the kingdom of heaven than works-righteous-scale-climbing-people. You see, those who are higher up on the scale, wrongly believe that they have many good accomplishments stored up, so that they become cocky and proud, which results in them looking down on others who have not reached the same level as them. As a result, they do not depend on grace but rely on themselves and are condemned.

On the other hand, when poor sinners on the bottom hear God’s Word, and their sins are laid bare before them, they become terrified in their conscience. And because they find no comfort in themselves and no assurance in the heights that they have climbed, they instead seek help and forgiveness from Christ Jesus and are justified.[1]

Typically, though, what ends up happening when sinners are justified freely by grace through faith is that people begin to mumble.  Yes, those at the top of the high school popularity scale and those at the top of the hierarchy dominance structure begin to grumble.  Those at the top of the social totem pole - essentially anyone who trusts in their works - begins to complain when lowlife sinners are freely justified by grace. You see, the kingdom of grace levels everyone and places all of humanity into one category. And that category is – sinner. Yes, sinners who need grace.

Indeed, the gospel is for sinners only, which is a huge amount of generosity given to us in Christ. And yet, this generosity will cause some to become envious, hateful, and embittered because God’s grace does not allow any human accomplishments to contribute to the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is all about God’s grace and mercy for us. Therefore, when sinners at the bottom are freely justified for Christ sake without merit and human accomplishments, those at the top are undercut, which results in them despising God’s grace.  Because grace is free and unearned, their thinking becomes perverted they see grace as if it were evil.

This despising of God’s grace is exactly why Cain killed Abel.[2] It is the reasons why the Pharisees judged Zacchaeus as a sinner. It is the reason why the elder brother was angry at the prodigal son.[3] It was the reason why the religious leaders were angry with Jesus. Grace is perverted and seen as evil in the minds of those who trust in themselves – grace becomes a foul odor to those seeking to prop themselves up by their own doings.[4]

Dear friends, when we think of ourselves as better than other people before God and begin grumbling and complaining about those who we believe are lesser than us – as if they have not done enough to be worthy of God’s favor – we have become hypocrites. Therefore, repent! Yes, one and all, repent of the scales, repent of the popularity mentality, repent of the social totem poles, and repent of the grumbling. This is not the way of the kingdom of heaven; this is not the way of the kingdom of grace.

Dear Baptized Saints, the truth of the matter is this, after we have done everything that we have been called to do for the Lord and His Church, we must always beat our breast and say, “I am a worthless slave; I have done only what I ought to have done.” [5] You see, these words clearly declare to us that God saves by mercy and grace in Christ alone and not by the value of our works, deeds, and accomplishments.[6]

Baptized Saints, we walk in the fear of God, knowing that if there is any good in us, it is by the gift and work of God the Holy Spirit through the Word and Sacraments. And when we walk and serve, we shall never despair of God’s grace and mercy. You see, no matter how rejected you may find yourself in the eyes of the world’s popularity schemes and no matter how low you may find yourself on the social totem pole of the world, take comfort. Yes, take comfort, for the Lord chooses to bypass these systems and comes directly to you in His Word and Sacraments, to give you His undeserved and unmerited grace.

Therefore, dear Baptized Saints, let the world grumble. Let the old Adam murmur. Let the devil hate, for all of this is passing away and you have been given God’s grace and forgiveness on account of Jesus Christ and Him alone!

No matter if you have been in the church your whole life or if you have just begun, God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and life is yours because of Jesus. Jesus is your Christ – your Savior. No scales, no popularity needed.  No hierarchy and no huffing and puffing with your works.  Just Christ Jesus and His work for you.  Yes, only His suffering, dying, and rising – for you.

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] Paraphrase of: Johann Spangenberg, The Christian Year of Grace: The Chief Parts of Scripture Explained in Questions and Answers tr. and ed. Matthew Carver (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2014), 92.

[2] See Genesis 4.

[3] See Luke 15:11-32.

[4] Ibid.

[5] See Luke 17:7-10.

[6] See Apology V:213.

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Why Get Married?

Text: Ephesians 5:22-33

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

It seems that America is at a turning point or crossroads, if you will. We have known this for quite some time. The divide is seen everywhere. We see it at the election polls, we see it in culture, and we even see it with marriage.

More specifically, over the last 50-years in America, we have seen a reduction of marriages, to the point that marriage is now at an all-time low. With the decline of marriage, though, something interesting has also been simultaneously happening. As marriage decreases, cohabitation (that is living together apart from marriage) is increasing. Over the last 50-years, it appears that there is a direct correlation between marriage and cohabitation: marriage has decreased 65%, and cohabitation has increased approximately 60%.

To add another unique dynamic to the lower marriage rate and the increased cohabitation rate, people are getting married much later in life as well. In other words, for those that do marry, they are not getting married in their early 20s but are tying the knot later in life. 

Indeed, there is a significant change in how we view marriage.

But what has led to these changes? What is bringing about this apparent crossroad leading to alternative views and actions regarding marriage?

One of the many factors is that our culture is telling us that we have the supposed right to have pleasure and ease. But this cultural mantra does not jive with the reality that marriage is tough. Indeed, marriage is tough and hard, and as we know, people do not like things that are tough but want pleasure and ease at all costs. Thus, we see the divide, the tension.

Martin Luther once said of marriage,

The purpose of marriage is not to have pleasure and to be idle but to procreate and bring up children, to support a household. This, of course, is a huge burden full of great cares and toils. But you have been created by God to be a husband or a wife and that you may learn to bear these troubles.[1]

We also hear about how tough marriage is from our Epistle Reading. In our reading from Ephesians, we hear that in marriage, the husband is to sacrifice everything – to die – for the sake of his wife. And the wife is called to trust her husband, to submit in respect. Now, this is hardly the setup that someone seeking pleasure at all costs would aspire to – it doesn’t sound like fun. That is to say; if marriage is all about dying to self to serve a spouse, this is most certainly against the tune of our culture that sings self-love and the idea of ‘do whatever you want as long as you are happy.’

Tragically and bluntly stated, one of the main reasons why marriage is on such a decline is that marriage does not let life be about “You.”

Permit me to explain.

If there is no spouse, there are no children. And if there are no children, a person can selfishly indulge in whatever activities they want. All of the resources and efforts can be invested in self.[2] You see, marriage complicates self-pleasure and ease by calling a man to die for his wife and calling a woman to submit to her husband and calling both the husband and wife to empty their wallets, freedom, and energy towards their children.

But what about physical intimacy and emotionally connecting with a person of the opposite sex? Are these not important? Are these not enough of a reason to marry even if marriage is tough? 

Tragically, sex is cheap these days. In other words, marriage is no longer a prerequisite for sex in our culture, which allows a person to experience the benefits of marriage, like spending more time together, saving money, and spending romantic nights together, while still keeping the option open to split apart if pain and problems exceed pleasure and ease.

Unfortunately, the thinking goes like this. Don’t marry, just live together as if you are married because “if you don’t like your [boyfriend or girlfriend], you can just… leave. If [your boyfriend] turns into a huge jerk, just leave. Or maybe if you just aren’t feeling it . . . anymore [with your girlfriend]. . . . you can just break up! Sure, it [is hard] to move out all your junk and find a new place to live, but there are no complicated legalities like there are [with marriage].”[3]

And so, it seems that marriage has become like a curse in our culture – a ball and chain – something to be avoided. And if not a curse, it has become like a fairy-tale dream that only lasts for a while – if you are lucky.

But is this all true?

Dear friends, marriage is not a curse to be avoided or put off for a better time and a better day. It is not something that ends dreams, ruins lives, and constraints. It is certainly not a ball and chain, but instead, a gift that creates a husband and wife and creates a blessed family.

Dear husbands and wives, Baptized Saints, we must remember that Satan – the prince and power of the air – continually attacks marriage. Satan can never create, but only perverts God’s gifts. And the evil one does just this to marriage. He attempts to distort marriage as a curse and a burden so that people will stay away from it. He holds self-love over sacrificial-love as the ideal. He strips sex out of wedlock and then sets it loose to cheapen it. He entices us to place other priorities above marriage as if marriage is some old-fashioned thing. He tries to convince us that marriage is just too inconvenient, which means that we can put it off until someday in the future where we will have supposedly more time and resources. Indeed, the evil one – with the world and our flesh – give a false view of marriage, sex, and family. They give a view that is not real.

So, what is real? What is marriage?

According to an old professor named Norman Nagel speaking about Biblical marriage, a bride and groom do not make a marriage, but instead, a bride and groom step into marriage and take their places. The reason why this is so, marriage is God’s gift. It is the perfect setup and the perfect gift that men and women are to receive. And within the marriage union ordained by God, the husband and wife learn to accept each other as the Lord teaches them to walk in the unforced rhythms of ‘love.’

So, what does this mean? It means that when young people in the church aspire to the institution of marriage, we should be clapping and dancing for joy. Their desire to be married is them wanting to receive God’s good gift! Yes, to desire to be married is good. To aspire to marriage is good.

But what if the couple is young and poor? Do we tell them to wait and avoid marriage? Well, no. Just as we work to be faithful stewards to support the local church in God’s gifts of the Word and Sacraments and as we work to be faithful stewards to support pregnancy centers with God’s gift of life, we certainly can be and should be stewards to support younger Christians in God’s gift of marriage. Frankly stated, we should be ready to open our wallets and show our children that we believe in marriage. This reality should be so real that we are willing to be there to financially support them if the going gets tough in their future marriage someday, rather than painting marriage as some sort of expensive burden that they cannot afford and should not aspire to at a young age.  

At this point, we can hear the voice of some saying,

“But what about having fun at a young age and taking everything in that life supposedly has to give? Do younger people really want to enter a marriage when they are so young?

To this the church responds: sure, there will be dying to self in marriage. That is the whole point. That is why it is tough. Dying to self hurts the sinful nature. But tough does not mean bad. Marriage is tough on the sinful nature, even though it is a good gift for you.  You see, as the husband and wife die to each other through trust and sacrifice – through the shed blood of Jesus for them - something grander emerges. At the end of each day being enveloped in the gift of marriage and the forgiveness of sins, the husband and wife will lay everything out before the Lord, nothing kept back, nothing held outside His forgiveness and His love. Yes, they will lay it all out before the Lord together as one flesh – as husband and wife – knowing that the Lord holds all of them, the good, the bad, the ups and the downs.[4]

Marriage is indeed a gift that brings a man and woman together. And we see that in our Epistle Reading from Ephesians. That is to say; Ephesians 5 is not about the husband lording leadership, power, and authority over his wife, but rather, it is about the husband sacrificing everything – dying to self – for the sake of his wife, just as Jesus did for the Church.

Furthermore, Ephesians 5 is not about the wife becoming a doormat to the husband, something he tramples to get his way. But instead, a wife is called to trust her husband, knowing that he is to be a husband to her as Jesus is a husband to the Church. The wife is to trust that everything the husband does is ultimately for her good because the husband is called to give his wife everything he has and all that is needed, even laying down his very own life to save hers. The husband is to set aside his comfort to defend and protect his bride no matter the personal cost. To submit to a husband who is called to defend her with his very life truly means the wife gets to rest in the protection of his loving arms.

This is marriage! This is marriage as a gift. This is marriage where sacrifice and trust happen out of a reverence of Christ. This is marriage, marriage that a husband and wife step into and take their place. 

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] Luther, M. (1999). Luther’s works, vol. 5: Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 26-30. (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol. 5, p. 363). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

[2] Susan Cox, “11 Reasons to NOT Get Married,” Feminist Current, http://www.feministcurrent.com/2016/02/12/11-reasons-not-to-get-married/(accessed February 10, 2017).

[3] Cox, “11 Reasons to NOT Get Married.”

[4] Paraphrase from Norman Nagel.

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A Fool's Baptism?

Text: Matthew 3:13-17

In the name of Jesus: Amen. 

We Lutherans are often times considered foolish.  We splash water on the head of a child or adult and believe that this washing makes the difference between life and death, heaven and hell. 

More specifically, we believe that infants and adults are helpless and that they cannot do much of anything. They cannot take care of their sin or defend themselves from death and the devil.  And they cannot even make a choice for eternal life.  All they can do is receive gifts – gifts like baptism. 

And so, in baptism, we believe, teach, and confess that God chooses to perform His salvific work of forgiving sin and making sinners into citizens of His kingdom… yes, by simple splashes of water and Words.    

Indeed, God has a way of choosing the foolish things of the world to do His work.  He has a way of doing foolish things to shame the so-called wise people of the world. 

In our Gospel reading from Matthew, we see even more foolishness.  Jesus came to the waters of the Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. 

You see, out in the wilderness next to the Jordan River, John the Baptist was blasting away at sinners. Confessions of sin, acknowledgments of failure, and concessions of corruption abounded. Baptismal water dripped from the heads of adulterers, thieves, liars, prostitutes, swindlers, blasphemers, murderers, legalists, rebels, and ragamuffins.  Indeed, the stench of sin filled the air and the waters of the Jordan River were polluted by sinners… and this is exactly what Jesus asked to be baptized into. 

Foolish, right?  

 

That is how John the Baptist saw it too. 

John the Baptist, protested the foolish request of Jesus saying something to the effect,

Jesus, you don’t belong here.  You are the only one who doesn’t belong here.  Everybody, including me, needs this baptism for the remission of sins, but you… you don’t need this Jesus.  What sins do you have to turn from?  What mess have you made of your life?  It is foolish to baptize you because you do not need to be baptized! 

 

Foolish! That is how Jesus’ request seemed to John.  However, as we have already stated, what seems foolish according to mankind is often precisely how the Lord works. 

And so, we hear that Jesus sets John in his place, basically saying,

Don’t argue with me, John.  Just do it.  Baptize me!  It is the way it should be.  I don’t care if you think it looks foolish, for it is the way that righteousness will be fulfilled.

As a result, Jesus was baptized in that dirty sinful Jordan River that day.  The clean and sinless Son of God was baptized into a sinner’s baptism. 

What does this mean, though?  How does Jesus’ baptism with sinners fulfill righteousness?  

It is actually quite simple.  To fulfill the Law perfectly one must love perfectly.  And with Jesus being baptized in that river with sinners, we see perfect love.  Yes, we see perfect love in action as Jesus stepped into the water with sinful humanity.  He stepped into the mess we’ve made of our lives.  Jesus stepped into that dirty sinful water, to be with mankind – you and me. 

Because Jesus loved perfectly, there was nothing that could have held Him back from that baptism.  It did not matter to Jesus if it appeared to be foolish or not, it just needed to be done.   

Stop and think about this a moment.

 

During our Christmas Services we heard that Jesus became one of us when He put on flesh and was born into a stinky cave.  Yes, we heard that Jesus descended into the sin-filled world by His birth into a manger.  And today we hear that He plunged further still by going to the Jordan River and being baptized with a bunch of sinners.  And all of this is consistent with how our Lord acts.  The baptism in the Jordan River is much like what happened at the cross of Mt. Calvary.  At the cross, Jesus takes our sins upon Himself, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21).

Dear friends, foolish or not, this is the way that it had to be.  Like a cleanly bathed child going to roll around in the mud with pigs, Jesus descended into the Jordan and was baptized in the midst of sinners.  The water of filthy sinners was applied upon Jesus, showing that He was the one who would bear the sins of the world – that the mud of sinners was to be splashed upon Him at the cross where the payment of His blood was made. 

This is the kind of Savior that we have.  There is no distance or separation between us sinners and Him.  This is God showing you and me that we are in this together; not alone and not abandoned.   

Is this foolish?  From a human perspective, yes, it is.  Humanly speaking, it’s crazy!  It is wild that Jesus, for the sake of sinners, not only was baptized with sinners and later ate with sinners but also died on the cross for sinners.  Who on earth would do such a thing, except the Lord!  It is foolish, it is crazy, it is wild, but it is good!  It is perfect love for you and me. 

Dear friends, this is how it works with the Lord. The Lord does foolish things like seeking after sinners.  He does foolish things like dying for sinners.  He does foolish things like taking sin upon Himself, so that we might become children of God. 

So, today we hear our Gospel lesson and ponder it so that we might understand that everything that Jesus did from the Jordan River to the Cross is for the purpose of forgiving you and me of our sins.  We hear our Gospel lesson and know that in the Jordan River, Jesus made holy and instituted the water of our baptisms to be a blessed flood and a washing away of all our sins. 

Blessed Baptized Saints, hear this today because Jesus placed Himself in the Jordan River to be baptized with sinners, your baptisms at the church’s baptismal font place you with Jesus.  Yes, in your baptism, the Spirit of God was poured out on your life.  The Lord’s Word and promise were placed upon your life – marking you as one of the redeemed.  The Apostle Paul says it best, “You who were baptized into Jesus were baptized into His death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4)

And there is more.  It just keeps getting better.  In Jesus’ baptism we hear that the Father looks down from heaven with love and pride, and says, “I am well pleased!”  So too, in your baptism, you are washed resulting in all of heaven opening to you so that God the Father with love and pride can say, “I am well pleased with you, my child.” 

Making you God’s own child through baptism is exactly what Jesus had in mind when He stepped into the dirty water of the Jordan sanctifying and instituting your baptisms, as blessed floods that wash away sin. 

And so in your baptism, you can have assurance this day that a handful of water splashed on your head in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit works forgiveness of sins, rescues you from the devil, and gives you eternal life.  Even though the world looks at such water as being plain and ordinary and foolish, you know that the Lord has chosen to go the way of foolishness.  You know that you are a fool for Jesus, for you know the One who went to Calvary with your sin.  You know the One who defeated your death and left it trampled in an empty tomb.  You know the One whom you have been joined to in the waters of Holy Baptism.  You know that the waters of baptism are mighty – violently attacking your sin and rescuing you from darkness to light.   

God has indeed chosen the foolish and the weak things of the world to put to shame the world.  He has chosen to save not with just plain water, but water combined with His promises. He has chosen to save and redeem you.  

So dear Christians, firmly hold this gift of baptism that works forgiveness of sin, rescues you from death and the devil and gives eternal life.  Know that God has chosen the foolish and the weak things of the world to put to shame the ways of the world.  Know that the splash of water upon your head with the promise of God, makes all the difference in the world. 

In the name of Jesus: Amen

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No Neutrality With Jesus

Text: Luke 2:33-40

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

You and I would be pretty hard pressed to find a person who is offended by the Story of Christmas – the Story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem.  Now, they are out there, but frankly, I do not believe that there are too many of these so-called Scrooges and Grinches.  You see, even the most hard-core atheists seem to have a soft spot in their hearts for the story of Mary and Joseph, the animals, the manger, the little Jesus, and the angels.  We see the evidence for this in Church attendance each Christmas.  Yes, every single Christmas the church seems to fill up with all sorts of people – believers and nonbelievers alike – who want to hear the Christmas Story.  And for that brief moment on Christmas Eve, it seems that everyone is united.  It appears that all is well – everyone is happy, content, relaxed, and unified around the Story of Christmas. 

These sentimental and nostalgic feelings wear off quite quickly though.  Yes, they wear off rather quickly when we read Luke’s Gospel and hear from the Prophet Simeon.  Now, it isn’t that Simeon wants to be a Scrooge or a Grinch, but instead, Simeon is drawing attention to a phenomenon that cannot be escaped.  Simeon is pointing out a fact, that the child he is holding in his arms has been appointed for the rising and falling of many.  He is stating that the baby Jesus in his arms is a sign – a target – that will be opposed.  In other words, Simeon is saying to Mary that people will stumble and take offense at Jesus. People will fall and rise, curse and speak against Jesus.  They will slander and condemn Jesus’ words.  They will oppose His works, ways, and life.   

It could be said that Simeon saw the cross looming.  When Simeon held baby Jesus in his arms, he saw a shadow of the cross off in the distance – the cross, with its conflict and tension. 

And so, this morning, Simeon shows us this Christmas Season that with the birth of Jesus, conflict comes.  Yes, conflict will come about not because Jesus is some troublemaker, but because He is light and truth. 

Dear friends, whenever Jesus and His Word go forth, people will divide into two groups.  Some will receive it with joy and others will be offended and begin to hate and persecute.  It is like this because people love the darkness and hate the light.  People love to believe their lies and are offended by truth.  The bright light hurts, so eyes are closed and heads turn.  The truth hurts, so ears close and angry faces are made. 

And so, that baby that was born and laid in a manger was like a target.  The baby Jesus who rested in Simeon’s arms had crosshairs upon Him. Just as guns and bows aim at targets so that their bullets and arrows do not hit anything but the target, so everyone’s sinful old nature aims at Jesus.    

Over the years I have had the opportunity to speak to many seminarians; that is to say, men training for the ministry of being a pastor.  And typically what ends up happening is that I get asked about tips and pointers on what it takes to be a faithful pastor.  To which, I usually say something like this,

If you want to have a comfortable pastoral ministry, do just this: water down God’s Law and change the focus from Jesus to the person in the pew. In fact, if you want ease, just try to avoid Jesus and His Word. The old sinful nature loves this!  Weakened law and a man-centered false gospel gives the sinful old nature all sorts of room to play!  In other words, watered down law doesn’t make anyone feel bad about sin and focusing the sermon not on Jesus, but on the person in the pew makes people feel really, really special.  It makes them feel like they have the ability and power to control their destiny.  Indeed, with this kind of preaching, nobody in the church will get angry with the preacher.  But instead, this kind of sermon will be a relief to the old Adam; the sinful nature becomes giddy.  Yes, the old Adam loves this kind of watered-down law and man-centered pretend gospel.   

However, when the exact opposite happens – when you proclaim Christ and His Word, when the Law kills people and the Gospel unconditionally gives faith – fasten your seatbelts.  Yes, fasten your seatbelts, for people will either defend their old Adam by attacking or by leaving the church, whereas others will be brought to rubble, where in the midst of the debris they will see Jesus. Truly, when a stern Law and a sweet Gospel are properly preached, the sheep will come to their painful end (their sinful nature will fall to pieces), but then they will learn that they are not abandoned, but left with Jesus… and with Jesus raised anew.

What all of this means is this: when someone proclaims that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world, the only Mediator, Advocate, and Savior, and His Holy Gospel is the power of God to save all who believe in it, then be ready, for there will be opposition.  Yes, be prepared, for people will oppose Jesus and come up with all sorts of opinions, ideas, and alternatives that prop up their sinful nature.  Be ready to watch Jesus become a target of attack.  And be ready if you are proclaiming Jesus to be attacked as well. 

Dear friends, it is impossible to escape affliction if you wish to be a faithful servant of the Lord.  It is impossible not because Jesus delights in causing disruption, but because Jesus is light and truth coming into darkness and falsehood.  And as it has already been stated, darkness and falsehood cannot comprehend light and truth, but instead, attack. 

Dear Baptized Saints, behold, this child who was born unto you and who laid in Simeon’s arms, was appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed.  From Jesus’ infancy to death, He would be persecuted.  His teaching would be slandered.  His life cursed.  And finally, He would be put to death.  This is the child that was born and laid in the manger. This is the child that laid in Simeon’s arms.  This is the child that was born unto you. 

This news of Jesus being a target, though, might lead us to wonder if there was ever a chance of Him being overturned?  Is there a chance of Christ and His church being overturned today?  The answer is no!  While Simeon said that Jesus would be a target, people would not and cannot overturn Jesus. 

It is like this, God the Father appointed Jesus to be a target.  He was destined by God the Father to be a defiant rock slammed down before the world, the devil, and the gates of hell.  Indeed, Jesus is the target that God the Father ordained to be a stable foundation in a chaotic world.  Which means that the devil, the world, and the sinful nature will try to remove Jesus, but will try in vain.  Yes, the devil will hiss at the rock, the world will charge at the rock, and the sinful nature will try to climb on top of the rock, but NONE of them will be able to accomplish anything.  The devil’s fangs will break against the rock, the world will collide and fall, and the sinful nature will fall on its back.  They cannot harm the rock, but only prove their own futility. 

So, dear Baptized Saints, behold the child who was born unto you for your rising and falling.  Behold the one who took you and drowned you and your sinful old Adam in the water of baptism and then brought you out anew.  Behold the same Jesus that was laid in Simeon’s arms is now put in your hands and upon your lips and mouth in the Holy Supper.  Behold the target who takes your sin.  Behold your salvation that was prepared for you.  Behold the one that cannot be overturned.      

In the name of Jesus: Amen. 

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