Foolish Pseudo-Christians In Name Only?

Text: Matthew 25:1-13

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

There were no outward differences between the ten virgins – that is bridesmaids. All of them were ready with their lamps. They were all dressed for the party with decorations and ornaments. They all knew that the Groom would come for the bride and the bridesmaids to take them to the great marriage festival. Yes, according to all outward appearances, these bridesmaids were the same; they dressed the same and looked the same. They all appeared to be ready for the great celebration; however, as we hear in our Gospel reading from the gospel of Matthew, five of them did not make it to the great wedding banquet.

But why only five? And why did they not make it?

Five did not make it to the wedding banquet because they were fools. Yes, they were not wise but they were fools.

You see, the five bridesmaids that did not make it to the wedding banquet were foolish because they did get oil for their lamps in advance. And when the Groom finally came, they did not have any oil to light their lamps, resulting in them frantically leaving to get oil and subsequently not going with the Groom to the wedding banquet.

And so, this parable points out that only five bridesmaids make it to the wedding banquet, whereas the other five do not make it and are locked out of the party due to their foolishness.

Again, they all looked the same. They were all aware that the Groom was coming. However, only five made it, and five others did not. The reason being, five were wise, and the other five were foolish.

And just as it is in this parable, we find that the same is true for the Christians. You see, when it comes to people of the faith, many people act like Christians, talk like Christians, and imagine themselves to be Christians. They will appear to be Christians with the same lamps, the same ornaments, and decorations on their dress. They may even know that the Groom – Jesus Christ – is coming back. However, like those five foolish bridesmaids, they will not make it to eternal life.

Now, if this unsettles you, we can say, “good,” because that is the intent and purpose of the parable. In telling us this parable, Jesus impresses upon us that there are divisions in the church on earth. That is to say; many will have the outward appearance and marks of a Christian, but in the end are nothing more than a fool. Many will be carrying a lamp, but they will have no oil to burn in the lamp. Yes, they lack the one quality that will make them acceptable as wedding guests – they lack oil for their lamps.

You see, a fool likes to play the Christian card, saying, “Oh, yes, I am a Christian. I belong to a church. I can recite some bible verses from memory. I volunteer time to time for the church and drop some money in the offering plate occasionally. I attend funerals whenever someone dies and I never – I never miss Christmas and Easter Services even though I rarely attend the rest of the year.” Yes, a fool will play the part of the Christian. They will look like and sound like Christians, but like the foolish bridesmaid, they will not make it to eternal life, but will see the doors of eternal life shut before them while hearing the stern words of Jesus, “I truly tell you, I do not know you!”

Dear friends, a lamp does not burn without oil. Only a fool would dare to believe this. Only a fool would be so senseless to forget oil for a lamp. But that is precisely what happens in every generation. Individuals will go about their lives, believing that they are ready for the Last Day of Judgment when in reality they are not. They have foolishly convinced themselves that they are ‘good to go’ for the second coming, when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, but in actuality, they have forgotten to get oil.

Dear friends, are you a fool? Are you foolish? We need to be careful how we answer this question. You see, the temptation is to say, “I am not a fool because I go to church every single week. I am not a fool because I pray a lot and do a lot of good works. I am not a fool because I am really committed to the church.” This too is foolish, for the issue is not about whether or not you are properly dressed or have a lamp, but the issue is whether or not one has oil in their lamp.

So, are you a fool? Do you have oil in your lamp?

But what is this oil that is spoken of? The oil for the lamp represents the faith and confidence in the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, while it is good to tithe and it is good to go to church, and it is good to memorize scripture, if we do all of these things without faith and confidence in the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, we are just a bunch of fools. We are a lamp with no oil. We are pseudo-Christians – Christians in name only.

Dear friends, the whole point of this parable is to be ready for the second coming of Jesus by having oil, which is the Lord’s grace and mercy. Yes, the whole point of the parable is not to be a fool who thinks that he does not need the forgiveness of sins. In other words, those who are wise will always have lamps full of oil. The wise will always be filled with the forgiveness of sins because they know they are poor miserable sinners in thought, word, and deed. They are people who know that they are sinners who need Jesus and His gifts. They are sinners who long to be taken to the eternal banquet because they are all too familiar with the muck of sin in their own lives and the sin of the world. And like the wise bridesmaids, the wise Christian will always come before the throne of grace for forgiveness, life, and salvation. The wise Christian is always anticipating the coming of Jesus saying, “Come Lord Jesus, come; deliver me from this world and this body of sin and death!”  

On the other hand, the fool is the one who shuts his heart down to the constant supply of the forgiveness of sins given in the Word and Sacraments. The fool claims to be a Christian and looks like a Christian but then neglects Christ and His gifts.

So, I must ask you this day, are you a fool? Are you foolish in shutting your heart off from the Lord’s grace and mercy? If so, repent. Repent of pretending that you are not a sinner. Repent of convincing yourself that you can burn a lamp without oil. Repent of thinking that you are ready for the second coming of Jesus without Jesus’ forgiveness of sins. Repent of neglecting the Word and Sacraments. Repent and hear the good news! Yes, hear the good news! Receive oil for your lamps! Oil that is especially for you! 

In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you of all of your sins!

Yes, hear the good news – receive oil for your lamps!

The Lord has adopted you as His very own and given you His name upon your head and heart, in your baptism. The Lord has generously poured out upon you His Holy Spirit. By the washing of the water with the Lord’s Word, the Lord has united you with Him in His death and resurrection. Yes, the Lord has called you and now considers you a beloved child. He has declared you to be well-pleasing in His sight!

Hear the Gospel – receive oil for your lamps!

In the body and blood of Christ, you are given pardon and peace. In the Holy Supper, eat and drink and be satisfied, knowing that the Lord refreshes and strengthens you in faith and love.

Baptized Saints, the Lord is coming back for you and me someday. Cling to His Holy Word and Sacraments, so that when He comes in the hour of your death or on the Last Day, you are ready to go in with Him to the heavenly wedding, that is, eternal life. May we put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope – hope of salvation.  May we be sober during the day! God grant you and me this wisdom – wisdom that continually receives oil – and may God drive foolishness from you and from me.

In the name of Jesus: Amen. 

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Eat, Drink, & Be Merry This Thanksgiving!

Text: Deuteronomy 8:1-10

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

In our Old Testament reading from this morning, we read, "And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you."

Now, isn’t this an appropriate verse to meditate on for Thanksgiving Day? It was first given to the Israelites when they were about to enter the land of Canaan, a land that was "flowing with milk and honey." But immediately after all these words – that celebrated the good gifts of God – the Lord warned the Israelites. The Lord warned them in the midst of their abundance that they might be tempted to forget Him. That is to say; the Israelites might be tempted to forget how the Lord redeemed them and brought them out of their slavery in Egypt. They might be tempted to forget how the Lord led them through the wilderness and fed them with bread from heaven and water from the rock. They might be tempted to think: "We have made it this far because of our power and might. We are blessed because we have endured." They might be tempted to forget that it was from the Lord’s hand that they received all good things, not their own hand.

And like those Israelites, we possess this same forgetfulness. We face the same danger of enjoying the good things of God in such a way that we forget where it all came from. Even worse, in this wonderful land of abundance, we can begin to take credit for everything ourselves. 

You see, when times are going well, it is easy to forget. On the other hand, when we have tough times as a nation or individually, it is easier to remember to be thankful.

Now, considering all of this, if the day of Thanksgiving does nothing else, it serves as an annual reminder for our culture that all the good things of this land, come from the Lord. All that we take for granted comes from the Lord as the way of gift. All the good in our lives is not some payback from the Lord because we have done a bunch of good things, but instead, all of these blessings are an overflow of the Lord’s gracious heart.

And still, we times are abundant we have this ongoing struggle to kick back and enjoy life with forgetfulness. We have this constant struggle to become so delighted in the gifts that we forget the Giver. In fact, it is so easy to get caught up in the good things of this life that we not only forget where these gifts come from but we also forget the Lord’s greater gifts. In other words, it is all too easy to forget how the Lord did an even bigger rescue for us than the one of the Israelites from Egypt. That is to say; how God came among us, how Jesus put on flesh and blood to bear our sin and suffering so that we might be rescued from our bondage to sin and Satan.

This forgetfulness is probably one of the biggest dangers we face. When times are good, we can forget that the Lord has set us free from sin and death by His own suffering, death, and resurrection. We can forget that He has washed away our sins in His blood that flowed from the cross of Calvary. Yes, it is easy, when there is an abundance, to forget the things that matter most.

So what are we to do about our forgetfulness? Is our Lord telling us not to eat this Thanksgiving – to be hungry and suffer?  Are we to eliminate the abundance by going home and tossing the turkey in the trash? No! He tells us to eat and be full. But He also tells us not to forget to "bless the Lord oour God for the good land" when we have eaten and are full.

And so we are gathered here today before we eat turkey, stuffing, and gravy. We are gathered here to hear the Words of the Lord and to join in the praise of our God from whom all blessings flow. But what begins in today's service, cannot be allowed to end when we leave this service and go our separate ways. But rather, it is to continue in our homes as we bless God. Yes, with eyes wide open to the mercies of God, we bless Him for His gifts this Thanksgiving Day and we bless Him every day for that "indescribable gift" He has given us in the person of His Son, our Savior.

And while we give thanks for the Lord’s spiritual blessings we also remember the temporal blessings we receive on account of Christ. His love showers down on us in so many ways. Indeed, the Lord causes the sun to shine, the rain to fall, the plants to grow. He gives us family. He gives us friends. He gives us this land. He gives us our government. He gives us our homes. He gives us animals. He gives us strangers who smile and speak a kindly word. He gives us the beauty of flowers in the spring and the splendor of the fall and winter.

It is all the Lord’s giving – all His gift. Today we see life truly for what it is: a gift from the hand of the heavenly Father who gives us all these things "out of divine fatherly goodness and mercy without any merit or worthiness" on our part.

So for us as God’s people, it is not, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." But rather, it is, "Eat, drink and be merry, and bless the Lord your God for the good land He has given you, and for the gifts He showers on you both temporal and eternal - and especially for the gift of His Son so that your tomorrow may not end in death, but in life everlasting."

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Note: This sermon is borrowed in part from Rev. William Weedon.

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Damned If You Do; Damned If You Don't?

Text: Matthew 22:15-22

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

In our Gospel reading from Matthew, we hear that the religious leaders simply could not listen to Jesus any longer. They could not stand what Jesus was about, and they could not stomach the message that He taught. So, they put their heads together to figure out a way to get rid of Jesus.

There was a catch though. The religious leaders knew that they could not destroy Jesus publicly and they did not want to reveal their evil intentions. So, they devised a plan where they would complement Jesus as if they could butter Him up, only to then follow up with a tricky and malicious either-or question. You know what I am talking about, one of those questions where no matter how you answer, you will be found guilty. Yes, they planned to sweet-talk Jesus and then drop a question on Him to trap Him. They wanted to put Jesus into one of those damned if you do and damned if you don’t type scenarios.

The religious leaders then did just that. They praised Jesus for being sincere and teaching the truth. And then they asked Him whether Caesar should be given tribute or not, through the paying taxes. In other words, Jesus was asked to answer whether it was lawful to give tax money to Caesar or not. Now, if Jesus says, “Yes,” the people would go after Him as being a supporter of Rome and not being sympathetic to those trying to liberate Jerusalem from Rome’s oppression. On the other hand, if Jesus says, “No,” then some of the people in the crowd – namely this group called the Herodians – would arrest Him as a rebel against the authorities.

No doubt about it; all of this was a very devilish strategy that was intended to bring about Jesus’ destruction. It was an evil plan to be rid of Jesus and His teaching.

Dear friends, this hostile spirit towards Jesus is nothing other than that Old Testament spirit of Cain. You remember that story of Cain and Abel that we have heard before? Cain murdered Abel because Cain sought to offer God his own sacrifice resulting in God rejecting Cain’s works and accepting Abel’s gift given in faith. In other words, Cain’s hatred towards Abel was due in part to his own hatred of God for refusing to accept his righteousness. Yes, that spirit of Cain is an evil disposition and a nasty way of thinking and living. It is a bloodthirsty disposition that causes people to want to be in charge of everything and pass judgment on anyone else that does not worship at their feet. It is about eliminating others who stand against the unholy trinity of “me, myself, and I.” The point being, just as we see Cain go after Abel, that same spirit was prevalent in the religious leaders who were plotting Jesus’ destruction. It was especially prevalent in that tricky either-or question posed to Jesus of whether or not to support Caesar. Yes, that question was not a question that was intended to grant clarity and they were not trying to learn from Jesus, but that either-or question was meant to undermine, trap, discredit, and destroy Jesus.

And here is the catch, that same spirit of Cain is alive today. All we have to do is listen to the questions that are being asked today of the church, and we quickly realize that many of the questions are not being asked to grant clarity but are being asked in a way to undermine, trap, discredit and destroy Christians.

For example, there has been a question circulating on the internet that asks the following, “You are in a burning building, and there is a container with 1000 embryos and a five-year-old child, and you can only save one. Which one would you save?” Now, if you say, “The 1000 embryos,” then you are a monster for letting a five-year-old die. However, if you say, “The five-year-old,” then you are admitting that an embryo is not a valid human life on the same level as a five-year-old. You see how this works? This question is not intended to learn or create a healthy dialog, but it is only meant to trap and discredit. It does not allow the Christian to say, “I would try to save both because all life is precious!” It does not allow the Christian to say, “Instead of running out of the building to save just myself, I would risk my life to save as many lives as possible – embryos and five-year-old children.”

Or there is this question, “You are not one of those ignorant-foolish Christians who believe everything in the Bible is true, are you?” Which if you correctly say, “Yes,” you are then inadvertently admitting to being an ignorant-foolish Christian, and if you say, “No,” you are admitting that the Bible is full of errors. In other words, this question is meant to undermine and discredit the Christian. It does not allow the Christian to give a thoughtful, educated, and respectful answer that the Bible is truth.

Oh, and who can forget this question that comes up all the time. “Did your God have authority over that hurricane or earthquake or not?” This question is meant to either imply that God is not powerful or not loving. You see, if we say that God did not have authority over an earthquake or hurricane, then the accusation is that God is not powerful – that He is a pathetic powerless God. But if we say that God does have power over hurricanes and earthquakes, then the accusation will be that God is not loving because He did not stop the tragedy. Again, this either-or question is intended to trap and destroy, not to learn and be edified.

We in the church, though, aren’t much better. Though we may not have the same malicious intent as those religious leaders in our Gospel reading, we too can put forth these either-or questions to get our way. For example, one that has been circulating for quite some time is this question, “Is your church going to cling to stuffy-irrelevant-dead liturgy or reach out with life and relevance to the youth of the next generation?” So, here again, if a person upholds the liturgy of the church they somehow don’t care about youth and the next generation. On the other hand, if they want to reach out to the youth, then the question forces them to say that the liturgy is irrelevant, stuffy, outdated, and dead. This too is nonsense and divisive! Cannot a church uphold the liturgy and the historical aspects of the church and reach out to youth and the next generation at the same time? Furthermore, if a church has God’s Word and Sacraments, is it even possible for it to be a dead church? 

Oh, and we cannot forget every Pastor’s favorite, “Pastor, would you rather have me in church thinking about the woods or in the woods thinking about God?” To which the Pastor says, “Neither! That is a false either-or question that stems from the sinful nature’s animosity towards God’s Word. It is a way to skirt around the 3^rd Commandment of honoring the Sabbath.”

After being asked the tricky either-or question by the religious leaders, Jesus immediately perceived the religious leaders’ wickedness. He understood that they were not asking a question to learn but to trap Him. And so, He said, “You hypocrites!” Yes, He called the religious leaders by their name; He called them hypocrites. They were acting all pious on the outside in asking Him a question, but their question was rooted in wickedness and deceit. They had honey on their lips and poison in their hearts. The religious leaders were speaking with a forked tongue, and Jesus’ called what they were – hypocrites. This must have stung deeply for the truth always hurts the sinful old Adam.

Dear friends, the plot of the religious leaders shows us how God’s Word is usually treated. And it shows us how Satan and his bride (i.e., the world) hate nothing as much as God’s Word and those who believe it, teach it, and preach it. But regardless of the tactics of the world and regardless of these either-or questions that were meant for destruction, Christ Jesus did not sway. He was not ensnared. Jesus is true and teaches the way of God, not being distracted, worried, or entangled by the partiality and trickery of mankind.

And so, Jesus sent the religious leaders home with their tails between their legs. There is an irony here though.  You see, it was only a short time later that the religious leaders decided that the only way to remove Jesus from the scene was to remove Him from this life - to kill Him. During the next few days, the religious leaders carried out their plan and arranged to have Jesus crucified. And when Jesus had died, the powers of sin, death, and the devil thought that they had won. That is to say; according to the power of evil, either one dies and is defeated, or lives and wins. However, what sin, death, and the devil did not understand is that it is not an either-or scenario with Jesus Christ. Christ dies and is not defeated but victorious. In a word: Christ loses on the cross so that He might win not lose. Christ rises from the grave so that death might lose not win.

Baptized Saints, this is your Lord Jesus. No trickery could keep Him ensnared in the grave. No plot could undo His plan of salvation for you. No forked tongue of evil could keep the message of the forgiveness of sin from you.

Christ does not dance to the tunes of hypocrites, for Christ is true. Therefore, as His baptized blood-bought Saints, you shall not be worried or deceived by any deception of the world. Your hearts and minds are guided by the wisdom of Jesus proclaimed to you through His Word, not either-or questions.

As Christ’s own, you are dazzled not by the empty flattery of mankind, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

May the Lord keep us in His strong Word that severs the schemes of darkness. In the name of Jesus: Amen. 

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I'm Offended; Someone Needs To Bleed!

Text: Matthew 18:21-35

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

In our day and age, it is taught that when we are offended by someone else, that this vile person then owes it to us to make things right.  We are told that they need to grovel or apologize or do some penance to make up for their offense.  Now, if we have bought into the advice of the world, often we won’t even tell the person about their offense, but we will sure hint at it with passive-aggressive tactics.  We will give them the silent treatment or reply with snide short responses, followed by sighs and rolled eyes.  On the other hand, we can do the opposite, and that is to avoid them, just enough to make them feel rejected but not enough to make it blatantly obvious.  We want them to feel the backlash for their offense and then to crawl back to us with tears and dread, begging us to forgive them.  With all of this stated, though, if they do pick up on our silent treatment, passive-aggressive tactics, and avoidance – and if they do not make things right – we then convince ourselves that we are somehow justified to hold a longstanding grudge against them. 

You see my friends, our world says that someone has to bleed – someone has to die when we are offended.  There has to be some punishment for the offense against us to make everything right again. And if there is no punishment and no groveling – or apology or penance – then we are taught that it is within our right to hold a grudge as long as we deem it necessary.  In fact, when we are offended, we often jump to the victim status naturally and run to our friends to cry the woes of how we have been so severely mistreated.  The point being is this, when we are offended or sinned against by another person, we can quickly go down that path where we end up holding on to the wrongdoing, harboring bitterness and unforgiveness. 

Now, just to be clear, I am not talking about sweeping injustices under the rug.  I am not advocating that we should become some doormat where people can walk all over us with abuse.  And I am not talking about those times when we are sinned against, those times where we go to another person in the spirit of reconciliation to repair a damaged relationship.  But rather, in today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of Matthew, we are instead hearing about the problem of withholding forgiveness from others.  Yes, we are talking about that inborn characteristic that we all have that wants to hold on to those offenses committed others. We are talking about that part of ourselves that won’t let go of the times that we have been sinned against. We are talking about that part of us that wants someone’s blood for their wrongdoing against us. 

Let us pause and be honest for a moment.  We are surrounded by injustices all around us.  People sin all the time.  And we say to ourselves, “As long as they aren’t hurting me, what concern is it of mine!”  That is to say; we rarely get worked up when a person sins against one of our neighbors; however, if that same person were to sin against us in the smallest way, our whole world is turned upside down.  And once our world is turned upside down, we get our paper and pen out to keep a record of all of their wrongdoings against us.  We write the offense down in our minds.  We examine it from all angles.  We stew over the offense, letting it raise our blood pressure.  Small offenses are made into massive injustices towards humanity in our mind, while we put the person in our debt, owing us some sort of undefined recompense. 

Everything becomes unraveled, though, when the person who has sinned against us asks for forgiveness.  Yes, when the person who offends us realizes their sin, they come to us to apologize and then we are left in a difficult place.  Yes, when this happens, we are left with the need to forgive, to let go.  You see my friends, the word forgiveness is a word that means to let go or release.  Forgiveness does not imply that there is no offense and it is not saying that the sin never happened, but rather, forgiveness acknowledges sin but then says, “I release you from your debt; I let go of my desire to see you bleed for your offense.”  Indeed, forgiveness is not the same as saying, “No worries; everything is alright.”  But forgiveness acknowledges the offense and says that we are no longer going to have vengeance towards that person for their wrong. 

Forgiveness is a release – a letting go - of vengeance.  It is a letting go of our desire to get even.  It is a release of the record keeping.  It is a release of the need to get even for the injustice done to us.

As it has been previously alluded to, forgiveness is difficult, especially if we have spent years upon years holding on to the other person’s offense.  Let’s be honest again, we have all gone down this unforgiving path before, and we know our neighbors who have done this as well.  We know those stories of that farmer who won’t drink coffee at a particular restaurant and won’t belong to a particular elevator co-op because of a land dispute with another farmer decades ago.  We know those stories of parishioners who refuse to set their feet inside a church because a pastor offended them years ago.  We know those stories where a person will go to the other side of the street to avoid a fellow neighbor who offended them.  We know those stories where family members have avoided each other for years because of a past conflict.  These are just a few of the examples where this lack of forgiveness is played out. You and I have stories just like these with different plots and different circumstances, but the same lack of forgiveness.     

Tragically, a spirit of unforgiveness is toxic.  Not only is it toxic towards someone seeking forgiveness, but it is toxic to the person withholding forgiveness.  You see when we hold on to injustices and refuse to forgive we are doing so because we want the other person to suffer and pay for their offense against us.  Two things are happening here.  First, we have propped ourselves up so high that we have made ourselves into a god, where we say, “How dare they cross me; who do they think they are for offending me?”  Second, whether we realize it or not, our unforgiving attitude is actually seeking out the destruction of our neighbor as the only way to remedy their offense.  Bluntly stated, we want our neighbor to suffer and bleed for their offense against us, and only after they have suffer and bleed enough are we able to possibly forgive them. 

Dear friends, we must keep in mind that in the eyes of the world, someone has to bleed and die when you are offended and sinned against.  The world teaches you not to let go, to not forgive.  The world teaches you to keep a record of wrong and to seek vengeance.  The world tells you that vengeance is in your control.  The world tells you not to be merciful, but to be hard-hearted and unforgiving to fellowman.   But what the world does not tell you is that this kind of thinking and attitude winds you up in hell. 

In our Gospel reading from Matthew, we read about a servant who was forgiven 7.5 billion dollars of debt (in today’s money).  However, this same servant dared to put the screws to another person for owing him 20,000 dollars.  Jesus calls this servant wicked.  Yes, he is wicked for he was just forgiven 7.5 billion dollars of debt and then goes out with an unmerciful heart and demands 20,000 dollars from his neighbor, when he should’ve shown mercy on his fellow servant.  And so, the point is this, when we refuse to forgive others who have wronged us – when our knuckles are white from clinging to injustices and when our time and energy are spent trying to figure out how to get even and make someone bleed… well, we are the truly wicked ones.  We are wicked and stubborn because we have failed to realize that someone has already bled for the offense that was committed against us.  Yes, we have failed to recognize that someone has already bled for the sin committed against us and someone has already bled for our sin of not forgiving. 

Dear Baptized Saints, drop your vengeance.  Release your neighbors from your unforgiving heart!  Christ Jesus has bled for your sin and my sin.  He has bled for the sin that has been committed against us.

Furthermore, Christ Jesus has not treated us the way that we deserve.  He has not punished us for our sin.  He has not unleashed vengeance on us.  He owed us nothing, yet He gave Himself wholly to you and me.  Because the Lord gave up His right and claim over you and me, He desires that we too should do likewise to our neighbors.  If the Lord has forgiven you of 7.5 billion dollars, why should you not give your neighbor $20,000?  Since you have been forgiven of every sin of thought, word, and deed, from the time of your birth until your last dying breath, and since you have been forgiven of your sinful condition that has tainted your heart, why should you not give forgiveness to your neighbor? 

Baptized Saints, Jesus Christ, gives Himself to you, becomes your gracious Lord, is kind to you, and serves you with His good gifts when He has absolutely no reason to do so except for His rich mercy; therefore, it does not make sense to do otherwise to our neighbors.  That is not who you are.  The truth of the matter is this: no more blood needs to be shed for sin that we commit or is committed against us, for Jesus’ blood on the cross is sufficient for the sin of the entire world. 

And so, not only is today’s Gospel reading about forgiveness, but it is about living in freedom.  It is about knowing that Jesus Christ has forgiven us of an overwhelming debt of sin, which frees us from the trap of bitter unforgiveness.  It frees us from the poisonous spirit that clings to unforgiveness.  Yes, we are freed to forgive every wrong in the name of Jesus, whether the wrongdoer repents and makes acknowledgment to us or not.  We are freed not to hold anything against our neighbor, except the desire for them to settle their sin with God, so that they too may find forgiveness, life, salvation, and freedom in Jesus.

Christ Jesus has bled for you; forgiveness is yours and for your neighbor.  No more shed blood is needed, for Christ has bled for you and your neighbor’s forgiveness.

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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Empty Handed Saints

Text: Matthew 5:1-12

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

Today we celebrate All Saints’ Day.  In other words, today is the day that we think about heaven and remember the blessed saints who have died and are with Jesus.

Now, we must keep in mind that when we say, “saints,” we are not referring to every single person who has died and we are certainly not referring to people who have surpassed everyone else in their degree of holiness. That is to say; we are not referring to people who have accumulated holiness by doing a bunch of holy things, but instead, when we use the term ‘saint,’ we are using it to describe Christians in general.  Yes, the term ‘saint’ is a term that is used to describe Christians who have been baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection, and that includes those who have died in Jesus and those who are still living in Jesus. 

Now, even though all Christians are called saints because of what Christ Jesus did on the cross and delivered in baptism, there are some people who still imagine that saints are those individuals who are extraordinary, strong, and successful.  Yes, some people imagine that saints are super Christians that are resilient, cheerful, brave, and secure.  It is believed that these saints walk through life on some higher level, with a shiny halo over their head, while speaking with religious overtones. 

Jesus, though, describes what these saints are like in our reading from the Gospel of Matthew.  Yes, Jesus gives us a picture of the new life that follows from faith.  And to our surprise, these saints are not resilient.  They are not cheerful or brave.  And they have no self-security.  In fact, these saints are not extraordinary, strong, or successful at all, but they are quite the opposite.  With their titled halos, scuffed knees, and scrappy garments, we hear that these saints are poor in spirit, mournful over their sin, humble in their abilities, and starving for righteousness.  Jesus goes on to say that these saints are often “abused, persecuted and lied about because they don’t live like other people.  However, they’re gentle.  They don’t demand their rights.  They don’t put themselves on a pedestal.  They establish peace by suffering rather than fighting.”[1]

Now, I don’t know about you, but this description certainly does not sound like a great description of a saint.  It sounds more like the description of a loser – someone who amounts to nothing in this life… a weakling.    

And yet, contrary to what we might think, Jesus is describing what it looks like to be a saint, He is describing the Christian life. 

But why are these saints poor in spirit?  Well, they are poor in spirit because they are aware of their profound helplessness and are beggarly in their abilities – they know that they cannot do anything to obtain eternal life. 

And why do these saints mourn?  They mourn because of sin and its consequences.  They have sorrow over their sin and the sin of the world.

And why are these saints humble; that is to say, meek?  They have learned not to take themselves too seriously, and when offended they have learned from Jesus not to get too worked up.  They are not easily triggered. 

And why are do these saints hunger?  They are hungry not for temporal things for they know that the temporal things of life fade.  But they hunger for that which is eternal. 

Behold, what Jesus speaks about in our Gospel reading is the life of a saint!  Here in this world, these saints are a poor company of beggars, filled with tears, because of the sufferings of this life.  Yes, this is what a saint looks like: distressed by sin and failing over and over and over again.  These saints, hunger, and thirst for righteousness, knowing that they’ve got nothing to offer before God, except their sin.

So, considering all that we’ve heard thus far, I ask you today, are you among the saints?  Are you poor in spirit confessing your moral bankruptcy, or do you pretend that you are not a sinner – pretending that you are a good person? 

Are you among the saints?  Are you sorrowful over your sin and the sin of the world or do you try to normalize sin and then celebrate it?

Are you among the saints? Are you humble, or are you easily provoked and triggered when offended and then seek revenge – plotting your neighbor's demise? 

Are you among the saints? Are you hungry for righteousness seeking out God’s Word and Sacraments, longing to come to the Lord’s house, or are you apathetic with a full stomach of sin and put off by church services?   

I ask these questions of you and me because if we are not poor in spirit, we will not possess the kingdom of heaven.  If we are not sorrowful for our sin, we will not be comforted.  If we are not humble and meek, we will not inherit the earth.  If we do not know hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will never be satisfied.  To the point, if we are none of these things, we will not be blessed. 

Dear friends, an ancient Christian named St. Augustine once said, “God gives where He finds empty hands.”  And so, what we hear today is that a saint is not a person who has his hands full of all sorts of spiritual trophies, but a saint is someone who has empty hands.  A saint is not someone who pumps his hands in the air in victory, but beats his chest confessing, “God have mercy on me, the sinner.”  A saint is not someone who is cool in the eyes of the world but is one who knows that Christianity has never been cool and never will be cool in the eyes of the world.  A saint knows that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. A saint knows that Jesus came for the sin-sick, not for superstars.  A saint knows that the Gospel is for sinners only – sinners like you and me too. 

Dear friends, drop everything!  You neither have the power nor the ability to be a saint by your own reason or strength.  Yes, drop everything, you do not have enough faith or goodness to become a saint.  But instead, know this.  Jesus Christ made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men so that He could live that perfect life for you and die that death for sin in your place.  Yes, Jesus humbled Himself, and in meekness and sorrow for our sin, endured poverty, contempt, and persecution for you and me.  He suffered, died, and was buried in a tomb voluntarily to redeem lost, prideful, and condemned persons.  Yes, He takes sinners and clothes them with His robe of righteousness and pronouncing them to be saints.   

In case you haven’t noticed, I am speaking of you, you beloved Baptized Saints. This message is all about you and for you! 

Dear Saints, Jesus humbled Himself to do all of this for you, and then He sent His Holy Spirit to you to enlighten you and create a clean heart within you.  Indeed, in your baptisms, the Lord renewed a right spirit within you and called you into this blessed mourning and this blessed hunger and this blessed meekness.  In other words, the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, creates a hunger and thirst for righteousness within His people – that is you and me.  He constantly makes us people who hunger and thirst for righteousness, a hunger, and thirst which is only satisfied at the Communion altar, where the supernatural food of our Savior’s body and blood is given as a sheer gift!

And so, what the world sees here at Zion is a bunch of poor miserable sinners gathered together.  The world sees a bunch of meek, humble, and hungry people who are supposedly cursed with low self-esteem.  However, what the world cannot see is that even though we are all struggling along the way of life, Jesus nonetheless pronounces us blessed.  Yes, blessed! Blessed: because He opens our hands to receive continually. Blessed: because we are continually given the gift of sorrow for our sins. Blessed: because we are given that hunger continuously for the Lord and His gifts.  Blessed for where we are headed.  Blessed for what He will give to us when we are gathered to the throne at last.  Blessed through whatever sufferings come our way, because we know that the day will come when the sufferings will be left behind forever. Blessed: because we are in Jesus along with all of our loved ones who have passed away before us.  Yes, blessed, because just like those saints who have passed away and are with Jesus, we too are clothed in the same righteousness of Jesus.  We too are saints, but saints who wait for the great day when all of our tears, all of our sorrows, and all of our pain will be wiped away, forever. 

In the name of Jesus: Amen.

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[1] Bo Giertz, To Live with Christ: Devotions by Bo Giertz, tr. Bror Erickson (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 781. 

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