Saint Matthew's

Old Testament Reading

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

(First fruits shall be given at the end of the journey.)

^26:1 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, ² you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. ³ And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’ ⁴ Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.

⁵ “And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. ⁶ And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. ⁷ Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. ⁸ And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. ⁹ And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰ And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. ¹¹ And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.

Epistle Reading

Romans 10:8b-13

(The Word is near you.)

⁸ “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because, 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. 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. ¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Holy Gospel

Luke 4:1-13

(Jesus defeats the devil in the wilderness.)

^4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ² for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” ⁴ And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” ⁵ And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶ and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

⁹ And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’

¹¹ and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹² And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Old Testament Reading

Nehemiah 8:1–3, 5–6, [7] 8–10

(They taught the Word of the Lord clearly so that the people might understand.)

^8:1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. ² So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. ³ And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. ⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. ⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. ⁶ And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. ⁷ Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. ⁸ They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

⁹ And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Epistle Reading

1 Corinthians 12:12–31a

(Though individually members, we are all one body in Christ.)

² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴ which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵ that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ²⁸ And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

Holy Gospel

Luke 4:16–30

(Jesus opens a scroll to read and fulfills its words in His person and work.)

¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” ²³ And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” ²⁴ And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. ²⁵ But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, ²⁶ and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷ And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. ²⁹ And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. ³⁰ But passing through their midst, he went away.

Old Testament Reading

Isaiah 43:1–7

(I have called you by name; you are Mine.)

^43:1 But now thus says the Lord,he who created you, O Jacob,he who formed you, O Israel:“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have called you by name, you are mine.² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,and the flame shall not consume you.³ For I am the Lord your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.I give Egypt as your ransom,Cush and Seba in exchange for you.⁴ Because you are precious in my eyes,and honored, and I love you,I give men in return for you,peoples in exchange for your life.⁵ Fear not, for I am with you;I will bring your offspring from the east,and from the west I will gather you.⁶ I will say to the north, Give up,and to the south, Do not withhold;bring my sons from afarand my daughters from the end of the earth,⁷ everyone who is called by my name,whom I created for my glory,whom I formed and made.”

Epistle Reading

Romans 6:1–11

(By baptism we were united with Christ into His death and resurrection that we might walk in newness of life.)

^6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Holy Gospel

Luke 3:15–22

(Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River by the hand of John.)

¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, ¹⁶ John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. ¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰ added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;  with you I am well pleased.”

The Charismatic Jesus”
Texts: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 7:18-35

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Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The great seduction of charisma has always seduced our world. Every now and then, a leader who possesses great charisma has rose up and tackled the world stage. Whether that person ended up being good or bad for our society, their charisma charmed the masses.

Adolph Hitler seduced the people of Germany. His evilness was hidden by his powerful speech, coarse and vitriolic words that blamed others for the plight of the German people. One day, it was Western powers that dismantled the vast German economy following World War I. The next day, he blamed the Jewish people in Germany for making the economic hardships worse for the Germans. And following his anti-western and anti-Semitic taunts, he blamed anyone who wasn’t a perfect German specimen, lopping off great numbers of people that didn’t conform to Hitler’s ideological bent. Gone were Christians of all denominations. Gone were gays and lesbians. Gone were those who criticized Hilter’s war.

Yet, his charisma seduced many.

At the same time, Benito Mussolini seduced the Italian masses. Yes, the trains ran on time. Yes, the country was producing goods. And yes, a vast numbers of Italians, even some who lived during the early years of Mussolini would say that he was a good leader. But tyranny from the government stifled freedom. Pacts with evil men like Hitler and underhanded underground mobs kept the people from fighting back.

Yet, his charisma seduced many.

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Which Came First? Repentance or Forgiveness?
Texts: Malachi 3:1-7b; Philippians 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-20

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Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

This/yesterday afternoon, I was studying my sermon when it hit me. We Lutherans get off easy with repenting before God and one another of our sins. None of us has to stand up and admit specific sins we’ve committed this week. No, we repent of our sins “corporately,” meaning, we do it together at the start of our worship service using very non-specific language.

Take our your bulletin and turn to page 3/5. Look at the words we use. We confessed before God and one another that each of us “have turned aside from God’s statutes and have not kept them.” We read, “We confess that though we know God’s grace, our love does not always abound.” And we admitted, “We conceal our sin privately. We resist confession those sins that are seemingly too painful to bear.”

Generic words that apparently encapsulate all our sins we committed this week.

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“Walmart-ization of the Christian Heart”
Texts: Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 19:29-40

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Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

“I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40)

Those words of Jesus that end our Gospel, in response to a cry by the Pharisees that His disciples were boldly proclaiming Christ as King, are very telling, especially in this age when proclamation of Jesus Christ as Savior and King are being watered down. For in this day, Christianity is being looked down upon by society, just one of a multitude of religions that deserve not only recognition, but are to be placed on par with Christ. Regularly, the mainstream media lambasts, ridicules, rejects, shoves aside, or mocks Christians and their beliefs — all in the name of religious diversity or societal acceptance.

This anti-Christian cultural battle is seen also within the society itself. Christmas music is not Christmas music any more; we call it “Holiday music.” And Christians, as a whole, have let it slide

Department stores for decades have held Christmas sales in a cynical attempt to get you Christians in the door to buy the stuff a materialistic Christmas is built upon. Nowadays, marketers have led these same department stores to forego the “Christmas” name and replace it with the generic “holiday sales” title. And Christians, as a whole, have let it slide.

Christmas parties are now “holiday parties” or even “end of the year soirees.” Some public schools are on the bandwagon, changing the names of their ‘days off’ for religious holidays. Gone are Christmas and Easter breaks; in return, they’re now early winter and spring breaks. And Christians, as a whole, have let it slide.

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“Thanking Always”
Homily Texts: Deuteronomy 8:1-10; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Luke 17:11-19

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Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

I was speaking to a number of fellow clergy people over the past week or so, and in nearly every occasion, the topic of the National Day of Thanksgiving came up. Apparently, a number of my brothers in the ministry think that holding a Thanksgiving service tonight is, well, wrong.

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No Time to Be Content”
Texts: Mark 13:24-37; Jude 20-25; Isaiah 51:4-6

Weekend of November 21-22, 2009 — the Last Sunday in the Church Year

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Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when God becomes important. Let me say that again – at some point in all of our lives, God is going to be overwhelmingly important to each of us. This importance can come at a point of sheer darkness: the death of a loved one; the onset of a terrible disease; the sadness at some tragic worldly event. On the other hand, God’s importance in your life will come at a time of real happiness: the time of a marriage; the birth of your child; the celebration of a family event.

In these polar opposite times of darkness and happiness, that God will become the most important aspect of whether you’re feeling good or bad. For instance, when the clouds overtake your life and rain seemingly pours on down, what is our reaction? We can do one of two things: We can plead to God for mercy and grace, or, out of sheer unadulterated anger, cry out to Him and ask that age old question, “Why?” Otherwise, when events in our life are shiny and happy, we can very easily think about God in a nicer, loving way, thanking Him for showering us with goodness and grace, something that we truly do not deserve.

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Old Testament Reading

Isaiah 51:4–6

(God’s salvation will never wear out.)

⁴ “Give attention to me, my people,

and give ear to me, my nation;

for a law will go out from me,

and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.

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;

but my salvation will be forever,

and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

Epistle Reading

Jude 20–25

(Defense and victory over evil.)

²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

²⁴ Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵ to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Holy Gospel

Mark 13:24–37

(Awaiting the Lord’s return in calm and patient hope.)

²⁴ “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷ And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

⁸ “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁰ Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³¹ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³² “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. ³⁵ Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— ³⁶ lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

The Old Testament Reading

Daniel 12:1–3

(The resurrection of all prophesied.)

^2:1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. ² And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

The Epistle Reading

Hebrews 10:11–25

(The single offering for all time.)

¹¹ And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws on their hearts,

and write them on their minds,”

¹⁷ then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

¹⁸ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The Holy Gospel

Mark 13:1–13

(All signs of the end fulfilled but one.)

13:1 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” ² And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

³ And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵ And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. ⁶ Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

⁹ “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.