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.

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.”

Our Reading: 1 John 3:1-3

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. - 1 John 3:1-3

The greatest part of the Reformation was the releasing of the Gospel from the chains of legal tyranny. The illusion that sin was forgiven only because of a papal paper decree was cast aside as the promises of God were proclaimed once again, promises that said, “My child, you are forgiven because of My Son.” Through the Holy Spirit, the fear of a man in Rome was replaced by the light of Christ through faith, a faith that signaled the freedom from sin, death, and Satan through work of our Lord Jesus. Since those fateful early days, the Reformation has lived out in the hearts of those who place their full faith and trust in God as we’ve shown the love, mercy, and grace of God to those around us. We are living proof that the Gospel works for all human kind — works in the way where our sins are washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb.

For at the heart of the Gospel is the love of God. Our Father in heaven doesn’t discard His faithful repentant children who have sinned. No, He see us through His Son, and for His sake alone we are given pardon, peace, and showered with grace and mercy. As God’s children, reborn of water and spirit, we are confident that His promises that were chained away prior to the Reformation are now ours now and forever more.

But to say we’re confident that our sins are forgiven is one thing. Living our lives according to it is another story. Forgiven children live and act differently than those who are accused and guilty. We aren’t like them. We repentant of our sins. We know just how horrible that they are. We are the one who is told that we’ve been forgiven our failures and stumbles. Nothing is held back from us; absolution is given and our faith grabs a hold of it and never lets it go.

That is the Christian life. Sinfulness leading to recognition of sin, pushing the heart to repent for our failures, receiving forgiveness from our loving Father.

For those who have gone before us and are with our Father now, they are basking in that love and mercy and grace we can only imagine.

More importantly, it is what we hope for.

Our hope is that when our Lord Jesus returns to earth declaring His victory we will be just like Him — resurrected, glorified, loved. It is our eternal hope that our faith in Christ, borne of God through His Holy Spirit, will lead us to that glorious day, a day when the Gospel declaration will sound loudly and we’ll enter into eternity with our Savior. Amen.

Old Testament Reading

Numbers 11: 4–6, 10–16, 24–29

(The People Complain)

⁴ Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! ⁵ We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. ⁶ But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at…”

¹⁰ Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. ¹¹ Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? ¹² Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? ¹³ Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ ¹⁴ I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you…

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

²⁶ Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ²⁸ And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” ²⁹ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

Epistle Reading

James 5: (1–12)13–20

(The Prayer of Faith)

^5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. ⁵ You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Holy Gospel

Mark 9:38–50

(Be at peace with one another.)

³⁸ John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ For the one who is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

⁴² “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

I am in the process of re-formatting our sermon page … again. All I need is the umph to do it …