Sermons

What is preaching? St. Paul writes in Romans: “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14-15)

Therefore our Lutheran Confessions state: “It is also taught among us that one holy Christian church will be and remain forever. This is the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel.” (Augsburg Confession VII:1-3)

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Thanksgiving 2012

21. November 2012
Thanksgiving Eve

Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Luke 12:13-21

Thanksgiving. Thanks and giving put together. Word order matters. It should be Givingthanks. First you are given and then you receive with thanks. That’s how it works. You say thanks only after receipt. We teach this to our children. First say please, then receive, and then say thanks.

Thanksgiving presumes we have received something and something worth giving thanks for. Everyone takes time before their big buffet tomorrow to say thanks to someone for their food. We say thanks to Mom or Grandma for slaving over the hot stove. Dad cooked the turkey and he gets a thanks. Our friends or family arrive and we say thanks for coming. These are good gifts—food, friends, and family. No doubt they are worth their thanks.

These are gifts given by God. God gives us homes, family, friends, food, and everything we have because He loves us in Christ. Thanksgiving is really about giving. God’s giving. Gift. Free. Generous. Bountiful. Loving. You’re here to receive. You’re here for the blessings. Free, underserved, and generous as God gives. God the Father gives you Jesus Christ. He forgives you, washes you clean, feeds you holy food, cares for your body and souls through bread in the ears. You receive everything needed from God.

No one wants to be dependent on another. Only reluctantly will someone resort on food stamps. Only out of complete desperation will they ask family, friend, or stranger for cash. To be a beggar is to be inhuman or so we were raised to think. Not with God. There is no more taking credit for your life. You know better. You are beggars and this is good. God made everything. The earth is full of His creatures. He makes the grass grow for the livestock and plants to grow for man to harvest. God gives us food from the earth and wine to gladden our hearts. (Psalm 104)

The pagans worship the god of their stomach and Football. They give thanks to the gods of hard work, fortune, and luck. They have been blessed by God but something is missing. The gifts of the Spirit—forgiveness, life, and salvation in His holy church—are notably absent. They feed their body and their eyes but pay no attention to their souls and their future death.

The pagans get the God part wrong. They also give the thanks part wrong. Throughout the Holy Scriptures, Jesus teaches us that thanksgiving is not a merely word but it is a giving. Word order matters. God gives and we return thanks by giving. It’s the divine “pay it forward” scheme. Thus, 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, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground… 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… You shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God.

There it is. Thanksgiving. Giving an offering of the first of the fruit in thanks. An offering is given not out of obligation, or duty, or even necessity, but in thanks. How many of us can lay our offerings before the LORD and then rejoice in all the good that the Lord [our] God has given to [us] and to [our] house[s]?  Too few. We hold the purse strings too tight. We love our wealth too much. Jesus says: take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.

You are completely dependent on your God. He gives even without your asking. He gives you daily bread and gives you faith to realize this is from Him. There’s the rub. God gives and faith receives. Without the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Giver is ignored or dismissed. You’re here today not for turkey, smashed potatoes, or sweets. You’re here to receive bread from heaven, the Word that gives faith. And in receiving you realize God’s blessing and receive everything with thanksgiving. You receive and give thanks to the Giver of every good gift.

The thanks only come after the giving. If there is no gift, then there is no thanks. Christian worship is all about the gift: Word preached, absolution declared, water and word washed, body and blood of Jesus fed, blessing given. Such great gifts received and what happens? Anything? Wake up! The glory of God is revealed in His gifts. The Lord rejoices to give and gives that you receive. Receiving God’s gifts changes you. He gives you blessings that make you whole again through forgiveness of wrong. They are seals of a promise to be with you until the end of time. They give the inheritance of heaven from His last will and testament.

To the one who keeps the Lord’s treasures for himself, God calls a fool. It is foolish for you to receive and never give. It is foolish reap bountifully and then store in barns. It is foolish to give thanks and withhold charity.  It is foolish to receive the Lord’s gifts of Word and Sacrament only to horde this bounty for yourself. God gives, we receive, and we give thanks, not merely in word but in deed and truth. Lord, grant us the humility to receive with thankfulness and share with those in need.

In Name of the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
Grace Lutheran Church
Dyer, Indiana

“When Did We See You?” – St. Matthew 25:31-46

When Did We See You?

St. Matthew 25:31-46

Pr. Karl Davies

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

✠ In Nomine Iesu ✠

When the Lord Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, the angels asked the disciples who were standing there staring up into the sky, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

As we approach the end of the church year, our focus is always on the culmination of Christ’s work of redemption-his second coming in glory and the eternal joy that belongs to the people of God. God alone knows that day and when it will happen. For the people of God, we know that it will come as something good, and not something that we should fear. For this has been planned by our Heavenly Father, and we live by faith in His merciful care even as little children trust loving parents to care for them and nurture them. St. Peter writes in his first epistle: “Though you have not seen him (that is the Lord Jesus), you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with and inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. “

Yet there continues to be a fascination if not obsession with trying to see the Lord. There are millions of people who flock to places where visions were to have happened, where paintings and statues are supposedly weeping, maybe hoping that a heavenly vision will happen for them. Even if it did, then what? Some people are out on a spiritual journey to look for some religious high, some earthly proof of heavenly things, or perhaps and emotional release.  For than reason, people often today succumb to manipulation and deliberate theatrics of cultic and sectarian preachers and groups.  As to the Lord’s return, some are looking at every item in the news to see if it relates somehow to a timetable to the Lord’s return. I remember that in 1967, when I was a college student, the United Arab Republic attacked Israel in the 7 days war, and some were convinced that Armageddon had started.  Today when Hamas is shelling Israel there’s more chatter about.  What good does it do? That day will come in God’s own time and by his own authority and as a thief in the night.

But where do we see the Lord and when will we see the Lord? Let’s look at the Gospel today, when the redeemed ask the Lord:

When Did We See You?

The last several Gospel Readings have been from the end of Matthew’s Gospel, in what you might call the first holy week.  Now this began on Palm Sunday in chapter 21, and here we are today in Matthew 25.  Our Lord is teaching daily in the Temple.  He was soon to submit to the judgment of the high priest and then of Pilate . Yet the teaching of our Lord is about his coming again in glory and judging the world that judged him. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory; and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.  All nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”

He welcomes those on the right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance.”  Those whom he welcomes into the eternal kingdom, are those who bore the characteristics of discipleship and servanthood.  They are those, our Lord says, who ministered to Him in a variety of circumstances. Although the righteous do not know when it was that they ministered to Christ, our Lord answers them: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

            I suppose that there is always a risk in taking this text to mean that if you’re nice to everyone you go to heaven, and if you’re nasty you go to hell.  The problem with that is that we all end up in hell because we all fall short.  But there are two characteristics of the righteous, that is the true believers and disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first is that their actions towards their neighbors were affected by the grace that they received from the all-merciful Lord. Here we are reminded that love toward neighbor is not just a feeling, but always shows itself in actions. “God commends his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We love because He first loved us and gave his Son as the propitiation for our sins.”

The second is that they were not aware of good things that they were done, because they were not done for recognition by either God or man, but were done simply because of their love for God, and because of the indwelling of Christ’s Holy Spirit in their hearts. The true motivation for all Christian discipleship is never for reward or that you might get something out of it, but simply because in Holy Baptism we died with Christ and are risen with Him to a new life that continues on to all eternity. The Scripture says:  “Henceforth we do not live unto our selves, but for him who died for us and rose again”

We don’t spend our lives gazing into heaven looking for something to happen. We find Christ and the new life he gave us in the needs of those closest to us, as well as those near and far away.

Those on the left are told that they did not do what the righteous did, and therefore they did not see Christ in their neighbor. They do not receive a welcome, but a “Depart from me.” It is clear that their hearts were not with the Lord, and their lives were self-serving.

These may well have been words of judgment for those Pharisees and scribes that our Lord said had the letter of the law but not the spirit. They were the ones of whom Jesus speaks, quoting the prophet Isaiah, “This people draws near unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

While none of us is capable of perfection, it is quite impossible to love God and not also learn compassion and mercy. It does not necessarily mean being totally reckless or indiscriminate in showing kindness and mercy to others. We know from the Bible and from real life that the world is full of scammers and thieves.  I have known of kind people who have let strangers into their home for a glass of water and found that they were robbed in the process.  Even St. Paul told the freeloaders in Thessalonika, who had quit their jobs and were living off of the donations and the food of other Christians, “If a man will not work, neither shall he eat.” Nor does kindness and generosity necessarily mean giving to each as they desire rather than what they need. Parents do not give their children everything they ask for, nor does God give us, his beloved children everything we ask for, but everything we need. In the same way we are to be good to all, but especially to those in the household of faith.

We also need  to recognize Christ in those who live and believe in His Name, who humbly confess their sins, and have learned mercy and compassion from Christ Himself in the power of His Word and Holy Spirit.  Our Lord Jesus tells us:  “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.”  Where Jesus Christ is truly confessed and believed, where the Holy Spirit lives in peoples’ hearts, there are always fruits of faith.  Imperfect, to be sure, but good fruit nonetheless.  Remember the thief on the cross who turned to Jesus in his last hour.  At first he reviled Jesus with the other thief.  But when his heart was turned to accept Jesus as His Love and King, he admonished the unbelieving thief and bore witness of his changed heart with his sincere prayer, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”  And truly in all of us who love the Lord, there are Christ-like qualities, and each have differing gifts, but the Same Holy Spirit that gives them all. We need to see Christ in one another, as God by his grace sees us in Christ.

The righteous answer Christ with a question: “And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers you did it to me.” We might well find this parable of our Lord to be more condemning than comforting.  There are times when we see our failures more often than our faithful service to our Lord and King.  For our many sins of neglect, for our many sins of omission in not showing the kindness, compassion and goodness of God to all, even to our families and those who are closest to us. For our preoccupation with ourselves and our material concerns, we beg the mercy of Almighty God.

Yet we continue to find that the King who will come to Judge is also the king who paid the price for our sins on Calvary, that we might not have to stand on our own before the judgment of God.  St. John tells us; “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  But if anyone does sin. we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

We find peace in the Word and Sacraments of Christ to deliver us from our sins and weaknesses, that we might have peace with God and know confidently that we shall be welcomed home when that time comes.  The same King that said to the repentant thief: “Today you shall be with Me in Paradise,” shall say to us, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father.”  And with such a faith, we might well be surprised how our faith has shined through our own sins and weaknesses, and that the light of Christ has shined.

When did we see Christ? In his blessed Word and Sacraments, to be sure.  But also in our neighbor and our neighbor’s needs.  We see Him in the fruitful discipleship of those who shine with his light. We don’t need to go far to see the Lord now. And as to the future, He will come in his good time, the right time. In the mean time, may we all see Christ where He told us that we should find Him!

✠ Amen ✠

The Abomination of Desolation – Matthew 24:15-28

06. November 2011
Trinity 25
Matthew 24:15-28

The tabernacle and temple of old was the dwelling place of God. In the holy of holies sat the Ark of the Covenant, where the Lord himself was enthroned between the cherubim dispensing mercy to the people. Each year the chief priest would sprinkle the blood of a bull upon the seat for the sins of the people. This sprinkling of blood annually atoned for the sins of the people. Forgiveness rendered by the shedding of blood.

The holy place for you is this sanctuary. Your Lord sits enthroned here upon the altar, still dispensing mercy as He did for the people of old. Not the blood of bulls but the blood of the only begotten Son of God atones for the sins of the whole world. The sacrifice is not made yearly for the people but is given freely from the cross until He comes again. Blood is not only sprinkled on you in the font but is given to you to drink. Forgiveness of sins still rendered by the blood. This blood is a life giving flood and the medicine of immortality.

Imagine a great horror would occur to this place just as it did to the temple of old, something so terrible that we shrink at the thought. Imagine this place of forgiveness was desecrated with foreign idols. Imagine the insignia of a false god placed over it. What if this place was turned into a marketplace? What if we charged for services rendered, dispensing mock forgiveness only when a coin is placed in the plate? What if we capitulated to society, ignoring the Word of God? Gay marriage performed. Abortions blessed. Divorces endorsed. Greed encouraged. The neighbors good interests ignored.

Jesus warns in today’s Gospel of the “Abomination of Desolation” to the Temple as foretold by the prophet Daniel. He was specifically speaking of the holy of holies within the temple, Daniel said:  They shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. The temple will be made unclean and then laid waste by lies and deceit. This prophecy was fulfilled in the temple in AD 70. It also applies to the churches of this world and even to your heart.

In the of desolation day, a great idol will sit upon the throne reserved for Christ in the Holy Place. He will speak, claiming Christ’s Word. He will command, claiming Christ’s authority. He will promise, claiming Christ’s mercy. From this idolatrous throne, he will perform great signs and wonders, trying to lead even the elect of God astray.

Such idols exist in our day, claiming to speak from Christ’s authority or in His stead, but instead speaking lies contrary to Christ’s own Word. In many places, what was once holy is made desolate by the abomination of idolatry. There are those within the church that will abandon the faith and lead you astray by betrayal, falsehood, hatred, and lawlessness. They will lead you into a rebellion against God and His truth. The abomination foretold by Daniel and by Christ himself is the rejection of the Word of God. He is warning us of the exchange of lies for the truth. This is an abomination for it ultimately destroys faith and thus salvation, leaving you desolate.

St. Paul warned the church of Thessalonica about these: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

Such abominations obviously happen in Islam or Mormonism when they blatantly add and mix the Word of God with falsehood. Jesus has in mind not only them but also those who would are more clever in their deceit. Some would tell you that our faith is about being good Christian people. Some suggest that Christianity is defined by what it is not—not gay, not aborting, not Democrat. Some suggest salvation by works, acts of charity, living according to God’s law. Others fly flags out front that identify them as gay-friendly. Others talk about how they are for the hip and cool. Some talk about being family-friendly. No matter what, we want a church that is accepting of us, that lets us be just who we want to be, even if God disagrees.

Do not think you are immune from this prophecy. The old Adam is strong, sin remains tempting, and the Devil’s lies still are whispered in your ear. He wants nothing more than for you to capitulate to culture, satisfy your sinful cravings, and ignore the Word. He would have the pastors of the church ignore sin, gloss over immorality, and endorse idolatry. He would have you seek a church that is accepting, inclusive, and open to every whim and fancy of the fallen flesh.

Our faith is not defined by our targeted demographic or who we are not. It is defined solely by who God is and what God has done for us in Jesus. Remember that you are part of the body of Christ. Your own heart is the dwelling place of God, like the mercy seat of old. Yet, while in this body of death your fallen will still desires to dethrone Christ from your heart. You would rather place other idols to rule and govern your thoughts and deeds.

Perhaps you are consumed with the material of this world that you worship your “stuff” more than Christ. Thus, you horde God’s gifts for yourself and do not use them to His glory. Perhaps you have made your family and idol, giving your spouse and children priority over daily prayer and divine worship. Thus, you have cast Christ off his throne and replaced Him with other fallen creatures. You worship your family more than the one who saved you. Perhaps you have put your trust in princes, blindly following messianic politicians, who claim they can solve this country’s problems. They claim to put more money in your pocket, food on the table, and an addition on the house. You have dethroned your savior who is the sole provider for your every need of body and soul.

When these powerful enemies pursue your heart, heed the prophet’s warning. Flee to the mountains. Leap from your place of rest and run from the field. Pray that you will not be held back by cares for family. Pray that it not be winter or the Sabbath. Run fast and never turn back. That is, repent. Confess your sin and your desire to be god. He is merciful and forgives you. He suffers your idolatry and works in you a clean heart.

Do not look for solace in the false Christ’s of this world. There are those who would lead you astray. There are those who would convince you to worship them and forget Jesus. There are those who will try to lead you to believe you can “have your best life now,” that you “are not a poor, miserable sinner,” or worse yet, mix error with truth. Anyone or anything that claims to save you apart from or in addition to Jesus is against him.

They are the anti-Christ, the false prophet. They will tell you a great many things which sound good and true and may even be verified by great success. Their churches may grow by leaps and bounds. Yet, they are synagogues of Satan, abominations of desolation. This devil is a great deceiver and ruler of this world. He can convince sinful heart and mind to believe and see that which it wants.

It is only God’s Word that gives what we truly need. It is only the testimony of the Spirit in the church that brings you Jesus Christ crucified. It is only the Son of God’s atoning blood, his body sacrificed, his death, and his glorious resurrection that must be enthroned in your heart. No thoughts of self-righteousness, no looking to your wealth or prosperity, no beautiful family, nor any growing congregation will clean the temple of your heart. Only the strong man can loose the bonds, break the fetters, and release the chains that have bound you. Only your victor king Jesus can conquer and rule you in His grace and mercy.

The Lord has rescued you. The Lord has established his holy habitation in you. He has named you His child, anointed you, and set you apart for sacred worship. You and he are forever joined, bonded inseparably as the bride of Christ and the bridegroom. Within the one flesh union of the Son of God, you are purified of your evil. Christ himself has conquered your enemies, the ones who set up abominations in your heart where love alone should dwell. He has run out the idolatry of sin and reclaimed you as iconic temples to Him. Thus, as Christians, sweet prayers arise like incense from your lips, you serve as living sacrifices, and Christ sits with mercy for you in your flesh upon the ark of His Word.

Despite your sin and your future death, you need not fear. Jesus has died for you. He has redeemed you. He has rescued you from the unholy trinity of sin, death, and the devil. We are temples to God, forever purified in the blood of Christ. This is the wonderful promise of the Gospel. He has promised to show mercy to his humble servants. You trust not in our own merit, our sinful desires, or our self righteousness. Nor do you receive the severity of our just desserts. Instead you are blessed in Christ with grace and mercy. The abomination of desolation has been dethroned and Christ is restored in you.

In Name of the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
Grace Lutheran Church
Dyer, Indiana