August 2020 – What Does This Mean?

Made Whole in Christ

Dear saints, last week we saw that we cannot be sufficient in ourselves. We cannot be righteous by looking at our own actions and deeds. Nor by noting the good things we do and contrasting them with the evil things others do. Remember the cry of the tax collector: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Today we have it confirmed that our sufficiency is from God.

We find our Lord is in a Gentile area, the Decapolis. He has recently been in Tyre and Sidon where he healed the demon-possessed daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, a woman who showed our Lord extraordinary faith. And now he is brought a deaf man with a speech impediment. Those bringing him to Jesus beg the Lord to heal the man.

The man and those who bring him are probably not Jewish. They may know of Jesus as a healer, but likely not as the foretold Messiah. The man is brought in the hope of the power of healing. And we hear that Jesus takes the man away from the crowds and, in private, heals him. But this healing was just a bit different. Jesus does not simply look at the man and say, “Be healed.” He could have. He has done that; in fact, he has healed someone who is not even near him, as he does the demon-possessed daughter in the previous passage.

This time, Jesus is physical. He puts his fingers in the man’s ears; he uses saliva and touches the man’s tongue. Finally, he speaks. He looks to heaven, he sighs, and says, “Ephphatha.” The word St. Mark uses for sigh is found six other times in the New Testament. Five of those six the English word is a form of groan. This is not a positive or happy sigh. It indicates an undesirable circumstance. In the New Testament creation groans, believers who are suffering groan, and Jesus groans. He does so in today’s lesson and also in frustration at the Pharisees. Groaning in the New Testament comes from sorrow. Because of suffering that is the result of sin.

This groaning of Jesus and the words, “Be opened,” accomplish what they set out to do: The man’s ears are opened, and his tongue is released. The man who had deaf ears and a speech impediment can now hear and speak. But not only can he speak, but he speaks plainly. With no practice, with no therapy, he speaks rightly. Jesus makes his ears and mouth work perfectly.

This account is a historical narrative. It really happened. And it really happened like St. Mark tells us it did. Yet just because this is a historical account, it does not mean there are not spiritual things that we should glean from it. So, what is there for us in this account?

First, the word we get speech impediment from. It is used one other time, in the Greek version of the Old Testament, in Isaiah 35. In the preceding chapters, Isaiah has told of the impending doom that God would bring upon not only unrepentant Israel but upon the unrepentant world. It will be laid waste; desolate. Wild animals shall dwell in the ruined cities as if they were desert wastelands. This is the picture of divine judgment. But then we get to chapter 35. And the climax of the passage is: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.”

Did you catch it? Did you hear our word for speech impediment? It is found in the tongue of the mute, as it will sing for joy. This is wonderful news for all who hear! But what is it referencing? The prophet foretells the coming of the Messiah. It is the Savior who will do these things. It is Immanuel who will tread for his people the Way of Holiness.

However, there is a problem. And the problem is that all people are by nature blind, deaf, lame, and mute. All people are by nature unable to see the Truth, to rightly hear the Word of God, to walk in holiness, or to speak rightly concerning our Creator. We are numbered among the people in the chapters leading up to what I read from Isaiah who deserve destruction, for we are among those who rebel against God. And if we had any doubt about this, we would only need to hear the Apostle Paul when he reminds the Romans that, “None is righteous…no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside…no one does good, not even one.”

And yet, out of mercy, we are among those who have been made whole. Though we are unable to hear and comprehend the Word of God, God comes to you and to me and interferes with us. Last week, the tax collector goes down to his house justified because he relied on God for his justification and righteousness. But he could only do that through the work of God through the Holy Spirit. This is precisely what we confess: I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.

By the work of the Holy Spirit, your spiritually maligned body is made whole. Blind to the Truth, you now see. Deaf to God’s Word, you now hear and receive it gladly. Unable to walk, you are made strong and put on the straight road of righteousness. Unable to speak rightly, you now learn and confess the orthodox, the correct, faith.

It is as if God himself touched you and wiped saliva on you. It is as if the Lord said to you, “Ephphatha.” And in a sense, he did just that. When Jesus puts his fingers into the ears of this man, he was opening the man’s soul to faith via the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But for you, he takes you into his arms through his called minister. That man, whoever he was, spoke the Word of God over you and put water upon you. And with that, the Holy Spirit works upon you the miracle of opening your ears and fixing your tongue.

Your Lord continues to speak to you through his Word and his ministers. He speaks to you that your opened ears would be open to not only instruction but to the grace he offers. Indeed, our sufficiency is from God. He takes on our flesh. He keeps his Law for us. He dies in our place. He overcomes the gates of hell. And he rises from the dead, guaranteeing that we will too.

Our natural response to all this is praise, for our God does all this out of compassion and steadfast love for us, his lost creation. We confess, like the tax collector, that we are sinners. We plead for his mercy, that he would atone and wash away our sins. We confess that we require his grace. And he comes to us and reminds us of what he has done. That he has forgiven our sins. He has made atonement for you and has cleansed you of your sins. He graciously comes to you and heals your soul. By his grace, he justifies you. And, through the work of the Holy Spirit, is working continually in you and through you. Working until the very day he calls you to himself, making you into the person He created you to be. Praise be to God! His work is sufficient. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller
Peace Lutheran Church
Alcester, SD

Church Words #30: Sin

Encore Post: Sin is one of those church words everyone knows. After all it is what is wrong with the world. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just move to a remote place with just Christians. Then we would be in a good place (a utopia), where there is no sin — or where sin is manageable — right? Then we would be with only people who try to be good. That is what many Christians have thought in the last two thousand years. Yet it never works. Why? Because Christians, even the best of us, are still sinners. We can’t leave it behind because we bring it with us. There is no place that is “the good place” — at least not in this life!

At it’s basic level, sin is breaking God’s law. It may be by not meeting its standards (being good, but not good enough, like not lifting a hand in anger ever, but swearing at people under our breath or behind their backs). It may be by transgressing his law, going over the bright lines it lays down, or being lawless, living as if we can do anything we wish, as if there was no law. We invent good deeds that impress us to do — we fast, we go on pilgrimages, we create rituals and perform them, we advertise donating to the poor. We will do anything, except follow God’s word. Yet actual sins, things we think or do, is not the root of the problem. It is not what do, but who we are.

Since Adam and Eve committed the original sin, we have all been born as sinners. In trying to be like God, our first parents stopping being righteous, like God. Now we are all born as slaves to sin. Just like a slave cannot free himself, we can not free ourselves. Our thoughts are curved in on themselves, even what we think are good thoughts and deeds are colored by self-interest. Because he is holy, God cannot tolerate this. So we are destined to live separated from God forever. And so we die. So, someone must set us free.

That is why the Son of God was born of a virgin. As God, he was (and is) without sin. As a human, he is able to die, taking our place in paying the full price of our freedom on the cross. When he died, we died to sin. When he rose, we rose from death with him as a child of God. In baptism, he sets us free from sin and the compulsion to sin. Now we are free people, Children of God. Sin’s power over us is broken. Now we can live a new life in him.

Blog Post Series

Going Home Justified

Dear saints, this morning’s parable is probably familiar with most of us. As we hear it, there is likely one character who seems attractive to our sensibilities, and there is another whom we would find reprehensible. One we would want our daughters to date, and one who we would want them to run away from. One who is an upstanding citizen, and one we would see as a traitor to our people.

Just look at the Pharisee: He does not extort people. He is not unjust. He does not commit adultery. He is very religious, fasting twice as often as his law requires and tithes on things he does not even have to tithe on. He seems like the very guy that we would want to be like. The type of guy we want our sons to be and our daughters to marry. On the other hand, we have the tax collector. If the Pharisee is the model for us to follow, this man is the model of whom we would flee. He is the type we would not want to associate with, let alone be friends with.

Our impressions of our fellow man can often be off, as they would be here. Jesus sees not only their actions but also their hearts. Our lesson begins with this parable being told to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt. It immediately follows another parable in which his disciples are encouraged to always pray and not lose heart. This morning’s parable is addressed to the scribes and Pharisees:

Jesus says, two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The two men come to the Temple just as we come here. They come to worship. They come to where God’s presence was at that time. Just as God’s presence is here and we come to worship him and receive his gifts.

The prayers are offered at one of the two daily times public prayers were offered: when the morning and evening sacrifices of atonement were made. The reason the Temple, and before it, the Tabernacle existed was for sacrifices of atonement. A lamb would be sacrificed; incense would be burned that the people would be forgiven of their sins. And so, these men come at one of these appointed times of sacrifice. The sacrifice that pointed to the promised sacrifice of The Lamb, the One who would take away the sins of the world once and for all.

With that context, we hear the prayers: “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’”

First, we note their content. The Pharisee’s prayer is not giving thanks for what God has done for him. He does not petition God for his needs because he does not think he has any. He asks God for nothing because he thinks he needs nothing. He thinks he is already perfectly righteous. Which is why when he does thank God for something, he is thanking God for himself. He is exalting himself even while speaking ill of others, specifically the tax collectors. The Pharisee is busy in his prayer telling God how much good he is. The prayer of the Pharisee is no prayer at all.

The tax collector, however, has a completely different attitude. He does not stand out in the crowd and boast before everyone. He stands apart from the rest, he takes a humble stature, not even lifting his eyes to heaven, and beats his chest saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He comes to the Temple to pray.

Most English translations use the word merciful. It works; it is easy to understand. Yet the word the tax collector uses is not ἐλέησον (eléēson), as in Kyrie Eleison, “Lord, have mercy.” He cries out to God, “ἱλάσθητί!” (hilasthēti). It is from the verb ἱλάσκομαι (hilaskomai), and means, “to make propitiation for.” I understand why the word is rendered ‘mercy.’ But we lose a lot of meaning when it is.

Remember, it is at the same time the atonement sacrifices are made. And he asks God to be merciful, or even more precisely, he cries out to God that he would be propitiated. That his sins would be wiped away and forgiven. That the sacrifice being made would be applied to him. As these two men pray, the lamb is being sacrificed to make atonement; to wipe away and remove the sins of the people. The tax collector is begging God to apply that sacrifice to him, for he knew his sins were many.

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews uses this verb the other time we see it in the New Testament. He writes, “Therefore he [Christ Jesus] had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

Unlike the Pharisee, the tax collector is relying fully and only on the Lord for his salvation and righteousness. He does not put any stock in what he has done. He is praying to God to have mercy on him. That is why he goes down to his house righteous when the Pharisee returns to his with only his own self-righteousness. The righteousness which earns him nothing before God.

Yet even though we know the tax collector is the one who goes home justified and righteous, we still far too often act like the Pharisee. I am not saying we go out into a public place and compare ourselves to others and thank God that we are not like them. We might do it on social media. But we do do it in our own minds. “I’m so glad I’m not like that politician.” Or like the car salesman who preys on those who do not know that they are being taken advantage of. Or the real estate agent who tries to make a property look better than it is so they can make a better commission. Or the activist who asserts another’s guilt of something they, and not the other person, is guilty of. When we compare ourselves to others, we minimize God’s Law. We undermine God’s Word. Instead of realizing we do not keep the Law, we try and get out from under it by comparing ourselves to someone we think is worse than us to alleviate the sting and the burn of the law on ourselves. Law that is showing us that we do not keep it or measure up to it.

Perhaps the more sinister way of being like the Pharisee, however, is by looking at what we do. For example, we know that we are saved by grace through faith. But when we think about why we are saved it is easy for us to think instead about what we do. We think about the boards we have served on. The meals we have prepared for shut-ins. The good deeds we have done with things like giving to disaster relief efforts. Even simply giving to the church. These are all good things to do. In fact, they are good works. You should do such things and more! The issue with this is not the action but putting your trust in these works rather than the work of Christ for us on the cross.

This was the fault of the Pharisee. He did not compare himself against the demands of the Law. He compared himself to other people. And when he did so, he saw himself as better and thus justified. He looked at what he did. And when he did, he saw in himself a good person who had to be worthy of God. He does not fear, love, and trust God above all things. He trusts in himself. Therefore Jesus tells the parable against those who trusted in themselves for righteousness. Like faith, righteousness only comes from God.

Right before our parable, Jesus asks if he would find faith on earth when he comes. The parable this morning answers that question with a resounding, “Yes!” Yes, Jesus will find faith when he returns. And where will he find it? He will find it in the likes of the tax collector. Faith will be found in the most unlikely of places. Even in people who we sin against when we look at them and think them unworthy of faith. Like when the Pharisee looks at the tax collector with scorn and disdain in his heart.

Though we are broken and sinful, remember that God sent his own Son to be your atoning sacrifice, nailed on a cross nearly two thousand years ago. When we pray God hears our prayer. And more than that, he answers it for the benefit of our soul. So, take comfort and know that as one baptized into the family of God, you are a child of the Father. He has washed you clean, clothed you in righteousness, and forgives, feeds, and nourishes your soul. You can know that when you return to your home that you are justified and declared righteous. Thanks be to God. The Atonement Sacrifice is applied to you. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller
Peace Lutheran Church
Alcester, SD

Confession Time

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The salvation of the Lord has gone out. He is walking from village to village announcing the time of the Lord’s Jubilee. Comfort and peace, making the waterless places an oasis, making the wilderness and the desolate places like Eden, that is paradise. Listen. Look at Him, and know Who He is by what He says, and confess Him.

We have learned by reading Matthew now for a little bit that his book is written like a catechism of sorts. He has set the goal for you, the reader, to be taught the truth of Jesus by hearing the words of Jesus, Himself. Matthew desires you like John to know that these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that by believing you will have life in His Name. So far this summer you have gotten to listen to the teaching of Jesus, some of his parables, and throughout it all you were being given lessons about who Jesus is and what He has come to do. Remember the parables of the sower, the weeds, and the treasure. Those three parables lay down the work of Jesus in great imagery. Jesus is the sower of the seed which is His Word, which enlightens you to know Him and know Him as your Lord and Savior. The parable of the weeds speaks to the condition of the current world, after the fall of Adam and Eve into sin in the garden of Eden, everything that had been declared good went bad. Nothing good was in the world and all the fruit of the people were like sour grapes unsuitable for anything. But in the same parable we learned that the Lord of the field had planted the good seed, the seed which corresponds to the Sons of the Kingdom. The very Son of the Kingdom was sent into the world, and planted into the heart of the ground when He was buried in order that He bear a harvest of many brothers and sisters.

The parable of the treasure tells us how much your Lord cares for you. He takes his time searching for you, and once he finds you, He gives everything He has in order to have you forevermore. He purchases you, paying for you with his own body and blood at the cross.

So, you the catechumen, like the disciples, have been hearing the Son of the Kingdom’s Word, and it has been transforming you into a Son of the Kingdom. By the preaching of the only begotten Son you are being conformed to His image. Being made new, you actually desire to pursue righteousness, actually seeking to walk in the Way of the Lord. So now in our Gospel Lesson after a number of lessons learning the cost of our Redemption, God paying with his very own blood, Jesus has a midterm exam for the disciples and us.

Jesus hardly ever speaks of himself as anything but the Son of Man in the book of Matthew. This should always make you recall the image from Daniel chapter 7. There, Daniel the prophet who was in Babylon, saw at the end of days, coming on the clouds of heaven one like a son of man, taking the place on the seat of judgement. All authority was given to one who looked like a Son of Man, in other words human. When Jesus speaks about the Son of Man, He is really speaking of himself. And this is confirmed at the end of the Gospel of Matthew. “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me.”

So, the first question of the confirmation midterm if you will, is this question: Who do the people say the Son of Man is? The disciples answer with the answers of the people: People say the Son of Man is John the Baptist, Elijah, others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. All the answers they had gathered from the people were partially right in that each one of these men mentioned embodied some aspect of the Son of Man in one way or another. They all served as types and shadows of the one who was to come. But being partially correct means you are totally wrong, as some people as in Acts made John the Baptist into the person deserving worship and not the Son to whom John pointed and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Thankfully these men were corrected by the Apostle Paul, but yet still there are some people who hold to John being the Messiah even to this day. And in the Jewish Religion they still await Elijah’s return and have an empty seat for him when it comes to the Passover.

The first question was an objective question; it did not involve saying the disciples own thoughts or at least outright. But Jesus does not let them off so easily. They had been walking with him for a good while now. They had been called to be his disciples and bear witness to what they had seen. So, Jesus asks them that personal question: Who do you say that I am? Yeah, what do you believe? What do you believe about me?

And Peter gives the answer: You are the Christ the son of the Living God. Bingo! Winner winner chicken dinner! But note that Jesus does not commend his answer but commends the one through whom Peter has been brought to this confession. The confession of Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the Living God is not something that a person finds on their own. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

So who do you say that Jesus is? Yes, who do you say He is? The world might still call him a good teacher. But if you watched some news outlets you might have seen a bible or two burning at one of the many riots across our country. Jesus is just another teacher, just another man, who was probably overall good, but is no longer right with the times. Certainly not confessed to be the son of the living God. But who do you say that Jesus is?

Friends in Christ Jesus, you, like Peter, have been granted this knowledge to know the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God by the grace of your Heavenly Father. For God the Father has called you to be his own child in the waters of Holy Baptism. You have been brought to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, who has died and risen for you and your eternal salvation. And via Holy Baptism you enjoy the rights of being united to Christ’s death and resurrection: forgiveness, eternal life. The Son of Man comes into the world to accomplish your redemption. The Christ, as we will learn as we read Matthew just verses after where our reading ends today, has a mission to accomplish. He is to suffer and die and then rise from the dead. It must be that way. He does it in order that the weeds of this world be made new and produce the fruit that is right in the eyes of the Heavenly Father. Fruit produced in you, which really is his own.

Confessing Christ as the Son of the Living God is a confession that will come with a cost. You will not be liked in this world. You will be persecuted for it. You will likely have a difficult time coming to church. Look to a few particular states, and you will see how the church is treated. Look to the Middle East and the faithful are being led like sheep to the slaughter, dying for the sake of confessing the truth of Jesus Christ. “The world will hate you because it first hated me” says Jesus. And this confession will also have an enemy in your own flesh. Yes, your sinful flesh will fight against the desires of the new man created in you in the waters of holy baptism. That is why we are called to daily put to death the Old Adam in us by contrition and repentance.

Things are getting a bit dicey out there even in our neck of the world. Covid-19 has only made hatred towards the Church and her confession more visible. Being a confessor of Christ is more difficult now than ever before for us in America. But don’t lose a grip on this confession. It is the only solid ground you have. Everything else is sinking sand. For by this confession you have the keys of the kingdom of heaven along with St. Peter and the rest of the faithful who confessed Christ until their own deaths. And they are not really dead but alive with the Living God, The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You know Christ by the preaching of his Word which has been proclaimed to you. By that Word the Holy Spirit has worked faith into your heart. The good seed has been planted and has sprouted forth. Feed it. Feed it. Feed it. Be where Christ promises to be so that you might be nourished in the trying days ahead. Our days will likely only get more hostile. There will be days when you will be attacked for this confession of Christ. Stand steadfast. For the battle has already been won, Christ has done what he set out to do when He came from the right hand of His Father. He accomplished your salvation by taking your sin, the sin of the world to the cross, and died with it all there. He broke the stranglehold that sin, death, and Satan had on you. And having now beaten death by being raised from the dead on the 3^rd day, we can stand steadfast on the Rock, Jesus Christ, knowing that whatever happens, whatever befalls us in this body and life, the gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Christ and those who take refuge therein.

The true Church confesses the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God. May we never walk away from the confession of our namesake, St. Peter, but now more boldly than ever confess Christ as the only way, the only truth, the only life, knowing that this has been made known to us by the grace of our Heavenly Father. That grace of our Lord was shown to you likely in the form of your parents, grandparents, and your pastors of yesteryear. That grace of God came via hearing the word of Christ. May we all be the vehicles which God uses to extend his grace to another generation, another family, and neighbor, so that all may come to right confession of Jesus Christ and be receive adoptions as Sons, having been adopted unto to life everlasting with the ever living God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we ever be ready to stand and confess.

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

Rev. Jacob Hercamp
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
La Grange, MO

A Lutheran Kind of Colony

175 years ago, a small colony of Lutheran missionaries began to clear land in the swampy pine forests of Michigan’s Saginaw Valley. Like many other settlements in 19th century America. they fervently believed in their religion and were led by a pastor, August Crämer. Unlike most utopian movements, however, they were orthodox Christians and were not there for themselves primarily. They were missionaries to the Chippewa people. The vision of their benefactor, Wilhelm Löhe was they would reach out to these Native Americans and provide a Christian community that would be a witness to how those who love Jesus live with each other. Löhe named the town Frankenmuth — Courage of the Franconians.

The colony established itself in spite of the difficulties in settling virgin land. Giant trees had to be felled, shelters built, land plowed and a basic crop planted to survive the winter. They were plagued by malaria and other illnesses and all the while struggled to contact the Chippewas. By December, they had built the first church, St. Lorenz Lutheran Church. In the meantime, Crämer had interested the native peoples to send their children to the missionary school he would establish. The Pastor would eventually learn their language and translate the Small Catechism into their language. Soon Missionary Baierlein arrived and moved into their village. Eventually, 35 Chippewas were baptized. The Mission came to an end when the US Government relocated the tribe further west.

In the next year, ninety more colonists arrived. The community grew into a bustling farm community. Soon three more colonies would follow and prosper. Today Frankenmuth is a tourist destination for Christmas shoppers, crafts, German heritage and fine dining.

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

Dear saints, Jeremiah was called the ‘weeping prophet’ because his calling was to proclaim the coming judgment of God over Judah. Prophet after prophet, and even Jeremiah himself, had called them to repent of their evil and idolatry for generations. But he knew that his message of repentance would be rejected. He knew that judgment and exile for God’s people in Judah was coming. And so, he weeps over what is coming to God’s people and God’s Holy City.

The people persisted in their unbelief. They continued in false worship. And Jeremiah witnesses the fall of Jerusalem. He sees men, women, and children slaughtered or carried away captive. He observes houses and palaces being burned to the ground. He sees the Temple, once the glorious house of the Lord, in tatters and destroyed. Who would not weep at that? At knowing it was coming. At knowing it did not have to happen. And then seeing it all happen before your eyes.

Our Gospel lesson comes as Jesus enters Jerusalem at his Triumphal Entry. He knows his death is mere days away and he weeps. But he does not weep because he knows what he is about to suffer and how awful his death will be. He weeps because Jerusalem, the City of Peace, does not know Peace. The God of Israel has taken on flesh and come to them, and they have rejected him. Time and again his coming was prophesied. All the signs were present: the birth and testimony of John, the testimony of the Wise Men, our Lord’s miracles, teachings, and testimony concerning himself. Anyone who had spiritually open eyes would see.

Even with all this, Jerusalem was blind to him.

It was blind to Jesus just as they were to the many prophets sent to her so many centuries ago. In those days, they heard the prophets and saw his signs. But they did not listen. They did not turn from their evil and return to their God. And so, the city was destroyed, and the people taken to exile.

As Jesus enters Jerusalem on this day, he knows history is about to repeat itself. In his days, they have heard and seen him. They have heard their Creator teach and heal. They see his miracles and signs. Yes, like in the days of the prophets, some believe. But the majority, especially the rulers and religious leaders, reject his message. They reject him.

It is not the case that these leaders do not know who Jesus says he is. They are keenly aware. It is because they know who Jesus claims to be that they desire to destroy him. Not kill. Destroy. They want him to die and be condemned by God. And in a few days, they will succeed in killing him.

But because they have rejected the Author of Life, it is they who will be destroyed. The first destruction will be in the year 70 AD when the so-called Peace of Rome comes to Jerusalem. This is what Jesus references in our lesson: “For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

The second destruction, the worse destruction, also occurs in two parts. First at those people’s death when they finally realize who and what they rejected. And the second at the Final Judgment when they are thrown into the lake of fire. The fire created not for man, but for the devil and his angels.

It is right that Jesus wept for Jerusalem that day. He was about to win for them salvation, and they would reject it.

What we hear from St. Luke is a solemn warning for us today. For we know what happened in Jerusalem in those days and in the decades that followed. It is a warning that we should apply to our own lives and proclaim to all nations around us. We should not think that the judgment that happened to Jerusalem cannot or will not happen today. Perhaps not in the same way, but God is still holy. He still demands that we be holy. And when people intentionally and continually disregard this call to be holy, he will allow or even send disaster.

What happened to Jerusalem can also happen to our cities. Jesus came to Jerusalem in the flesh, and they did not know him. They rejected and crucified him. He has come through the ages in his Word and Sacraments. And the people have spurned them and rejected him.

Italy was once a Christian nation. As was Germany. I am sure there are others I have forgotten. But look at them now. They are deeply secular. Not only in government structure, but also in belief and worldview. Luther saw the possibility of Germany’s fall when he writes to the councilmen of her various cities:

“O my beloved Germans, buy while the market is at your door; gather in the harvest while there is sunshine and fair weather; make use of God’s grace and word while it is there! For you should know that God’s word and grace is like a passing shower of rain which does not return where it has once been….And you Germans need not think that you will have it forever, for ingratitude and contempt will not make it stay. Therefore, seize it and hold it fast, whoever can; for lazy hands are bound to have a lean year.”

His words are as applicable to us today as they were then. It is enough to make us weep. But do not merely weep for Jerusalem. Also weep for Berlin, and London. Weep for Rome and Moscow. Weep for Beijing and Seoul. Weep for Sydney and Rio. Weep for Baghdad and Johannesburg. Weep for Quebec and New York, for San Francisco and Dallas. Weep for St. Louis and Ft. Wayne and Sioux Falls.

Weep for all the cities of man where men are gathered either for commerce or war. Weep because they do not know what makes for peace, for they know not the Son of God, born of Mary. One day they will all be destroyed and reduced to rubble. This world is passing away, so put not your trust in princes. They are mortal.

But you also should not think yourself innocent of the same things they are guilty of. We have all had our fair share of breaking up good order. Perhaps it is through gossip or betraying our friends and family. Or maybe you have stolen, whether by taking or by neglect and laziness. Think about all the vile things you hate and know that you are still guilty of.

Weep over these things too. But do not only weep; repent of them. Repent of your many real and grievous sins. Not one of them are simple or innocent, but each of them are deadly. They hurt you, but they hurt more than just you. They hurt those around you, especially those whom you love. Those who are closest to you.

But do not despair of these sins. The Lord knows them and has wept over you because of them. Your sins were not enough to keep him from the cross. Your sins were not enough to cause him to stop loving you. Rather, he loved you to the very end. Through the cross, he brings you peace. He wipes away your tears. He gives you an everlasting family and friends. He promises you a land and a city not built with hands. In that city, you will endure.

Your day to go into that land will come, but none of us knows when that will be. On that day, you will finally be led fully out of temptation and delivered from evil. On that day, your deepest wounds will be healed, and you will be made whole. For his sacrifice was not in vain.

Not all weeping is because of sorrow. So, as we await our day to go into that land, permit me to give you something to weep for joy: In the death of Jesus, the mouth of the devil has been stopped. You have been won and redeemed from your sin. You are declared to be the child of God by none other than God himself. He forgives you all your sins. And he will give you a new body that will live with him forever. That is a grand thing to weep tears of joy about. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller
Peace Lutheran Church
Alcester, SD

To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation

Martin Luther wrote a lot of books, pamphlets, sermons and other writings. In addition, once he was famous, his friends and students wrote down everything he said and did. These have been printed in one series of books containing all of them. They take up 120 tall volumes. So, which of these should you read to know what he taught? On everyone’s short list are two books you may have read: Luther’s Small and Large Catechisms, and others you may have not: his 1535 Galatians Commentary and three documents from 1520: A Prelude on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, Freedom of a Christian and the subject of this post: To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation. I would add one we’ve talked about: On Good Works.

By Summer of 1520, it was clear to Luther, his prince Elector Frederick that the papacy would soon move to excommunicate Luther and perhaps other. They decided that a direct appeal to Emperor Charles and the other princes and powers of the Holy Roman Empire. The strategy was to convince them to call a Church Council to reform the church. As the document was being written, a variety of princes and other respected members of German governments urged him to provide a theological justification for the secular powers to intervene. Luther the first edition of To the German Nobility came off the press five hundred years ago by August 18, 1520.

Martin Luther answered three arguments made by defenders of the pope against the involvement of princes in the reform of the Church, which he called walls protecting him. The first was that the clergy and monks were superior to laymen spiritually and no one could approach God except through them. The second was only the pope could interpret the Scriptures correctly and third that only the pope could call a church council. The ground-breaking assertion Luther made was these were not true because the clergy are not superior to laypeople spiritually. All Christians were members of the Priesthood of All Believers, equal to the clergy spiritually and with their own, direct relationship to God. So they were also able to interpret Scripture and, as called by God to maintain order in the world and restrain evil, the princes have a right and a duty to call councils to reform the church.

With To the German Nobility, Luther had liberated the laity from dependence upon the clergy for all of their spiritual lives. Lutherans and the Reformed believers now were able to care for their own spiritual needs. The focus shifted to individual relationships between God and the believer. Western Christianity would never be the same.

Don’t Take God’s Grace for Granted

Dear saints, it has been said that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. It makes sense; it is a rational statement. Humanity can observe the past and make decisions that do not lead us down a road already tried and failed. Now, the more cynical among us may counter that the only thing we learn from history is that we are incapable of learning from history, and thus, are doomed to repeat it. Think about it: How often do we repeat the same mistakes over and over? Whether it is a mistake in our own life or one another person or country or whatever has made, mankind is constantly repeating the same mistakes over and over. Mistakes that, if we actually learned from history (both our own and others), we ought not to make.

This morning, St. Paul urges us to learn from Israel’s past. He exhorts us to see their example and not desire the evil things they desired and commit the same sinful mistakes that they committed.

Only a few months from being liberated from Egypt, Israel is at Mt. Sinai. Moses has ascended it and is with God. He is being given the Law and ordinances that Israel will live under. While he is gone, Israel decides Moses might not be coming back. They forget about their God and ask Aaron to cast new gods for them. He creates a golden calf, an image typically seen as for fertility and power, and Israel worships it as their god. They held a feast, laid offerings before the calf, and rose up to play, which is a kind way of saying they indulged in lewd and immoral things with one another in worship to this god.

Later, the people began to mingle with the daughters of Moab. They made sacrifices to the Moabite gods and worshipped them. The anger of the Lord burned against his people, and in judgment 23,000 men who had worshipped the Baal were struck down. In the wilderness wanderings, the people gripe and complain about the food and manna they have. God sends fiery serpents because of their evil and many die. When they repent, the serpents are not removed, but a sign and promise is given. When the spies return from Canaan, the people fear their report and grumble against the Lord. They do not trust him to deliver the Promised Land he promised. These are but a small sample of Israel’s many failings…a sample that all happens in a short amount of time.

“These things,” St. Paul says, “were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” These things are a warning to us. Infidelity, idolatry, and unfaithfulness are mortal to our soul. It is hard to fathom how the people of Israel could do what they did. How great and manifest the works of God were in their midst, and how quick they were to turn away from him! But that is kind of the point. How is it that we continue to fall into the same traps and temptations and sins over and over? No wonder we have this lesson before us today.

Israel was the called and chosen people of God. The salvation of the world was promised to come to them and through them. And while they knew and remembered this part of their history, they were quick to forget other things. It is easy for us to look down on Israel. It is easy to shake our heads at their hardheadedness and hardheartedness. At their continual unbelief and lack of faith in the Lord God.

Just as Israel was called and chosen to be God’s people, so also are you called and chosen to be a redeemed child of God. Like the people of Israel were, we are to live a faithful and upright life. We are to watch our lives and keep God’s commands. And we are not to look down on those before us who have failed in many and various ways. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. This morning, we are warned against false security, carelessness, and indifference.

We are not to live in a false security that, because we call ourselves a Christian, or because we regularly (even weekly) attend the Divine Service, we are on a solid foundation and ‘right’ with God. Israel seemed to think that, because they were God’s chosen people, they could do what they pleased, and everything remains fine. We see how wrong they were. And it should drive us to repent. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are just like Israel. We, too, are quick to act or speak or carry on with things we know God condemns. This is why we should not look down on Israel or others who we see turn this way or that. It is what St. Paul means when he writes, “Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands take heed.”

Likewise, we are not to be careless or indifferent. We should take care to watch our lives and actions. We are not to be indifferent to what we see around us, especially when so much of it is so harmful to our neighbors, especially children. Our conduct matters. Our thinking matters.

In this lesson, we are warned that just because we are baptized or because we frequently come to the Holy Supper that our salvation is assured. We do not believe in a “once saved, always saved” doctrine of salvation. You may be certain that you are God’s child and that he will not leave you or forsake you. I urge you to hold fast to that promise. But that does not mean that you like Israel did so many times, cannot turn your back on and leave God. Thus, this morning’s warning.

Because we are Christians, you and I have a high calling in our lives. We are called to be holy and blameless. And yet, we know our actions are frequently more like the people of Israel than those of our Lord Jesus. We confess that we are like the wasteful manager we heard about in this morning’s parable. We often take for granted the ability to gather and hear the Word of God … even in our virus-laden day we still have an easier time gathering than Christians in many other nations do. How often do we take our baptism for granted, perhaps even tempted to see the washing away of all our sins a license to do evil? How easy is it to see the Supper laid out, welcoming you to come and eat for the forgiveness of your sins and nourishment of your soul, and decide that it is your own thoughts or actions that make it special rather than Jesus coming to you with great gifts each time.

The manager, faced with unemployment and tarnished reputation, quickly set out to ‘cook the books’ and set himself up for his future. Note that he is commended for his shrewdness and not for his messing with the bills. Despite all our sins and all our abusing of our Lord’s gifts, he does not tell us we can no longer be his child. We do not have to hurriedly try to make things right. There would be nothing we could do.

Actually, there is nothing we can do when it comes to fixing our relationship with our God. We continually confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean … that we sin in thought, word, and deed… that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition. Without God’s action, we would be destroyed like unfaithful Israel.

But God does act. He takes on our flesh. He perfectly fulfills his Law. He suffers and dies for you, rising on the third day to ensure that you also will rise. He graciously gives you his Word to hear and believe. He gives you sacraments to receive, remember, and partake. He takes your bill, your debt of sin committed against him. But he does not scratch out the number and reduce it by 20% or even 50%. He takes your debt of sin and, on account of Christ’s death on the cross, writes Paid in Full. Thanks be to God that he hears our prayer, causes us to ask for those things that are beneficial for us, and saves us for His own Name’s sake. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller
Peace Lutheran Church
Alcester, SD

Meet Friedrich August Crämer

In August of 1845, August “Onkel” Crämer arrived in the wilderness of Saginaw County, Michigan, as the Pastor and leader of a unique colony. Called “Frankenmuth” (The Courage of the Franconians”), this group was founded to be a witness to the Chippewa nation. The idea was to show these non-Christians what a Christian society was like. Crämer was not only their pastor, but a missionary and a translator. His work bore fruit in the baptism of Chippewa and the physical care for the tribe’s children. In 1850, he was called to be a professor at the seminary in Fort Wayne. He served the “practical seminary” the rest of his life, moving with it to St. Louis and later to its one hundred year home in Springfield, Illinois.

Crämer was born into a Bavarian merchant’s home. He was raised in a strict German fashion and eventually sent on the Gymnasium (a German preparatory high school for students destined for University study) He went on to study theology at the University of Erlangen. Under the influence of the culture of the time, he strayed from his Lutheran roots into rationalism. He became involved in a German nationalist movement that eventually made a poor attempt at a coup. The result was he was imprisoned for six years.

After he was released, he turned to the serious study of linguistics, including the languages of ancient Greek, modern Greek, old and middle High German, French, and English. During a serious illness, he turned to religion for comfort. At first, confronted by his deep sinfulness, it did anything but comfort him. But in the midst of the depression this insight caused, the words of the catechism came back to him. He now realized that God’s grace was even for him. From this great comfort came a fervent commitment to Confessional Lutheranism, not unlike his future brothers-in-ministry, C. F. W. Walther, Friedrich Wyneken, Wilhelm Sihler and others.

After completing his studies, he served first as a tutor in the household of Lord Lovelace, which did not end well when he did not convert to Unitarianism, later in the home of Henry Drummond, with a similar result, when he did not become an Irvingite and, finally, as a tutor at Oxford University with the same outcome when he did not become an Anglican. It was then that Wyneken’s Distress of the German Lutherans in North America fell into his hands. Convinced he needed to serve his countrymen in the wilderness of the United States. Wilhelm Löhe recognized his talents, arranged to have him ordained and set him over the missionary colony soon to make its way to Michigan.

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Meet Friedrich August Crämer