What Does This Mean?

Dear saints, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.” Weddings are festive events even in our day. Countless hours are spent planning them. From colors to dresses to guests lists, it can be exhausting. And while it does not have to be, a wedding is often expensive. But the weddings of our day are brief when compared to weddings in the days of Jesus. These weddings were week-long feasts. And this morning, we hear of a king who has prepared the wedding feast for his son.

Everything is ready, the oxen and fattened calves are slaughtered and prepared. And the king sends his servants to call those invited to the feast. Call those who knew the feast was coming. But those invited would not come. They spurned the invitation.

Undeterred, the king sends other servants, this time announcing that all was prepared and the dinner is ready to begin. These servants are met with two groups of people: The first ignore the call to the feast and go to farm or business. The other group forcibly seizes the servants, treats them in a shameful and spiteful manner, and kills them. Imagine killing someone who brings the news that you have been called to a wedding feast, where you would be fed and dined in luxury for a week by your king!

The king’s response is swift. He sends soldiers to the cities of those murderers and destroyed them, burning down their cities. The destruction of the cities would impact those who ignored the servants and went to their farms and businesses. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’” When these servants go, they find whoever they found, good or bad, and gathered them into the wedding hall. Finally, the dinner begins.

There is more to the parable but let us begin unpacking it now. It is clear who the king and his son are. It is none other than our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. The parable is an allegory explaining the Father and His work accomplished through Christ. The wedding feast here is the church.

While most English translations use the word servants, a more literal word is slave. Slaves are sent to those invited, that is, called to the feast. These people are the Jews, the people of Israel. God’s servants in the form of prophets and priests have been calling Israel to His church since God chose them as His people. And we hear in the Old Testament that these prophets and priests are ignored. Sometimes they are killed.

Undeterred, God sends more slaves. These slaves represent God’s servants and messengers in the form of the Apostles and early disciples, such as Philip and Stephen. They are ignored by the Jews when invited to believe in the Messiah they have been waiting for. Some are mistreated and murdered for inviting the King’s people to His feast. And when the destruction of the Temple occurred in 70 AD, we could be seeing another part of the parable occurring.

Israel and the Jews were called to the feast. But they deemed themselves unworthy to attend. Finally, God sends even more slaves. This time they go anywhere and everywhere to invite all they find. These slaves represent the early church through today and into the future. These slaves are the pastors and teachers and Christians who desire their neighbor to know the love of Christ and to believe in Him for their salvation.

To be sure, many today still ignore the message. Many today are more worried about the fruits of their earthly work or the gain they can gather from trade and business. And many slaves are treated shamefully by those the Good News is proclaimed to. They are sometimes even killed. But these slaves also bring into the feast both the good and the bad. The wedding hall, that is, the Church is filled with guests.

The good and evil in the parable are described in this way because of what they look like to the human eye. The tax-collectors and others in open sin are the evil; people like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea are the good. And yet all are guilty before God. All are equally sinful and in need of forgiveness and righteousness that they cannot achieve on their own. That means that you and I are among those evil and good who have been brought into the wedding hall.

Wedding feasts in those days often had a garment that was worn by the guests. This was not a tuxedo you rented. It was not your finest suit and tie. It was nothing you brought but was given to you upon your arrival. Thus, all these people arrive at the feast, remove their dirty clothes, and put on the garment provided by the King.

The garment is the righteousness of Christ. In your baptism, you are clothed in this righteousness. No longer are you guilty before God, but you are perfect and pure. You attend the feast and recline at the table with your fellow saints, even coming to the altar where you are fed and nourished and forgiven by Christ’s Body and Blood.

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

The man represents those in the church who have insulted God and who reject the garment that He graciously provides. By removing the garment provided and taking on his own clothing, he thinks himself worthy by what he has done and by who he is. When the King finds him and questions him, the man knows there is nothing he can say for himself. He is silent.

Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” The man is not excluded from the feast by God. He excludes himself from the feast and declares himself unworthy to be there by rejecting the gift of grace that is salvation.

Jesus is making it clear in this parable that not everyone goes to heaven. Not even everyone who goes to church goes to heaven. Some come outwardly, that is, they sit in the pews and may even serve as leaders or pastors. But they do not come into the kingdom. They want the power of Christianity, but they do not want the cross.

In this parable, we see the reality and the danger of unbelief. It would be appropriate to feel shivers running down your spine.

But, even more, we also see a beautiful example of God’s mercy. It is God, your King, who provides the your garment. Who provides your soul’s healing and cleansing.  And in this, God is glorified by exercising His mercy upon you. By forgiving your sins. And He invites you to his feast not simply as a guest but declares you to be the immaculate bride that Christ loves. He does not invite you because you are worthy, but because He is worthy. And this invitation and work that He does has made you worthy. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Grandfathers, uncles, cousins, and male friends of fathers and fathers-to-be, this is addressed to all y’all. Let’s spend some time talking through some of the hows concerning getting the men back into church and bringing their children into the House of God. I discussed data concerning the importance of fathers to the long-term church life of their children in an earlier article. Take a look back at that one, if you’ve forgotten.

This may seem surprising, but men and women interact differently. In this particular case, the way that men encourage one another is to engage in useful tasks which can look and sound a little coarse to the eyes and ears of women who observe it. Watch men’s interaction in the driver’s lounge, on the sales floor, in the hardware store, or any other place where work is discussed in preparation to do more. You’ll see and hear men goading, mocking, and badgering one another about their performance in their various vocations of life. There’s nothing mean, cruel, or ill-intentioned about it. Offense is not given. Neither is it allowed to be taken.

The masculine behavioral rules are like the unwritten rules of adjective order in English. We are usually unaware that adjectives must follow the order: opinion, size, age, color, origin, material, and purpose (OSACOMP). A staggeringly large new blue Italian steel processional cross sounds perfectly reasonable. But, a processional large Italian new staggering steel blue cross sounds like it’s been described by a schizophrenic.

We don’t even know there’s a rule, so too with men’s interactions. We don’t know about the rules concerning the well-intentioned pressures applied between men to perform better until something is wrong. When a brother takes offense at an inoffensive comment, something is wrong. When a man appeals to his brothers in an emotional way, it rings strangely (brothers by relation not necessarily by kinship). We don’t notice until something is wrong.

There’s wisdom in knowing the value of good-natured ribbing. It encourages our brothers to do their various vocations in life with greater vigor.

The original sin of the man in the garden predicts the source of man’s sin in the future. Laziness, shirking of duty, this is our innate weakness in life. So much of our failure flows from that single source.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?’ … So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” [Gen 3:1, 6]

Adam’s job in the garden was clear. He was to tend the garden and instruct his helpmate, Eve. Adam shirked his duties. The serpent had no business in the garden. The words of the serpent opposed the very Word of God and Adam said nothing. His laziness facilitated the fall and his curse reflects it.

“And to Adam he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’” [Gen 3:17-19]

The curse tells us a little bit about what work in the garden was like. There was no pain. Thorns and thistles didn’t grow where they shouldn’t be. Eating from the fruit of the plants didn’t require the work to make it happen. And there was no sweat or pain afflicting him in the work he did. Now we struggle and suffer in the work we do. Getting those kids up, fed, dressed, in the car, attentive in the Divine service, and learning the hymns and liturgy is a chore … just like everything else good and profitable in life.

When your sons and other subordinate men aren’t bringing their families to church, try this. Treat them the same way you would if they failed to show-up for a tree trimming, as promised. Lob some sarcastic, friendly correction at them, be persistent about it, and grant no quarter for this important failure of duty. They need your encouragement.

Men, we help each other in this regard everywhere else in life. Let’s be intentional about the encouragement of our brothers in the faith too. Faith comes by hearing. I don’t want these men and their families to fall away from the faith for lack of hearing the Word of God. So, encourage them, rib them, goad them a little, in a kind way, about their duties as Christian fathers.

Strong Christian men raise faithful Christian children.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2021 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Dear saints, this morning’s Gospel lesson brings two great miracles. At its beginning, Jesus has returned to His hometown after healing the demoniac in the country of the Gadarenes. That miraculous healing scared those in the city so much that they begged Jesus to leave them and their region. There is a lot in just that sentence, but not for today.

This morning’s account from Matthew does not contain details that Sts. Mark and Luke provide. In them we learn that Jesus is teaching in a home and a great crowd has gathered. In fact, there was no room for more to enter. When the paralyzed man in the lesson is brought to the home, those bearing his burden could not get him to Jesus. Undeterred, they climbed with him to the roof and began moving the ceiling tiles. Imagine being in that house. Suddenly, dust and debris start floating around a crowded house. But none of the Evangelists mention that. Nor do they do not state that there was noise above the room or concern in the room.

The roof is removed, and the man is lowered to where Jesus is sitting and teaching. We see a great trust here. The man trusted his friends to carry him to Jesus. Trusted them to get him safely on the roof. And he trusted them to safely lower him to the Lord. And all the men involved trusted that Jesus was good and would have mercy on the man.

Jesus does have mercy. He knows the faith of all the men involved. He looks at the paralyzed man and says, “Have courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” Notice this is not a general proclamation of repentance. It is directed at the paralytic. And this declaration infuriates the scribes and Pharisees present. They say to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

Mark says Jesus perceives their thoughts. He responds: “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic— “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

From the perspective of the Pharisees, it was easier to say, “Rise and walk,” for only God can forgive sins. In a sense, they are right. For Jesus to say, “Rise and walk,” and the man gets up and walks, is easier. And Jesus shows that He has the authority to forgive sins by performing the lesser miracle. If Jesus were blaspheming as the scribes asserted, His words, “Rise and walk,” would not have been effective.

But the man does get up and walk. The greater miracle is that the man’s sins are forgiven. The forgiveness of this man’s sins is the reason our Lord came to earth. The man had a physical malady, but the man also recognized his greater malady: his sins. Jesus did not merely see the man’s physical handicap but recognized the man’s faith in Him and anguish over his sin. The man sought comfort from his Lord and the pardon on his sin above and beyond the healing of his physical body. Jesus sees this. It is why we hear Jesus say, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

These are the same words that Jesus has for you today. They are the words that you need to hear. They are the words that put your Lord on the cross. They are the more difficult words because they meant suffering, pain, and death for Jesus. Suffering, pain, and death that is due to your sin against your God.

The heart of the Christian faith is forgiveness. It is why Christ Jesus gives us the Gospel. In the broad sense, the gospel is the account of Jesus and His life found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In the narrow sense, it is the wonderful proclamation that, on account of Christ and his atoning death on the cross for you and all mankind, your forgiveness is won. That you may believe that it is true, for Jesus is raised on the Third Day, just as He promised.

But your Lord does not stop there. He establishes the Office of the Holy Ministry and gives the apostles and those He calls to be pastors the authority to proclaim the Gospel to all. That forgiveness of sins and eternal life is not attained by your good works or suffering, but by the blood of Christ.

Jesus gives you also baptism. He commands that the apostles go into all the world teaching all He commanded, baptizing in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. A command which is now given to those called into the Holy Ministry. You know your sins and shortcomings. And so, He takes simple water and attaches His promise and command to it. Now when you are burdened with your sin, you recall what God did to you and for you in your baptism. You are free to make the sign of the cross, as it was made over your forehead and your heart, that you may be certain that His suffering at Calvary is applied to you.

Your Lord gives you still another sign. He institutes His Holy Supper that your faith may be constantly renewed and you be reminded of His pledge to forgive your sins. In the Sacrament, you are given strong support for your faith. For there, He gives you the very Body nailed to the cross and very Blood shed upon the cross. And he does this so you may have no doubt that you are reconciled to Him and that your sins are forgiven. That He remembers you and His work for you.

With all these great gifts, Christ Jesus is still not done. When hearing the words of our lesson, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven,” you may know that they are for you. For Jesus has taken these words and given them to His church. He gives His ministers the authority to forgive sins. Easy words for me to proclaim to you because it is not me, but Jesus giving you the forgiveness. Forgiveness that needs no more suffering. Forgiveness that is accomplished. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller
 Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD

 ©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

My last article served to chastise us in the church for missing the largest target in the demographic game. This one is specifically for the fathers among us. Ladies, feel free to follow along. But, this is written for your husbands, sons, fathers, grandfathers, grandsons, cousins, and other God-fearing men in your life.

Restating the question: Fathers, do you want your children to grow up to be faithful Christians? Do you want them attending church regularly? Do you want your daughter to find a faithful, Christian husband? Do you want your son to find a faithful, Christian wife? Do you want your grandchildren raised in a home with regular church attendance?

I can’t imagine one of you answering with anything less than a fervent, “Yes!” to any one of those questions.

That last article spelled out some clear data on fathers and church attendance. You, men, are the most influential force on your children in their church attendance, as adults. You predict how they will behave, how their children will be raised, and if the future generations of your progeny will remain in or return to the church.

We could quibble at this point about the Christian faith and whether church attendance maintains Christians or not.  There are gradations of grayness here.  But, we, men, function better in a world with black and white distinctions.  Here are those two simple truths:

Christians attend the gathering of the faithful in the Lord’s house often, to hear and receive His gifts for us.

Unbelievers do not attend the gathering of the faithful in the Lord’s house, because they neither fear the Lord nor desire His gifts.

If a child is raised never seeing a rifle, hiking through the woods, or tracking game, will that child grow up to be a hunter? Read that again substituting any activity in life: fishing, camping, ranching, farming, reading, speaking, walking, etc. Children are a collection of the influences and the activities in which they engage. They may not grow up doing everything they learned. But, it’s pretty unlikely that they’ll grow up doing a thing they seldom or never saw modelled for them.

You may say, “What does it matter?  My kids know their Lord and their salvation in Jesus.”

St. Peter says this, “Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” [1 Peter 5:8-11]

Fathers are the strongest indicator of their children’s future church attendance, and church attendance is the strongest indicator of Christianity within people.  Knowing that, how could you, a Christian father, not take his children to church often?

The Devil, the world, and this sinful flesh are seeking to separate your children from the love of God, and y’all too.  Where?  The Adversary’s influence is at play in everything we see, read, watch, and learn apart from the Word of God.  Attending to the Lord’s house to hear His Word and receive His gifts vaccinates us against the works of the Devil and His minions.  It’s not a perfect inoculation.  But, the converse is a near perfect guarantee of failure.

Strong Christian men raise faithful Christian children.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX\

©2021 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & PreschoolLa Grange, TX
©2021 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

It’s my turn to ask a question. Mine stems from a collection of axiomatic “truths” shared within modern Christianity. All of them are attempts to answer questions about attendance. We’ve seen attendance fall for decades in the Christian church. There is a rise in self-identified secularism within America. We’ve been talking about it my entire life, from various perspectives.

The answers revolve around the question, “how do we keep kids, youth, and young families in church/returning to church?” The answers of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries are: Sunday school programs, daycares, adolescent activities, big youth groups/activities, small group Bible studies, single mother’s groups, and a host of other demographically specific parachurch (outside of worship) activities. Despite the best efforts of the church in these veins, she still shrinks daily.

What if I told you that we could expend our efforts on only one demographic group? What if I told you that we could see a 35% improvement in the retention of children, as adults, by focusing only on this one group? What if I told you the Christian church has largely ignored, marginalized, or even publicly denigrated this group?

Men, specifically fathers, are this one group. A large multi-national study on church attendance published by the Swiss government in the year 2000 found stark trends indicating the strong influence of fathers on the future church attendance of their children. Another study conducted on a much smaller scale later in the US found nearly identical results. (see Influence of Parents in this article)

Starting with the worst and most obvious, when neither mom nor dad attend church, 81% of the kids won’t either. When, only mom attends regularly, 39% of the kids will attend regularly as adults. When, both mom and dad attend regularly, 74% of kids will attend as adults. But, here’s the surprising number. When only dad attends regularly, 67% of kids attend as adults. Without mom’s influence, there’s only a 7% drop. Without dad’s influence, there’s a 35% drop.

No, I’m not suggesting, implying, or stating in any way that women and mothers are unimportant. The influence of women and mothers in the lives of their children is incalculable and irreplaceable.

That still changes nothing regarding a change in church attendance. If we want to see an improvement in the retention of our children in church, we must expend our efforts on improving the attendance of their fathers at church on Sunday mornings.

It is certainly worth noting that a rise in emotionalized and feminized worship practices in the Christian church run parallel to the decline in men’s attendance. There are probably many ways to work on this. We will have to pick this up again soon.

Strong Christian men raise faithful Christian children.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Sole Pastor
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX
and
Mission planting pastoral team:
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Bastrop, TX

©2021 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

There is a fault line dividing Christianity. Those who choose to embrace our culture, while losing their grip on the Word of God, bit by bit. And those who embrace the Word of God, even the uncomfortable bits, and reject culture, bit by bit. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) are on opposite sides of this divide.

The criticisms I write, or quote in writing, are not borne out of animus, malice, or hatred. I’m grieved and afraid for the souls of those who are taught by the false teachers in the ELCA. To be perfectly clear, I’m certain many of our friends and family in the membership of the ELCA are indeed Christians. But, I am also certain the leadership and clergy of the ELCA have abandoned the scriptures in favor of worldly sociological and political positions, which are not compatible with God’s Word.

We believe teach and confess in the Lutheran church that those who hear the Word of God can still come to and retain saving faith contrary to what they are taught. This teaching is called the Felicitous Inconsistency. It is so called because the faith exists in opposition to what is taught. We also teach that no one should rely upon this possibility. Neither, should we encourage our loved ones to remain where false teaching prevails based upon the felicitous inconsistency. Continually hearing false teaching will eventually corrupt Christians and drive them from the faith. Sadly, they could easily remain in the ELCA as unbelievers without discomfort.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” [Romans 10:17]

The history of the downward spiral of the Jewish people in Judges and the fall of the divided kingdoms of Israel (Judah and Samaria) stand to teach us against this path. Embracing popular paganism in an attempt to mingle it with the true faith only ends one way. The true faith is lost and destruction and suffering come to those who mingled it.

In Judges we find, “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger.” [2:11-12] “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” [17:6] “And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” [21:24-25]

And, in 1 Kings, “So [Jeroboam] the king [of Samaria] took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, ‘You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’ And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan [both in the Northern Kingdom].” [12:28-29]

“And Judah [under King Rehoboam] did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.” [1 Kings 14:22-24]

We sometimes think of America as a burgeoning atheistic culture, but that’s not a fair assessment. We are certainly a post-Christian culture. Political battles exist in our society, attempting to reject or regain the cultural elements that were the effect of Christianity‘s influence on our culture. But, Modern America is a religious culture with a god.

The big difference is that our god has no temple, no formal liturgy, no written scriptures. The god of American culture is the “me” in each one of us. Each person believes, thinks, and does what is “right for me.” The culture surrounding us worships itself, individually and collectively. Concisely, if my internal thoughts and feelings are the primary driver in a decision, the conclusion is probably flawed.

Now, this god can be right from time to time. Even a broken clock can be right twice a day. Even a broken escalator may still be a staircase. But, in the long term, this god will lead me to destruction.

This god is a selfish and capricious god. No evil deed is beyond its teaching. The internal self-justification of doing what is right in our own eye will authorize any act that benefits me. This may take days, months, or years. But, we will eventually abandon morality of any sort.

The only thing standing between us and abject abandonment of the faith, which we see in the leadership and clergy of the ELCA, and the culture it embraces, is the very Word of God. In His Word God condemns sin and teaches us to abandon it. But, it does more than that, He also gives us faith to hear and receive His forgiveness, through Jesus Christ.

Apart from acknowledged sin and forgiveness in Jesus, there can be no Christianity or salvation.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2021 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Dear saints, we confess concerning the First Commandment that we are to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. In our Gospel lesson, from the midportion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Perhaps this reminds you of St. Paul’s writing to St. Timothy that the love of money is the root of all evil.

Everyone must decide who or what his or her god will be. Will it be the Creator of the universe? Or will it be mammon? It cannot be both. One God brings eternal life, and the other god brings anxiety leading to eternal death. It seems like a simple choice. But look at the world around you and see what it serves. See the anxiety the world has and what it fears. The choices it makes to avoid trial and death. What it seeks businesses or governments to enforce that will create the feeling of safety, even where no safety can be guaranteed. And consider what the world considers good and sacred. The desires that it has. And what disdain and hatred these things have toward God and His people. People like you and me.

But let’s not only consider the world. We must also consider ourselves. We still battle with our flesh. We still find ourselves tempted to serve mammon. And when we are honest with ourselves, we must confess that we do, at times, serve mammon. This burden of sin, sin against the First Commandment, produces anxiety. Therefore, we pray, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And why we trust that our Father does forgive.

The forgiveness we receive on account of Jesus calms our souls. It lifts the burden of our sin and removes our anxiety. Those who serve mammon, however, have no outlet when they are burdened or anxious. They cannot look to their god for absolution. They can only grasp for more of whatever they seek. More money. More popularity. More restrictions they think will give them safety. And sometimes more freedom to do what they should know is wrong but be lauded for their abominations anyway.

Jesus goes on in the lesson: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” He goes on to explain God’s provisions for us. The birds of the air do not labor. They do not till, plant, or harvest. And yet they are provided for; they are fed by God. But you are more valuable than these, who do not fall to the ground without the Father’s knowledge. Next, we consider the lilies of the field. They also only receive from God, and they are more beautiful than even Solomon in all his splendor. Such beautiful flowers, who are there today and burned for warmth tomorrow, are provided for by God and yet you are still more valuable than they.

The point is that God provides for both the just and the unjust. He sustains life, even the universe, out of His goodness. He provides your daily bread. It is what we confess concerning the Frist Article of the Apostles’ Creed. Though admittedly easy, it is useless to worry and be anxious about food and clothes. About health or safety for freedom. But God knows you need these things. They are not to be your worry, as they are the pagan.

Your concern rather is the righteousness of God. Instead of fretting about every little thing around you, you seek what God desires to give you: Love. Mercy. Grace. Righteousness. Eternal life. Jesus ends our lesson by saying, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

There will always be something around us that causes strife. There will always be danger. Sometimes it will be real and other times imagined. Sometimes it will be less than we think, and other times more than we think. I am not saying we should simply ignore these things. I am, however, saying that your life and actions should not be dictated by them. They should be dictated by who you belong to. By remembering what He has done for you. As our Lord said, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Trouble will, indeed, always be around us.

As an example, I present a sample of C. S. Lewis’s writings from 1948. It is from an essay entitled, “On Living in an Atomic Age.” Perhaps you saw this last year when it started circulating, but for many of you, you will hear it for the first time today, as I did a few weeks ago:

As bad as things are today, they are much better than they used to be. Sometimes I think that is to our disadvantage. We do not really know what it means to rely on daily bread, for we have days or weeks of provisions in our homes, let alone our grocery stores. I am not sure we truly resonate with the part of the prayer asking God to “graciously keep us this night from all harm and danger,” as the harm and danger we face today in America is very low.

There is, however, a clear and present danger always around us. And that danger is the one going around like a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour. That danger is the devil and his demons. They would have us seek after mammon. They would have us doubt the Word of the Lord. They would have us look for our righteousness in ourselves and from the world.

Seek, therefore fellow saint of God, the righteousness of God. Seek after the blood of Christ, which has washed you clean and saves you. Cling to the promises of your Lord, that He has died for you and atones for your sin not with the blood of goats and bulls, but with His blood shed upon the cross. Come to His table and receive the forgiveness of sin which He has spread out for you. For you cannot continue in safety without His aide. Praise God for His help and goodness! Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller
 Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.

Sermon preached at Kramer Chapel of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, 28 September 2012 (from a transcript)

Grace, Mercy and peace be to you from God our father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Deep forests, vast prairies, breathtaking mountains, mighty rivers, America called to people yearning for a utopia – a good place — to show the world what society purged of evil could be like. The Puritans came across the sea just over 400 years ago and planted its city on a hill — The Plymouth Bay colony. Quaker William Penn acquired a colony, — Penn’s Woods — where anyone of any religious view could come to find a home — even Lutherans!

To America came more utopias — Shakers and Harmonists. Mormons and Amish, eventually Saxon Lutherans and Löhe’s colonies of witness in the Saginaw Valley — all trying to erect ideal societies to some extent.

In civil terms, they succeeded, but in spiritual terms they were disappointed. It seems even devout Christians are still sinners. Who would have imagined it?

God has hardwired law into all our hearts and our creation, and so from the very beginning of civilized society, people wondered: what would it be like to have a perfect society?

Plato, had his Republic, Augustine the City of God. Monastics had their monasteries and convents. As we go down through time, Thomas Moore, made fun of it. He coined the term Ευτοπία — meaning good place — but also Ουτοπία — meaning no place because there is no such place. After all, even though Luther didn’t say it, the old Adam is a good swimmer.

Yes, we can live a good life in service to neighbor. But that only goes so far. At best living according to nature, we can praise the good and condemn the evil together we can live in well-ordered societies and civil law can keep and succeed at it. Yet it cannot extinguish sin.

There is always some way that we will rebel against the rules that are made up for us for our own good.

God’s law does work as a curb and so, in good times, our societies can keep sin well under control, even though those good times really don’t last. Even though there is a measure of peace — Even in the best society, yet, sin is still there. To keep the law is extremely difficult, even if only externally.

We are tempted to think that’s all we have to do. You can run your checklist of the 10 Commandments, we think.

Look I go to church on Sunday. Check.
I don’t have any gods other than the Holy Trinity. Check.
I don’t ever swear. Check.
That gets the first table all down.
I love my parents. Check.
I haven’t murdered anybody recently. Check.
I have honored my wife. Check.
I don’t covet — at least publicly. Check.
And so you think that you have it all covered.

The new Moses, however, informs us that exterior righteousness really doesn’t work.

In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord goes through and points out that it’s not good enough not to murder. You can’t even swear at them when you cut them off in traffic or show them the universal sign of displeasure.

It is not enough not to commit adultery, but to even look at a swimsuit model if you’re male, or the Bachelor on The Bachelor if you’re female, and think thoughts — slightly inappropriate thoughts. Even that is adultery in God’s book.

You see, Jesus pointed out it is not those things that come from the outside that corrupt a person. It is that which is in inside of us,. that we constantly think evil thoughts all the time — that is what corrupts a person. And if you can’t deal with that problem within you, there is no chance that you are going to stop sinning.

Education will not cure it. Redistribution of wealth will not solve it. Blaming the other guy just doesn’t hack it. Piety will not quench it, striving to overcome it will not work, no matter how high the standards you set, no matter how hard you work, sooner or later that old Adam and that old Eve is going to get you. That is why the works of the really good guys in the time of Jesus, the Pharisees, really just weren’t enough. They may be able to get the exterior right, but inside they are still filled with lust, sin, envy and all that goes with it.

And so if you want to enter God’s Kingdom. Your righteousness has to exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Good luck with that. You’re going to need it.

What we need is a completely different kind of righteousness, not one that comes from inside of us, that we can gin up, that we can achieve if we work as hard as we can.

What we need is a righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ himself.

Jesus is the blessed one, who lived the perfect life for us and fulfilled every letter of the law, every iota, accent, yod, dagesh and dash. He kept every aspect of that law for us, so that when he took our evil to the cross, he was able to break its power once and for all. Dying for our guilt and bearing our sin, he paid its punishment once and for all. When he rose again from the dead he brought to us the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

In baptism, we receive from him this righteousness, a righteousness which exceeds not only that of the Pharisees, but describes what fulfills God’s perfect purpose. Exactly that righteousness is now ours, so that when we come before God’s throne, what he sees is his son, and not us.

Yes, we still do sin, because the world, the devil and our flesh still haunt us. But even when we find it difficult to keep more than just the exterior law. we have someone who lives in us. Saint Paul reminds us it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us.

And so, when we have trouble keeping the law, we can turn to Christ who is within us, who has kept the law already for us and from his strength we can live good lives in this world. And as we live, we serve each other and serve our neighbors, Christian or not. We will become a light in this world where people will look to us and see Christ and wonder how is it that you can live that way. And when we tell them we can’t on our own, but with Christ alone can, they will be drawn to him.

He is, after all, the source of all light and so we will reflect his light, until the day Christ comes to bring an end to sin and death and the power of the devil. Then the true city of God will descend from heaven itself, The church, perfected in God’s glory to live in the good new place, the true utopia, forever and ever, Amen.

And now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, set watch over our hearts and minds in faith in Christ Jesus to life everlasting, Amen.

©2012, 2021 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

I recently started flying the US, Texas, and a Christian flag on the parsonage. This flag is a newly designed replacement for the “Christian Flag” from our friends at Ad Crucem, who made our newer sanctuary banners. They call it the Agnus Dei Flag. This flag is a bold visual confession of the Christian faith.

A red cross covers the white flag from top to bottom and left to right. That image is borrowed from banners flown by Christian soldiers in the crusades. There’s a sound argument to be made that the crusades were a rare moment of Christian unity. The imagery is more reflective a unified Christian faith than any modern, sectarian symbolism. We’ll never see a unified Christian church on Earth. But, the image of Christian unity in Christ in the resurrection serves as a fine symbol for our eyes on this side of the eschaton.

The shape covering the center of the flag is a trefoil. The trefoil consists of a triangle and three incomplete circles. It stands to symbolize the trinity. The circle by itself represents eternity. The triangle by itself represents the Trinity. Those two elements combine reinforce the notion of the Triune God expressed in the Athanasian Creed: a trinity in unity and unity in trinity with none before or after another.

Inside the trefoil, we find the Lamb of God, Jesus, to whom St. John, the Baptizer pointed. The Lamb bears a mortal wound on His neck. He has an Christological aureole around His head. And, He’s holding a triumphant banner (also crusadery in design). This Lamb is Jesus Christ crucified and risen again to forgive our sins.

The other little details are a bit busy, but they add wonderful meaning. Jesus is also presenting His Body and Blood in with and under the wafer and chalice of holy communion. He’s standing a in a heavenly sort of space on the clouds in the sky. He’s also standing atop a scroll with seven seals. The Lamb’s scroll contains the names, our names, of those sealed for salvation.

Many of us grew up with a different flag in our sanctuaries, assembly halls, and classrooms. It’s a white flag with a blue upper left canton and a red cross within the canton. This flag is commonly called the “Christian Flag,” but that an inaccurate name for the flag we see. It’s better called the “Methodist Young People’s Missionary Movement Flag,”

That flag was designed by British immigrant pastor Charles C. Overton with the help of Ralph Diffendor in New York. Its design features two deliberate attributes. It was simple in its expression to appeal to many Christian sects without revealing any theological inconsistencies between them. It was also designed using the colors and the familiar silhouette of the American flag to appeal to Americans especially.

It worked. The flag found use in the US military chaplaincy. The flag was adopted by the Federal Council of Churches in 1942. It’s been flown by a broad collection of Christian, christianish, and non-christian groups ever since. It is not a flag standing for a unified Christian faith. And, it never will be.

Instead, I fly a flag that does symbolize the Christian faith as I have received it.

– Pastor

Dear saints, this morning our Lord continues His journey to Jerusalem. He is preparing to lay down His life for you, for me, for everyone. His journey takes Him into the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And there He encounters ten lepers. The men, unclean with a disease that ends with death, stand at a distance a call out to Jesus. They are contagious. They reek of death. They are cut off from society and family. It is no surprise that they call out for mercy.

We do not know what they know or have heard about Jesus, but they know enough to think He will be merciful to them. Perhaps He will even heal them. But they do not know that He is their Messiah, for they call out Master rather than Lord. But even with this less than perfect plea, our Lord hears and answers their prayer. “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” The ten turn and are cleansed as they went.

Notice that Jesus does not say, “I will. Be clean.” Instead, He tells them what the person cleansed from leprosy is to do: show himself to the priests in the Temple. They are inspected, and after about two months, would finally be declared clean. Once this declaration is made, they would finally be allowed to return to their family, their city, and to worship in the Temple. They must turn from Jesus with trust that they will be cleansed of their disease.

See, leprosy did not only cut you off from those who love you and that you love. It also cut you off from gathering with God’s people in the Temple or Synagogue. In effect, it cut you off from the presence of God. The same is true of your sin. Sin banished Adam and Eve from the Garden. Sin and unrepentance brought The Flood. It confused languages at Babel. And your sin separates you from God, alienating you and making you His enemy. Sin, like leprosy, is fatal. But the fatality of sin is worse than the awful effects of leprosy.

Each man, woman, and child need the cleansing of their sin and iniquity. All need their leprosy of sin removed. The lepers in our lesson call to Jesus from a distance. They come in earnest and reverence as they entreat Jesus for mercy. Mercy is given as they are cleansed on their way to Jerusalem.

Our cleansing is a bit different. Our cleansing was accomplished when Jesus reaches Jerusalem. Once there, having entered triumphantly, He spends the week teaching. He institutes the Lord’s Supper. He is put on trial. He is crucified. And just before He gives up His Spirit, we hear that “It is finished.” Your redemption is won. Forgiveness is yours. And you can know this is true as what Jesus promised is fulfilled: The Temple of His Body was destroyed, and in three days, it was restored, raised from the dead.

But this redemption, while it is yours was not yet applied to you. As the lepers realize their healing, one of them turns back. Rather than going to the Temple and the priest, he goes to the Temple that is our Lord and our Great High Priest. And he does so while praising God with a loud voice. When he reaches Jesus, he falls on his face at Jesus’ feet and gives thanks for his healing. For this miraculous cleansing provided to him.

Out of ten leprous men, only one recognized Jesus as his Christ and went back in thanksgiving and worship. That man was a Samaritan. A man whose background is not well regarded and whose theology was likely poor. Even still, he believes in Jesus.

Our lesson says Jesus tells him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Made you well is an accurate translation, but it is lacking. All ten were made well. All ten were leprous and are now clean. But not all ten showed faith in Christ. Only one does, this Samaritan. A more precise translation would be, “Rise and go your way; your faith has saved you.”

The cleansing of these lepers is miraculous. Great mercy is shown to them. Just as great mercy is shown to every person with the blood of Christ on the cross. However, this mercy is applied to you in Holy Baptism. In baptism, the miraculous cleaning of your sins is delivered. The blood of Jesus on the cross washes you clean. Faith is given and strengthened. And you, too, may rise and go your way, for your faith has saved you.

Rather than being separated from your God due to the leprosy of your sin, you stand before Him cleansed by His blood. He invites you to draw near and hear His Word. You can hear it and respond in prayer and hymn and thanksgiving. He invites you to His Table, where He feeds and nourishes your body and soul, giving you His Flesh and Blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of your sins and the strengthening of your faith. In short, He invites you into His fellowship.

The nine lepers received a physical cleansing, but since they did not have faith, they did not receive their soul’s cleansing. All people with all their sins are atoned for, but those who do not have faith in their Messiah do not receive the benefit. But you, dear Christian, embrace and hold fast to your Christ. In the faith granted to you by the Holy Spirit, you receive the miraculous cleansing of your sin. And you are welcomed into fellowship with God and His saints where you are kept in the faith by the same Holy Spirit. Where He keeps you in His church with His perpetual mercy. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

©2021 Brent Keller. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.