The Righteous By Faith Shall Live - Sermon for the 7th Sunday after Epiphany

Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
February 23^rd, A+D 2025
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, SD
The Righteous By Faith Shall Live
Genesis 45:1-15, Luke 6:27-38, Romans 1:16-17

Sermon Audio available HERE. 

   Those who are righteous by faith will live eternally. They will live by faith each day.  And they will live faithfully.  The theme versus for the 63rd convention of the South Dakota District of the LCMS, which concluded last Tuesday, are Romans 1:16 and 17.  The apostle Paul proclaims:  For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes the Jew first and also to the green For in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written: the righteous shall live by faith.  “The righteous shall live by faith,” literally in the Greek “the righteous by faith shall live.”  What does this mean?  Is Paul here talking about conversion? Is he stressing that salvation is received only by believing only by favor only by faith not by the works that we do, not earned by our good works?  Or is Paul talking about the Christian life, about the life of good works, that is to say, “everyone who is righteous will live a faithful life”? 

   Well at least since the Reformation 500 years ago, there’s been a great deal of arguing over this “either/or” proposition. The righteous by faith shall live. Does this refer to conversion or does this refer to the life of love and good works?  Indeed the English standard version offers two options for this phrase.  In their main text, they have “the righteous shall live by faith.  This leans toward the idea that this phrase is about the life of good works, the righteous shall live out of their faith.  But in a footnote the ESV also suggests it could be “the one who by faith is righteous shall live,” which emphasizes that salvation happens when faith in the Gospel receives the righteousness of Christ, and so also eternal life.  Which is it? 

   At the convention our Bible study leader, Dr. Jeffrey Oschwald of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis,  suggested a both/and solution to this either/or question.  He argues that Paul means both, that those who receive righteousness and salvation by faith will also live out their faith in their daily lives.  I like that.  And it is certainly true, however, we decide to translate this passage.  Dr. Oschwald’s point is proved by other texts of scripture such as Ephesians 2:8-10. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. 

   And, to take it a step further, righteousness by faith is true in at least three different ways.  In John’s Gospel, Jesus says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  Simply believing in Jesus receives eternal life. 

   He also says “he who believes in Me has eternal life. He has crossed over from death to life.”  (John 5:24) Right now, by my faith connection to Jesus, I am alive, with Him. 

   Jesus also says “he who believes in me will do the works I do,” (John 14:12).  The one who believes in Jesus will live the faithful life of fleeing from sin and doing good, loving our neighbors telling forth the truth the Gospel.   It is as Luther said: “faith alone saves, but faith is never alone.”  It is always active in good works. Faith is always producing a life of love because it is always connected to Christ, the source of life and love. 

   Those who are righteous by faith will live eternally. They will live by faith each day.  And they will live faithfully.  Which brings us to Joseph being merciful to his brothers. Joseph‘s life is a story of a long faith struggle. Joseph is the second youngest of the 12 sons of Jacob.  Joseph is his father’s favorite because he is the first son of Jacob‘s favorite wife, Rachel.   The twelve sons of Jacob, who became the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel, were born of 4 different women.  Unsurprisingly, they did not get along well.  In particular, because Jacob favored him, and because Joseph told his brother of his dreams, in which his older brothers bowed down to him, Joseph’s 10 older brothers hated him.  And, when the opportunity presented itself, they took their revenge.  They faked Joseph’s death, to tell their father, and sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt. 

   Joseph’s faith, amazingly, was sustained.  He was enslaved and also imprisoned, but he never quit hoping, nor working hard.  Finally, by God’s grace, Joseph’s life turned around, until he was put in charge of all Egypt.  Told by God of a coming famine, Joseph built up great stores of grain, so that Egypt wouldn’t starve. 

   The famine that came also hit Canaan, where Jacob and his other sons and their families lived.  Jacob eventually sends the ten oldest brothers to Epypt to buy grain.  When they arrive, they don’t recognized Joseph, but they must come and bow down before him to beg for the right to buy grain.  Dream fulfilled! 

   Joseph struggles to react faithfully to his brothers return.  There’s a lot of fascinating back and forth, but in the end, as we heard in our Old Testament reading, Joseph finally reveals himself to his ten older brothers.  They are terrified, but Joseph shows mercy.  He is filled with forgiveness, and joy at the chance to rescue his father and his family.  Joseph welcomes his brother and tells him to bring his whole family into Egypt and he will take care of them by God‘s grace.

   Joseph knew that the mercy he had received from God meant that he should be merciful.  Joseph knew the promises God had made to his forebears, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, that God would protect and keep them, and eventually would send a Savior to rescue them from sin and death and every evil.  Joseph may not have understood every detail, but He trusted that God was forgiving and merciful.  So he was forgiving and merciful. 

   The reason that sin and death would be defeated, the foundation of the mercy and forgiveness that Joseph believed in, was and is the blood of Jesus.  In the Old Testament, in the New Testament, and today,  yesterday and today and forever, the foundation of God‘s mercy and forgiveness and the new life that He granted to those who he loves, this foundation is the blood of Jesus. 

   For Jesus is the Lamb of God who was slain before the foundation of the world.  God’s plan to rescue sinful humanity was already in place in God‘s mind and in God‘s heart before humanity was even created.  And now, today, Jesus is eternally ruling at the father‘s right hand.  Jesus sits on the throne of heaven, bearing the scars from which flow the forgiveness and mercy.  Christ is the enduring source of forgiveness and mercy that will never run out, and is then intended to be shared. This is the fruit of faith: that the love and mercy we receive flow to others. 

    There’s even more proof that Joseph understood God’s mercy and forgivieness, especially that “forgiven means forgiven, period, no take-backs.”  This comes near the end of Genesis, years later when their father Jacob died.  The ten older brothers worried that now that Dad was dead, he would take his revenge on them.  They concoct a story, that Jacob on his death bed had sent a message to Joseph, to not be angry and punish his brothers.  When the ten came to Joseph with this pitiful story, Joseph said to them:  do not be afraid.  What you meant for evil, God meant for good, that many would be saved from dying.  Do not worry, I will take care of you and your children.  Joseph had forgiveness for them, because he knew God’s love and mercy.  The brothers were reconciled. 

   Which brings us to what Jesus was talking about in the sermon on the plane in our Gospel reading this morning.  The most striking line of the sermon for me is when our Lord says: Be merciful as your father in heaven is merciful.  Jesus calls His followers to many things, to bear up under suffering for the Son of Man, to endure scorn, to love not just friends, but even enemies.  All of which flows from the mercy of the Father.  We are to do good to those who love us and we do good even to our enemies because our father in heaven was merciful to us by giving us Jesus when we were enemies to Him.  We cling to the promise of God‘s mercy because this is the source of our life.  And we know that God‘s mercy is greater than everything. God‘s mercy is greater than any earthly gift we could ever receive.  God‘s mercy is more powerful than any evil we could ever face.  And so we as children of the heavenly father seek to be merciful as the father is merciful to us. 

   Of course we know it is so hard to be merciful. It is easy to love those who love you, but so difficult to love someone sins against you.  When someone is cruel to you or to your loved ones, it is very hard to be merciful to them.  It’s hard to believe in mercy, especially when we know that the dark thoughts that are in our own hearts.  Indeed this call to be merciful as God the father is merciful is impossible for us. It is impossible for us because of our nature, the sinful nature we have all inherited.   

   It’s impossible for us to achieve this mercy, unless.  Unless we see again or for the very first time the revelation of the father‘s mercy in the death of Jesus.  All of history flows to the cross of Jesus, or flows from the cross of Jesus.  For it is there that all of God‘s anger against our sin has been used up, extinguished in the blood of Christ.  It is there that new life is revealed through the death of the only One who is perfectly holy. 

   It is very hard to live faithfully very hard to live mercifully.  And so we pray: O Lord, increase our faith! and he will the deeper we go into the mystery of cry of the cross, the more deeply we understand and receive the benefits that Christ won for us on His Cross.  The more we understand the profound divine love that was poured out on the cross, the more that this Gospel, this Good News will form you, the more it will give you a new heart.  The more it will give you the mind of Christ and the desire to love your neighbors.   The more it will lead you to live that life of faith that God calls you too.

   All this, I pray prepares us to finish this morning by talking about the massacre that happened about 10 days ago in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  As I said before the service, 50 Christians were taken out of their homes in a village in the Congo, gathered into the church where they worshiped. They weren’t even worshiping there anymore because they were too afraid of the Islamic militants, the Islamic terrorists, who had been threatening them and prosecuting them.  These Islamic murderers took these Christians into the church and killed them, they beheaded them. 

   This is horrifying.  Horrifying, and unimaginable for us, because we can hardly understand. We live such peaceful lives. We enjoy such freedom and protection.  Such persecution is hard to imagine.  But it is real.  Simply for trusting in Jesus, evil people hated them and murdered them.

   This is enraging to think about, that in this supposedly advanced age, the governments of the world don’t do something to stop such persecution of Christians.  And this is not all that rare.  Fifty souls in a day, that is rare.  But Christians, especially in Islamic countries, are persecuted every day, many unto death.  We should rightfully ask our representatives what our government is doing to protect Christians. 

   This is a call is the call for us as Christians to open our eyes.  We can and should love this life God has given us.  We can love this land that we are privileged to live in.  But we need to open our eyes and know that the reality around the world is not all the same.  We have Christian brothers and sisters who suffered for the name of Jesus.  They need our prayers, and our support.  This is a call for us to use our freedom to not be ashamed of the Gospel, but rather to use the freedom we have, free to speak of Christ and to tell his name to others and to love our neighbors and to seek they’re good.  And even to love our enemies. 

   This is also a call to celebrate.  This is hard to take, but we can celebrate this horror, in Christ.  To be sure to celebrate what happened in the Congo will be a tearful celebration, and otherworldly celebration. This is a repentant celebration.  And yet it is to be celebrated, that these Christians were willing to give up their lives instead of give up their faith.   It is to be celebrated that even in the face of such horror, God sustained those saints so that they would endure in the faith to the very end.  It is to be celebrated, because now they are in glory.  Now they are with Christ.  Now their souls await that last day when the final victory will be revealed. 

   Romans 1:16-17 is a good way for us to round this out.  For I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes the Jew first and also to the green For in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written: the righteous shall live by faith.     

   Those who are righteous by faith will live eternally.  And the Righteous will live by faith each day, depending on Christ, who is their righteousness.  And the Righteous will also live faith faithfully, they will live out the calling that God has given them as Christians in the world, to love their neighbors and to confess Christ to the nations. 

   All of this is true about you. All of this is true about you because you are connected to the Faithful One.   You are connected to Christ Jesus, who holds you up, who feeds you and reminds you of His love.  He moves you to love your neighbor and your enemies.  He moves you to speak His name to others. 

   And so rejoice and be glad, in good days and bad days.  No matter what comes, rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven,

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

 

Jesus Has Come, to Show Us True Reality - Sermon for February 16th

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
February 16^th, A+D 2025
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, SD
Jesus Has Come, to Show Us True Reality
Luke 6:17 - 26

 Sermon Audio Available HERE

LSB 533, Stanza 1:  
Jesus has come and brings pleasure eternal,
Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End.
Godhead, humanity, union supernal,
O great Redeemer you come as our friend!
Heaven and earth now proclaim this great wonder,
Jesus has come and brings pleasure eternal. 

   Gospel means Good News.  It doesn't get much more "Gospel-y" than that first stanza of this hymn.  Our hymnwriter,  Johann Ludwig Conrad Allendorf sings of the pure joy found in Jesus Christ, who is the beginning and end of all things.  God become a Man to be our friend.  Eternal pleasure.  Pure Good News. 

   Which is how our reading from Luke starts.  Pure joy, pure Good News, as all the sick and diseased were hurrying to Jesus.  All you had to do was touch Him and be healed, because power was just coming out from Him.  Can you imagine how excited the people were?  Power is flowing from Jesus, diseases are instantly gone, demons are chased away.  Good News.  Pure Gospel. 

   Which of course makes the words Jesus then preaches difficult to take.  Strangely, to us who are used to a world in which every advantage must be taken, every interesting thing must be leveraged for maximum influence and profit, Jesus doesn’t build on His miraculous power.  As He begins to preach, He doesn't celebrate the healing miracles He had performed.  Instead Jesus lifts His eyes to His disciples and paints a much darker picture.  Jesus speaks of joy, found in persecution.  Laughter, in the midst of weeping.  A rich kingdom in the midst of poverty. 

   Which is it going to be, Jesus?  Pure joy, as you bless and heal?  Or pure struggle, as we suffer and face problems?  His actions suggest pure joy, but Jesus' words describe struggle.  In stanza one of our hymn, Johann Ludwig has so far only extolled Jesus for who He is, which is all good.  Is our hymnwriter missing a necessary part of the story?  If he has it wrong, we will have to leave his hymn behind.  We better hear more of the song. 

Stanza 2
Jesus has come!  Now see bonds rent asunder!
Fetters of death now dissolve, disappear.
See him burst through with a voice as of thunder!
He sets us free from our guilt and our fear,
Lifts us from shame to the place of his honor.
Jesus has come!  Hear the roll of God's thunder!

    Still joyful.  But now the hymnwriter introduces conflict.  Victory is clear in this stanza, but it's a victory that entails defeating some truly negative things.  Chains of bondage, rent asunder.  Fetters, or cords, ropes of death, are suddenly dissolved.   Guilt.  Fear.  Shame.  All removed.   Still triumphant, but our hymnwriter introduces our earthly reality.  To be removed, guilt, fear and shame first have to be present in our lives.  Which they are. 

   If all we ever sang was the first stanza of this hymn, we would end up rejecting Jesus, because He is too perfect for us.  His glory and greatness are very different from what we see in our lives.  Sometimes life is great, but too often we face doubt, sorrow and pain. 

   If all we ever heard was how perfect Jesus is, our imperfection would drive us away from Him.  But our hymnwriter doesn't stop at one stanza.  He knows of human troubles.  In stanza two he speaks of our struggles, that are completely overcome by Jesus.  Even as his victory chant continues, Johann Ludwig does acknowledge the reality of our lives, that we are not always conquerors, going from success to success. 

     Jesus speaks of our earthly reality even more soberly.  Life for the disciples, for the Christian, says Jesus, will be difficult.  Poverty, hatred, tears and persecution are all to be expected.  Worse yet, the world appears to fare much better.  The world, suggests our Lord, will have riches, plentiful food, laughter. 

     Yet, says Jesus, to be a poor, hungry weeping disciple is to be blessed.  To be a rich, well-fed, laughing unbeliever is to be cursed.  Jesus turns everything upside down.  All the natural desires we have for our lives here on earth He declares to be curses, if they are apart from discipleship.  The things we naturally fear He declares to be blessings, if they are endured by a believer.  How can this be?  How can we possibly accept what He says?  Jesus is seeing something, is focused on something different than we see.  There's something hidden, a reality we can't easily discern. 

Stanza 3
Jesus has come as the mighty Redeemer. 
See now the threatening strong one disarmed!
Jesus breaks down all the walls of death's fortress,
Brings forth the pris'ners triumphant, unharmed. 
Satan you wicked one, own now your master!
Jesus has come! He the mighty Redeemer!

     Our hymnwriter writes his victory song, because he knows the whole story, the story of how Jesus won the victory.  Johann Ludwig celebrates this victory, and he understands over whom the victory has been won.  We see disease, discrimination, hatred, fear and suffering in the world, and sometimes in our lives.  These are bad, of course, but they are only symptoms of a bigger problem. 

   The true adversary we face is Satan.  His power over us is the reality that Jesus saw with great clarity as he spoke His blessings and woes.  Satan is real, and is our adversary, the strong one who seeks to hold us captive in chains of bondage and fetters of death.  Our accuser who points his finger at our sin and declares our guilt.  The one who raises our fear, and makes us ashamed.  The sin that infects our world, the sin that is also inside each one of us, all of this sin is what gives Satan power, power too great for us to overcome.  This contest is the backdrop to Jesus’ sermon.  To resist Satan in this life is to face sorrow.  To go along with Satan seems to make life easier.  That's the reality of the here and now.   

    Quite naturally, we tend to be most concerned with the here and now.  If we miss a meal, our hunger makes food our #1 priority.  If we get caught outside in sub-zero temperatures, we quickly become concerned, above all else, with finding warmth.  Our minds are typically occupied with our immediate situation.  Yesterday's bills.  Tomorrow's test, at school, or at the clinic.  Next week's work.  Maybe our longest term thinking has to do with next summer's vacation. 

   Some of you, the more farsighted among us, may be able to pat yourselves on the back because you have planned for your future, for retirement, for life as a seasoned citizen.  Your investment counselor applauds you for being farsighted. 

    Well, Jesus does care about your here and now, but His main focus is longer range, much longer.  Jesus looks a lot farther out; His sights are set on forever.  Forever and ever.  Eternity.  As Jesus describes the Christian life in terms of struggle, He speaks soberly of the here and now, of life as a battle between good and evil.  Jesus speaks this way because He knows that eternity will not be spent in a struggle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.  In eternity it's either one or the other. 

   In eternity God will separate Himself from all evil, from Satan and from all who are under his control.  Those with God will have pure joy, pure Gospel, pure victory, the first stanza of our hymn.  Those with Satan will have pure misery, total condemnation, eternal defeat.  The struggle over eternity happens now; the side you are on in this life determines the side you'll be on forever.   

   The reality Jesus sees and describes is sobering.  But Satan doesn't want you to catch on.  One of Satan's greatest weapons in our 21^st century world is the false but popular idea that he doesn't exist, that evil and sin and punishment are ideas dreamed up by the Church to control people.  Which goes right along with the false teaching that God, if He is good, would never really hold people accountable for the evil they do. 

   Jesus speaks as He does to shatter our illusions about this life, and the next one.  God is good, and heaven will be glorious.  But Satan, sin and death are also real.  God's goodness means that in the end He will not tolerate evil; He will not postpone His judgment forever.  Dealing with the reality that Jesus describes is not easy.  Jesus says it may bring hatred and scorn, it may bring weeping and poverty.  Reality is hard to live with, but living in a false reality is to die.  And not just physically.  Missing the reality Jesus is trying to teach us about will lead us to die spiritually, to be counted in the kingdom of Satan, to be in bondage to the evil one.    

   It's necessary to recognize reality, that’s the starting point.  But our recognition does not change reality.  Knowing that you are a sinner, and cannot free yourself from your sinful condition is true and necessary.  But this knowledge, this confession, does not set you free. 

   Thankfully, Jesus did more than just teach about the reality of sin.  He improved the reality of the here and now for many people, by healing diseases, feeding the hungry and casting out demons.  But that wasn't enough.  We need more.  We can learn to see the reality of our world, but we can't break free from our bondage.  We can be cured of a disease, but the fetters of death are still coming.  We want to reject evil, but we can't even stop ourselves from falling back into sin.  We continually give Satan new ammunition to use to accuse us. 

   Jesus has come. Since this was our condition, Jesus has come and has attacked the real problem.  He disarmed the threatening strong one, our enemy, the Devil.  Jesus broke down the walls of Satan's fortress.  Not with an army, not with any weapons of war.  Jesus defeated death with death, a unique and dreadful death, His own death on a Roman cross.  Jesus freed us from Satan's power by offering Himself in exchange.  A ransom.  Jesus' death in exchange for the death we deserve.  Jesus' suffering in exchange for the suffering we have earned.  

    And Satan took the deal.  He couldn't resist the chance to lash out at God, to inflict pain on the only begotten Son of the Father, to see the Father's judgment fall on Jesus.  Which is how Satan's lost His power.  Jesus is stronger than all the punishment Satan could offer. He received and quenched all the fire of God’s judgment against every sinful man, woman and child of all time.  There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Because Jesus suffered and died, in our place.

   And, thanks be to God, death could not hold Him.  The fetters of death dissolved, disappeared, on the Third Day.  Jesus rose, forever the victor over death and Satan. 

Stanza 4
Jesus has come as the King of all glory!
Heaven and earth, oh, declare his great pow'r,
Capturing hearts with the heavenly story.
Welcome him now in this fast-fleeting hour!
Ponder his love! Take the crown he has for you!
Jesus has come! He, the King of all glory!

    Jesus came, and brought the truth about reality.  The reality we can't overcome, the reality that sin and misery are naturally part of this world, part of our lives.  We could not escape, we could not overcome.  So Jesus overcame it all, for us.  He conquered sin and death, and brought victory by rising to new life. 

   And now He comes to bring us into His new reality.  As the King of glory, Jesus has the authority to grant a share in His new life to sinners like you and me.  And so He does. Jesus gives forgiveness and new life to anyone who hears and believes that Jesus did it all, for us.  Jesus continues to capture hearts with the heavenly story, creating faith with the power of the Gospel.  Ponder His love, revealed in the story of His life; love and power, splashed over you in Baptismal waters, hidden for you under plain bread and wine. 

   Being a follower of Jesus makes this life better, in many ways.  Knowing the truth about Jesus and His love gives you peace, and teaches you wisdom, for living today without fear.  Receiving the forgiving love of Jesus empowers you and me to forgive and love others.  Life as a Christian is not without problems, indeed sometimes it seems that Christians suffer the most.  But Christians suffer with Jesus, in Jesus, because Jesus has suffered for them, and He never abandons His own.   

   Life is better as a follower of Jesus.  Ponder His love, and Jesus will not only rescue you,   He will also make you a part of His ongoing work.  Jesus captures hearts through the telling of His story, the heavenly story which He tells through His Church.  Jesus works through you, His people, His disciples, to reach the next person on His list.  Ponder His love, focus more closely on what God has done for you in Jesus, and you will get a front row seat to the ongoing adventure of His rescue mission.  Ponder His love, take the gifts He has for you, and Jesus will change you and shape you and move you, to be a voice for Him in this here and now world. 

   Jesus has come, and He has a crown for you, laid up in heaven, perfectly sized for your head.  Knowing this promise, focusing on this bright future that Jesus gives to us today, now we have joy even when we have sorrow.  Now we can laugh, even when we must cry.  Now we have honor, even when the world despises us.  We have honor, because we have Jesus.  Blessed are you when these things happen to you on account of Jesus, for great is your reward, in heaven with Jesus, who reigns with the Father and the Spirit, one God, your God, who has loved and continues to love you, perfectly, forever and ever,  Amen.    

God Comes to a Sinner - Sermon for the 5th Sunday after Epiphany

God Comes to a Sinner                         
Luke 5:1-11, Isaiah 6:1 - 13
5^th Sunday after Epiphany
February 9^th, A+D 2025
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer 
Lutheran Churches
Hill City and Custer, SD

Audio of the Sermon available HERE

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

     We gather in the Holy, Holy, Holy Name of God.  The Father, Son and Holy Spirit gathers us together as He also comes to us.  We are gathered by Almighty God, in His Holy Name, gathered to be blessed by Him. 

     There are a number of necessary steps in the process, but in His essence, this is the Mission of God: to come and to dwell with His beloved, to be present with His people, and to bless them.  Luke provides us with many individual examples of this Mission of God, both in his Gospel and in the Book of Acts.  Today in our readings from Luke and Isaiah we have two foundational examples of God’s Mission, Peter’s call, and Isaiah’s call. 

   We are not all the same, and certainly we are not Peter or Isaiah.  Helpfully, Luke and the rest of Scripture give examples of God’s Mission to many different kinds of people.  We can all find ourselves in these stories.  So, as we gather, as God comes to us, as God continues His mission to our fallen world, it is good for us to ask:  “Who am I in God’s Mission, today?” 

     When Isaiah is taken into the presence of God, the prophet confesses that he is lost, a man undone.  A man of unclean lips, from a people of unclean lips.  A man unworthy to see the LORD.                   

     Peter realizes through the miraculous catch of fish that the man standing in his boat, this Jesus from Nazareth, is God.  Finding himself standing before the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, now present in human flesh, Peter falls down before Jesus, and confesses that he is a sinner.  He begs Jesus to go away from him, because Peter also knows that he is unworthy to be with God. 

     The pattern is the same in each:  God and a sinner come face to face.  The sinner is confronted with God’s holiness, His absolute perfection, glory and purity.  The sinner realizes that he, because of his sin, cannot safely be in the presence of God. The sinner is desperate, confessing his sinfulness and the justice of God’s condemnation. “Woe is me,” cries Isaiah.  “Depart from me, Lord!” pleads Peter.  

    Then comes the wonderful surprise.  God speaks and enacts His mercy.  Mercy for the sinner, instead of judgment and destruction.  God sends an angel to take a burning coal with tongs, (this part always gets me, the flaming angel needs tongs to take the coal from the heavenly altar), and then he touches it to Isaiah’s unclean lips.  The Seraphim speaks words from the heart of God: Your guilt is taken away, your sins are atoned for.        

     Jesus likewise enacts the gracious love of God: Do not be afraid  Peter, from now on, you will catch men.  Then the Lord sends these forgiven sinners, Isaiah and Peter, each to his place, into a new calling, a new life of service, according to God’s gracious will.

     Newly forgiven, absolved of their sins, Isaiah and Peter were both called to preach, both called into the vocation of public ministry, of being an official spokesman for the Almighty.  Not every sinner confronted by the presence of God is called into this particular vocation.  But every time God comes to a sinner, every time the Lord reveals His Holiness and enacts His mercy, the call is, in its essence, the same. 

     God comes to a sinner.  Consider another example from Luke, chapter 8, one of my favorites.  Do you remember the story of the man from Gerasene who was possessed by demons, so many demons that their name was Legion?  This call is different, but still the same.  The man from Gerasene is possessed.  He is beyond rational conversation.  Sin and evil have completely taken over this man’s life.  But still God comes to a sinner.  Sin is confronted, in this case the demons called Legion are confronted.  Mercy is enacted for the man through Jesus’ word to the demons, His command to go out of the man. 

   Then Jesus sends the forgiven one, the healed man, to his place.  The Gerasene begs to follow Jesus, to perhaps enter into the public ministry.  But Jesus has other plans.  He does not call the man from Gerasene to be a public preacher like Peter.  No, rather Jesus sends him home to tell everyone he knows all that God has done for him. 

   By God’s grace, you are like the man from Gerasene. 

     What, you don’t want to be compared to an exorcised demoniac, a formerly demon possessed person?  As strange as it sounds, it is good to be compared to the man from Gerasene, once possessed by demons, but now set free by Jesus.  Rejoice in this comparison, for Luke offers other examples, examples which you do not want to imitate. 

     Consider Luke, chapter 18, and the story of the rich ruler.  The pattern begins the same:  God comes to a sinner.  But this sinner doesn’t recognize God.  This rich ruler calls Jesus “good,” without realizing Jesus is God.  Jesus points this out when He responds: “Why do you call Me good?  No one is good except God alone.”  This sinner thinks Jesus has wisdom, but he doesn’t recognize that God has come to him, and even worse, he doesn’t recognize his own sin.  For the rich ruler asks, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"   This man thinks in terms of what he must do to earn heaven.

     Jesus does not speak or enact His mercy for this man, a man so sure of his ability to earn eternal life.  Instead, Jesus gives him an even more specific law, impossible for the man to keep.  “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and then come, follow Me. But when (the ruler)  had heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich.”

     Who are you today, as we gather, and God comes to us?  Now, you made it through Confession and Absolution, so you probably aren’t like the rich ruler?  Or maybe you did come here today to learn what you must do to inherit eternal life?  

    Or perhaps, like a Pharisee, you come here to thank God that you are not like others, not a tax collector, not an adulterer, not a thief?  Perhaps you come here today to remind God that you come to church, and lead a decent life, and are a good citizen.  

     Have you forgotten that the Almighty, the Holy, Holy, Holy LORD, is present to meet you here today?  If you miss or ignore the presence of God, if you deny your sin and your need for mercy, Jesus will not be your Savior.  If you think you have done what it takes to meet God’s standard, then you don’t need a savior.  If you do think this way, then there is nothing for you here, except the chance to sing your own praises.  If you come here today because you want to do what is necessary to inherit eternal life, then go, be perfect.  Go, and never sin again.  Not at all.  If you really think you can do what it takes, then go.  Go, and sin no more. 

     When you realize that you can’t, come back.  For God will come to you with mercy when you realize that you will never be able to accomplish what God requires.  Jesus will speak and enact His mercy for you when you confess that God alone is good.   

     Well, since no one has gotten up and left, I will assume that you know you are a sinner, and that you cannot free yourself from your sinful condition.  You confess your need for a savior.  Good. 

     Who are you today, as God comes to you, a sinner?  Are you like Peter, a fisherman who smelled bad because of his work?  Do you or did you make a living in a tough business, one which tempts you to cut corners, cheat your customers, or your boss?  Are you making a living in a world shot full of sin, and you know that the you are not untouched by the foul smell of the world in which you work?  Or maybe you make an honest living, more or less, but your family, your other responsibilities, perhaps they suffer because the alluring smell of money takes you away from them, more and more?   

     Are you like Isaiah, living among a people who claim to believe in the true God, but who continually worship other gods as well?  Sounds a lot like America, no?  Do you give in to the temptation to serve other gods, gods of pleasure, and comfort, gods of money and popularity?  Does daily idolatry make your lips unclean?   

     Or maybe you are like the man from Gerasene, if not possessed, at least oppressed by demons.  What, you don’t see any demons in the world?  What about alcohol and drug abuse, which kill young and old, and destroy families, and make grown men and women, and also children, into slaves, slaves to chemicals?  What about gambling addiction, when people neglect the needs of their family, community and church, and instead give up their hard earned money for the thrill of winning big, if not this time, then the next.  What are all the evils which enslave people in this world, if not demonic projects?  Demons may not reveal themselves very often today, but who do we think is ultimately behind the evil of our world?   

     Who are you?  Don’t try to hide, God sees all things.  The Lord is here, your sin cannot stand.  Repent, for your sin is an abomination in God’s presence.  Turn from your sin, and hear again this good news: 

     Jesus has taken your sin to His cross, to His personal altar of self-sacrifice, where He atoned for the sins of the whole world, once for all.  You cannot do what it takes to inherit eternal life, but Jesus has won this inheritance, for you.  By His blood, it is yours.  Isaiah’s unclean lips, and yours, were made clean as Jesus said from the cross: “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”  Peter’s constant striving to have things his way, his unwillingness to sacrifice for others, the stink of his pride and selfishness, and yours, is covered in the blood of Jesus.  For He gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, a fragrant aroma of mercy and peace.  The demons of the Gerasene man, and the demons of your life, are powerless over you in Christ, for on His cross Jesus crushed Satan’s head, destroying his power forever. 

     Know the sin in your life for what it is.  Sin is an abomination which threatens your life with God.  Flee from it, run away, do not sit in your sins.  Through whatever sins plague you, Satan with his legion of demons is trying to steal you from God.  Satan is trying to make you love your sins, and so forget about Christ.  Or, when that fails, Satan will try to make you believe your sins are too big for God to forgive. 

      Flee from your sin, and from these lies of Satan.  Flee to the only place of refuge.  And here we find the best surprise for believing sinners, a joyful surprise for you, and for me.  We sinners who have been joined to Christ by Baptismal faith can always flee into the presence of God.  We always have access to the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, through the blood of Christ.  Flee to Jesus, and hear him declare again:  “Your sins are forgiven.”  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed your transgressions from you.  

     Your sins are forgiven, and now the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will use you, as He continues His mission.  The words Jesus spoke to the man from Gerasene apply to all of us:  Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you.   We all have a place where we can speak, a home, a church, a job, a community, places where we are privileged through word and deed to proclaim what Jesus has done for us.  This too, is the Mission of God. 

     God calls some people to serve directly and primarily in the church, as a pastor, or as a musician, a missionary, or a teacher.  Every Christian is also called to contribute in various ways, large and small, to the life and ministry of their congregation.  The Lord also calls all His children to be a Christian in the world, an aroma of mercy and peace in your daily life. 

   What is God calling you to do?  Do not be afraid, what God calls you to do He will also equip you to do.  And you know how He equips you: through His Word.  In your Bible, you have the Source of peace and confidence for Christian living, the living Word of God, which will keep you in hard times, and make your joys ever sweeter.  However much of God’s Word you and I receive in our daily lives, we can all almost certainly use more. 

     How do we know where and how we are to serve?  Well, service starts in vocation, in the callings, the relationships into which God has placed you: spouse, family, congregation, neighborhood, and beyond.  It also takes time to discern, time spent growing in God’s Word and looking around with the eyes of Christ.  The question of whether God may be calling you to serve in a particular way may receive a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, or a ‘not yet’ answer.  It is God’s mission, after all, and He will conduct it as He wills. 

   But the starting place, and the ending place, of God’s Mission to our fallen world is not in doubt.  God, who baptized you into His Name, will continue to come to you, to confront you and forgive you in His presence.  Through His Word, read, sung, and preached, and remembered when you are at home all alone, God is with you.  Through His Body and Blood, these holiest of holy things, which you take into your own body, God is with you.  You receive Christ by mouth, and through your ears, and so you are always in His presence, for He is always with you. 

     Entering into the presence of God will continue to be difficult for us, as long as we are sinners, living in this fallen world.  Each and every time our sin must be dealt with, and that hurts.  But do not be afraid, because your sin is dealt with.  Your sin, and my sin, all sin, has been dealt with, already, at Calvary.  In Christ we can with complete confidence enter the presence of the Holy, Holy, Holy LORD, to receive all His blessings. 

     Who are you?  In Jesus the answer is sure.  In Christ you are a forgiven sinner, a beloved child, an inheritor of all the blessings of heaven,

     in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.