Grace Alone - Sermon for Septuagesima Sunday

Septuagesima Sunday, February 1st, A+D 2026
Our Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Hill City, South Dakota
By Grace Alone, St. Matthew 20:1-16

   It's not about you ... it's for you. Salvation is not about you, it is about Christ, for you, in His perfect grace. 

   The three Sundays before Ash Wednesday, which are named with those strange Latin words Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima, are Sundays whose readings offer us an opportunity to review the three Solas of the Reformation, Grace Alone, Faith Alone and Scripture Alone.  Today, we focus on the Good News that salvation is by God’s grace alone.

   The salvation of sinners comes only by the grace of God. It is an act and a gift that flows from God’s generous character.  A pure gift, simply because God loves to give.  He desires to bless and save.  It is not about us, it is for us.  Salvation comes from the Lord, from outside of us.  It is not related to how good we are, or what we deserve.  God in Christ has done all that is necessary to rescue us from the punishment and suffering we deserve for being sinners, and for committing sins.  The Gospel, the message of this Good News, is God’s tool for delivering that blood bought forgiveness.  Your sins are forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. 

   How do we react to the message of salvation by grace alone?  Grace alone should give us joy and happiness, it should lift our spirits, set our minds free from worry, make us look to the future with confidence.  Rejoice!  The salvation of God is not about you, it is for you, pure grace.

   By Grace alone, Christ for you, is good news, the very best. But, as we see in the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard…, and in all our readings today…, and in many stories of the Bible ..., and in our daily lives..., sinners like you and me are not always eager to receive the pure grace of God with joy.

      Rescued by God from slavery in Egypt through great miracles, delivered from the most powerful empire of their day, the Israelites, following Moses toward the Promised Land, all too quickly began to complain in the desert, about the food, the heat, the dust…

      The combination of the Renaissance and the Reformation has, over the last five centuries, led us into a remarkable world.  The plain and pure teaching of the Bible, the spread of literacy, the rediscovery of ancient wisdom that led to great technical advances, and the expansion of the rule of law have combined to enable us to live better than any medieval king could even imagine. 

    All these blessings notwithstanding, Western culture soon became too smart for God, and has been turning its back on the Lord ever since.  The richer and more comfortable we get, the less faithful we have become.        Today digital technology improves our lives in countless ways.  But, it has become like a drug to us, a mindless addiction which leads us to ignore and neglect our friends and families, and sometimes leads us to fall into terrible depravity.

     Today, we have faithful translations of the Bible in almost every language.  Bibles are available at very low or no cost at all.  Do we take advantage of this blessing?  Or, do we treat the Word of God as a trifle?  Do we instead give our attention to sensational news and cheap titillation?  Are our eyes filled with Christ and His Word, or are they glued to screens full of false images and frivolous videos?

     We receive so many magnificent gifts, freely, by God’s grace alone.  Nevertheless, we are all too prone to reject the Giver of all good things.  Invited to work in the vineyard of the Lord, we complain about our salary, and look around for better offers.

   In this we see that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man, the master of a household, a father who ran a family vineyard.  He went out in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.  In our parable, being hired as a worker in the vineyard is to be accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven, equivalent to being received into the family of God.  That is, in this parable, being hired is the gift of salvation, a rock-solid promise of a present and future home with God, a promise spoken and backed up by the generous Master. 

     These workers are not sent into the vineyard to earn their place.  The Master’s invitation guarantees they now belong to the family.  They have work to do, yes, because that’s what the Master has prepared for them.  Just as Adam was placed into the Garden of Eden and told to tend it, the workers’ place under the Master’s care is secure. 

     So also for us; when we were baptized and brought into God’s family, we received every gracious gift from God our Father.  He held nothing back, not even His only begotten Son.  Certainly there is still work for us Christians to do in this world, and we do not yet fully perceive all the glory of God’s kingdom.  Nevertheless, the watery promises of God guarantee our status as His beloved children, today, and forever and ever.

     The Scriptures present and explain God’s act of salvation in various ways: as resurrection from the dead,… as rebirth,… as a cleansing,… as a cure for illness,… and as being declared righteous, not guilty, fully pardoned by the Judge in His courtroom. 

      Today, we see salvation presented as the hiring of a worker.  And so it isn’t hard to see how we might be tempted, with this particular metaphor, to mix in our works as part of the cause of salvation.  But, as the rest of the Bible teaches, the good works of the Christian are the product of receiving salvation, not a cause of salvation.  Indeed, the Prophet Isaiah declares in chapter 26 that even our works are a gift from God: Lord, You will establish peace for us, Since You have also performed for us all our works.   And St. Paul writes to the Ephesians: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not 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, that we should walk in them. 

      Our salvation flows from God’s grace, it is His accomplishment, for us.  Neither the quantity nor the quality of our works causes our salvation.  Look at our parable today:  It’s obvious that the Master is not at all concerned with how much or how well his new workers perform, he just wants them in His vineyard.  “Twelve hours, six hours, one hour, it doesn’t matter, just stop standing idly around, and come in to my vineyard, where I promise to treat you well, forever.” 

    Yes, once we are made members of the Kingdom of Heaven, we still have good works to do. But these works flow from being a member of the family; they don’t bring us into or keep us in the family. The first workers hired in the parable misunderstood this, and demanded more salary for having worked more hours.  Like them, when we focus on our works, we are imagining again that salvation is about us. 

   Salvation is not about us; it's about God, for us. The Master is not concerned about receiving enough work from his workers to justify their wages.  No, he is only concerned with having more and more workers.  The Master doesn’t need your productivity, He simply wants to include you in His family business.  The Father is full of grace and generosity, and wants to share His wealth, His goods, His fruit, even His own life, with as many people as possible.  By grace alone, without any merit or worthiness in me.  Notice that the Master didn’t interview the workers, there was no skills evaluation, no probationary period.  Being hired, being brought into the vineyard by the Father of the Family, this is salvation.  And, it is a free gift. 

      We are surprised, I think, that working more or less hours in the vineyard does not raise or lower a worker’s salary or status.  In the Master’s generosity, he wants to pay the last ones hired the same as the first ones.  He wants to be more than generous and bless everyone equally.  How good and kind!

   What do you think of this business model?  Doesn’t this seem like a crazy way to run a vineyard?  Won’t this business fail if the boss continues to pay the same for one hour’s work as he does for 6, 9 or 12 hours?  Yes, of course this is true, in this world.  If the vineyard in our parable were simply an earthly business, it would be headed to failure.  But the parable is not about an earthly business.  Jesus is teaching us about the Kingdom of Heaven.

   You might protest that the Master’s business model is unfair, that those who work more, deserve more.  This is the way of the world, and it is true; without this principle of fairness, life in this world does not work very well.  And so the early workers grumble and ask: "Why do we not receive more, when we have worked all day, and these last ones have done almost nothing?"

   Our fallen, sin-stained minds tend to think this way.  Be careful with this attitude.  Because you really do not want to receive your just reward, do you?  Do you really want God to deal with you based on the true value of your works, every thought, word and deed measured by His Law?  If everything were laid bare, how faithful and good would our work appear?   

   The privilege of working in the vineyard of the Lord belongs to every Christian, within our various vocations, within our different roles, as parents, children, teachers, students, workers, employers, government officials, you name it.  As we go about our regular lives, God is preparing good works, for us to walk in. 

   May the Holy Spirit remind us every day that working in God’s vineyard is a privilege, that we by our own strength and goodness have never earned the grace and love of God.  If we believe that it is by our works that we have rights in God’s family, or that the Father is unfair to share his love with other sinners, then our faith is wrong, false, ungrateful.  Such an attitude reflects a faith in ourselves, not true faith in God.  Heavenly Father protect us, so this false idea never enters our hearts and minds!

   Unfortunately, more often than we care to confess, this is how we are. The sinner that remains in each of us does not want to be saved by grace alone, because we want our own prestige, honor and validity.   Even worse, from time to time we get angry when we see other sinners graciously receiving undeserved and unearned blessings from the Lord.  In these moments, the questions of the Master of the vineyard are also for us: Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?  Take what belongs to you, and go.  The thought of being cast out of the vineyard because of ingratitude and selfishness is terrifying.  Lord, protect us from such folly!

   It is a sin leading to unbelief for us to deny God’s grace and demand to be rewarded according to our works.  And so, Jesus teaches us this parable.  Even more, Jesus went on to bear the guilt of all our sins, including the sin of grumbling ungratefulness, burying them all in the suffering of His Cross.  From the divine love poured out on the world at Calvary there flows a remedy for all sin, even our ingratitude and selfishness.

   We should work cheerfully and not grumble that others seemingly do less in God’s kingdom than we do.  We should rejoice when the Lord’s radical grace draws another sinner into the vineyard at the last hour.  Christian life is meant to be a continual celebration of God’s generosity, so that we rejoice when grace comes to others, just as God has delivered it to us. 

     If you find yourself thinking like the early workers, repent.  Stop grumbling, and confess your sins of ingratitude and self-righteousness.  Repent, and hear this Good News:  Your sin of ingratitude is also covered by the blood of Jesus.  Even when we grumble and complain against God, even if we sin seventy times seven times per day, we can still return to Him, repenting, confessing our sins, trusting in the promise that He is faithful and just, and will forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.. This is the character of God the Father, revealed in Jesus Christ.  This is the Good News that we are truly saved by Grace Alone.

     This radical “by Grace Alone” salvation message is at the heart of everything in the Christian Church.  Or at least, it should be.  We see, through 2,000 years of Christian history, that the astonishing Good News of salvation by grace alone can all too quickly and easily be buried under teaching that sounds Biblical, but in reality is false, a lie of Satan.  

     This morning, we rejoice in the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, which corrects our error, and reminds us of the pure joy we receive, simply by being invited to work in the Lord’s great salvation project, for the good of our family, friends and neighbors. 

     Speaking of our family, friends and neighbors, how many of us know at least one person who is standing around idle in the marketplace of life, without God?  Do we all know someone who has not heard, or has forgotten, the Master’s invitation to come and rejoice with all the other “workers” that God has chosen?  Of course we do.  Could we be part of God’s hiring initiative?  Yes.

    There are many ways for God’s people to be involved in His Mission.  Parents teaching Bible stories to their children, helping out a neighbor in need, supporting overseas missions, deepening our Biblical knowledge so we are actually ready to give the reason for the hope that we have, all of these and more.  Another simple thing we can do is just invite.  We shouldn’t be pushy, we don’t need to answer every question.  We can invite, to a Sunday service, to a Bible Study, or to meet your pastor for coffee.  Pray to the Holy Spirit to show you how to invite, and then, with humility and peace, invite.  Simply invite, and leave the results in the Holy Spirit’s hands.  When God hires another worker for His vineyard, the angels in heaven will rejoice, and so will we. 

   In this life, despite our grumbling, we can always return to the Father, asking for the blessing of being sent once again into His vineyard. When we return home, the Father, full of grace and love, in the Name and for the sake of Jesus, gives us His best wine, the fruit of the Cross, the Cup of Salvation.  Drinking the fruit of God’s vineyard, our sins are erased, our status as members of the Family is sure, and we will also receive the will to work cheerfully in the Vineyard, announcing to all that the Lord wants to hire them also,

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

Glory to Share – God’s Glorious Love for Human Life - Sermon for the Transfiguration of Our + Lord

Transfiguration of Our + Lord
January 25^th, A+D 2026
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches
Glory to Share – God’s Glorious Love for Human Life.   
Matthew 17:1-9, 2^nd Peter 1:16 – 21

Audio of the sermon available HERE.

    Glory!  Last Monday evening, Indiana University completed the greatest ever turnaround of a major college football program, going from a perennial doormat to an undefeated season and the national title in just two years. 

     As they celebrated, do you think the Indiana Hoosiers shared any of their glory with University of Miami, the team they beat for the title? 

   Glory.  There are just four NFL teams left, vying to win Super Bowl LX, the Seattle Seahawks, L.A. Rams, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots.  Will the three teams who are not crowned champion in a couple weeks still get to glory in the fact they did better than almost all the other NFL teams?  Not really.  To the victor go the spoils, in sports for sure.  The champions usually say some nice words about the rivals they defeated, but all the focus is on their victory celebration, their storied place in history.  Scenes from the losers’ locker room are typically only shown on T.V. if there are outbursts of raw emotion, lockers being punched or grown men reduced to tears, which serve, by contrast, to heighten the glory of the victors.   

   Glory.  Earthly glory in our popular culture is very much a winner-take-all affair, or at least, that’s how we portray it in the media, and around the table or through our screens, when sports fans or political junkies gather to talk about their favorites.  And here’s the weird thing: our ideas about earthly glory are both in-line with the truth about heavenly glory, and they also contradict God’s glorious ways.  Understanding the complex truth about God, His glory, and how we relate to it is challenging.  Understanding God’s way of glory is both frightening, and comforting. 

   January 22^nd was last Thursday.  Christians in the United States continue to focus on the Sanctity of Human Life on the Sunday closest to this date of the now-reversed Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, which in 1973 legalized abortion throughout our land.  The fight for life is not over.  It will not be over until Jesus returns visibly, to end all injustice, wipe away all our tears, and usher His children into eternal life. 

   Glory.  On this combined Transfiguration and Life Sunday, we can consider glory, and grow in our understanding and commitment to God’s love for life.  Because an important feature of God’s love for life is His desire to share His glory with every human being.  Only God is truly glorious, and from eternity He has always wanted to share His glory, with you, and with every other person ever conceived.        

   Glory.  Heavenly glory is winner-take-all, and God is the winner.  Soli Deo Gloria, to God alone be glory, is true.  Anyone who, like Satan, proudly rejects this Truth will be cast into the outer darkness, forever.  God alone is glorious in Himself, and His unveiled glory is confusing and frightening.  At the Transfiguration, Jesus let a portion of His divine glory show through His human body, and Peter, James and John were scared witless.  Peter’s proposal, that he and the Sons of Thunder should make three tents, one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, reflects Peter’s frightened befuddlement.  The light of heaven is shining forth from Jesus’ physical body, and Peter thinks He needs a tent to hang out in?  The three disciples’ fear turned into terror when a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him. 

   Glory.  Why is even a limited revelation of God’s glory so frightening to behold?  Because in His glory, every aspect of the Lord’s being and character are fully visible.  God’s glory is not merely a brighter and more intense light than any of us have ever seen.  It is that, and much more.  God’s glory reveals the Almighty.  All power, all the energy of the entire universe, flows from God’s glory. 

   During the liberation of Kuwait, I had the opportunity to walk towards one of the burning oil wells the Iraqi’s lit off as they withdrew before the advancing Marines.  I estimated that I still about 100 yards away when I was forced to stop, because the heat was too intense to go closer.  It was really hot.  But, compared to the unveiled glory of God, that burning oil well would be like a single candle or a burning match. 

   Glory.  God’s glory also reveals His omniscience, His perfect knowledge of every thing and of every person.  The majesty of God sees right through you and me, and that is a problem, because God in His glory also reveals His purity, His sinlessness, His perfect holiness, which will destroy and cast out every being tainted with sin. 

    Every man and woman ever given a partial glimpse of God’s glory is rightly frightened, because our un-glory, our weakness and sin, make the Lord of Glory a threat to us.  For we in our foolishness again and again exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for an image, perhaps made like corruptible man - or a bird, or an animal or a bug, or we worship the image of bank account balances, or earthly prestige, or a thousand other good gifts, which we turn into idols. (Romans 1:18-23)  As Martin Luther said, “Anything on which your heart relies and depends, I say, that is really your God.”  [LC , First Part: The Ten Commandments]

   Glory.  God’s glory is way too much for us sinners to handle.  And yet, we are created by God with an innate desire for His glory.  Even someone who has never heard that there is a God, if such a person exists, is still wired to seek glory.  Usually we substitute a pale, contrived version of glory, and pour our energy into pursuing these fake copies.  And yet, we are created with a desire, and a need, for true glory. 

   This is because all life flows from the Glory of God.  There is no life without God.  In mercy and hope, then, so that human life might continue, the Lord has put up protective barriers, clouds and curtains and other veils, to shield us from His glory, and so keep mankind alive until salvation is complete.  And so we see that God in His glory also reveals His mercy, His love.  Despite our rebellion against Him, the Lord still wants to share His glory with us.  With all people.  Because God loves human life.  We are, despite our sinfulness, His favorites.  

   Glory.  The whole arc of God’s Word to us is a narrative of this mystery, this tension, that God in His glorious holiness hates sin, and yet still seeks to have people with Him in the fullness of His glory, forever.  The man and the woman in the Garden, before the Fall into sin, basked in a glorious paradise, and were growing toward the fullness of glory the LORD had planned for them.  But they made the first cursed exchange, trading the glory of God for the serpent’s lie, who said there was greater glory to be found in knowing good and evil, greater than trusting in the LORD of Glory.  The rest of the Bible, indeed, the rest of history reveals God’s plan and work to bring us sinners safely back into His glory. 

   Glory.  The life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth is the high point of the arc of God’s Word, and also its low point.  The mercy and mystery of God’s glory-restoration plan is revealed in the humble Teacher from Nazareth who visibly walked the dusty paths of Judea 2,000 years ago. 

   Powerful, wise and holy, God’s eternal Son revealed to Peter, James and John that the glory of heaven was hidden inside His physical body.  Amazing, frightening, awesome Good News!  And yet, Jesus strictly charges these three not to share this Good News “until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 

   Glory.  As we discussed last week from Matthew chapter 16, the understanding and presuppositions of Peter and the Twelve had already been dealt a blow when Jesus predicted His suffering and death at the hands of the Jewish priests and scribes.  Just before, Peter had been enjoying the high praise he received after he confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God.  Glorious! 

    But, when Peter then rejected the Word of the Cross, “this will never happen to you. Lord,” Jesus then rebuked Peter, calling him ‘Satan.’  Jesus warned that anyone who denied the Cross, anyone who refused to pick up their own cross and follow Him, would be cut off from God. 

   Glory.  Now, in chapter 17, up on the mountaintop, fully convinced that all the glory of heaven dwelled withing the flesh of Jesus, Peter, James and John are again forced to balance this wonderful knowledge with the promise of Jesus that He was going to be killed.  For, “as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."”

   Jesus’ command helps us see that the purpose of bringing these three up on the Mount of Transfiguration was to make sure that they would rightly understand Who would be hanging on that Roman cross outside Jerusalem.  Because, contrary to appearances and despite what we naturally expect, the greatest glory ever revealed in this sin-stained creation was the death of the Man who is also God. 

   Glory.  The true glory of God is revealed in the scandalous, heart-breaking death of Jesus.  You see, God’s glory, His great desire, is to show mercy.  God is love, and so the highest act of love is His majesty, is His greatest glory.  And this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and gave His life as a ransom for many.  Whoever loves his life in this world will lose it, but whoever loses his life for the sake of this Gospel will preserve his life forever.  

   Glory.  Jesus hated His life in this world, even allowing it to be taken from Him.  Jesus was willing to die, in love and obedience to His Father, and in love and mercy toward you.  He has laid down His life, and taken it up again, so that, by His forgiveness, He can share His glorious resurrected life with sinners, like you and me.  This is the Glory of the Cross.  This is the glory that the Father wants to share with all people, no matter where they are in life. 

   An infant, developing in the womb?  A target for God’s merciful glory.  A baby, being washed with water and the Word?  The highest public display of heavenly glory in this world, glory hidden under a simple and common rite.  A family, doing their best to look like they have it all together, but in reality wrestling with all kinds of challenges?  Our imperfect families are God’s plan-A location for sharing His glory with sinners.  An old man, a poor man, a scruffy guy who might make you cross the street or hold tight to your possessions?  He may frighten you and me.  But he is no less a soul that God wants to bless, by uniting him with His glorious Son. 

   Glory.  What does God’s Cross-shaped glory mean for us?  For our lives?  Everything, really, but for this morning, let’s just talk about a few things.  First of all, even though our Synod is named Missouri, we know that “show me” is not the way for Christians to live.  St. Peter in his second letter wrote about that glorious moment, when, with James and John, he saw Jesus transfigured, shining bright like the sun, Moses and Elijah by His side.  Glorious.  Nevertheless, Peter is clear: Marveling about what Peter saw is not the best way to stay connected to God. 

   The world works that way: talk is cheap, seeing is believing.  But, in the glorious plan of God for our salvation, heavenly power and glory are often hidden under humble things, like mere words.  Peter recalls the Transfiguration, but then proclaims that we have something even better, more sure, “the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ^[20] knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.  ^[21] For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  

    Glory.  In the Word of the Holy Scriptures, in the Old and New Testaments, we have the very voice of God, and not just one time on a mountaintop, that we can never get to.  No we have God’s living Word whenever and wherever we want to read it or hear it.  We have in our Bibles the powerful, creative, world-sustaining, always-pointing-to-Jesus, faith-creating, wisdom-teaching voice of Christ, empowered by the Spirit, the unstoppable engine that gives life to the Church.    

   Glory.  From God’s Word we learn that in this life we will always desire glory.  We have two desires for glory, actually.  We have the righteous desire to bask in God’s merciful glory.  And, sadly, the unrighteous, sinful desire to find glory in ourselves and our accomplishments still clings to us.  Both of these desires for glory will be a part of who we are as Christians, as sinner-saints, as long as we live in this fallen world. 

   So, when glorious good things come your way, put God’s Wisdom to work.  Remember from Whom and how God’s true glory comes to us: from Christ Jesus and through the proclamation of His Truth.  Be wise as you deal with the glorious things of this world, like wealth, beauty, success, intelligence, or popularity.  Receive them and share them as good gifts from God.  But do not let them infatuate you; do not make them into idols.  Do not let them get between you and the Source of all glory, which is Christ, crucified and resurrected, for you. 

   Glory.  If earthly glory leads you astray, repent.  Turn from the ways of men and see the Way of God, revealed in the face of Christ.  Repent, and remember, God’s glory is hidden under seemingly unglorious things, like a Cross, and an old book.   

   Glory.  God wants to share the glory of Christ Jesus with everyone.  This is another way to say, God believes in the sanctity of every human life.  And so, we too love life.  We, as redeemed children of God, love babies, and families, (warts and all).  We love the elderly, and the down and out.  No one is outside God’s desire to share His glory, and so we seek to extend His sharing, through acts of mercy, and most of all, through speaking the Good News of Jesus.   

   Glory.  True glory only comes one way, the Way of Jesus, who came down from the shining mountaintop to enter the dark valley of death that would lead Him to Calvary.  And because He was glorified on that Cross, we, in and through Christ, look forward to the glory of heaven, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.       

A Waiter, Matchmaker and Wedding Planner for Christ - Sermon for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany

The Confession of St. Peter 
   and the 2^nd Sunday after Epiphany
January 18^th, A+D 2026
A Waiter, Matchmaker and Wedding Planner for Christ
John 2:1-11, Mark 8:27 – 35, Ephesians 5:22-33

Audio of the Sermon available HERE. 

   In the Name of Jesus, our Heavenly Bridegroom. 

   How do we conceive of the pastoral office?  How did St. Peter understand the ministry into which he was called?  How does Christ want the ministry He has given to His Church to be understood and conducted? 

    During our time as Lutheran missionaries in Spain, we knew a young man, for convenience sake we’ll pretend his name was Mario.  Mario joined our Sevilla congregation.  He had been studying at a Roman Catholic seminary to be a priest, but midway through he became convinced that the theology of the Reformation was correct.  After a time of searching, he found and joined our congregation, after studying with us and confessing the faith of Scripture, as taught in Luther’s Small Catechism. 

    Mario was interested in becoming a Lutheran pastor from the start.  Although we had a two-year membership requirement before any man could begin formally studying to become a pastor, we were happy to have Mario help out in many ways, for example, preparing for and cleaning up after services.  This was a great way to get to know him better, and let him learn more about the Lutheran way, that is to say, the Biblical way of being and doing Church. 

    Now, from April through October the weather in Sevilla, Spain varies from warm to scorching hot.  So I almost exclusively wore my “Panama” style clerical shirts, short sleeved and square at the bottom, not to be tucked in, allowing a bit more air flow, a bit cooler.  Black shoes, black lightweight dress pants, black short-sleeved “Panama” clerical shirt, my chosen pastor clothes fit the basic expectation of Spanish culture for clergy garb, and also kept me from melting in the Andalusian sun.  I could have worn a suit jacket, or any number of complicated, fancy clerical accessories.  But not me.  I treasure my right to bare arms, after all. 

    Now, one Sunday morning, Mario and I were setting up for service, and, feeling comfortable with me, I guess, Mario asked me why I didn’t dress up more, try to look fancier, wear more impressive clerical accessories.  I really didn’t know what to say, and so my reaction was basically a blank stare, I think.  I only remember that Mario pressed his point with the following:  “I mean, you’re the Bishop of the Spanish Lutheran Church, but you dress like a camarero, like a waiter in a restaurant.” 

    Mario thought my clothing made me look like a Spanish waiter.  I thought for a moment, and replied, “You’re right, I do look like a waiter.  And that’s o.k., because in many ways, that’s what I do!” 

    Mario did not like my response.  He had a certain image of what a clergyman was, from his Roman Catholic and Spanish upbringing.  Many Spaniards, especially from the left side of the political spectrum, quite despise Christian clergy.  But, in the mind of a faithful Catholic Spaniard, which Mario had been, a priest, and especially a bishop, is an important, upper class person.  And so, he should dress and act the part.  The bishop should have people serving him, and wear expensive and impressive clothes.  Mario’s conception of the ministry would prove to be a problem.  While he did pursue ordination, in the end, he was not pursuing the reality of pastoral ministry in a Lutheran mission congregation.  It didn’t work out for him; he never became one of our pastors. 

    So now Karla Efird knows why we have this photo on the bulletin cover.  She was very confused last Thursday, and I wouldn’t tell her why we were using this picture.  I have to do something to make sure she comes to church.  The funniest part is, this young man on our bulletins, modeling an all black waiter uniform for an online store, actually looks quite a bit like Mario. 

   No earthly analogy of Biblical realities works perfectly.  But thinking of a pastor as a waiter is a good one.  The congregation gathers, hungry for the bread of life.  I wonder what the main dish will be today, something from Luke, Matthew, John?  The pastor waits on the gathered guests, delivering the life-giving food of Word and Sacrament, helping to insure each “diner” receives the good meal of the Gospel that they need for spiritual health, for eternal life. 

    In fact, I once heard South Dakota native LCMS preacher Wally Schultz, long time Lutheran Hour Speaker and editor of the “Good News” magazine, speak about preachers as waiters.  He said, “When I go to the restaurant, I don’t much care what the waiter looks like, how eloquent he is, how fancy he’s dressed.  I just want the steak he delivers to be good.”  In the case of a pastor-waiter, the steak Wally referred to is God’s Word, His soul-saving message of Law and Gospel, served to God’s people through Word, Water, Wheat and Wine. 

    St. Peter had a lot of ups and downs in his itinerant seminary training.  The Gospel for celebrating his correct confession of Jesus as the Christ is a great example.  Jesus asks the Twelve who they say that He is.  Peter rightly identifies Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, the new king, the Son of David, sent to save Israel.  Who else could do the mighty miracles Jesus did?  Who else would be able to explain the Word of Moses and the Prophets so clearly? 

    Peter confesses Jesus to be the Christ of God.  But then things fall apart quickly, because Peter’s idea of what Christ and His Mission were all about was totally wrong.  Peter was up, but then he fell down.    

    Matthew’s version of the same event adds details that show Peter’s high was actually even higher than St. Mark describes.  Jesus asked who His disciples said He was, and Peter answered:  “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.  (Matthew 16)    

     It is hard to imagine higher praise than what Jesus said to Peter.  He must have been exhilarated, flying very high.  Which made what followed devastating.  For Jesus “began to teach them that the Son of Man (that is Jesus favorite way of referring to Himself) the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³² And he said this plainly.  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  This always amazes me.  Peter knows who Jesus is, and yet still thinks he should correct Jesus, that he should rebuke the Son of God! 

    But he did it.  Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes Him.   And here it comes, for then “turning and seeing his disciples, [Jesus] rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 

    Mario’s misconception of Christian ministry led him to correct and almost mock his bishop about his clothes.  But at least Mario didn’t rebuke the Son of God. 

    Poor Peter simply couldn’t conceive that the promised Messiah, the Christ of God, come to save His people, would be rejected by the Jewish elite and be killed. 

    It seems from the rest of the Gospels that the prophecy of the Cross always filled the disciples’ ears to overflowing, so they couldn’t hear “and after three days rise again.”  The thought of Jesus dying, of allowing Himself to be executed, was unthinkable, too terrible.  That cannot be what God would want, could it?  The disciples never could understand, let alone rejoice, in the Resurrection, until they saw Jesus, still bearing His scars, standing before them, risen from the dead.     

    To reject the very idea of the Cross, as understandable as it is, is Satanic.  It is to set our minds on the things of man, and not the things of God, and that is where the Devil wants us to focus.  God’s Way is not our way, his thoughts and plans are impenetrable to us, until the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, our hearts, our minds, to perceive that God’s strange Way is the Way of Life.  The only Way.  The Way that leads to and flows from the Cross of Calvary.  Without the Cross, the ministers of the church cannot loose sins, that is to say, without Jesus’ death, there is no forgiveness for the Church to proclaim.      

    There are lots of useful ways to conceive of Christ’s Church and the vocation of pastor, as well as the vocation of every Christian within God’s mission.  All good comparisons for understanding the reality of  pastors and congregations always keep Christ and His Cross at the center.  The Cross must be central, because it was and is the only Way for God to achieve His goal, which is to save sinners and have them living with Him in glory, forever.  A clear understanding of Christ’s Gospel will always focus on delivering this strange Good News to the people the Holy Spirit gathers. 

    To serve with the Cruciform Gospel is always the heart of a pastor’s calling.  If the suffering and Cross of Jesus and the forgiveness they bring to repentant sinners is not clearly at the center of what your pastor says and does, then you, dear Christian, owe it to him, your fellow members, and to yourself to ask why.  Someone needs to gently, or not so gently, help such a wandering pastor get back on the right path.  Because if a pastor will not stick to the Way of ministry that Jesus established, he is not serving the cause of God.  God’s people are being neglected, and sooner or later, such a ministry will end in ruin.      

    Another earthly vocation that is helpful in describing the pastoral office is that of a flight attendant.  In fact, both flight attendants and pastors are also called ‘stewards.’  Set aside for a moment that flight attendants are both men and women, while Christ has restricted the Office of the Holy Ministry just to men.  Just think about what the flight attendants do, and don’t do.  They are on a journey through the air with the people on the plane.  Flight attendants don’t fly the plane, the pilots do that.  The captain is upfront, unseen.  The attendants communicate from the pilots to the people, and they serve the people, both helping them with needs, feeding them, showing them the right way, and also directing them, to keep them safe.  “Seatbelts please.”  “Sir, I need you to sit down.” 

    There is even a liturgical connection between the work of flight attendants and pastors.  As flight attendants serve the passengers, on behalf of the pilot, they face the people, who always face forward.  If the attendants need to go to the pilot with some concern of the passengers, then they face forward, and head up to speak to the pilots on behalf of the people. 

    Liturgically, pastors follow a similar pattern.  The pastor and people are together in a vessel, traveling through time, to eternity.  The pastor is not piloting the Church; God the Holy Spirit and His two divine co-pilots have that honor.  Our Captain is unseen, but truly present.  The pastor, steward of God’s mysteries, attends to the passengers, the people who sit in rows, of pews.  On behalf of the Pilot, the Captain, the pastor serves.  When the pastor speaks to the people, on behalf of God, in the readings, the sermon, the blessings, he faces the congregation.  When the pastor speaks to God on behalf of the people, as in the prayers, he faces the front, toward our heavenly Pilot. 

   One more comparison: the pastor as matchmaker and wedding planner.  Which brings us to one of my favorite passages, the Wedding at Cana.  Marriage is God’s institution, given to mankind for our benefit, and also to fill God’s kingdom with souls.  If Adam and Eve had not sinned, growing the church would have simply meant having babies, and raising them.  Without sin, our first parents, and all their descendants, would have naturally raised their babies to know and trust God, and rejoice in His love.  There would have been no other Way. 

    But Satan slithered into the first marriage and destroyed God’s good creation, opening up the way to perdition.  The evil one successfully tempted the man and the woman to leave God’s Way, and follow him into darkness.  Curses and sadness followed.  But also, right away, God promised the Seed of the Woman would come.  All was not lost. 

    As Paul describes in Ephesians 5, Jesus has come to restore marriage.  He is the Seed of the woman, and the New Adam, the Good Bridegroom, who does all that is necessary, even giving His own life, to win back His bride, the Church.  Since the Creation, and also in His re-Creation project, marriage is important to the Christ.  So, Jesus attends the wedding at Cana, and goes out of His way to bless the newlyweds, just because His mother Mary asked. 

    Notice how our Lord works this earthly blessing through servants, ‘deacons’ in the original.  Deacons who have been given wonderful advice by Mary, in her last words recorded in the Bible:  Do whatever [Jesus] tells you.  The wedding party is saved, the newlyweds are spared embarrassment on their special day, and Jesus’ wedding-crashing disciples believe in Him.  The Twelve learn that this Teacher from Nazareth has miraculous power, starting Peter on the way to his great confession. 

    God loves marriage.  He created it as the means by which He would fill His heaven with saints.  And marriage is still essential, to life, and to Christian mission.  So, the pastor’s job has a bit of matchmaking involved.  Pastors sometimes literally play matchmaker, trying to connect single Christian men with single Christian women, for their good, the good of the Church, and for the joy of God.  This is not central to the pastor’s role, but it happens.  Pastors also support and teach about marriage, seeking to help the couples in his congregation to protect, build-up and rejoice in the marriages into which God has called them. 

    But even more essentially, pastors, serving God’s people and reaching out to unbelievers, are trying to cement a match between Christ and one more soul, who by faith becomes and lives as a member of His Body, as part of His Bride.  And the Divine Service is very much a wedding party, a celebration of the Bridegroom’s sacrificial proposal, a rehearsal for the celestial wedding reception, even offering a foretaste of that heavenly feast to come.  The very best wine possible is served here, best not because it’s Mogen David, but because, by the power of the Bridegroom’s Word, spoken over the bread and wine on the night He was betrayed, the wine we drink here is truly the blood of Christ, shed for the forgiveness of all our sins. 

    Jesus called Peter ‘Satan’ for denying the Cross.  The future Apostle’s expectation and understanding of Christ and His mission were all wrong, demonic even.  So that Peter could serve Christ’s mission for the rest his life, he had to be corrected, changed, and aligned with the shocking and life-giving reality of the Cross.  God is faithful; He completed this work in Peter.  And He is bringing this saving work to completion in you, for the great joy of having you with Him forever and ever in glory. 

    It is my great privilege to wait on your table, to help you find your seat in God’s airplane, and to oversee the joyful details of this wedding banquet rehearsal.  Together, having our conception of Christ and His salvation constantly renewed, we journey together to meet face to face with our Pilot and Captain, the Giver of the Feast, the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who reigns on high with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever, Amen.