Christian Confidence

First Sunday in Lent
February 22^nd, Year of Our + Lord 2026
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches
Hill City and Custer, South Dakota
Christian Confidence - Matthew 4:1-11, Hebrews 4:14-16, 1 Samuel 17:40-51

 Audio of the Sermon can be found HERE.  

In the Name of the Son of David, our Confident Champion. 

    Confidence.   A mighty fortress is our God, a sword and shield victorious!  And so, we Christians are called by God to live with confidence.  I think that almost all of us have room for growth in our Christian confidence.  I certainly do.  Every time I hear how my original namesake, David the son of Jesse, broke into the public consciousness of Israel, I marvel at that young man’s confidence.  He’s a kid, maybe 15 years-old, going up against a seasoned champion, the greatest warrior of Israel’s greatest enemy.  Oh, and Goliath also happens to be a giant.  “No worries, I’ve got this,” young David asserts.  “In fact, I don’t need anything but my slingshot, and a stone.  The Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, will take care of the rest.”  Confidence!

    None of us are called to slay Goliath.  The Thursday Men’s breakfast (at Our Redeemer) does not need to add slingshot practice after their weekly feast of fats.  Slaying the giant was David’s calling.  He was special, chosen and empowered by God, to kill Goliath, and to do much more for God, and for His nation, Israel. 

    We don’t have to fight Goliath.  But all of us are called to Christian confidence.  It’s all over the book of Hebrews.  Today we are exhorted to hold fast to our confession, the clear statement of the teaching of Christ, and we are called to pray to God, to approach the throne of grace in time of need, with confidence.  Confidently trust in the Word of God, and, then as dear children, pray confidently to our dear Father, through Christ Jesus, our Great High Priest in the heavens. 

    Pray with confidence.  Worship God with confidence, drawing near to the Holy of Holies that the Lord makes available to us here, and everywhere that His people gather around His Word and His Altar.  The New Testament is filled with calls to confident Christian living.  Even more, there are many examples, confident heroes of the faith who bore witness to the truth of God in their daily life, proclaiming God, His power and His promises, plainly, and with assurance. 

    Confidently the saints of God turn away from the way of the world when it demands us to go against what we know is true, the truth of Christ that sets us free.  Jesus sets us free from fear, and free to live confidently.   

    Be a confident Christian.  That’s easy enough to say.  But, at least speaking broadly, we have to recognize that the Christian Church has lost a lot of confidence in recent decades.  Sometimes it has been easier for us Christians to display our assurance.  Down in the basement at Trinity Lutheran in Sidney, Montana, my first call, there are picture boards with confirmation classes going back to nearly the founding.  For the years after WWII, these boards include astounding adult confirmation classes, multiple photos of 40 and 50 adults, packed into the chancel to be photographed, all received into membership on the same Sunday.  Richland County was growing, and folks were flocking to the Church.  The Sidney Herald published Sunday School attendance numbers of the various churches every week, fomenting what I hope was a friendly competition between congregations.  Across America, the Christian Church was ascendant.  I assume individual Christians found it relatively easy to live confidently. 

   So much has changed.  The weeds were already sprouting earlier in the 20^th century, but in the 1960s, and every decade since, popular culture and the heights of academia openly turned against the Church, and especially Biblical Christianity.  Of course, if a particular Christian, or a church or denomination was willing to abandon their confession and adopt the values and morals of the world, then the culture would extend them a little credibility, for a while.  But faithfulness to God’s plain Word became decidedly unpopular with all the “best” people.  Church membership and church attendance have been in steady decline for many decades.  Today, it is decidedly not cool to be a Christian in popular American society.  Public expressions of Biblical morals or faith in Christ went from common and uncontroversial 50 years ago to now being loudly rejected, and even attacked as hateful.  Our context for displaying Christian confidence is increasingly difficult.     

    But, should that matter?  Perhaps broadly as Church, our confidence has declined because of our loss of prestige with the dominant culture.  But, should our confidence depend on the what the world thinks or says or does?  No, of course not, we all know this.  Christ the Son of God, resurrected from the dead and reigning over all things, He is our confidence.  We are called to pray, worship, confess the faith, and live with confidence, because of the Good News of Jesus.  We are confident, because in Jesus Christ we are forgiven our sins and so are at peace with God, today, and forever and ever. 

    Our recent American history might make this seem strange to us, but across the last 2,000 years, the times when faithful, Biblical Christianity was popular with the world are pretty rare.  In so far as the Church in America began to or continues to depend on worldly approval for our confidence, we must repent.  Faithful, Biblical Christian confidence only flows from God’s Word, which reveals God’s love for us in Christ, and teaches us what wise, confident Christian living looks like.      

    And what does Scripture teach us about Christian confidence?  Are we to be combative, like young David, boldly facing down Goliath?  Well, maybe, sometimes, if and when the Lord calls us to face a clear enemy.  When called upon to defend the faith, we certainly need not be shy.  We shouldn’t apologize or speak tentatively.  The Truth of God deserves our best, most confident delivery. 

    We do need to remember that, while the Old Testament Church of God was the Kingdom of Israel, and so had a literal army and fought wars, at God’s direction, the Church of the resurrected Christ is not a nation state.  Our sword is of the Spirit, the Word of God.  We are in a struggle, but not against flesh and blood, [rather, we fight] against the rulers, against the powers, against the worldly forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  (Ephesians 6)  Slingshots, tanks and guns will do us no good against Satan and his demons.

    Generally speaking, our confidence should not lead us to be combative, but rather calm and clear.  The examples of confidence in the New Testament are mostly related to believers plainly speaking God’s truth with assurance, to everyone, friend and foe, no matter the consequences. 

    Peter and the other Apostles astounded the Jewish Sanhedrin when they testified before them.  Their defense of the faith was confident and eloquent, despite the fact that none of the Twelve had received higher education. (Acts 4)  Jesus spoke to His disciples plainly, confidently, and directly about His coming suffering and crucifixion. (Mark 8)  Paul prayed that the Spirit would give him utterance, so that he would proclaim the Gospel boldly, with confidence, as he should. (Ephesians 6)

    We are rightly impressed by the calm courage of so many Saints, and of course, most especially by the courage of the Holy One, Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary.  We want to see such courage displayed among us, Christians saying and doing great, Godly things, out of a proper confidence.  But to see this, we must all remember our confidence is not found in our courage, not found in our hearts, not in our strength.  Coaches routinely exhort athletes to look inside themselves and dig deep for the strength to compete, and win.  And that’s fine for sports, and lots of other earthly pursuits.  But not for confident Christian living. 

    Looking inside ourselves is an important part of Christian life.  But, what happens when we look inside?  Will we find nothing but strength and resolve to walk in God’s Way and make the good confession in our words and deeds?  No.  At our very best, we see in ourselves a mixed bag, a desire to live with Christian confidence, yes.  And right alongside, we will also see weakness, a damnable tendency to fall back into spiritual laziness, to pursue sin, and not righteousness.  It is important for us to look inside, to daily examine our motivations, our desires.  This is the first step in the daily drowning the Old Adam who remains in each of us. 

    But let us not be fooled into thinking that our self-examination and resolve to do better will by themselves lead to consistent and confident Christian living.  No, we examine ourselves primarily to be reminded to look outside ourselves, to repent of our sinful weakness and fix our eyes once again on our true Confidence, on Jesus, who lived and died and rose again, not merely to show us the Way, but to be the Way, for us.  Only when our hearts are focused on Jesus can the New Man arise to live in righteousness.   

    And then yes, we pursue confident Christian living, because we are victors, we are champions.  By extension.  By imputation, to use a 25-cent theological term.  Everything that Jesus is and has done is imputed, it is reckoned or counted by the Father as belonging to us, when the eyes of our hearts are trustingly fixed on Christ.  In Him, by the imputation of His righteousness to us, we are victorious.  We are greater champions than young David was 3,000 years ago, as he held up Goliath’s head and proclaimed the victory of God.  In Christ alone, the exalted Son of David, we have perfect confidence.

       When we struggle to live with assurance, when we fail to recognize the true shape of Christian confidence, David, and especially Jesus, guide us on the Way.  When he volunteered to fight Goliath, David was accused of arrogance by his older brother, but the lad’s confidence was clearly in the Lord, not in himself.  He calls out to Goliath, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.  Godly confidence. 

    Even more Jesus shows us what Godly confidence looks like.  After going without food for 40 days, Jesus faces the Devil.  This was the first step on His path of reversing the failure of Adam in the Garden, and all our failures that have followed.  Adam and the Woman sought food that was not given to them, worshiped the deceitful lie of the Serpent, and put the Lord God to the test.  Jesus rejects all these temptations, and not simply by His personal inner strength, although Jesus certainly could have relied on His own strength.  Even more easily than David defeated Goliath, the eternal Son of God could have destroyed Satan in an instant, just with His Holy presence. 

    But such a victory would not have helped us.  To save us, Jesus needed to destroy Satan through suffering, suffering in our place, to wash our guilt away.  But wait, there’s more.  To help us in our Christian walk on this side of heaven, Jesus’ way of rejecting the Devil also shows us how we are to do the same.  Jesus laid aside His power, and defeated Satan’s temptations using the Truth of the Word of Scripture.  “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (That’s from Deuteronomy 8.)  “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”  (That’s Deut. 6)  “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” (Deut. chapter 6 & chapter 10.) 

   Jesus shows us that Godly, Christian confidence is lived out by knowing well and applying God’s Word, in the face of whatever temptation comes our way.  Christian confidence is lived out in and through the Word, the instruction and the promises of God. 

    This insight is helpful for us when we examine our lives.  When we live in contradiction to God’s Word, when wasteful, sinful, worldly habits gain a place in our daily lives, then it is no surprise that our confidence wavers.  The charge that we Christians are hypocrites is a favorite weapon of Satan and the world.  The question for us is, “How much ammunition are we providing our accusers?” 

   Examining our thoughts, words and actions honestly in the light of God’s truth will help us turn around, to repent, and to pursue the holy living God wants and expects in all of us.  Clearly, we do not base our confidence in our holiness.  But, when by prayer and meditation we properly seek more holiness in our lives, we will, in this very pursuit, be more often and more intimately in contact with the Word of the Lord, the living, active, powerful, two edged sword of the Spirit.  And the Holy Spirit, through His Word, will be changing and shaping us.  We never make our lives our confidence; we never put our faith in ourselves.  Still, as we pursue God’s righteousness, God’s Way, we can expect to see, as a bonus, more good and less bad happening in our lives, today, and tomorrow.  Our confidence is in the forgiving love of Jesus.  But, is also nice when we have to deal with fewer self-inflicted wounds, less consequence of sin in our daily lives. 

    To raise confident children, parents need to love them, in word and deed.  If parents don’t tell and show their children their love, then regardless of what they may claim, they are not truly loving them.  Children need their parents loving words and actions.  Babies’ brains will literally be damaged, they will not develop correctly, if they are not held and talked to and cared for.  Loved.  Parents should never assume that their children know they are loved.   

    God is your Father.  He is the heavenly Good Parent, and He loves you.  He has loved you, and He seeks to love you, in Word and Deed, every day.  Every good and perfect gift you have received came down to you from the Father of lights.  And your heavenly Father talks to you, through His Word.  If we like rebellious teenagers shut our ears to God’s voice, if we do not hear Him, if we do not respond in prayer to Him, using both His Word and also words from our hearts, then our confidence will fail.

    And so today is a good day for us.  For God is speaking Words of wisdom and love, He is showering us with gifts, here, today.  And we rejoice to respond with our thanks and praise, often quoting back to God what He has first said to us.  Forgiven, strengthened, reminded of and strengthened by His Truth, our Father sends us forth, to live with confidence, in and through our Champion, Jesus the Son of David, who has completely defeated all our enemies, for us.  Amen.   

 

Faith Alone - Eyes to Trust in Christ Crucified and Resurrected - Sermon for Quinquagesima

Quinquagesima, the Fiftieth Day 
before the Resurrection
February 15^th, A+D 2020
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s 
Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, SD
Faith Alone – 
Eyes to Trust in Christ 
Crucified and Resurrected
Luke 18:31-43

Audio of the sermon available HERE.

   You gotta believe.  It is absolutely necessary to have faith.  But, it is difficult to believe, at least, it is difficult to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation.

   For three weeks, during these oddly named “Gesima” Sundays, we have been considering the three instrumental “Solas” of Christian faith, the three “Alones.”  Salvation is in Christ Alone, as we sang in our opening hymn.  The three Solas, the three truths that bring us to Christ Alone are these: salvation is given to us by God’s Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, based on and empowered by Scripture, or God’s Word, Alone.

   We have considered Grace Alone, that we are saved because God is gracious to us, He favors us.  Salvation comes to us as a Gift, worked entirely by God, because His nature, His character, is generous and loving, even towards sinners like us.  Last Sunday we explored Scripture Alone, that God’s Word is both the authority from which all the teaching of Christ is received, and also the means, the chosen instrument through which God works salvation.  By His Word Alone, the Holy Spirit recreates hearts, changing sinners from rebellion and opposition to God to thankful agreement and obedience to Him. 

   Today we come to Faith Alone, which rejects the lie that by our own good works we can and must earn, in whole or in part, our own salvation.  No, only faith in Christ saves, not our works.  Faith Alone also teaches us that saving faith is a very particular faith, faith in just one Man who lived an entirely unique life, in order to gain salvation, for us.  We are saved from eternal rejection by God and punishment for our sins not by anything we do, but when we trust in who Jesus of Nazareth is, and what He has done to forgive our sins and restore our relationship with God.    

   Everyone believes something, about life and death, about our relationship to God, or some higher power, be it Mother Earth, or Reason, or Allah.  But to be saved, you gotta believe in the suffering, death and rising of God’s eternal Son, Jesus.  There are as many variations of false faith as there are souls who do not trust in Christ Alone.  But, just about all of these have in common the same lie, the lie that says, to some degree, a good life and a positive destiny after we die depend on us humans, on our efforts, on us doing enough good things.  Faith alone rejects all of that, and points people to Jesus of Nazareth, who has done all things well, for us.    

   Salvation is in Christ Alone.  Nevertheless, despite traveling and living and learning from Jesus for years, at the beginning of today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus’ twelve chosen disciples, His most intimate followers, could not believe. Even though these future Apostles, the foundation stones of the Christian Church, had heard the Gospel directly from the mouth of God made man, the incarnate Christ, they could not believe it.

   Jesus declares Good News to them: "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be finished.   “For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. ^[33] And after whipping him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise." ^[34] But they understood none of these things.”   The good news of the Resurrection was hidden from their eyes.  They were blinded by the horror that Jesus declared would come first, and so the Twelve could not comprehend the Good News on the other side of the Cross.  They certainly could not place their hope and trust in this strange prediction.  They could not see their own salvation.

   On the other hand, blind Bartimaeus believes in Jesus without reservation. We know this man’s name from St. Mark's version of the same encounter, and we learn to sing and pray the Kyrie, "Lord have mercy on me!” from this blind beggar’s relentless plea to Jesus.  Bartimaeus did not follow Jesus; following an itinerant preacher was impossible for him.  No, instead, six days a week, he either walked, by memory, or was led, by a friend, on the route from his home to his begging spot.  Still, by God’s grace, Bartimaeus believed Jesus of Nazareth was the Savior. 

   Faith comes by hearing, so somehow Bartimaeus had heard and believed that this wandering teacher, this man, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary and, supposedly, of Joseph the carpenter, was truly the Son of David, the anointed Savior the Lord God had been promising for thousands of years.  Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was the Messiah, or the Christ, that One special Descendant of the great King David, the Servant whom the Lord God had promised would restore Israel, and rule over all the nations, forever.  The Holy Spirit had sent His Word about Jesus to Bartimaeus, opening his eyes to the fact that the Messiah, the Savior of Israel, was Jesus of Nazareth.  So, when Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, no one could stop him from crying out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

   Thus, we begin to learn the particular content of salvation by Faith Alone, which God in His grace has revealed to us through the Word of Scripture. You gotta have faith, but not just any faith.  Certainly not a faith that is merely a self-generated emotion with which we try to motivate ourselves, like the faith in victory ginned up at a High School pep rally.  No, Christian faith is received, it is a gift, and it has an object: saving faith trusts in a particular story of a particular Man, Jesus of Nazareth.  The soul that trusts in this Man, who is also God, receives countless blessings from its object, from the One in whom it believes.  For Jesus Christ is the Source of all good things. 

   The faith of Bartimaeus still needs to grow.  Like the Apostles and all of us, he needs to see Jesus suffer, die, and rise again.  But, even though he is blind, that day in Jericho, Bartimaeus was looking in the perfect direction: the eyes of his heart were fixed on Jesus, who was only days away from His suffering. 

   The Spirit’s work of conversion in Bartimaeus reminds me a bit of cataract surgery.  My brother James and several members of our congregations have had cataract surgery recently, in which a surgeon removes the cloudy, damaged lenses that block the eyes’ ability to see, and replaces them with new ones, which allow the patient to see more clearly.  Our fallen nature is like a lens that distorts our faith.  We may be led to see God as a taskmaster, who only and ever demands more and more from us.  Or perhaps our bad faith lenses lead us to believe in a made-up God, or to deny Him altogether.  But then, by His powerful Word, the surgeon Spirit cuts out our bad lenses, and gives the eyes of our hearts new ones, lenses of true faith that allow us to see in Christ Jesus the grace, mercy and love of God, and to trust in Him alone.   

   The Twelve should have believed Jesus' prediction about His Cross and Resurrection.  They had seen and heard so much in their time with Jesus, astounding miracles, teaching with authority, remarkable compassion displayed again and again.  They should have recognized that everything their Master said was right and good, even if it seemed strange, or horrible.  They should have believed.  But they just couldn't see it.

 

   Bartimaeus, the blind man, completely dependent on the generosity of others, reduced to begging to survive, unable to physically see the great works of the Lord, was blessed in his humility.  The Spirit opened the eyes of his heart to see, to trust, to believe in Jesus, and to rejoice that his Savior was passing by. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus granted his request: "Recover your sight; your faith has saved you."

   The crowd was rightly astonished by this visible miracle, praising God that Jesus restored the blind beggar’s sight.  Still, as impressive as this was, the crowd missed the greater miracle, the miracle that saves:  Bartimaeus believed that the man Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of David and the Son of God, who came down from heaven, to save sinners.

   So… what about us?  Are we like Bartimaeus, or are we more like the Twelve, or the crowd?  We, who in our sinful nature still believe the apple seems good to eat, despite the Lord's warning that it is poisonous, how do we see things?  We would certainly be amazed to see a blind man suddenly regain 20/20 vision!  Something so spectacular would greatly strengthen our faith, or so we think.  But what about hearing our friend and teacher describe the horrific and shameful details of His imminent death?  Even now, 2,000 years after the Resurrection, words about the Cross make us uncomfortable.  Even worse, hearing about Jesus’ suffering reminds us of our sin, our guilt.  Please, we so often say, let's change the subject.  Let’s not talk about the crucifixion.  Please.

   Jesus of Nazareth can work miracles today, wherever and whenever He wills.  But miracles that move physical mountains will cease; they are not eternal.  More importantly, such miracles cannot save.  Instead of focusing on the hope of seeing an amazing, visible miracle, the Bible instructs us to focus on love, which is to say, first of all, to fix our eyes on Jesus.  Fix your eyes on Jesus, who endured the Cross, despising the shame, because there on Calvary we see the greatest display of love, ever.  For this reason, Sacred Scripture teaches us to proclaim the Lord's death, until He comes, for the sake of our own souls, and for the life of the world.

   The Cross must be our center.  But, it is hard to focus on the Cross, for the Cross of Jesus reveals our guilt.  Very few people claim to be perfect, but by our nature we like to think we are pretty good people.  The Cross reveals a different reality: the seriousness of human sin, our sin, is so great that the Cross was necessary to pay the debt we owe.  This is hard for us to take, and so we naturally tend to minimize it.  We avoid talking about it.  But to ignore the Cross creates a big problem: apart from Christ, crucified and resurrected, we cannot receive the love of God.  Without the Cross, we have no eternal hope.  The joy of the Resurrection can only come after the darkness of Good Friday.

   True, enduring, saving faith knows that the greatest miracle of all is the love poured out from the Body of Jesus, hanging in shame on a Roman cross.  We are fools if we ignore or distort this strange but good news.  When we make comfort and pleasure in this life our highest good, we begin to lose connection to the only Savior.  When we seek visible and spectacular miracles instead of focusing our eyes on the Suffering Servant, we hurt ourselves.  When we trust in human institutions or political leaders, when anything takes our eyes off of Jesus, our faith loses its Object, the Power from which it lives.  Starved of Christ crucified and resurrected, our faith will begin to wither.  Lord have mercy, do not let this happen to us!

   It is necessary for us to wrestle with the truth of the Crucifixion of Jesus.  But, as you wrestle, never forget this: hidden under the guilt and shame, the main message of the Cross is God's eternal love for sinners, love which sets you free from guilt and shame.  Your sins are forgiven, in Christ Alone. 

   Jesus willingly suffered all, out of love for His Father, and out of love for you.  Separated from this mystery of God's love, a cross is only a sign of death, and nothing more.  But when we proclaim with confidence that the death of Jesus is the revelation of God's love, and the source of eternal life, then a cross, even a crucifix, reminds us that Calvary Hill was the true place of mercy, the true throne of God, where our salvation was guaranteed, once and for all.

   Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, should be our guide, because he cried out to the man Jesus, desperately, perhaps, but also with confidence.  “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,” is a phrase that the Lord always loves to hear, because He has mercy.  Jesus has mercy, forgiveness and love, more than enough, for every sinner, no matter how long or how far from God we may have wandered.

   The Holy Spirit has preserved and brought this message to us, so that the eyes of our faith may be focused where true joy and real life are found.  This bloody victory is delivered to us today through simple and outwardly unimpressive means: Word, water, wheat, and wine.  God has promised to come to us, today, through these humble things.  Although invisible to our physical eyes, Jesus comes to us today just as much as He came to Bartimaeus in Jericho, so long ago.  For Jesus has promised to always be with the Church of His Apostles, unto the end of the age. 

   We are not better than our neighbors; apart from Jesus, we are all guilty sinners.  In and of ourselves, we are no more worthy of God’s kingdom that anyone else.  And, we all struggle with the same temptation to remove the Cross from its rightful place in the center of our lives.  But, by divine mercy, we cling to the love and forgiveness of Christ, which make us alive in Him.  God’s love also encourages us, and moves us to love our neighbors, as God in Christ has loved us, even though we didn’t deserve it. 

   God through His Word will even move us to humbly seek opportunities to share the strange Good News of the Cross.  Like Bartimaeus, when our eyes are made to see that we have been healed and restored by Jesus, we are then set free to shout His praises.  As we sing the praises of Christ, we are also pointing others to Him, our family, friends and neighbors.  Everyone needs to look to Jesus, because in Him, and only in Him, is there forgiveness and life for all of us sinners.  Jesus of Nazareth is the infinite, inexhaustible source of God’s forgiving love, which creates and sustains our saving faith.  Thanks be to God for His gracious gift. 

   I urge each of you to focus intently on Jesus and His suffering and death.  Come and commune with Him in the places where He has promised to be present to bless you with the victory of His Cross and the Empty Tomb.  Jesus will then go with you and work through you as you serve your neighbors, always ready to give the reason for the hope that is within you. 

   Let us give thanks to God who has gathered us here today to nourish our faith in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David, who has perfect mercy for sinners.  In Him you have forgiveness, life, salvation, and you have peace - the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, which will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting, Amen.

 

Scripture Alone - In Memory of Rollie - Sermon for Sexagesima Sunday

Sexagesima Sunday, February 8^th, Year of Our + Lord 2026
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, SD
Scripture Alone: 
God’s Living Word, the Authority 
and the Instrument of Salvation
In Memory of Rollie Anfinson

 Audio of the sermon is available HERE.  

     A Sower went out to sow His Seed, and He came upon a patch of soil named Rollie. 

     We continue through the three “Gesima” Sundays, leading us into Ash Wednesday.  Last Sunday we meditated on “Grace Alone,” the Good News that salvation flows from the generous, loving character of God.  God is the only Source of salvation: by Grace Alone. 

     Today, our appointed readings drive home the truth that Salvation is by Scripture Alone.  God’s written Word Alone is the final authority, the Source from which we receive the teaching of Christ, the Authority which judges all other teaching about God and man and salvation.  Holy Scripture is also the means, the tool or instrument which the Lord uses to effect salvation.  I am not ashamed of the Gospel, the Good News message of Christ Jesus, for it is the power of God unto salvation, for all who believe. (Romans 1:16) Through His Holy Word, preached, sung, prayed, explained, discussed, and translated into visual arts, through His Word Alone the Holy Spirit converts unbelievers into children of God, by faith in Christ. 

     Our three readings today drive home this truth of Scripture Alone.  And, as the Holy Spirit so often arranges, events in the life our congregations neatly connect with this Good News, giving us a contemporary, flesh and blood example that will, Lord willing, plant the truth of Scripture Alone deep into our hearts and minds. 

     A Sower went out to sow His Seed, and He came upon a patch of soil named Rollie, who was a bit of a hard patch of ground.  There were some thorns.  There were some dry spells in Rollie’s life.  His seven-plus decades of walking, and lately hobbling around this planet illustrate just about all of the parable Jesus tells us today.  In Rollie’s life we can see the struggle of faith, and how God’s living and active Word keeps on working.  How the Holy Spirit keeps on calling, how the Good Shepherd keeps on seeking His own, until He can finally carry them home rejoicing, to the heavenly fold of His Father. 

     The Parable of the Sower and the Soil presents us with a problem.  Jesus talks about different types of soil, problematic soil, hardpacked, rocky, or thorn infested, and also the good, seed-receptive, fruitful soil.  Only the good soil gives a good result.  Which immediately makes us ask, “Which kind of soil are we?”  If we feel thorn-infested, distracted by the cares and pleasures of life, if our hearts feel dry, or if, God forbid, we are tempted to harden ourselves against God, then are we lost?  How do we become good, receptive soil?  How does the hardpacked ground get broken up?  Who shoos away the birds, or prunes back the thorns? 

     Grace Alone, and Scripture Alone.  God’s Word is living and active.  When it goes out from the LORD’s mouth, it goes with a God-given purpose, and it always achieves that purpose.  Among the highest of the Word’s purpose is to make good, receptive soil out of sinners like you, and me, and Rollie.  God through His Word prepares the soil of our hearts to receive His Word, which takes us back to Grace Alone.  We have not earned God’s favor; He is under no obligation to make us into good soil.  But He loves to do it.  He is the heavenly Farmer, Who  loves to give this gift, to till and renew the soil of our hearts.  All of this activity of God’s living and active Word was plainly visible in Rollie’s life.  

     As is true for all of us, there were regrettable things in Rollie’s life.  Rollie didn’t communicate to his family his renewed connection to Our Redeemer, and so we were not contacted when he died.  They are holding a family memorial service in Sioux Falls, so there will be no brisket from Steve Peters to help us celebrate the Lord bringing Rollie’s baptism to its eternal completion.  But brisket or no, this is a day to celebrate.    

     Rollie died alone.  He really did not want to go into a nursing home, despite the efforts of doctors, friends and his pastor to convince him that it was a way better option than he thought.  He refused, always fighting to return to his house in Pringle, until finally his body gave out.  That’s not the best way to go.  But it did not put Rollie beyond God’s reach. 

     Speaking of God’s reach, one of the other regrettable things in Rollie’s life was that he went long stretches away from the fellowship of Christ’s Church.  I don’t know the full story, but Rollie had an on-again/off-again relationship with the Church.  He and Rita were received into membership at Our Redeemer, Custer by adult confirmation in 2001, the same year that they were married.  They formed a strong relationship with Pastor Bob Anderson and his wife Liz, which God would put to important use, decades later. 

     At some point, I don’t know if it was driven by COVID, or if it began earlier, the Anfinsons’ attendance at Our Redeemer slackened.  Rollie later told me this was mostly his fault, that Rita always wanted to go to Church, but he began to increasingly resist.  Which made Rollie hard to care for.  God’s ‘Plan A’ for sustaining the faith of His children is to have them gather together around His Word every Sunday.  When Christians stay in close contact with God’s living and active Word, faith thrives.  When Christians stay away, faith struggles, is starved, and can die. 

     When I arrived to serve in Custer and Hill City, Rita and Rollie were receiving our weekly mailings of the bulletin, readings insert and sermon.  I spoke to Rita on the phone several times, setting up visits, but again and again she would cancel our appointments.  Rita finally had to suffer a stroke in order to reconnect Rollie to God’s Word.  Yes, the Spirit made good use of a stroke, and a yard sale. 

     Bob and Liz Anderson happened to hold a yard sale out in Boot Hill after Rita had been hospitalized.  On his way to or from Rapid, Rollie saw the signs and stopped by.  I think Rollie really loved finding a bargain.  Through this, the Holy Spirit arranged a renewal of contact, and we found out Rita had suffered a stroke.   Bob told me about Rita, and I then had the privilege of visiting her at Monument Hospital in Rapid several times. 

     Now, some may say is it is sad to only get to meet face to face and minister to a member when they are gravely ill in the hospital.  There is some truth in that.  But, at the same time, how wonderful.  Visiting Rita in the hospital was full of wonders, as the power of God’s living and active Word was revealed.  Despite their long absence from Sunday services, Rita’s faith was alive.  She received the Gospel from me with joy, the Word, full of Baptismal promises, and also the Lord’s Supper.  I met Rollie at the hospital.  He expressed his thanks for my visits, to which I replied, as is often the case, “Thank Pastor Anderson.”  

     I finally was able to visit the house in Pringle after Rita went home to her Savior.  I was greeted loudly by Maggie, Rita’s very round labrador.  Then Rollie and I sat at his dining room table, and planned Rita’s funeral.  Pastoral home visitation is always interesting, and this visit ranks way up there for me.  Now, I’m comfortable around firearms, which is a good thing, given that I’m called to serve in South Dakota.  But I think that not since my days in the Marine Corps have I been surrounded by so many loaded weapons, right close at hand, as I was that day in Rollie’s dining room.  But it was fine.   

     Rollie wanted to begin with a story.  He told me a big part of his lack of enthusiasm for Church was an experience he had had decades ago, back in the Sioux Falls area.  The pastor of his church ran off with the church secretary.  In fact, Rollie said, “it happened to me twice.”  Two times he was in congregations where the pastor left in a cloud of disgrace, for having an affair with his secretary.  Rollie concluded his story with a question.  “You’re not going do that, are you?” 

     I may have made a slight involuntarily glance at the weapons stacked around the room.  But I controlled my reaction and said, “No, Rollie, by God’s grace I am very much in love with the wife the Lord has given me.”  I remember clearly how Rollie said “it happened to me.”  Those pastors didn’t run off with Rollie’s wife.  But, grave public sin of pastors is a terrible thing, a betrayal of Christ and His Church, a denial of the Gospel.  Such sin wounds, not just to the principal people involved, but the whole congregation and community. 

     A public sin that ends a ministry and wounds an entire congregation is a powerful evil.  But, it is not stronger than the Word of God.  Pastors ought to set good moral examples.  But, the Good News of Christ’s victory doesn’t depend on the holiness of the men called to proclaim and share Christ’s gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation.  The Gospel depends on Christ Alone. 

    Rollie accepted my answer, and my ministry, and we celebrated Christ’s work in Rita’s life at Our Redeemer.  Through Rita’s funeral, Rollie and I made a good connection.      

     I wish we were having a funeral for Rollie, for many reasons, but most especially because funerals are important evangelistic opportunities.  The consequences of sin are clear for all to see at the time of death.  And the crowd at a funeral is among the most mixed congregations we ever get to preach to.  So, in my funeral preaching, I try to be especially direct and clear, easy to understand.   I wrapped up the sermon for Rita reflecting about her faith at the last, which enabled us to celebrate and rejoice over Rita, even though she had died.  The sermon concluded with these words.      

   You see, Jesus laid down His life for Rita, and took it up again.  For Rita, and for you, Jesus, God’s eternal Son, came and faced the death that frightens us all, and defeated it.  Jesus, to save His precious lambs, faced the sin, the envy, the greed, the selfishness, the hurt, the sickness, everything bad that ruins our lives.  Jesus took all these evils into His own body and carried them to the Cross, the Old Rugged Cross, “where the Dearest and Best, for a world of lost sinners, was slain.” 

   Now, risen from the dead and reigning at the Father’s right hand, Jesus continues to tend His sheep.  Through thick and thin, on good days and bad, right to the end, Jesus by His Spirit kept Rita’s faith in His promises alive, by speaking those promises to her, again and again.  The Baptism by which the Father adopted Rita and made her a member of His Son was brought to its completion on September 1^st, 2022.  And so we celebrate, even in the midst of sadness and tears. 

   So, yes, remember and celebrate Rita, and also listen to the Voice that she heard, the Voice of Jesus, her Good Shepherd and yours.  This is why God has gathered you here today for this funeral, because He wants to speak to you.  This is why He has given you His Word.  This is why He makes sure His Word of grace and forgiveness is proclaimed Sunday after Sunday.  Your Good Shepherd wants to care for you, as He cared for Rita.  Come and hear His Voice.  Because He is speaking words of peace and joy, words of forgiveness and life, to you, today, and forever and ever, Amen.                

     It worked.  The Holy Spirit worked through the Word proclaimed at Rita’s funeral.  Rollie and I connected.  I tried to stay in contact with him, which was not easy, because Rollie and mobile phones were not friends.  But he always stayed in contact with me, calling me from time to time, to check in.  I made more visits to the gun safe that doubled as his dining room.  And, even though his body was failing him, or maybe because of this, last year Rollie started to attend services at Our Redeemer again.  He had serious back problems, but he would park his car next to the tree on the west end of the church, and hobble in with a walker.  He came on Sundays, and many Wednesday evenings, as that shorter service was better for his back.  Rollie brought his own seat cushion.  It took him about ten minutes to get from his car to the back pew.  But there he was, gathered with God’s people to hear His living and active Word, which is sharp to divide bone from marrow, to separate sinners from their love for their sin, and give them a love for Jesus, a love that flows from the love He first poured out for us. 

     These last couple years Rollie was in and out of various hospitals.  He successfully avoided moving to an Assisted Living or Nursing Home.  (Don’t be like that.  If and when that time comes for you, go and let people care for you.  Go, and be a blessing to the staff and other residents.)  Rollie was out to Sioux Falls, and back, several times, doctoring.  Through it all we maintained the connection.  The Holy Spirit kept working on us, strengthening our faith.  Various members at ORLC sought to help Rollie.  (That was not always easy.  If and when the time comes for you to need help from your fellow members, try to make it easy for them.) 

       In December, Rollie was back in the hospital in Custer.  He called me to let me know, and I was able to visit him several times.  As is often the case, facing the end of his life, Rollie had some sins he needed to get off his back.  We did private Confession and Absolution there in his hospital room; it was wonderful.  (By the way, you don’t have to wait till death draws near to seek out specific forgiveness for sins that particularly trouble you.  Individual Confession and Absolution is a gift God has ready for you, right now.  It is authorized and empowered by Scripture alone, and it is my privilege to administer.  It is also my vow is never to divulge sins confessed to God through me.) 

     I last served Rollie the Lord’s Supper on December 10^th.  It took a long time for Rollie to be ready to commune after he reconnected with the Church.  Rollie understood the seriousness of the Supper, for it is, after all, the Body and Blood of the Crucified and Resurrected Christ, given to us Christians to eat and to drink.  He struggled to believe it could be for him; he doubted that he was worthy.  Which of course, in one sense, is true.  Based on our personal goodness, none of us are worthy to feed on Christ’s Body and Blood. 

    But Scripture teaches us that our worthiness for the Supper depends on faith, not works.  The soul truly worthy of the Supper is the soul that trusts God’s promise of forgiveness, given through the Body and Blood of Christ, in, with and under the bread and wine.  God’s Word finally overcame Rollie’s doubt, and so several times last year, and one last time on December 10^th, Rollie received the Word combined with the Bread and Wine, the medicine of immortality, that delivers forgiveness and strengthens our unity with Christ Jesus

     I was sad when I heard that Rollie had died alone.  It was not unusual for me to go for many weeks without hearing from Rollie.  None of us knew how serious his decline was.  Christmas time is really busy.  So, he died alone. 

     Except that he didn’t.  The truth is, Rollie was not alone when he breathed his last.  The Lord God in Holy Baptism had given Rollie the Holy Spirit.  Christ through the Water and the Word had joined Himself to Rollie.  By the washing of rebirth and renewal, God the Father publicly declared that Rollie was His beloved son, well pleasing in His sight, for Jesus’ sake.  And to the end, by His powerful Word, the Lord strengthened Rollie’s faith, until he died.  Heavenly angels bore Rollie’s soul to his new eternal home, where he rests, with Rita and all those who, by the power of Scripture Alone, died in faith. 

     So, we give thanks to God for making Rollie good soil, and for planting the seed of His Word in Rollie’s heart, unto life everlasting, Amen.