The Character of God

Third Sunday after Trinity
June 21^st, Year of Our + Lord 2026
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches
Hill City and Custer, South Dakota
Based on Luke 15:1-10

Audio of the sermon is available HERE.

The one lost sheep is not innocent.

   A week or so ago I was listening to a podcast while pulling weeds, leafy spurge to be specific, out behind our house.  I came upon an interview of an author, Luke Burgis, who has written a book titled “The One and the Ninety-Nine: Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion.”  I thought this might be interesting; certainly in the age of the internet and the so-called “smartphone,” social contagions have become an increasing problem. 

   A social contagion includes when people, very often people who are way too on-line, fall prey to believing fictions about themselves, including that they are victims of a condition or a disease which, prior to 2010, was either unheard of or vanishingly rare.  Bad things can result, including radical interventions that hurt people, mostly young people, for the rest of their lives.  When our kids were in High School in little Sidney, MT, there was a wave of teenagers cutting themselves.  We have all run into, or perhaps we know well, souls who are convinced that they were born the wrong sex.  Or the wrong species.  Believing such a false reality can lead to tragedy, and it seems to be a growing problem.  So, I started to listen to the podcast. 

   I was also curious about the title, and wondered if it might be referring to the lost sheep portion of our Gospel reading for this morning.  And it does. 

   The author seems to have had more than a passing contact with the Christian Church, as he began by saying he had heard the parable of the one lost sheep many times in his life, and it always troubled him.  My interest in the podcast and book was increasing.  The author said the economics of Jesus’ parable never made sense to him, another good observation.  Who would leave 99 sheep unprotected in the wilderness to go find just one?  That’s a good way to go bankrupt.  So, I was thinking, this could be great, and I began listening. 

 

   But then everything went sideways.  I don’t know where the author was hearing the parable, nor what any teacher or pastor might have offered by way of explanation.  But the author decided that the value of the parable was to allow us to consider the dichotomy between being a member of a group, a tribe, but also maintaining one’s individuality.  He wondered if the one lost sheep might have wisely wandered off intentionally, looking for his identity in the wide, wide, world.   

   Oh no, no, no, that is terrible!  This is most certainly not Jesus’ point, which two minutes of reading the surrounding context would make clear very quickly.  We see that Eve’s mistake of contemplating the Serpent’s question, “Did God really say?” (Gen 3), continues to plague humanity.  Instead of looking at the plain language and context of what Luke recorded, this author goes off in a self-chosen and unrelated direction.   I stopped the podcast. 

   I’m not saying that the author’s question is not interesting, or that navigating the tension between individual identity and belonging to a group is not challenging, and worth study and reflection.  It is.  But I simply do not have any patience for those who would take up the living and active Word of God, but ignore its plain sense, thereby dressing up their human speculations in Biblical garb.  No thanks.       

    Our parables today, about the one lost sheep and the one lost coin, are not essentially about the nature of sheep and coins, or people.  No, instead, with these parables, Jesus seeks to teach us about the character of God, that is, His own character, the character of His Father and the Holy Spirit.  With these parables, Jesus is responding to the accusing grumbles of the Pharisees and Scribes, who were offended that Jesus was associating, and even sitting down to eat with tax collectors and other sinners.  Jesus’ opponents do not believe He is God made man, but they are offended that any Jewish religious teacher would hang out with obvious sinners.  

   Finally, the question Jesus answers is foundational to saving faith: “What kind of God do we find in and through the Son of Mary, who is also the Son of God?”

   While I was irritated by the author’s approach, listening to the first few minutes of that podcast was not a waste of time, far from it.  Because, as I was deleting the podcast and looking for another, the Holy Spirit put a question to me: What other distorted perceptions do we bring, do I bring, to the parable of the lost sheep? 

   How else might I mishandle God’s Word, and so miss out on, or worse, misrepresent to you the message the LORD is communicating? 

   One way to get a sense of how Christians think about a Biblical account is to survey the artwork used to illustrate it.  The Good Shepherd rescuing the one lost sheep has always been very popular throughout Christian history, certainly in Lutheran circles.  We have a wooden carving of just this image set in a niche in the front of the pulpit over at Our Redeemer. 

   Not always, but often, the lost sheep is portrayed as a little lamb, often quite cute and cuddly.  Maybe the lamb has fallen into a ravine and become stuck.  Or, it is all by itself in a dark and threatening world, covered in mud, bleating helplessly.  And, I think all of these portrayals tend to make me think that the poor, lost sheep is innocent, a pitiful victim, without any responsibility for being lost.  Now, to be sure, one sheep by itself out in the wild is pitiful.  If it is not scared, it should be.  It is clearly in need of rescue.  But, is the lost sheep an innocent little lamb? 

   I do not think the text warrants this conclusion.  Jesus does not say the sheep is a lamb, and He does not proclaim its innocence.  He simply describes the one sheep as lost.  And the comparison for the sheep in the parable is not precious little children, but rather it is tax collectors and other sinners.  Finally, I do not think we should try to draw too many conclusions about this sheep, because the parable is not about the sheep.  Rather, it is about the man, the shepherd, who goes to search for it. 

   Remember the grumbles that led Jesus to tell this parable and that of the Lost Coin; the Pharisees were upset that Jesus ate with these unsavory people.  A self-respecting Pharisee would never do this. 

   But God would.  And God did.  And God still does.  This is the heart of the Good News, the Gospel:  Jesus came not for the righteous, but for the unrighteous.  They are why the Father sent His Son to be born of Mary, and be named Jesus, a name which means “the LORD saves.” 

   There are plenty more reasons to not think the lost sheep is innocent.  The rest of Scripture speaks of sheep with passages like, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all,” that is, on the Suffering Servant, (Isaiah 63:6). 

   Through the prophet Ezekiel the LORD warns the fat, strong sheep against bullying the weaker sheep and not letting them get food and water, (Ezekiel 34).  And since the sheep represent us people, there are many explicit statements in the Bible about our nature, that all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, that no one is righteous, no, not one, (Romans 3:10 and 23), that the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth (Genesis 6:5 and 8:21).  

   Now, just because we do not believe the sheep is innocent does not mean we should not feel bad for it.  We can still pity the sheep, pray for it, seek its good, even if every lost sheep is responsible for its own predicament.  We should pity the lost sheep, because, after all, God did.  God’s love and concern for sinners is the motivation behind the entire thrust of the Scripture story, and this should shape how we treat other sinners. 

   We should feel bad for the lost sheep.  But, for our own salvation and for the salvation of others, we must make it clear to every lost sheep that we are all accountable for the fact that we are sinners.  Because complaining that we are not responsible, even protesting with the half-truth that the Devil made me do it, only serves to make us miss the Shepherd’s rescue. 

   It is never pleasant to confess our own sinfulness.  It should never be pleasant to point out the sin of others. (To enjoy accusing others of sin either flows from self-righteousness, like the Pharisees, or it is demonic, learned from the accuser, Satan.  Lord protect us from falling into either of these categories!)  

   Returning to the parable, we should rejoice that it is not about sheep, but rather about the character of God, who seeks to save, despite how we sheep behave, which gets remarkably bad.  As we will sing in one of our communion hymns, “as wayward sheep their Shepherd kill.” 

   And, that was God’s plan!  That the Lamb of God would be slain by sinners, in order to save sinners has been God’s plan since before He created us.

   We rightly marvel at the shocking, radical, amazing nature of the Gospel, that God’s Son suffered and died, not for good people, but for sinners.  Maybe we can get numb to this stupendous fact, (Jesus died for our sins, blah, blah, blah).  But God forbid it, we should not. 

   Lord willing, we will never cease to be amazed that Holy Jesus came into this world to die, for sinners, for His enemies, for us.  Lord willing, we will daily remember that this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and gave His Son as the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice, for our sins. 

   And then, on the third day, He rose from the dead, revealing the new, indestructible life He will share with all His flock.  This is the character of the Good Shepherd.  This is the character of God. 

   God’s desire is to save sinners.  And, there is going to be a party.  The man carrying home the lost sheep calls his friends and neighbors to come rejoice with him.  The woman who dropped everything to sweep the house and find her lost coin then turns around and spends money to throw a party to celebrate.  The economics do not add up in either parable.  By hosting a celebration after finding your lost treasure, you could easily spend more on the party than the value of that recovered treasure.  And that is fine, because these parables are not about earthly, human economics.  No, Jesus is teaching us about the economy of God. 

   Now, I do not mean to say that God acts like an accountant or a businessman, carefully evaluating profit and loss.  But the word economy literally means “the Household Law.”  And in God’s house, the economy works this way: everything is oriented toward salvation, toward rescuing sinners, so they can live in God’s house, forever.  Despite what our sins and sinfulness deserve, the great prize that God is pursuing is you, and you, and me, all of us sinners. 

    And oh what a party it will be when we all get there.  Just as God’s economy works totally differently than our earthly economies, so also, the heavenly celebration will be better than we can imagine.  Think of the best party, the most joyful get-together you have ever experienced, but with no downside:  no upset stomach, no hangover, no regrets from letting your celebration slip into sin.  Think of the very best party.  God is going to give you more.  Heaven will be better.  The Bible speaks of streets of gold and doors of precious gems, a never-ending banquet, and fruit from the Tree of Life that brings healing to the nations.  And that is just the start.

   Pondering our future celebration in heaven can help us recognize and avoid earthly celebrations that are not worthy of Christians.  In ancient Corinth, some Christians were getting drunk at the Lord’s Supper, while others had nothing.  God protect us!  Because we attend earthly parties while still being sinners, we Christians today need to be wise, and careful.  Satan tries to trip us up with earthly joys, tempting us to pursue sinful pleasures, and so turn our backs on the One who is preparing heaven for us.   God help us resist such temptation. 

    We need to be careful.  But, we should also celebrate.  Christians should not be dour and gloomy, trudging our way towards the end.  Sing for joy, you have been rescued!  You were lost, you deserved it, and you had no way of getting back to God’s House.  But Jesus has come after you, and has brought you home. 

   We will not rejoice at everything in this broken world.  There are real problems, real suffering in all our lives.  The contrast between the life we live now and the life we look forward to in heaven will at times bring us to tears.  But we can and we should also rejoice, by enjoying the wonders of God’s creation, and by digging more deeply into the treasures Jesus has given us in His Word, by singing our thanks for His mercy, and by celebrating as the family of God. 

   Such Godly rejoicing is good, right and salutary.  And it also makes us more attractive to souls outside the Body of Christ.  When men and women who are beat down by life see joy in the life of Christians, this can draw them in to hear the Good News.  God grant that the holy joy of being a rescued sheep of God shines through in our lives, and that through our joy, the Spirit will find others to rescue, until all God’s flock is gathered, and our Good Shepherd returns visibly to lead us home, forever and ever, Amen.    

All About Banquets

2^nd Sunday after Trinity
June 14^th, Year of Our + Lord 2026
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, SD
Based on Proverbs 9:1-18 and Luke 14:15-24

Audio of the Sermon can be accessed HERE.

   The Master of the Banquet says: 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 

   Banquets, banquets, banquets.  Yesterday I enjoyed smoked meat with a bunch of Lutheran men.  We are having a potluck today (at Our Redeemer), and this evening at youth group we have planned a special meal in honor of our two graduating youth, Logan Olson and Joy Anderson.   And, very helpfully for me, the Holy Spirit stayed on theme to make the preaching task easier, by filling our readings with banquets and meals. 

   The whole Bible is filled with eating, which makes sense, because God wants us to have life, and we humans have to eat to live.  This is especially encouraging to me, because I love to eat. 

   From Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, God’s Word speaks of eating: delicious, healthy fruit, hearty bread, rich meats, and many other edible blessings.  The people of Israel received their daily bread, come down from heaven, the Manna that appeared on the ground morning by morning, tasting of coriander and honey.  And Israel was headed to the Promised Land, which flowed with milk and honey.  There the Israelites reaped grain they did not plant, and harvested grapes from vines they never tended. 

   Comestible blessings can also be abused, and sadly they were abused, and still are.  From the first bite of the apple, (or whatever type the forbidden fruit was), to meat sacrificed to idols, against which Paul warns, to the overeating that nearly defines our culture today.  The Spirit in the Proverbs warns against gluttony, and against eating stolen delicacies in secret, which is really a warning against all kinds of sinful appetites.   

   Along with bread from heaven, hungry Israel received quails in the wilderness, which settled over the camp, ready to be taken and eaten.  But their meat rotted in the teeth of the grumblers who did not trust that the Lord God to provide, a grotesque banquet that calls sinners to repentance.   

   Worship and eating have been connected, at least from the time of Noah, when, after the flood, the LORD gave permission for the eight surviving people to eat meat, and they rejoiced and thanked God.  I assume they marked the occasion with a barbeque. 

   Portions of certain foods offered in sacrifice at the Tabernacle and Temple went to feed the Priests and Levites, some of it was burned as a pleasing aroma to the LORD, and some of it was returned to the family making the offering, for them to eat in joy and peace.  Banquets and feasts, everywhere we turn.      

   Eating and religion continue to go together.  The Black Hills circuit of LCMS churches held an Elder Workshop at Peace Lutheran in Rapid yesterday, and it was well attended, by 46 lay leaders and pastors.  Now, to be totally honest, I’m pretty sure the attendance was driven by the promise of brisket and pulled pork for lunch.  Still, gathered by the meats, we got to know one another and wrestled with God’s Word a bit.  Praise the LORD! 

   There are many meals and feasts and banquets in God’s Word and in the history of His Church.  Or, are there only two? 

   Proverbs chapter nine seems to point to just two banquets, two that matter eternally, at least.  How did you find this poetic proclamation?  Jesus’ straightforward declarations are much easier to grasp, such as “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life,” (John 5:24).  But even if it is hard for us to comprehend, King Solomon in Proverbs is proclaiming Christian Doctrine as much as St. John or the Apostle Paul, because the same Holy Spirit is behind all their words.  So, we do well to dig in a bit to this poetic doctrine. 

   Lady Wisdom prepares her table, in a divine hall of seven pillars, each place setting filled with the richest meat.  And, of course, she offers bread and her special mixed wine.  I wonder what that foreshadows? 

   Importantly, Wisdom does not stop with a feast, but also has a Word for her guests, calling the simple to walk in the way of insight, the way of life.  Her meal is not just about sensory pleasure and full bellies; it is tied to God’s Truth, to right and wrong, and holiness.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.  This is what Wisdom offers, in her words, and at her table. 

   Wisdom’s table offers truth and life, even life with God.  But wherever the Holy Spirit builds a Church, right next door the Devil throws up a cheap chapel, an imitation holy place, seeking to deceive and draw away the faithful.  Such is Dame Folly’s banquet.  Note that she uses the same call as Wisdom: “Let the simple come in here!”  But Folly appeals to the basest desires, seduction and thievery and secret pleasures.  Folly’s banquet is no festival of life.  She hides her dead from the new recruits, who will dine to their own demise, as they join her earlier guests in Sheol, that is, in Hell, cut off from the LORD and His Wisdom, forever.  

   What is Solomon teaching?  There are just two options.  There is Wisdom’s joyful feast, which leads to righteousness and life, eternal life.  Or there is Folly’s forbidden food that rots in your mouth and pulls you down into darkness that never ends.

   Is this poetical proclamation of doctrine clear for you?  If not, you are not alone.  But, as is so often the case with the hardest Biblical questions, the Sunday School answer is the right answer: Jesus.  That is, Wisdom represents Jesus Christ.  And Folly is Satan’s minion.  In case you are wondering about Wisdom being a woman, but Jesus being God’s Son, who took on human flesh as a man, this is because of Hebrew grammar.  Most languages give gender to nouns, male or female or neuter.  Wisdom personified is portrayed as a woman because in Hebrew the word for wisdom is a feminine word.  And so, we do well to remember that Proverbs is poetry, not history.  Proverbs is still God’s true Word, but the literary form is poetic and symbolical, which can challenge us.  But that’s good. 

   Scripture interprets Scripture, and the rest of God’s Word makes it clear that Wisdom personified is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.  Wisdom, like God’s Son, was working with God the Father at the Creation, (see Proverbs 8:12-31).  Wisdom knows and expresses the mind of God, just like Jesus does.  (see John 8:28, 12:49, 14:10)  And Paul declares in 1 Corinthians, ‘Christ Jesus has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.’  (1 Corinthians 1:30)

   John’s Gospel starts this way:  In the beginning was the Word.  ‘Word’ in Greek the ‘Logos,’ and the Logos was with God.  This ‘Logos’ also is God.  And, this Logos, this Word, became flesh. (see John 1)  Now, ‘Logos’ means a bit more than simply ‘word.’  Logos is the reason, the logic, the force behind the way everything in the Creation hangs together and functions. 

   Which is to say, Logos is a lot like Wisdom.  Jesus is the Logos, the Wisdom of God, the true and eternal Son, who was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary. 

   Just as Wisdom’s banquet leads to life in Proverbs 9, so also Jesus declares “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)  Proverbs chapter 9 says the same thing as John 14, only through poetic language, using the image of banquets, instead of a journey. 

   So, are there many banquets, or just two?  Maybe the best way to wrap our minds around this is to understand that there is only one heavenly banquet, and as God’s people, we are to consider earthly meals, religious or not, through this lens.  We should choose to either participate or abstain from whatever other banquets we encounter with the truth and promise of God’s heavenly banquet in mind.  For, like the parable Jesus told us this morning, you are invited to the Master’s feast.  In fact, as non-Israelite, 21^st Century Christians, we are clearly among the unworthy guests that the servants of the master found on the byways and highways, and compelled to come into the banquet. 

   And yet, the same warning Jesus was making in the original moment to the Jews who were rejecting His invitation also applies to us.  It is frightening to consider, but the sinner in each of us is still more than capable of despising God’s banquet and prioritizing other things.  Our newly purchased oxen, or even just a new lawn tractor.  Our honeymoon with our new wife, or simply relaxing at home.  So many good things can tempt us to despise God’s banquet.  To relate back to Proverbs, whatever earthly goods tempt us to neglect God’s gracious, wonderful banquet are simply modern versions of the woman of Folly, calling men to come to her table, so she can eat them alive. 

   There is a neat moral choice taught by both our readings this morning.  Be wise, and value God’s true banquet over everything else, or face destruction.  This is a true word.  But it is not yet good news for us hungry sinners, because of the sad fact that we daily choose banquets of folly.  We need to hear the truth about the two banquets, and God is right and just to expect us to come to His Table with thanksgiving.  But we struggle to actually do this, consistently.  Distraction and busy-ness are two great threats to Christians today.  The good that we know and want to do, this we find we cannot do, again and again.  The evil banquet that we do not want to indulge, there we find ourselves seated, far too often.  

   We cannot and do not choose wisdom over folly, not consistently, certainly not perfectly, as God requires.  We are always in danger of stepping into one of Folly’s traps, because sin still stains all that we think, say and do.  We cannot do what it takes, and so on our own we are bound for Folly, and far worse.  And yet, God, who is love, does not give up on His plan to fill His heaven with people, despite our sinfulness.  And so, there is another banquet: the banquet of the Cross. 

   Jesus is Wisdom Incarnate, the Son of God made man, to fulfill God’s desire that perfect faith, wisdom, prudence and love be found in humanity.  Jesus always chose wisely, and He always served selflessly, as God requires.  Jesus never failed, and He kept that perfect record in our stead.  For us.  The perfect life of wisdom and love fulfilled by Jesus Christ is credited to you, and to all who believe in Christ.  All His good works, all God’s commandments that He kept, were for you.  His perfect fulfillment of God’s call to love is credited to all who believe in who Christ Jesus is and what He has done. 

   And then, after living the life of perfect wisdom, Jesus ate one last meal, of sorrow and woe.  The night before, He had transformed the Passover of Israel into His own miraculous Supper.  Then on Friday, Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath against all the sin of mankind.  He buried the sins of the whole world, swallowing them into His own body, nailing them and their accusation against us to the tree of His Cross.  I thirst, He groaned, as He hungered and thirsted to win righteousness for us. 

   Jesus’ glorious resurrection from the dead on the Third Day reveals the good news that forgiveness, redemption, freedom, rescue and new life are now freely fed to all who look to Christ crucified with eyes of faith.  And the banquet of the Cross goes on.  Transformed by Jesus’ death and resurrection into a victory feast, the fruit of the Cross is served up to the faithful, whenever they gather around Christ’s Word and His Holy Supper.  Invisible to physical eyes, faith sees the bread and wine, hears the Word of Jesus, and trusts that what we eat and drink here is His true Body and Blood, giving forgiveness and strength for today, and being our entrance ticket into the heavenly banquet to come, which never ends. 

   This glorious banquet of Christ is hidden under humble things, because God calls us to live by faith, not by sight.  We are still drawn toward flashy things, and forbidden delicacies, to things that seem exciting to our fallen nature.  But the true food of forgiveness is served here, in, with and under the bread and wine.  This little banquet is truly the holiest thing on earth, which God in His wisdom leaves looking so simple. 

   As you eat this bread and drink this cup, you make a common proclamation of the Wisdom of God, poured out in the Blood of Jesus.  Here sinners come into direct contact with the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord.  Only a true, repentant faith in Christ, in His identity, in His work, and in His true presence, only such faith can prepare us sinners to receive this mystery safely.  

   These hidden realities are why we practice closed communion, only giving the Supper to baptized souls from whom we have heard the good confession of the faith.  We, like God, want everyone to receive the Body and Blood of Christ for their forgiveness and eternal benefit.  But, while the Spirit knows the hearts of all, we can only teach the faith, and then hear people profess their faith.  We call this public confession ‘confirmation.’  At Our Redeemer, we have been blessed over the last three Sundays to witness five souls make this good confession.  God be praised! 

   To keep the teaching of Christ clear, out of concern for the well-being of our guests, and in reverence and faith toward the real presence of Christ, we humbly ask guests to honor our practice.  To all who are not yet part of our fellowship, we invite a conversation, a shared investigation into the Wisdom of Christ, a study of God’s Word, which the Spirit uses to make us wise unto salvation, and to bind us together in the One Body of Christ, which is His Church.  

    The Master’s guests come to His banquet humbly, confessing our sins, seeking grace and strength.  The invited also come rejoicing, knowing that this humble banquet delivers forgiveness to our mouths, the Gospel that we eat and drink, a foretaste of the feast to come, where with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven we will forever  laud and magnify our wise and gracious God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen. 

Godly Poverty, and True Wealth

Sermon for the First Sunday after Trinity
June 7^th, A+D 2026
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches
Hill City and Custer, SD
Godly Poverty, and True Wealth – Luke 16:19-31

 Audio of the sermon is available HERE.

   You are poor.  That is the truth, about you, and me, about all of us gathered here this morning.  You and I are poor.  Shall we mourn and cry?  Or should we rejoice? 

    My bride is reading a book titled “The 5 Types of Wealth.”   I took a peek at it the other day, after I realized that the Rich Man and Lazarus would be our Gospel for this morning.  The author identifies five types of wealth:  Time, Social, Mental, Physical and, lastly, Financial.  Looks pretty interesting, especially because the type of wealth most of us think of first, financial or material wealth, is listed last.  And, from my quick scan of the book, it appears the author believes that financial wealth is the least important type of riches. 

    The book appears to be entirely secular, no mention of any kind of spiritual treasures, as far as I saw.  Nevertheless, there is value in the author’s priorities.  The Bible, in particular the Book of Proverbs, warns again and again against making an idol out of our possessions, our wealth.  So far in 22 years of ministry, I have yet to encounter a dying soul who wanted to review their tax returns and retirement accounts as their end drew near.  No, dying people want more time, to be with loved ones.  They wish they didn’t hurt so badly, and that they could still do things, still be active.  Money is important.  But, time, relationships, mental and physical wealth are all more important than money.  I think the author of “The 5 Types of Wealth” is on to something.    

   He’s on to something, but not the main thing.  I think there is likely a lot to learn from him, but he has not landed on the most important thing.  But no worries.  For the main thing, this morning Jesus gives us the cautionary tale of “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” 

   You are poor.  The main thing is to be the right kind of poor.  You definitely don’t want to be poor like the rich man.  He was clothed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day, but in a painful irony, his great financial wealth had become the focus of his life, which made him truly poor.  He was effectively enslaved to his riches, which made him heartless. 

   It is a terrible poverty of the soul to have a poor, sick, sore-covered beggar outside your door, and ignore his need.  Even though he was materially wealthy, the rich man was poor toward God, which was revealed in him being poor toward his fellow man, his fellow Israelite, Lazarus.

   Lord preserve us from such poverty of the heart toward You!  For such poverty is eternal.  To use economic terms, to be wealthy is to have a lot of “goods.”  Those who end up in Hades, cut off from God forever, are thereby cut off from every “good,” because every truly good thing comes from God.  The rich man finally and unendingly experiences the worst poverty, a self-inflicted want which never ends. 

   Avoiding the rich man’s poverty is at the heart of the Christian faith.  But there are other kind’s of poverty.  You are also poor, truly, because of the fact that, in and of yourself, you have nothing to offer to God.  Apart from God’s grace and help, you and I have nothing worthwhile to give to or do for God.  Each of us is, as the old confession of sins makes us say, “a poor, miserable sinner.” 

   That phrase, “I, a poor, miserable sinner,” along with any other authentic confession of sins, is not so popular in much of Christianity, especially in America.  But let us not be fools.  That is what the Apostle John says about Christians denying their sinfulness: If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)   In other words, to deny our sinfulness means we are fools. 

   So, do not be a fool.  Instead, rejoice to have been, however painfully, brought to the knowledge that you are a poor, miserable sinner.  Because the Lord only saves sinners.  As Jesus declares, “those who are healthy do not need a physician, but rather those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  (Mark 2:17)   And again, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) 

   We are not to celebrate the fact we are poor, miserable sinners.  No, we are to fight against our sinful flesh.  Nor are we to pick favorite sins that the Bible condemns and try to pretend they are no longer sinful, that things which the Bible clearly condemns are somehow now good and right. 

   At the same time, we are wise to accept and confess the uncomfortable truth of our miserable sinfulness.  Because when you know you are poor, then you can rejoice, like Lazarus.  As you are confessing your sins, you are made ready, even eager, to hear the Good News of God’s rich grace.  Confessing, repentant sinners are right where Jesus wants them, ready to be helped, ready to be saved. 

    So, acknowledge your poverty, and confess that you are totally dependent on Jesus and His forgiving love.  Receiving His free, undeserved handout is right where you want to be.  Right where God wants you to be.  Indeed, this blessed poverty is already hinted at in our poor man’s name: ‘Lazarus’ means “God is my helper.”  We do not want to be covered in sores, and we are not required to share in Lazarus’s material poverty.  But still, let us all be like faithful Lazarus, in the main thing. 

   You are rich!  Reverend Nabil Nour, an East River LCMS pastor and also a Palestinian American born in Nazareth, is found of declaring, “I am the richest man alive.” 

    You are rich!  But, God forbid we be wealthy like the rich man in our Gospel this morning.  Many of us are doing pretty well, financially.  In fact, if we compare ourselves to the population of the world, almost all of us have far more material goods than most human beings.  Let us pray that our affection for our earthly goods does not turn us into miserable fools. 

    I often wonder if maybe the rich man actually thought he was being kind to Lazarus.  I mean, what a sweet begging-post he allowed him to have, right outside the front door of his home.  The guests invited to the rich man’s sumptuous banquets had to pass right by the poor man.  The rich man may have thought he was providing Lazarus with great opportunities for begging.  I cannot say for sure the rich man thought this way.  But, we do know that God did not consider the way he treated Lazarus to be loving. 

    We must not behave like the rich man.  But too often, we do.  Because caring for needy people is uncomfortable, it takes time, and can require us to endure various unpleasantries.  But the Biblical truth is that all of us sinners on this earth are facing the same ultimate problems; we are in this together.  And God does expect us to care for the needy, hurting people that He places right next to us. 

    The rich man neglected Lazarus, and instead focused on enjoying his earthly goods.  Worse yet, he neglected the main thing, the far greater gift from God that was delivered to him through the Word of Moses and the Prophets.  God’s true Word, that has as its goal delivering the Truth that is Jesus of Nazareth, the only Savior of sinners, this is the gift that should have been the focus for all of ancient Israel, and should still be the focus for the New Israel, the Christian Church. 

    For Jesus to say that the rich man’s brothers would not believe, even if someone should rise from the dead. is pretty ironic, since Jesus would rise from the dead, and faith in His death and resurrection is what saves.  But our Lord’s point is that saving faith in His Resurrection comes by hearing the Word, by hearing Moses and the Prophets.    

    There is no other means, no other way, no other thing that God has promised to use to make us eternally rich.  The riches that Pastor Nour loves to boast about?  The Bible teaches they are God’s Son, Christ Jesus, the only Savior of sinners, connected to you by baptismal faith.  Your riches include the Holy Spirit, the Divine Comforter, speaking to you through His Word, dwelling in you as His spiritual temple.  And what is richer than the eternal Father, rejoicing to call you His very own child, through His only-begotten Son, Jesus.  These priceless gifts are yours today, through the Word of Moses and the Prophets, and of the Apostles, the eyewitnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus.  These words guarantee a heavenly inheritance to all who believe. 

    You are poor.  You are also rich, through faith in Christ Jesus. How then, do the poor-and-rich people of God live in this world today? 

    Let’s start by recognizing that neither earthly poverty nor earthly wealth can make us right with God.  Abraham had huge flocks and herds, and many workers.  Job was the wealthiest man in the East.  Kings David and Solomon were fabulously wealthy, in earthly terms. 

    On the other hand, the patriarch Joseph endured the worst earthly poverty, being sold into slavery, and then thrown into an Egyptian jail.  Elijah the prophet suffered want and persecution, which required him to depend on the charity of a widow woman, and also drove him to flee from the vengeful Queen Jezebel with only the clothes on his back.  Naomi and Ruth suffered crushing poverty, losing husbands and sons, and enduring famine.  The infant Jesus, under the care of Mary and Joseph, began His human life in poverty, depended on the generosity of women during His ministry, and died naked and alone, as even His clothing was bartered over by His executioners. 

    There are materially rich and poor Biblical saints.  Not so important.  The main thing is that they all confessed their sinfulness and need for a Savior.  Well, not Jesus, He was not sinful.  Still, He confessed our sin as His own, in order destroy its power to accuse us, on the Cross, and then rise to new life, to reveal Himself as our Savior.  And so, all these Biblical saints were eternally wealthy through the Promises of God, to which they clung in faith, the faith that God credits for righteousness. 

    Moses and the Prophets and the Apostles do not leave us wondering how, then, we poor-and-rich Christians should live.  We are not to trust in any earthly good, but instead fear, love and trust in God above all things.  We are to thank God for all His many blessings, and put all of them to good use, investing them, not just in pleasing ourselves, but also in blessing our neighbors.  Our time, our relationships, our physical and mental capabilities, and our material wealth, all these are given to us in trust by the Father.  He would  have us invest them for the good of others, and always with an eye on eternity. 

    I am not just talking about donating time, talent and treasure to support your Christian congregation and the broader Church.  The Lord wills that all your use of the blessings He bestows on you be God-pleasing.  Biblical stewardship encompasses your entire life. 

    A sincere effort and self-examination in the light of this truth will keep us all humble, repentant and seeking God’s ongoing mercy.  This daily forgiveness and renewal of God’s children, along with extending the kingdom of Christ to more souls, these are the reasons the Church on earth exists.  And certainly the regular activities of His Church make up the hub of the wheel through which the Holy Spirit delivers the blessings of Moses, the Prophets and the Apostles. 

    The more clearly we understand our own need, our sinfulness, and the better we grasp the riches of the Gospel, the more we will be determined to support the Church.  Here at Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s, God has provided great riches for us.  Along with regularly feasting on the Gospel, this past week we witnessed the joy of our dual parish, as members from ORLC and OSLC joined together to tackle the basement carpet removal in Hill City.  God be praised. 

    Members from both congregations are actively seeking to draw friends and family and neighbors into our fellowship, keeping me busy during the week.  The Holy Spirit who came down at Pentecost is still lighting fires of faith. 

    Next week at ORLC’s Voters’ Assembly we will consider setting aside a good portion of the surpluses the Lord has provided in recent years to establish a grant fund for Mission and Ministry, for the short term and for the long.  And this afternoon at our Joint Parish Council Meeting, we will do some dream-casting, compiling and discussing ideas we would like see come to fruition over the next decade.    

    The future heavenly riches and blessing we have in Christ Jesus are beyond our comprehension.  His mercy is new every morning, and it lasts forever. 

    God grant us ever to focus our eyes on these promises, so that we and many more people may know where true and eternal treasure is found, and so that we also be moved to use our earthly riches wisely, for the good of God’s people, in the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Visiting About the Holy Trinity

Sermon for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, and the Visitation
May 31^st, A + D 2026
John 3:1-17 and Luke 1:39-45
Our Redeemer and Our Savior's Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, South Dakota

Video of the Readings through the Sermon availableHERE.

 Audio of the Sermon is avalable HERE.

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

   What is God like?  And what does God think about me?  About us?  These are important questions, which people often ponder at different moments of their lives.  Today, on Holy Trinity Sunday, the Christian Church offers a comprehensive and definitive answer, using the Athanasian Creed. 

   Not everyone likes creeds.  In the late summer of 2000, shortly after the Warners arrived in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I attended seminary, we were headed to Peace Lutheran Church for the first time.  I had been assigned to do my field work at Peace, assigned to help out at this local congregation as part of the seminary’s program for preparing men to be pastors.  As we drove past the side of the church toward the parking lot, we saw a bare-foot young man with long wavy blond hair, wearing what looked like off-white pajamas, sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk, in what I think is called the lotus position.  That was different.  Later, after we had gone into the nave, he came in and sat down in the front pew. 

   Someone went up to give him a bulletin, and showed him the service we would be following in the hymnal.  Everything seemed fine, until the pastor led us in the Nicene Creed.  "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.  And in Jesus Christ…   

   Just then, there was an off-white flash down the center aisle, headed toward the exit, as the young man ran out of the sanctuary.  A couple of people tried to catch up to him, but he was gone.  Apparently, he did not like what the Creed declared about God. 

   Today we have a happy coincidence, the Feast of the Holy Trinity falling on May 31^st,
which is also a day assigned to remember the Visitation, that day when the newly pregnant Mary went to visit her also pregnant cousin Elizabeth, up in the hill country of Judah. 

   I always enjoy any excuse to review the Christmas story in the summer time, so I added the Luke reading for the Visitation to our Holy Trinity readings.  Along with the Athanasian Creed, we have heard a wide variety of expressions about who God is and what He thinks about us.  They are all true and helpful, but they might also raise some questions, because they are very different from each other.  

   Creeds are specific, formal, precise expressions, worked out by theologians of the Early Church.  Creeds offer summary statements about God, man, the Church and the Gospel.  They serve to defend the faith against error, those lies of Satan that are always trying to corrupt the Truth of Christ. 

   Creeds are definitive: God is this way, and not another.  True religion is this way, not that way.  I’ve always suspected this was why our barefoot visitor ran out of Peace Lutheran Church that Sunday in 2000 – he did not agree with nor appreciate the definitiveness of the Nicene Creed.  Which is too bad, because the Creeds, even the long and convoluted Athanasian Creed, are Good News, because they tell the one true story of who God is, and not only what He thinks of us, but also what He has done and is doing to save us. 

   Creeds attempt to summarize the central message of the Bible, and so, along with defending against error, they are very useful for teaching the faith.  But they were never intended to replace God’s Word, which is far richer and more varied, and strikes us in so many different ways.  The LORD speaks to us in varied ways, because He knows how we are, and what we need in order to trust in Him. 

   Like our reading from Isaiah 6, the prophet’s vision of God enthroned in His heavenly temple, the Holy, Holy, Holy LORD, reigning in glory, surrounded by spectacular beings.  Trying to picture what Isaiah describes will make you dizzy.  The scene is fantastical, full of creatures we can barely imagine.  Isaiah’s vision is awesome, but also fearful:  Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, …for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!  Isaiah, the honest sinner, fears for his life, because God’s holy glory is too great.  And yet, the vision is also hopeful. 

   Guilt removed and sins atoned for, a burning purification delivered from the altar of heaven to Isaiah’s lips, the prophet is not destroyed.  Instead, he is forgiven, and then hears that the Lord is seeking to assign a task: The LORD asks, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"   The forgiven prophet is filled with life and hope.  God needs to send a representative?  Sounds great!  Here am I, send me, please! 

   If you read on you’ll discover that Isaiah is exhibit one for why you should be careful what you volunteer for.  Because the initial message Isaiah is given to proclaim to God’s people is one of condemnation and hardening, not mercy or deliverance.  Not at first.  In the end, of course, Isaiah is a preacher of the sweetest good news, a messenger of joy and restoration.  But only after he first gives the sternest warnings about the punishment Israel’s unfaithfulness had earned.  Sin must be named and dealt with, so that God’s grace and mercy can be revealed and received.    

   Isaiah sees the Glory of God, which is deadly to sinners, but he is saved from destruction freely, by pure grace.  It is good and right that this salvation experience should make one eager to serve the LORD’s purposes in His mission.   

   Our reading from Romans chapter 11 is doxological, that is, it is the highest praise of God, praise made by proclaiming God’s character.  It fits well as a response to the wonders Isaiah saw, for Paul’s doxology is lofty, superlative, beautifully glorifying God.  Such high praise, like Isaiah’s volunteerism, is a proper response to God’s glory and mercy.  God is great, amazing, and God’s people rightly shout this wonder from the rooftops. 

   But interestingly, our reading from Romans 11 comes after a long section where Paul teaches about election, and falling away.  About the hardening of many biological children of Israel, and the mystery that Gentiles through faith in Jesus are grafted into the Olive Tree that is the true and eternal Israel, namely, the Christian Church.  Many sons of Abraham reject their inheritance and are cut off because of their unbelief, while many Gentiles are grafted in by grace, through faith. 

   And yet, because salvation of both Jew and Gentile is by faith in the promises of Jesus, there is always hope in this life, always opportunity for anyone who has not heard, or who has wandered away.  By repentance and faith, the Spirit is always able to re-establish, or plant for the first time new living branches into the trunk of the true Isarel.  And so Paul proclaims:  Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! … For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

   Our John 3 reading is secretive, a meeting at night, because the pharisee Nicodemus fears being seen talking with Jesus.  Patient but also direct, Jesus reveals the wonderful gift of Baptism, heavenly re-birth by water and the Spirit.  Jesus tolerates the spiritual blindness of this supposed teacher of Israel, as He pointedly but patiently reveals the blind spots of Nicodemus, and leaves him with more truth than he can grasp.  I suspect Nicodemus went home with more questions than he started out with.  But Jesus is teaching for the long term, and eventually the Holy Spirit would bring Nicodemus out of hiding to confess his faith in Jesus as the Christ, a confession revealed when he helped Joseph of Arimathea honor Jesus by burying His crucified body.  Finally seeing Jesus lifted up on a Roman cross helped Nicodemus grasp the Good News that God loved the world in this way, by giving His Son to die for our sins.  

   Finally, the biggest outlier today: the heartwarming exchange between Mary and Elizabeth, and between the babies in their wombs, Jesus and His cousin, John the Baptist.  How different from the heavenly throne vision, or the doxology of Paul, or the secret meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus.  Karla found a picture for the bulletin that captures the joy of these two women, who have been caught up in God’s plans in a most intimate and wonderful way.  The fearsome glory of Isaiah and the stern, detailed, fact-declaring Athanasian Creed seem very far from the happiness and homey-ness of the Visitation.   

   And yet, the same unchanging God is in the midst of all we have heard this morning. 

   The LORD God, mighty general of the heavenly armies, is also the infant growing in the womb of Mary, whose visit caused the ‘in-utero’ John the Baptist to leap for joy. 

   God is also the dying Son, lifted up on a Roman cross by the will of the Father, in order to draw all men to Himself. 

   Without the careful, detailed facts of the Creeds, the weakness of human understanding would soon twist or cast aside one aspect of God or another.  And, without the full counsel of God, without a full picture of Who He is and what He thinks of us and does for us, we sinners will fall away. 

   To just focus on the sweetness of Mary’s pregnancy may seem nice for a while, but the Baby in her womb does not yet take away our guilt. 

   To only emphasize the majesty and power of God, will leave us without hope, stuck at Isaiah’s “Woe is me.”   We also need to hear of the LORD’s willingness to come to us humbly, teaching in the night, hiding in a manger, rejected by the powers that be.  To only speak of the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord who is unsearchable and inscrutable would be to leave the needy sinner without the faith to sing: God’s own child I gladly say it, for I am baptized into Christ.    

   And so, we discover the strand that binds together all the various words about God we have heard this morning: that strand is His mysterious love.  A mystery is a truth that, with the Spirit’s help, we can believe, but we cannot quite fully understand.  Our feeble minds can be brought to recognize the truth of mystery, and embrace it, but there are aspects which are beyond our full understanding.  But we love the mysteries of the Bible, for they reveal and deliver God’s love to us.    

   Mysteries like the fact that God is One, and yet He is also Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons, constantly loving each other, with love to spare for His favorite creature, which is us. 

   Or that the all-powerful God was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary, helpless and vulnerable, even as He ruled over all things. 

   Or that the One who is outside the created universe, the eternal LORD, chooses created things to reveal and deliver His love to us, removing guilt and sin with burning coals, and even with plain water, combined with God’s Word. 

   Or that the Holy, Holy, Holy One who deserves far more praise and honor than we could ever express, also loves to hear our prayers, also loves to draw us into His arms and comfort us like a mother, no, even better than a mother could ever love her baby. 

   Mysterious love.  Indestructible hope for dying sinners.   

   To the Mysterious Love, to the one True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be all the glory, and to you be the mercy, forgiveness and joy, today, and forever and ever, Amen.