The Seventh Sunday after Trinity

 Trinity 7 – August 3, 2025

Psalm 47; Isaiah 62:6-12; Romans 6:19-23

St. Mark 8:1-9

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

Twice during our Lord’s ministry, He feeds a multitude with a few loaves and a few fish. On the occasion before us this morning, it is a multitude of 4,000 Gentile men, plus women and children. This multitude had followed Christ out into the wilderness for three days and seem to have given no mind as to where they would find food or even how they would get home. We might be tempted to accuse the multitude of poor planning, of single-mindedness, or even of being so heavenly minded that they are of now earthly good.

While there might be some truth to those accusations, they should be tempered by the fact that this crowd is paying no attention to their earthly provision for the sake of following Christ. Even this motivation is peppered with impurity. I’m sure there were some who followed Christ for the spectacle; others who followed just because there was a crowd following him and they didn’t want to be left out; and still others who were following in greedy expectation of receiving something.

But even if their motives were not perfectly pure, they were in the right place and following the right Man. They trusted Him enough to hear and consider His words. They even, it seems, trusted that He would take care of the physical needs that they had forgotten about in the excitement of following Jesus into the wilderness. In this, they are to be commended.

And the miracle itself shows us that Christ is not just the Lord of our souls but the Lord over creation, the Lord of body and soul. He has concern both for our spiritual welfare and our physical being. It should not be surprising that the homeless and destitute often come to churches to ask for aid. What is even more revealing is that when offered prayer or biblical admonition, they flee. These would have been among the multitude on the first day but when Christ didn’t provide miraculous food, immediately they departed. If He would not provide on their terms, they would seek help somewhere else.

Imagine a world wherein all men sought first spiritual refreshment and then found temporal blessings that followed, rather than insisting on having their temporal needs met first and only then considering the eternal. Instead, we see mankind dissatisfied with the Providence of God (what He provides for life) and contempt for His divine authority and restraints against corrupt morality. This craving for personal taste and laws of our own making bring true unhappiness and grief – even if we can convince ourselves that it is happiness and joy.

What we see in Scripture and throughout history is that some men suffer in this world for their devotion to the next. They suffer hunger, lack, homelessness, persecution, and even death for their faith. The extreme forms of this suffering are not common but, in some measure, all Christians experience this suffering. And when they do, we see that they always receive the refreshment of God, the rejuvenation of their souls. Maybe not quickly. Maybe not in the way they would have it, but always in God’s good time and pleasure.

In the case of the 4,000, there was no temporal solution to their predicament. No amount of money, no expertise, no extraordinary effort was going to save their bodies. They were in a dire circumstance. Maybe some of them could have made it home but on the whole and for the most part, they would have died on their journey home. And this situation inspires compassion in our Lord.

Now that word compassion is important. It is what moves Christ to feed both multitudes, the four and the five thousand. It is not just pity or an emotion. This compassion is a literal movement in the guts,[1] a sense of mercy so deep it is felt in your body. Think of how intense you might feel when your “heart sinks” or your “stomach turns.” It is so strong that it affects the body, stirs the blood, and agitates the whole being such as to draw out an active desire to see the suffering relieved. That is how intense our Lord is reacting to the situation of the multitude. He is moved with such extremity for these people’s physical wellbeing, as well as for the wellbeing of their souls. He is touched by our aches and pains as well as our emotional, mental, and spiritual ills.

This compassion is all the more intense because this crowd has endured with Him over three days. They have sought Him out and remained with Him for three days with little or no provision. They have come with at least some measure of zeal to hear Him preach—to see Him, hear Him, and be near Him. Their zeal for His Word has led them to disregard their bodies. What they have disregarded, He has noticed. What they have forgotten, He has remembered. They have truly sought first the kingdom of God and now it is time for all these things to be added to them.[2]

This compassion within Christ did not end with a deep movement of His heart but showed itself in deed. He did not just sympathize with their weakness but acted to fill it. He is the Savior of bodies as much as He is the Savior of souls. Your body is important to Christ. He will raise it up on the last day. Note that the multitude was with Him three days. This is no accident. It was on the third day that Christ rose from the dead, and it is on the third day that He will make provision to raise this multitude from the grips of death. He gave Himself into death that these people, and you, would be rescued from it. He shed His blood that you would be fed on the bread of Life and your thirst for righteousness would be satisfied by His blood.

By virtue of your Baptism, you are made a temple of the Holy Spirit. Again, that is not just a spiritual truth. It also applies to your physical body. How you care for your body and how you use your body are important to Christ because it reveals what you believe about Him, about the resurrection of the flesh, and about His love for you. Confessing Christ with your lips but using your body as a tool of sin is inconsistent; the type of inconsistency that is the result of hypocritical faith. It is the result of saying the right words but not actually believing what they mean. The moral precepts of Scripture are given such that your body would confess the same truth your soul receives, making you a complete man; conforming you to the image of Christ.[3]

Lest we reduce the miracle of Christ’s provision to only a physical miracle, we must recognize that every act of Christ is also addressing the inner, spiritual man. This feeding of the 4,000 does not only satisfy their bellies but communicates Christ’s provision for their souls. We see this first in that He commands the multitude to sit on the ground. He gives them a direction before giving them the food. A man can eat while standing, walking, or any number of ways, but He commands them to sit upon the ground. At that time, the multitude was free to disobey, but in so doing, they would have forfeited their participation in the blessing.

In the same way, there are commands that must be observed to receive the bread of Life. There must be a sitting down in the dust at the Lord’s feet, a humbly rejection of the self and submission to the words and commands of Christ. It is common to hear people say, “I can worship God in the field, on the golf course, or the duck blind, just as well as I can in Church;” or “One church is a good as another, they are all the same;” or “Membership in a congregation is up to me, not the congregation, elders, pastor, or even God.” Such attitudes reject the Lordship of Christ and His word. They place the self above the Words of Christ. He has said not to neglect the gathering of the saints.[4] He has said that he who rejects you, rejects Him;[5] and where two or three are gathered in Him name, there He is.[6] If a man operates only on his pride and self-confidence, there is little hope that he will be saved.

At the same time, the command to sit is quite simple. It is not a monumental task to follow the command and, it is even a command to do something pleasant. How delightful it is to sit in a field and enjoy the presence of Christ. How wonderful it is to embody your faith, to be given an opportunity to put your body into the service of Christ and His Word by simply following what He has said. And even if sitting in the dust at Christ’s feet is offensive to your sensibilities, how wonderful an opportunity to train your hardened heart through an action of your body. You may not feel like hugging your wife, but you still have control over your arms. Doing the outward movement, taking the physical action will affect your heart, your inner being. Do it for the sake of those around you. Sit in the dirt at Jesus’ feet and your soul will receive the benefit.

Secondly, Christ does not conjure food from nothing. He takes what is available and amplifies it through His Divine providence. The elements of water, bread, and wine are commonly available. There is nothing particularly special about them. Yet these are exactly what Christ takes and turns into Divine treasures. He imbues the mundane with His Divine Word to impart to you eternal blessings.

In the same way, He uses what you already have to bless you temporally. It isn’t always apparent. While raising children is difficult, it is also a curb against your own sin. When you have other mouths to feed, you work harder to provide. When you have friends to care for, it is harder to hoard your own money and possessions. Even that person who annoys you, gets under your skin, provides you an opportunity to humble yourself, to learn the virtue of patience. Every type of affliction in this world is an opportunity to see that Christ is at work in bringing you closer to Him, if only you will humble yourself enough to see it. Christ Himself was born of a lowly virgin that you would know that He raises the lowly and brings His divinity through the mundane things of this world.

Finally, we must notice that the food of this miracle is distributed through the hands of the Apostles. Christ does not distribute the loaves and fishes. He directs the Apostles to feed the multitude. He has established the Office of the Holy Ministry for the same purpose. He has established an Office into which men are ordained for the distribution of His most precious gifts. Pastors are servants, stewards over the gifts of Christ. Their Master is God and His Word. They are given to take what is given by God and distribute it to those in need of it.

These are the ambassadors of God, set to minister to us the bread of Life and if people will not hear and deal with them, if people refuse to hear and deal with them, there is no other remedy. If one of the multitude refused to receive bread from Andrew, then he went unfed. He did not get to run to another portion of the field and receive from the hand of Peter, let alone insist Christ feed him directly.

Beloved in the Lord, mark well this miracle of Christ. After both feeding miracles, the Apostles are shown not to understand their significance. Mark well the compassion of Christ for sinful man, both in body and soul. Think on His great love for you that He would care even for your hunger, let alone your soul. Consider His humility in descending from the Father into your flesh, that He would carry the burden of your sin and the weakness of your flesh in His own. Be mindful of His great sacrifice, spending three days in the bowels of the earth that you would be spared the depths of hell.

And then rejoice in His glorious resurrection; that He would proceed you in life so that you would know what it is you have to look forward to. You are the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord and He has sought you out in the wilderness of this world.[7] Proceed in this righteousness of both body and soul, having full confidence of your own glorious resurrection. “Having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[8]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Σπλαγχνίζομαι – an onomatopoeia for the sound of a sacrificial animal’s entrails hitting the altar. It is used metaphorically of the seat of emotions and a forceful movement within. Within Christian usage, it comes to mean a deep movement of mercy and pity, such as would cause a physical reaction within one’s body.

[2] St. Matthew 6:33.

[3] Romans 6:19; 8:29.

[4] Hebrews 10:25.

[5] St. Luke 10:16.

[6] St. Matthew 18:20.

[7] Isaiah 62:12.

[8] Romans 6:22-23.

The Sixth Sunday after Trinity

 The Sixth Sunday after Trinity – July 27, 2023

Psalm 28; Exodus 20:1-17; Romans 6:1-11

St. Matthew 5:17-26

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

There are truly, only two religions in the world: a religion of the Law and a religion of the Gospel. Both are concerned with the righteousness of men. God has worked into men a sense of natural law, that is, a conscience, which understands there is such thing as right and wrong, good and evil in this world. Among those who still acknowledge a “higher power,” it is still acknowledged that some type of righteousness is required to enter heaven or whatever other afterlife they can imagine. Even those who claim to be atheists, recognizing neither a “higher power” nor eternal consequences for our earthly life, there is a sense that some actions are evil, deserving punishment, while others are good, deserving reward.

The religion of the Law demands that a man make or prove himself righteous to attain heaven. “One might suppose he can enter heaven if he lives a moral life or leads a generally useful life. Another supposes he can do so if he is religious, that is, if he prays diligently, goes to church, and remains with Christians. A third supposes he can enter heaven if he guards himself as much as possible from gross sins and vices. A fourth, who is one of the wicked, supposes he can earn eternal life if, despite all his transgressions and evil life, he can point to some good.”[1]

In short, the religion of the Law sets forth certain standards by which a man may save himself. Those standards might be revealed by a deity or a prophet. They might be created within a man himself. They may be strict or lenient. These standards may even be expressed with great sympathy: “So long as you tried,” “once you’ve done everything within you,” “insofar as you are able,” “with all your heart.” The bottom line is that the religion of the Law demands something of you, which if satisfied, will be rewarded with heaven.

Now what does Christ say? He says, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”[2] With these 21 words, Christ destroys any thought that man can achieve heaven by his own means or even by his own means when helped by God. So far as it was within them, the scribes and the Pharisees strictly kept the commands of God as it was read. Their lives were dedicated to fulfilling the letter of the Law. If the righteousness required to enter heaven is greater than this, then it is truly something greater than man is capable of.

The Law of God is good and wise. It is His eternal, immutable will. The Law does not change because God does not change. The Ten Commandments are the distillation, the summary of God’s Holy Law and all men, by virtue of being a creation of God, are held accountable to this Law.

As Christ teaches on the Fifth Commandment, He shows that on outward keeping of this commandment does not itself keep the Law. The Law demands to be kept both outwardly and inwardly; in the hands and in the heart. The righteousness of the Law is a matter of the soul which is then manifested in the work of the hands, and this righteousness demands perfection.

Just for a moment, let us consider a distinction between the Law of God and His commands. A command is an expression of God’s Law, His eternal will. God has commanded, “Thou shalt not kill.” This is an expression of God’s will that life and our physical being are precious to Him such that we should not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body but help and support him in every physical need. Anger harms our own bodies, think rising blood pressure, and it threatens the physical wellbeing of our neighbor. At the same time, some are given the authority to take life, to kill. God has given the sword to the state to punish the wicked. Soldiers are given the authority to take life to preserve life.

The authority of the executioner and the soldier is not a violation of the Fifth Commandment because they do not violate God’s will, even if a strict adherence only to the letter of the Law would make it seem to conflict. This does not even represent a conflict within God’s will. The specific vocations appointed by God to take life are for the very purpose of protecting life, the keeping of the Law as expressed in the Fifth Commandment.

Yet even in these specific vocations, the question must be asked if the individual carrying out God’s will is doing so according to the letter and the spirit of the Law. And even if he is, what about the rest of the Law? “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”[3] “For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”[4] The Law forbids all sins. If a man is guilty of one sin—one tiny stumble, one idle word, one lustful thought—he is guilty of the entire Law and unable to enter the kingdom of heaven. The Law even accuses man of omitting something which he could have done. “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”[5]

This is a harsh reality. It is the truth that stands behind any religion of the Law. No matter what a person believes might be true, the truth of God’s Word is that the Law demands perfection. And God could not demand anything less. He cannot change or repeal His Law for it is His eternal, holy will. To change one iota, one dot of the Law would make God inconsistent and untrustworthy. “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”[6] His standards do not change.

Where then is hope? Who can hope to attain the kingdom of heaven? The standards are too lofty for man. Even being the best Christian you can be doesn’t meet the standards of the Law. Now, of course the answer is in Christ. The God-Man, He who is without sin, fulfilled the Law, fulfilled every jot and dot of the Law on your behalf. He who is Life, gave Himself into death on your behalf, shedding His blood where your blood was required. He rose triumphant from the grave to pave the way for humanity to walk through the gates of heaven. The Key of David simultaneously bound the ancient dragon and unlocked the gates of pearl.

And this reality of Christ’s victory over sin and fulfilling the Law is all well and good, but it does not benefit you if His righteousness does not come upon you. Something can be objectively true and good without you receiving the benefit. So the pressing question is not just where the hope of salvation comes from, but how you receive the righteousness required for entry into heaven.

The answer is revealed in our reading from St. Paul this morning. You do not obtain this righteousness. You do not grasp hold of it. You do not seek it out and find it among the treasures of this world. God brings it to you. God delivers it to you. God scoops you up and wraps you in His righteousness, and He does this through death.

“Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death.”[7] There is so much that happens in Holy Baptism and it begins with death. The waters of Holy Baptism begin with our death to sin, as we are drown and dragged to the depths of the sea. This is prefigured in the Flood of Noah. Every imagination of the hearts of man had become wicked in the Fall and the Lord decided within Himself to wash away this wickedness in a watery death. Your death in Holy Baptism is no less real than all those who perished in the Flood. From the moment of your birth in the flesh, the minutes of your life have begun to count down. Holy Baptism points forward to this temporal reality but fast-forwards that clock spiritually. You were drowned and died in the flood of Holy Baptism.

It is a shame that our culture has become so afraid of death that it is almost unheard of for friends and family to be present at the actual burial, pouring of dirt, over the casket of a dead loved one, much less to even witness the lowering of the casket into the grave. This is to our shame because Holy Scripture reveals this as the reality of our Baptism. Not only are we drowned in the waters but we are in fact buried in the earth. We are swallowed by the very ground on which we once walked.

Yet Baptism does not end in death, just as Christ’s sacrifice did not end in death. Having been drowned, having been buried in the depths of the earth, we rise from the font to a new life. Just as Christ is raised from the dead, so too we rise from the dead. And just like the death of Holy Baptism, this points forward to the temporal reality of our resurrection in the flesh. It immediately is the reality of our spiritual new birth. We rise from the waters of Holy Baptism a new creation, created for New Life, the temple of the Holy Spirit and a new-born son of God.

“If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”[8]

Yet again, this new life is not the end of Holy Baptism. Just as our first parents were not sent out of the Garden with the Word of God’s promised salvation alone but clothed in the skin of a lamb, so too the new man who rises from the waters of Holy Baptism is given the robe of Christ’s righteousness. This robe is entirely foreign to you. You did nothing to earn it and if fact, you do nothing to maintain it. It is given to you by Christ, Himself. He takes the very shirt off His back and places it on you. And this righteous garment bears the very righteousness of God. “Be holy as Your Heavenly Father is holy.” This is how you come to possess the very righteousness, the very holiness of God.

Along with this righteousness comes the very hope, the very faith by which you receive that cloak of righteousness. Having been made a dwelling of the Holy Spirit and clothed in Christ’s righteousness, your mind is renewed and you are made fit to receive these glorious blessings of God’s mercy. Again, even the objective truth and reality of the blessings of Holy Baptism are of no benefit if they are not received by faith, yet even this faith is not of your own doing, your own reason, works, or emotions. This faith is itself a working of God.

So how do you know that you have met the requirements of the Law in order to gain entrance into heaven? How do you know that you have the faith that receives the righteousness of Christ? It is quite simple. Ask yourself, ‘Am I baptized?’ ‘What has Christ said about Holy Baptism?’ Christ has said that in Holy Baptism, the very name of God—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—has been placed on you, marking you as one of His own. If you are His, then you have been made a dwelling of the Holy Spirit and the robe of Christ’s righteousness has been placed on you. And if this is the case, and if faith is itself a working of God, then those blessed words of Christ are all you need, “All who believe and are baptized will be saved.”[9]

Not only has the shed blood of Christ opened the way to salvation, but He has given you His own credentials for admission. He has tightly woven His own righteousness around you such that nothing more is required. Is it possible to wriggle out of His righteousness? Of course! It is quite easy to do. But it is unthinkable for the Christian who realizes just what Christ has done and continues to do for you. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”[10]

Now may Christ the life of all the living and the death of death our foe, guard your hearts and minds in the true and living faith once delivered to you in the waters of Holy Baptism now and forever.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Walther, Gospel Sermons, 55.

[2] St. Matthew 5:20.

[3] James 2:10.

[4] St. Matthew 12:36.

[5] James 4:17.

[6] Galatians 3:10.

[7] Romans 6:3-4.

[8] Romans 6:5-6.

[9] Cf. St. Mark 16:16.

[10] Romans 6:1-2.

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity

 The Fifth Sunday after Trinity – July 20, 2025

Psalm 27; 1 Kings 19:11-21; 1 Peter 3:8-15

St. Luke 5:1-11

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.[1]

St. Peter’s work as a fisherman does not interfere with his attention to the Word of God, nor does his attention to the Word of God interfere with his work. In fact, they go hand-in-hand. One of the curses of the fall was that ‘by the sweat of his brow shall man eat bread.’[2] This curse of God is not just a punishment. It is, in fact, a barrier to sin. Needing to work in order to eat combats the sins of sloth and envy. It is our sinful nature that turns this barrier to sin into yet another avenue for sin, namely greed.

The reading for today also places the Third and Seventh Commandments into their proper order. St. Peter first loans his boat to Christ and then casts his net into the deep water. Attention to the Word of God must always come before our work. If we are to be fed by the work of our hands, it must be blessed by God. If God is to bless our work, it must be done in faith toward Him and in love toward our neighbor. And in order for this to happen, we must keep the Sabbath holy by gladly hearing, receiving, and learning God’s Word.

Now make no mistake, every day is a Sabbath rest in Christ. Every day is to be kept holy and everything is sanctified, made holy, by the Word of God and prayer. Therefore, the reception of and learning from God’s Word is not an activity reserved for Sunday morning. It isn’t even reserved for your morning and evening devotion. St. Paul commands us to pray without ceasing.[3] The proper understanding of this command is that everything we do should be done in the knowledge that God has placed this work before us. Obedience to the Seventh Commandment relies on obedience to the Third.

If we gain our bread by the sweat of our hands, then why pray, ‘give us this day our daily bread’? The simple answer is that we do not gain our bread by our work. God gives daily bread to all creation even without our prayer. But we pray this petition that God would lead us to recognize that all bread, meat, and possession comes from His hand; and that we would rightly give Him thanks for it. We must work for our daily bread but anything that comes from our work is only delivered by the grace and mercy of God. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”[4]

Why not spend an additional 30 seconds in your car before going into work for the day, praying that God would bless your work this day? And then the same as you return home from work, giving thanks that you have been able to serve your neighbor in faith? Or why not sing hymns throughout your day, in your head if necessary or out loud if your job allows for it? Imagine what it would be like if you sit down for lunch with your coworkers and rather than starting your conversation with, “how bout them Royals,” you started with, “God really has been good to me that I can sit here and enjoy this meal with you.” Or better yet, “Say, I’ve been thinking about how David ate the showbread when he was running from Saul. What do you think about that?” Now, I understand not everyone has coworkers who are open to, let alone capable of, a conversation about the nuances of the Old Testament. But at the same time, have you ever tried?

Now we also learn from St. Peter that we mustn’t let the Word of God idly bounce off our eardrums, but we must put it into practice. After hearing the teachings of Jesus, when our Lord told him to cast his nets, St. Peter responded, “At Your word I will let down the net.” Remember that in this situation, St. Peter is the expert in the field. Our Lord is a prophet. What does He know about fishing? Yet at the Word of the Lord, St. Peter’s actions are affected. He hears the Word and acts accordingly. If the Word of God takes firm root in our hearts, then we can be certain that our professional activities are pleasing to God. And when I say ‘professional,’ don’t get too bothered. If you are a mother, you are a professional mom. If you are a gardener, you are a professional, no matter what your tax filing says.

“If God’s Word illumines our endeavors, we will recognize that we are unworthy, that we are not worthy of even a crumb of bread. For God’s Word teaches us this, that we are all unworthy of His blessings.

“If God’s Word illumines our endeavors, we will not become impatient and resentful when the Lord God at times delays His blessings and we suffer want.

“If God’s Word shines forth in the work of our calling, we will not ascribe it to our cleverness and efforts when He gives it His blessing. This is taught in God’s Word as well, that we should not kiss the work of our hands nor sacrifice to the ‘net’ of our labors.[5]

“If God’s Word shines forth in our labors, we will not only be courteous to our neighbor but also helpful and compassionate, and turn away from temporal things and seek the treasure and joy of our hearts in God. This is because God’s Word teaches all these things.”[6]

Finally, we must also see St. Peter’s boat as a picture of the Church. Christ is in the boat, and it is from this boat that the Word of God is proclaimed to the world. So too, Christ is present here, amid the gathering of His people, and it is here, in the Church, where His Word is proclaimed for all the world to hear. This alone makes Peter’s boat more precious than the greatest merchant’s ship, laden with gold and jewels.

It is also in this boat that a great haul of fish is caught at the very word of Christ. In the Church, the great nets of heaven are filled with men and women, caught fast by the Word of God.

And just as the nets begin to rip open at the weight and fighting of the fish, so too the Church of God has been rent apart by schism because of false teachings and the vexing spirit of man. The world is a tumultuous sea in which everything swims at random, and there are huge predatory fish who prey on others. But out of the great kindness and mercy of God, His net is cast far and wide to gather men by His divine teaching into the boat of His Church.

Now to be sure, there are fish even in the boat who continue to struggle against that Word. They tear holes in the net and want nothing more than to rejoin the chaos of the sea. The broadly cast net catches fish of all kinds. Even for those fish who submit to their Captor, desiring to remain in the boat, this causes pain and suffering. They may even be caught in the struggle and fall overboard.

Among these stubborn fish, we can see St. Peter, himself. At the first sign of struggle, danger, and even imminent death, he does two things. First, he humbly confesses his sin – both the sins he actively commits and his very sinful nature. But second, he makes that horrible plea that Christ would depart from him.[7]What we do not see Peter do is remain silent. Seeing the tearing nets and the sinking boat, he does not decide to sit down and give up without a word to his fishing companions or to Christ. He goes to the source. He speaks up. He is willing to suffer the humiliation of saying something blasphemous if only to remedy his sorry state.

Peter was right to humbly confess his sins because he is a sinful man. He was wrong to beg Jesus to depart from him. He wanted the blessing of God without the presence of God because it was too difficult for him to bear. And on such a one as this, even when making the wrong statement about the presence of Christ, our Lord has mercy on Him. St. Peter had yet to learn that so long as Christ is present, he had everything he would ever need – be it a time of feast or famine. In the darkness of night, he had caught nothing. In the presence of Christ, he had everything he could ever need, even if it came with a time of suffering.

And so it is with all of you. You are present with Christ in the boat today. The fish have been gathered. Our pews are not full to the bursting, but the haul of Christ’s net is. Aside from your personal struggles, we face financial difficulties and personal strife. Do not be tempted to cast off Christ for the sake of your temporal gain – be it money, possessions, friendships, or relations. Do not be afraid. Christ is in this boat. He has pulled you from the tumultuous sea even as He has dived to its depths. He spent three days in the sea of death that you would never have to face it again.

Is your comfort worth fleeing the net of Christ’s salvation? Is your job worth breaking the Third Commandment? Or are you willing to forsake all and follow Christ? Are you willing to be changed by the blood of Jesus Christ such that you will follow Him in every way, including standing before God and man to say, “I am a sinful man. Lord, if I have You alone, then I expect nothing of heaven and earth. Though both my body and soul were to languish, You, God, are still ever the comfort and portion of my heart.”[8]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] This sermon is inspired by and follows the general outline of Johann Gerhard, “On the Fifth Sunday after Trinity,” Postilla, Volume 2 (Malone, TX: Repristination Press, 2007), 58-67.

[2] Genesis 3:19.

[3] 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

[4] St. Matthew 6:33.

[5] Habakkuk 1:16.

[6] Gerhard, Postilla, 63.

[7] St. Luke 5:8.

[8] Cf. Psalm 73:25-26.

ACELC Conference: A Noble Task: Pastoral Formation in the LCMS - Matins Sermon

 ACELC Conference: A Noble Task: Pastoral Formation in the LCMS

Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Carlisle, IA

Matins – July 16, 2025

Philippians 2:25-30

This sermon may also be viewed on the Flaneur Record YouTube channel by following this link.

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

The ministry of Epaphroditus appears to be a failure. He was sent by the Philippians to deliver their monetary support to St. Paul and then to stay and minister to the Apostle, assisting him personally and in carrying out the work of Christ among the Romans. Almost immediately after arriving in Rome, Epaphroditus fell ill; so ill that he nearly died. But by God’s gracious mercy, Epaphroditus recovered. When he was strong enough to travel, though much earlier than originally intended, St. Paul sent Epaphroditus back to Philippi, bearing the letter we’ve read from this morning.

Now St. Paul highly praises Epaphroditus. He calls him his brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and the apostle of the Philippians who ministered to his own needs.[1] These epithets are sincere and extremely high praise for a man whose illness probably made him more of a burden to St. Paul than a helper. How could St. Paul praise him when the weakness of his flesh caused him to fail in his ministry to Paul?

We are told that Epaphroditus had no concern for his own life when it came to the work of Christ.[2] In the midst of his grave illness, he could confess with St. Paul, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.”[3] And much like St. Paul, his primary concern was for the Philippians. They had heard that he was sick, likely from those who had helped him on his journey to Rome, and they were worried about him. The Philippians were worried about their beloved Epaphroditus and perhaps they were worried what would happen to their congregation should their apostle and minister die in a foreign land.

We can also derive from the text that Epaphroditus was concerned about St. Paul during his illness. He probably thought of himself as a burden to St. Paul during his trial. Yet from St. Paul’s praises of the man, we can see that even while sick, Epaphroditus did what he could to encourage, serve, and minister to Paul.

Rejoicing in Epaphroditus’s recovery, St. Paul says that he is sending him home sooner than he would have liked and that although the ministry of Epaphroditus was a failure by human standards, the Philippians should receive him in the Lord with all gladness and hold him in high esteem because of his faithfulness.[4]

What does all this mean for us today, especially as we are considering pastoral formation in our beloved Synod? First it means that, like St. Paul, we need men more than money, and we need men like Epaphroditus, who place the work of Christ above their own wants, needs, desires, and even lives. I’m sure he was sorrowful to leave his home in Philippi, but his duty was to be the hand of the Philippians in a foreign land, ministering to St. Paul in Rome. There are always dangers associated with such a journey and yet Epaphroditus was willing to face death with no concern for his life, only the work of Christ.

Second, we need to train men to follow Epaphroditus. Not everyone desiring the position of overseer is aware of the sacrifices such a noble task requires. I dare say no one is fully aware. We need to be willing not only to make men aware of the dangers and sacrifices, but to equip them, form them, with the knowledge, doctrine, diligence, and devotion to Christ that are necessary for such a noble task. There is no room to pepper the training of pastors with the leaven of false doctrine or questionable resources. There is no room to keep one foot in and one foot out.

Finally, we have to be willing to recognize that not every man is capable of this sacrifice. The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few but that does not mean that any man with a heartbeat and the name of Jesus on his lips is fit for the ministry. And this is in fact a good thing. The example of Epaphroditus is not just for clergy. Every Christian must confess with St. Paul, “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” Every Christian must be willing to sincerely sing, “Take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife, though these all be done, our victory has been won.” We need men in our congregations who are willing to serve at home and support the ministry, receiving pastors in the Lord and holding them in high esteem. We need fathers raising their children to be Christians and teaching their wives in the home, for you are the overseers of your household.

By God’s great mercy, may none of us be faced with a situation like that of Epaphroditus. At the same time, by God’s grace may you all be prepared to follow his faith and example.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Philippians 2:25.

[2] Philippians 2:30.

[3] Philippians 1:21.

[4] Philippians 2:29.

The Fourth Sunday after Trinity

 The Fourth Sunday after Trinity – July 13, 2025

Psalm 27; Genesis 50:15-21; Romans 8:18-23

St. Luke 6:36-42

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

“Judge not lest ye be judged,”[1] is among the most abused verses of Scripture, if not the most abused. It is taken to mean there is no place for harsh or negative words on the lips of Christians, as though we are commanded to live and let live. ‘Preach only the Gospel.’ ‘Be nice and the hearts of many will be turned.’

But no one who has read the Scriptures can come to this conclusion. The Bible is full of commandments to judge and condemn false doctrine – including sin. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”[2] Every pastor is commanded not only to forgive sins but to rebuke and warn against them; as well as train up Christians for every good work.[3] This requires making judgements and condemning false doctrine and sin.

This task of judging and condemning is not just given to pastors in their preaching. The Prophet Isaiah says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”[4] Psalm 119 goes so far as to command us to “hate every false way.”[5] And Christ commands the sheep to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”[6] It would be impossible to discern between a false prophet and a true prophet if you could not judge. And how do you judge this doctrine? By comparing it to the Word of God, the only inerrant and infallible rule and norm by which doctrine can be judged.

Then what is our Lord forbidding in these words, “Judge not, condemn not”? He is forbidding judging hearts, not according to God’s Word but according to our own thoughts, preferences, or opinions. It is judging without love and mercy but according to the passions of our own flesh. The synopsis, or summary, of the Gospel text this morning is “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”[7] But why should you be merciful as God is merciful? What should move, or motivate, you to be merciful as God is merciful?

First, you ought to be moved by the mercy God has shown toward you. Earlier in the sermon on the plain, Christ told us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.[8] Here, that command is taken a step further. Do unto others as you would have God do to you. Don’t get me wrong, it is not our mercy that causes God to have mercy on us. It is not our actions that cause God to grant us grace and forgiveness. However, what we do in and with that grace and mercy can certainly cause our Heavenly Father to withdraw the same.

Think of the parable of the unforgiving servant. A servant owes his master 60 million days’ wages, somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 billion, or over 230,000 years of work. The master has compassion on his servant and forgives his debt. But then the servant finds a fellow servant who owes him $16,000, about 5 months of work. Since he can’t pay the debt, the servant has him beaten and thrown in jail. When the master hears what he has done, he throws the unforgiving servant to the torturers and jailers until the debt is paid.

The servant did nothing to earn the compassion of his master but when he failed to show similar compassion to his fellow servant, the master returned his lack of forgiveness upon him with the same measure: pressed down, shaken together, and running over. That servant was forgiven 230,000 years of debt and yet you have been forgiven more. Your Heavenly Father sent His Only Begotten Son to die for your debt of sin and to rise again that you would no longer be a slave but a son, and that you would enjoy this inheritance for all eternity. You have been set free from the punishment of the Law and the sting of death. Such is the sweet mercy of God that has been shown to you. Such is the same mercy you’ve been called to show to your neighbor.

When we say that good works are motivated by the Gospel, this is what we mean. Though we are but frail mortals, incapable of the perfect mercy of God, we who have been set free by such a glorious love are to reflect that love in our mercy toward others. What would it say to God if you refused to show forth the mercy that you’ve been shown? It would tell Him that what He has done means very little to you. It would be an abuse of everything that He has done for and given to you. He gives you life and you would use it in service to death.

Rather, see your forgiveness for what it is. It is a new life, a new beginning, a new existence as a son of God. A son wants nothing more than a father he can be proud of and to be like his father. We have a Father who defines what it means to be a father. As His dear children, our hearts ought to desire nothing less than to be like Him, to walk in His ways and enjoy His favor for all eternity.

I’ve already hinted at the second motivation to be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful. It is because of the consequences of not being merciful. When we heard of Lazarus and the rich man, I spoke of how seriously God takes sin. He hates sin. He cannot tolerate sin to stand in His presence. He also provides the antidote to the poison of sin. His great love sends the shed blood of Jesus to be for you the medicine of immortality. As seriously as He takes sin, He equally takes your forgiveness seriously.

So then, how would you like God to consider you? Do you wish that He would overlook your besetting sins, those against which you struggle but still find yourself falling into? Of course! Then you should also be willing to overlook such sins in your neighbor. Do you wish to escape the loveless judgment of hell? Then do not judge your neighbor without love. On the last day, do you want God to commend your righteous and merciful deed to your neighbor, making no mention of your sins, as He does with the sheep at His right hand?[9] Then, whenever you can, speak well of your neighbor to the best of your knowledge. Before others and in your own heart, put the best construction on everything that he does.

Do not wish that God would remember your sins no more, keep no record of your sins nor add them up, turn His anger away from you, smile upon you, and hurl all your guilt into the depths of the sea, then turn around and keep tally of your neighbor’s sins against you so that you can use them against him at the opportune time. With the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

The final motivation to be merciful as our Father is merciful as presented in our text is the burden of our own sin. You know the depth of your own sin. You know which temptations to which you are likely to succumb. In this knowledge, the temptation to lovelessly judge your neighbor is twofold. There is the temptation to judge those with similar sins. The man prone to anger is especially angered by another man prone to anger. One who steals is often the first to judge another thief. The opposite temptation is also true. It is very easy to judge someone who is tempted to sins that you are not tempted toward. Such self-righteous indignation boils over from a lack of sympathy.

Yet to be ever mindful of the burden of your own sin ought to move you to show compassion and mercy toward your neighbor. It is humbling to ponder your own sinfulness. This humility can then drive your attitude toward others. It is a somewhat slight example but think of the person who cuts you off in traffic or quickly pulls out in front of you. How easy it is to condemn them for driving recklessly. And it is true, what they’ve done is dangerous. What you don’t know is their child was just flown into the city for emergency surgery; or he has just learned of the infidelity of his wife; or he is a first responder who just received an emergency call that pulled him out of bed during his time off. And besides, who among us hasn’t missed a stop sign, unknowingly cut someone off, or even purposely broken traffic laws?

The point is that you know what it is to be a sinner, and you know what a sinner needs. A sinner needs to be forgiven. A sinner needs mercy. It is not your duty to determine the eternal fate of every person you encounter, but to love God and serve your neighbor. There is a time and place to judge and condemn false doctrine and sin, but there is also a time to remove the plank from your own eye first. Attending to your own sin prepares you with a humble heart to seek the reproof, correction, and instruction of your neighbor.

Your Heavenly Father has had mercy on you. By right, there is only One who may even call Him His Father, for Christ is the only True Son of the Father. Yet in His infinite grace and mercy, He has given to you everything that is His own, including your adoption as a child of God. In faith toward Him and in fervent love toward your neighbor, be merciful, even as your Heavenly Father is merciful.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Luke 6:37.

[2] St. Mark 16:15-16.

[3] 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

[4] Isaiah 5:20.

[5] Psalm 119:104, 128.

[6] St. Matthew 7:15.

[7] St. Luke 6:36.

[8] St. Luke 6:31.

[9] St. Matthew 25:34-40.