The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

Psalm 86; 1 Kings 17:8-16; Galatians 5:25-6:10

St. Matthew 6:24-34

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

There is a very clear reason our Lord admonishes us today not to be anxious over food, drink, and clothing. Food, drink, and clothing are necessities for this body and life. Our bodies require food and drink to operate properly. We require clothing to protect us from the elements and to maintain modesty in a fallen world.

Christ is speaking of anxiety over necessities, not excesses. It ought to be clear to all Christians that excessive wealth is a great temptation to sin. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”[1] The pursuit of excessive wealth is itself a sin. Seeking wealth for the sake of wealth is the definition of greed.

Yet today, our Lord is addressing necessities. “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.”[2] Everyone in this room, when compared objectively to the rest of the world and across time, is extremely blessed with access to these necessities. This does not mean you are evil nor sinful for owning more than one pair of shoes. Christ is not admonishing the quality or quantity of the necessary items in your home. He is addressing your heart.

For what purpose do you have more than one pair of shoes? For what purpose do you have chicken and beef in the freezer? If the purpose is to amass more possessions, then repent. If the purpose is to be prepared for any situation, repent. If the purpose is because you fear lack, then repent.

“Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”[3] Your heavenly Father knows that you need food and drink, house and home, land, animals, and all things necessary for this body and life. If you do not trust in him or fear he will not provide, then repent of your idolatry, for that is what it is when you fear something other than God. Do not fear that which can kill the body, but fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.[4]

Even the Gentiles worry about such things, that is, even the unbeliever worries about his food, drink, and clothing. We are called to something greater. We are called to faith. We are called to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. This calling is beyond human effort and yet Christ is serious when he commands us not to worry.

This type of worry, this type of anxiety, this type of unbelief is ultimately idolatry of the self. Very few people truly worship and serve mammon. To purely worship mammon would be to entirely devote yourself to physical objects, believing these objects to be good in themselves. Rather, when a human worships mammon, they are worshipping themselves. A man surrounds himself with fast cars because it makes him feel good. A woman buys endless dresses to make herself feel beautiful. We all accumulate money and spend it to make ourselves feel powerful. Money is power in this world. Such power is not only meaningless in the world to come, but dangerous to your salvation.

You cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot be split between two masters. One must rule your heart and your faith. And yet Christ’s words today are not a harsh rebuke. They are a loving correction.

Why should you worry about feeling young when the Father has promised you eternity? You may have 80 or more years on this side of glory, but the eternity God has in store makes your 80 look like a brief morning. Why worry about what you will eat when Christ has given his Holy Body for your food and his Precious Blood for your drink?

Look at the birds of the air, who neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns. They are fed by the hand of God. The eyes of all look to the Father and he gives them their meat in due season.[5] If birds, motivated by instinct alone, know to trust the Almighty God, why not his beloved children, who daily receive his Word of promise?

Consider the lilies, the loveliest of flowers and more beautiful than Solomon. They grow and do not toil nor spin. God provides for them. And yet they are little more than grass which grows today but is thrown in the oven tomorrow when compared with you, beloved of the Lord. Solomon, the wisest and richest of men, took a lifetime to learn that everything he gained by wisdom and money were vanities.

Vanities of vanities, all is vanity[6] because it does not gain salvation. And yet this same wisdom and wealth build the Temple of the Lord. This was not vanity because it is the place in which God dwelt with his people, bringing his Word, his gifts, his presence to them.

“Your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”[7] The kingdom of God is not a place, it is a reign. It is that place, or that sphere of God’s authority. While God certainly reigns over all creation, he reigns directly in the Church. Christ is seated, enthroned at the right hand of the Father and the Holy Spirit is enthroned in the hearts of the Church.

The Most Holy Trinity reigns over creation and yet this kingdom had to be won from Satan. In the fall, Satan made claim to God’s most precious creation – Adam and Eve. Man departed from the kingdom of God and sought the kingdom of Satan, where he is allowed to worship himself through mammon.

The Holy God, who is himself Love, could not let this stand. More necessary than food, drink, or clothing is the atonement of Christ. It is necessary that the Son of God took on our flesh to redeem us from the wrath of the Father and drag us away from our own idolatry because he is perfect love and perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.[8] Why then torment yourself with worry and anxiety when your heavenly Father already knows what is necessary for your life, O you ones of little faith?

Notice that even that phrase, “O you of little faith” speaks of your faith. God will not crush a bruised reed nor snuff a faintly burning wick, nor cast off those of little faith. Rather, he desires to guide you to repentance and warn your of your sins which will only hurt you. Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry for itself. Why do something which will harm you when you can focus instead on the kingdom of God, that is, Christ?

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”[9] Let us turn toward the blessings of God, that which he has promised to give and those we currently enjoy. Let those things which are necessary to this life serve the blessings which we’ve been given. Do you have multiple pairs of shoes? Perhaps the purpose is to look nice for your husband, who is himself a blessing of God. Do you have an extra refrigerator? Perhaps it is to serve the neighbor kids who play in the street and could use a kind neighbor to serve them a soda.

You see, when Christ admonishes us against anxiety over necessary things, he is not determining exactly what those necessary things are. He is not drawing a line in the sand between the amount of necessary food and one more bite is a sin. Rather, he is admonishing us that even the necessary things of this life are to serve our faith. We eat to live, we don’t live to eat.

“Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”[10] The life to which Christ refers is not the time spent on earth, nor is it eternal life exactly. The word he uses is ψυχή, the Greek word meaning your entire self – body and soul, mind, spirit, temporal and eternal – the total self. Are not you a creation of God? Are you, your entire self not redeemed by Christ? Will you not be provided for in every way imaginable throughout all eternity? Are not you more than food and clothing?

You are! You are a child of God! You are a friend, a brother, a sister of Christ! You are more precious than the birds of the air and more lovely than the lilies of the field. You are arrayed more beautifully than Solomon. Robed in Christ’s righteousness, you are a child of paradise.[11] ‘What God ordains is always good, you shall not be forsaken. Fear no harm, for with His arm, He shall embrace and shield you.’[12]

There is more than enough to focus on today because you have Christ to focus on. Seek him and his righteousness and all things necessary for this life will be provided to you. Then tomorrow, you will again focus on Christ because he is all in all and the one thing needful. Use the many necessary things of this world to help you seek Christ and his righteousness. Make your money work for you, not for selfish gain, but so that you and your neighbor may seek Christ and his righteousness. Plan for the future so that you, your children and your children’s children may seek Christ and his righteousness. Love and serve your neighbor so that you and your neighbor may seek Christ and his righteousness. Do not worry about tomorrow for Christ has already guaranteed your eternity.                          

In + Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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[1] Mark 10:25.

[2] Matthew 6:25.

[3] Matthew 6:32.

[4] Matthew 10:28.

[5] Martin Luther’s Prayer asking a blessing before a meal, “Daily Prayers,” Small Catechism.

[6] Ecclesiastes 1:2.

[7] Matthew 6:32b-33.

[8] 1 John 4:18.

[9] Galatians 5:25.

[10] Matthew 6:25.

[11] From the final stanza of the hymn, God’s Own Child I Gladly Say It.

[12] Paraphrase of What God Ordains is Always Good, stanza 6. Text is public domain.

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

Proverbs 4:10-23; Psalm 84; Galatians 5:16-24

Luke 17:11-19

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

The direct result of leprosy is separation, particularly separation of three kinds. First, leprosy separates the afflicted from his own body. The disease can infect the nervous system, effectively shutting down communication between the affected areas and the brain. This leads sores and wounds to go unnoticed, resulting in serious infection or loss of members.

While many of us do not have experience with leprosy, we do have experience with this type of separation. Dementia and Alzheimer’s erode a person’s mind, turning their own ability to think against them. ALS and Multiple Sclerosis sever the connection between mind and body. The mind is fully aware as the body slowly decays. Autoimmune disorders like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s Disease, and even psoriasis turn the defense system of the body into a savage opponent. In each of these cases, there is a sense of losing control over oneself. The mind and body are separated, an indication and constant reminder of the separation of body and soul, the very definition of death.

The second kind of separation resulting from leprosy is a separation from community. Lepers were cast out from the community to prevent the spread of the disease. This was commanded by God in Leviticus 13. After extensive measures taken to ensure the cause of disease was Leprosy – measures also commanded by God – the Leper would be cast out.

Eventually, these outcasts would gather into colonies outside of town. They sought community together and while this helped, it did not replace getting to see their grandchildren on their birthday, watching their daughter’s wedding, or embracing their beloved. The lepers relied on the charity of others for food, but when anyone without leprosy approached, they were forced to cry out, “Leper!” so that the one approaching would know to keep their distance.

The third, and worst of the separations, was separation from the Temple. The Lepers were forbidden from entering the Temple, that place where God promised to dwell with his people. They could not offer sacrifices nor hear the Word of God preached. The Leper must stand afar off and cry, “Lord, have mercy!” He is not free to approach the Table of the Lord and receive the gifts offered there. Salvation is possible for the Leper, but it is difficult to maintain faith when you are not fed on the Words and Gifts of God.

Leprosy is not a creation of God – it is a corruption of his good creation. God uses corrupted diseases, especially leprosy, to instruct and chastise His creation. Leprosy causes separation from self, community, and the presence of God because Sin causes separation from self, community, and God. Original Sin places a barrier between man and God, causing man to be born at war against God. Sins against your neighbor separate you from the community in which God has placed you. The summary of the Law, the summary of God’s will for creation is to love God and love your neighbor. To transgress the Law is to separate yourself from God and neighbor.

Then there is sin against yourself, sin against your conscience. This is perhaps the most insidious form of sin for Satan uses it to convince you that you are not worthy of forgiveness. You sin against yourself when you know what you are doing is sin, but you do it anyway. You sin against yourself when you hear your conscience say ‘no’ but your flesh says ‘yes.’ You sin against yourself when you know that you should repent but are too ashamed. These sins separate you from your own humanity, for you are actively choosing to be less than God has made you. You are choosing to be an animal, not a man.

This separation is the natural state of man. We are born citizens of the kingdom of Satan, pledging allegiance to the Prince of Lies. We are separated from God by virtue of our flesh, inherited from Adam. For this reason, the Rite of Holy Baptism begins with the words, “Depart unclean spirit, make way for the Holy Spirit.” This exorcism declares that Satan has no more claim over Charles or any of the Baptized children of God. Charles has been set apart to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, as have you, beloved children of the Father.

There are three different words for the healing miracle in today’s text. First, as the lepers turn to go, they realize they have been “cleansed,” that is, they have been made clean. Their leprous spots have disappeared, and their skin is fresh. This cleansing is not only a miracle of healing but a display of the effects of Holy Baptism. In Holy Baptism, the leprosy filling your soul is cleansed. You are made clean in the Waters of Holy Baptism. How? God’s Word, in and with the water, washes your soul clean and transfers the stains of leprosy onto Christ Himself. Afterall, Holy Baptism would be nothing if Christ had not born the sin of the world to the Cross.  He was anointed in his own Baptism to be the sacrificial lamb who died to atone for your sin. The waters of Holy Baptism are made clean only because Christ has taken your filth upon himself on Calvary.

Then one of the lepers, seeing that he was healed, returned, glorified God, and worshiped and gave thanks to Christ. This Samaritan saw that he was not only cleansed, but that he was healed. This is he who recognizes the power of Holy Baptism. He sees that it is not an empty rite, nor a fragile ceremony easily lost. He knows Holy Baptism to be the washing of regeneration. He has been made new, made whole, reborn for a new life. The Samaritan sees that Christ has forgiven his sin, the source of leprosy, not just washed his skin to be clean. To put it bluntly, the Samaritan receives the healing in faith.

What then of the nine? Were not ten cleansed and yet only one returned to give glory to God? The Samaritan received the healing in faith, the nine did not. They saw the cleanliness of their skin but did not receive the healing. Perhaps they were disappointed Jesus didn’t give them money. Perhaps they believed the vitamins they took the day before finally kicked in. Perhaps the experimental drug is actually the elixir of life.

Whatever they thought, the last thing on their mind was, ‘God, the Lord, Creator of Heaven and Earth, has spared my life. He has cleansed my body and soul, forgiven my sins, and made me an heir of eternal life.’ They failed to glorify God.

What does it mean to glorify God? It is not simply to say good things about God or honor God. That would have to do with your opinion of God. To glorify God is to recognize God for who he is according to his majesty and power. This can only be done by the revelation of God’s Word. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, so that we would have the faith to glorify God, seeing him for who he is.

We cannot see the Samaritan’s heart. We cannot look into his heart and see his faith, only God can do that. But we know the Samaritan has faith because we can see his actions and hear his confession. He glorifies God and worships Jesus. He bows himself to the ground at Jesus’ feet, showing his unworthiness to stand before the Incarnate God and humbling himself before Jesus’ majesty. We can see his faith and hear him boldly confess the One True God.

There is another side to this. What of the nine? Were not ten cleansed? The nine received the same cleansing as the Samaritan but they did not receive it in faith. Because they did not receive it in faith, they did not return to glorify God nor worship Jesus. Their actions and words make it clear they are without faith. These are the one who have rejected their Baptism. Not everyone who is Baptized will be saved. Baptism is not a magical rite in which salvation is bestowed upon all who have the magic water poured on their heads. The salvation of Holy Baptism must be received in faith and the nine have given clear evidence to the contrary.

Just as the Samaritan was both cleansed and healed in the same moment, so too with Holy Baptism. Faith is created and strengthen in this Sacrament. Faith also receives this Sacrament. It makes logical sense that faith must first be created in order to receive the Sacrament, but the mysteries of God do not operate according to human logic. God has promised that Baptism bestows faith. He has also stated the Sacraments must be received in faith. Both are true and we confess it because God says so.

Therefore, we do not baptize anyone who walks through the door. Nor do we baptize the children of unbelievers, who will never be brought back into the church. We instruct the family and the sponsors of their solemn duty to raise this child in the faith into which they have been baptized.

We could say the cleansing of the lepers reunited themselves with their bodies. The cleansing also reunited them with their community. But the nine were not reunited with God because they rejected the One who brought them cleansing. The healing of the Samaritan reunited him with God and the faith given to him by Christ has saved him. The final words of the reading should be, “Your faith has saved you.” The faith of the Samaritan to receive the gifts of God for who God is has saved him.

This faith is not a work anymore than Charlie could walk down that aisle and baptize himself. This faith is a work of God, a gift of the Holy Spirit, and a union with Christ himself, whose death and resurrection has sealed this faith with the promise of eternal life. It is a blessed thing to be helpless. As you age and become incapable of helping yourself, remember that you are simply returning to the state of a child. Unless you become like one of these little ones, unless you are as helpless as Charles, you will by no means inherit eternal life.

Being helpless is a confession of your inability to save yourself. We are too worried that we have nothing left to contribute because we define ourselves by what we have to offer. Christ defines us by what he has to offer. Why would you think you can do better? Arise and come to the Great High Priest. Follow Christ on the journey to the Cross and there receive the cleansing flood of Holy Baptism and the food of His own Body and Blood.

In + Jesus’ name.  Amen.