The Second Last Sunday in the Church Year

The Second Last Sunday in the Church Year – November 17, 2024

Psalm 54; Daniel 7:9-14; 2 Peter 3:3-14

St. Matthew 25:31-46

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

The words of our Lord concerning the Sheep and the Goats is not a parable. A parable is an illustrative story that may-or-may-not be true (but generally isn’t), where the people, places, and events stand in for other people, places, and events. Next week, we will hear the parable of the 10 virgins. That parable depicts those within the church who have genuine, saving faith and those within the church on earth who are hypocrites, who give no attention to the faith once delivered to them. However, when Christ returns, there will not necessarily be 10 women waiting by a wedding hall where 5 enter in and 5 do not.

The Sheep and the Goats is not a parable because the division of the nations into the righteous and the wicked will happen, and it will happen as Christ describes it. He calls these two groups “sheep” and “goats” as an illustration and this illustration delivers the key to understanding this teaching of our Lord. The eternal fate of the nations, that is, all people, is not determined by works. It is determined by what they are. Sheep and goats are different animals. To use biblical language, they belong to different kinds. One kind of animal is saved. The other kind of animal is damned.

It is fundamental to understanding the final judgment that you understand this concept. We will get to the judgment of works in a moment, but the separation into the categories of those who are saved and those who are not is determined by what you are. Are you a baptized child of God? Are you a new creation in Christ? Do you find your origin in the living Word of God? Then you belong to one category of man. Are you a citizen of the kingdom of satan? Are you the old creation of Adam? Do you find your origin in the loins of man? Then you belong to the other category of men.

On one of the occasions that the Pharisees challenged Jesus, they claimed to have no father but Abraham.[1] Fundamental to their understanding of the world is that they can trace their blood and their faith from man to man, all the way back to Abraham. What are they saying? They claim that the most important aspect of their salvation is who donated DNA to their existence. They find salvation in their blood heritage. Since the time of Christ, the Jewish people have obstinately continued in this lie.

Compare this to the teachings of Christ who said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”[2] Jesus is not teaching disobedience to parents. He is boldly stating that the Word of God is more important than blood. We are the true children of Abraham because we have continued in the same faith delivered to Abraham. We are the true children of Adam because we continue in the same faith delivered in Eden immediately following the Fall. We are a different kind of being than the Jew, the Muslim, and the hypocrite.

The nations are divided according to the kind of being. The goat-sons of satan and all who disbelieve the Word of God are set to the Lord’s left. The true sons, of Adam, Abraham, David, and Christ, the sheep in the hands of the Almighty, are set to the Right.

After this division has taken place, our Lord judges the works of the sheep and the goats. After the determination of salvation or damnation, our Lord evaluates their works. The sheep are surprised to learn of what deeds they’ve done. They have no idea that they were serving Christ in all those ways. This is because they are true sons of God. A son does not need to work to gain the love of his father. Born within the son is the desire to be like his father. He wants to become the man who defines masculinity in the eyes of the son.

From the son’s perspective, that usually means trying to find great deeds of heroism to impress his father. But from the father’s perspective, it is the subtle traits of maturity that make him proud; the effort to become a better man that warms his heart. This relationship found in man is a reflection of the Almighty’s relationship with mankind. We distract ourselves with the idea of big, heroic works of righteousness when what our Father sees is our works in secret. He sees the daily acts of love toward our neighbors.

The goats are likewise surprised to learn of what they haven’t done. They believe that they’ve done their best, that they are “pretty good people,” that they did their time in Sunday School and that those things should be enough. Yet the Lord has placed them on His left, sentenced them to eternal perdition. Why? They have rejected the Word of God made flesh. They have rejected the messengers of this Gospel. They have rejected the Church and her true love – the Words and Sacraments of God. If the Church is the Body of Christ, then these have amputated themselves from the body and a limb that has been cut off, shrivels and dies.

Now, it is incredibly significant that although our Lord speaks of the goats last, He concludes His teaching with a statement about the righteous. “The righteous will [will go] into eternal life.”[3] This indicates that whenever we consider the Last Day, whenever we consider the end of times, it is for the consolation of Christians, the comfort of your conscience. When Christ reveals Himself on that Last Day, it will be in glory, as He revealed Himself at the Transfiguration. He will reveal Himself in His glorified flesh, at the sound of angels’ trumpets. And this will be our call home. Like the dinner bell on the farm, or a mother’s whistle into the neighborhood signaling that it is time to come home for dinner, the return of Christ will be a joyous occasion for the righteous. Even before the division between the sheep and the goats, all those in Christ will rejoice that their King has come to dwell with them eternally, to bring them home.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. John 8:33. See also St. Matthew 3:9.

[2] St. Luke 14:26.

[3] St. Matthew 25:46.

Thursday Matins during the week of Trinity 25

 Circuit Winkel on The Thursday of Trinity 25 – November 14, 2024

Also, the Commemoration of Emperor Justinian, Christian Ruler & Confessor

Psalm 46; 1 Peter 4:17-5:4; St. Luke 12:42-48

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

The context of St. Peter’s words is the suffering of Christians. The time of judgment is the time of suffering which all Christians are promised to endure. There are those portions of Scripture that deal with the sufferings of Christians that are a call to lament, a cry out to God for help in time of trouble. That is not the focus of St. Peter’s teaching. He says, ‘Don’t be surprised or think it strange when you suffer in this world. Rather, rejoice because you are partaking of the very suffering of Christ.’[1]

In Holy Baptism, Christ was put on you. It was not just Christ’s righteousness or His merits that were applied to you, but Christ joined Himself to you. You became a member, an appendage or a piece, of His body. When the Head suffers, the body suffers. So too, as Christ has suffered, so too do His dear children. But by this we know that we are united to the life-giving head. We know that we are the beloved children of God, so that “when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”[2]

It is in this context of suffering that St. Peter speaks of the time of judgment that is at hand. There is an urgency in St. Peter’s teaching. You must understand that your suffering should lead to rejoicing because the judgment of God begins with His own household, the household of faith. The parable of the Sower especially reveals how few in number of the faithful when compared to the number of the wicked. “O Lord, look down from heav’n behold And let Thy pity waken; How few are we within Thy fold, Thy saints by men forsaken! True faith seems quenched on ev’ry hand, Men suffer not Thy Word to stand; Dark times have us o’ertaken.”[3]

Yet this urgency is not for the sake of fear, or to drive you to good works for certainty of your salvation. The urgency is for the sake of calming your conscience. If you suffering is in fact a participation in the scorn, suffering, and death of Christ, then so too is your resurrection! And that endures forever. If your suffering is a participation in Christ, then you don’t need to worry or be anxious over suffering. Certainly, your own sins, the sins committed against you, and the sins of others should be concerning. Flee from them! Hate your own sins, repent of them, and flee from them! But you need not be anxious over them. Your suffering for your sins is only a small portion of the suffering Christ endured for the sins of the world and yet you get to receive the entirety of His righteousness that His blood won for you on Calvary.

And from this position, commit your soul to God in doing good.[4] Commit yourself to fulfilling the vocations God has given you, growing into the man or woman God has created you to be. In the midst of suffering, rejoice that God has sought fit to bring you closer to Himself, and recognize that suffering as the opportunity to grow in faith and knowledge of Him.

And here, only after emphasizing this point, does St. Peter turn specifically to the elders, the pastors. St. Peter witnessed the suffering of Christ. He witnessed the scorn and torture of our Lord and according to these words, perhaps even the crucifixion. My brothers in the ministry, St. Peter is also our brother. Hear his words as comfort and exhortation. “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”[5]

Neither St. Peter nor our Lord bases the work of the ministry on the “felt needs,” the wants, or the emotions of God’s children. The work of the ministry is based on what they need—and what they need is to hear the pure Word of God and to receive His Holy Sacraments. They need to hear that they will suffer. They need to hear that the wages of sin is death. Death is not a failure of medication or even an expiring of the body. It is the working out of sin in the flesh. They also need to hear, to know, to drink in the fact that they have been united with Christ—both in a death like His and in a resurrection like His. They urgently need to hear these things. They urgently need to put on Christ and be united to Him in Holy Baptism. They urgently need to be united to the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.

Our suffering in the ministry is magnified. We suffer to a greater extent than the rest of Christendom for the very name of Jesus. A mother and father may suffer greatly at the apostacy of their son, but we suffer with the apostacy of hundreds of sons and daughters given into our care. And yet even this suffering is a partaking in the suffering of Christ. He who weeps over Jerusalem knows our suffering in the ministry. If not for Christ our Head, we could not endure in His stead and by His command.

Be encouraged by this. Do not let the ministry become a burden of manual labor. It is not and never will be. Serve as overseers, eagerly, and as examples to the flock; “and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”[6]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] 1 Peter 4:12-13.

[2] 1 Peter 4:13.

[3] Martin Luther, O Lord, Look Down from Heaven, Behold, TLH 260, st. 1.

[4] 1 Peter 4:19.

[5] 1 Peter 5:1-3.

[6] 1 Peter 5:4.

The Third Last Sunday in the Church Year

The Third Last Sunday in the Church Year – November 10, 2024

Psalm 31; Job 14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

St. Matthew 24:15-28

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

The first half of the book of Daniel is mostly a narrative. It tells the story of how Daniel came to Babylon and his rise to prominence. In these chapters, we hear how Daniel and the three Young Men are sustained by faith rather than eating food sacrificed to Babylonians idols,^[1] how Daniel interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar,^[2] the three young men being cast into the fiery furnace yet returning unharmed,^[3] the feast of Belshazzar and the writing on the wall interpreted by Daniel,^[4] and how Daniel was preserved by faith in the lions’ den.^[5]

It is not until the second half of the Book of Daniel that the prophet begins to receive visions. One gets the sense that Daniel does not understand much of what he sees. He says as much after some of the visions. Later, when the angel Gabriel comes to Daniel to interpret the visions, the prophet still seems a bit confused about what it could all mean. Such confusion is somewhat in the nature of prophecy. When a prophet is granted such a vision, he is seeing events and people from God’s perspective; a perspective not bounded by time and space. A day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day with God because He sees all time at once yet perfectly perceives each moment as distinct from every other moment with perfect clarity. This is beyond the ability of man. It is beyond our ability to comprehend with our minds and it is beyond the ability of our eyes to receive such sights.

And yet, the Prophets have been called by God to faithfully communicate on God’s behalf. They are to communicate what they have seen and what they have been told to the rest of God’s people. They are not alone in this endeavor. The Holy Spirit is with them and guides them to knowledge of the truth. The Prophet Daniel has given a faithful testimony of what he saw in these visions from God, even if the frailty of our minds cannot understand it.

With Daniel, we get a special insight into how the Prophet reacted to seeing such visions. Seeing such terrible things to come, knowing they were prophecies of destruction, what did Daniel do? He devoted himself more fervently to the things of God—that is, he repented and diligently set about offering the morning and evening sacrifices, devoted himself to the Word of God and prayer.

Prior to the visions, we know that Daniel was a very pious young man. He was already devoted to the Word of God and prayer, but the frightful visions of destruction led him to continued devotion and especially to repentance.

Next week, we will hear one of these visions the Prophet Daniel received, specifically the vision of the Ancient of Days and One like a Son of Man. This morning, we heard our Lord make a reference to Daniel’s vision of the “abomination of desolation.” To rightly understand this phrase and our Lord’s use of it, we must recognize that what we heard this morning rightfully treats two distinct topics and yet these topics have been boiled together into one soup. These two topics are the destruction of the kingdom of the Jews and the destruction of the kingdom of the world.

The concrete fulfillment of the prophecy of the abomination of desolation happened in the first century when an idol of a Roman eagle was placed in the Holy of Holies. The Jews of that time began to riot, leading to Roman soldiers descending upon Jerusalem and destroying the city and the temple.

The destruction of the temple in 70 AD was conducted according to the will of God. Forty years earlier, Jesus Christ prophesied that though they destroy the temple of His body, in three days, He would rise again.^[6] The temple curtain was torn in two at the crucifixion, signifying the end of any need for a temple built with hands or altars of sacrifice for bulls and goats. Yet the Pharisees and Sadducees hardened their hearts against God. They led many astray by preaching a false gospel, denying Jesus to be the Son of God and the rightful King of all mankind. God could not abide their idolatry.

The sign of the Roman eagle placed in the temple told the Christians it was time to flee. They left the city as quickly as possible. They did not know the day or the hour when the Romans would descend upon Jerusalem, but they knew it was coming. The destruction that followed was for the purpose of erasing the idol that the temple had become. It was now a monument to the false teachings of the Jews.

Those who had become Christians knew there was no significance left in the temple, so when they saw the abomination, they fled. The Jews could not abide the sight of the eagle. They clung more fervently to the idol they had made of something that once belonged to God. Just as their fathers demanded Aaron make an idol out of the very gold God commanded them to carry out of Egypt, so these Jews set up the temple as their new god.

Such is the destruction of the kingdom of the Jews. As for the destruction of the kingdom of the world, the abomination of desolation is spiritually fulfilled by an idol set up in the house of God, that is, an idol erected in your heart. It is abominable before God that you would seek comfort in being financially stable; that you would find pride in having your own way; that you would choose time with a sports team over the worship of Him. It is a desolation because such idolatry leaves your soul dry and hollow – a truly desolate place.

Such a spiritual fulfillment is found in the Office of the Papacy, the true Office of Antichrist, who seats himself within God’s church and calls himself the supreme authority on earth, capable of speaking on Christ’s behalf where no other men may understand. According to Unum Sanctum, a 14^th century papal bull or declaration, it is necessary for the salvation of man that he submit to the Pope above all others in spiritual and worldly matters.^[7] Thus the Pope has set himself up as an idol in the house of God, an idol in the house of the Church, a seat reserved for Christ alone.

Other spiritual fulfillments include the heresy of dispensationalism, the teaching that God saves different people in different ways, at different times. In other words, Adam and Eve were saved by divine fiat; Noah was saved by obedience; ethnic Jews are saved by their race, that is, being born in the right family; and it is only New Testament Gentiles who are in fact saved by grace on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Often associated with dispensationalism are various human actions being required to bring about the return of Christ and the end of days; whether it is the birth of a red heifer, the rebuilding of the Temple, the founding of a new nation-state of Israel, or the branding of all humanity with barcode tattoos.

These false teachings fail to understand the words of our Lord. The world is a wicked place. It is wicked because man is born in sin and conceived in iniquity. It is wicked because men make it wicked and the heart of man will always pervert the Word of God, placing himself and his own desires at the center.

But do not miss the greatest aspect of our Lord’s prophetic words today. These are words of tremendous comfort. Will the final days of this world be terrifying? Will there be suffering of Christians? Yes. But that suffering will be cut short for the sake of the elect. You have been warned of the wickedness of the world because of God loves you. All who believe and are baptized will be saved. There is no need to run back into your house to gather your treasures. There is no need to gather the laundry or put your tools back in the shed before fleeing before the destruction of the world.

There is no need because you have the greater portion. The Lord has called you out of this world of suffering. He has called you to life eternal with Him. He has called you to eternity in the bliss of heaven. His prophetic words even enumerate what is truly important – His people. He gives care and sympathy to those who are pregnant and nursing babies; to those enduring the cold of winter; and to those at prayer. The greatest gift you can give your children and grandchildren is the heritage of the Lord – His Word and Holy Sacraments. All other gifts of God in this world are to be used for a time and even to be enjoyed, but they will not last. The Word of the Lord endures forever and to those who have had that Word sealed on their foreheads in Holy Baptism, they too will endure forever.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Daniel 1.

[2] Daniel 2.

[3] Daniel 3.

[4] Daniel 5.

[5] Daniel 6.

[6] St. John 2:19.

[7] Unam Sanctum is a papal bull issued in 1302 by Pope Boniface VIII.

The Commemoration of All Saints

The Commemoration of All Saints (obs.) – November 3, 2024

Psalm 31; Revelation 7:2-17; 1 John 3:1-3

St. Matthew 5:1-12

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

In Holy Baptism, your soul, stained with the impurity of your sin, is washed in the blood of the Lamb. It is made white in the purity and righteousness of Christ. His righteousness is imputed to you, that is, it is made yours by faith. This robe of righteousness is not strictly figurative. Christ is, Himself, united to you in Holy Baptism. And, since Christ is in the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, Holy Baptism joins the entire Trinity to you. This spiritual union is a glorious gift of God.

There is another union with Christ. The Sacramental Union with Christ occurs when you receive the Holy Body and Precious Blood of our Savior. In the Holy Supper, Christ joins His physical body with yours. What is spiritually joined in Baptism is physically joined in the Supper. It is in this way that faith is strengthened and for this reason we can proclaim that the Holy Supper strengthens and preserves you in body and soul unto eternal life.

They physical union with Christ is necessary because we are physical beings. If we were somehow only spiritual, then a spiritual union with Christ would suffice. But we are created, embodied beings. We are the crown of creation. We have been given dominion over all the rest of creation and as such, it is meet and right that God would join Himself to us not only spiritually, but physically.

And if the Lord has said that He is physically present in the Supper, if He has said that This is His Body and This is His Blood, then who are we to deny it? Or who are we to treat it as common food? If we cannot trust the Lord who has joined Himself to us in such a physical manner, how can we trust His other physical promises?

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, Blessed are those who mourn, Blessed are the meek, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, Blessed are the merciful, Blessed are the pure in heart, Blessed are the peacemakers, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”[1]

Each of the Beatitudes praises and proclaims blessings on those who are seen as weak and reviled by the world. No one will advance in the world by seeking to be poor in spirit, mourning, meek, or pure. This is something Christ tells us directly, “because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”[2]

Almost every year, on the Commemoration of All Saints, I have taught that the Beatitudes have their first fulfillment in Christ. He fulfills each of these statements to their fullest. At the same time, the Beatitudes find fulfilment in you, Christians. This is precisely because Christ has joined Himself to you. You are spiritually and physically united with Him and if the world hates Christ, so too the world will hate you.

What is worse is the truth that hypocrites exist in the Church on earth. There are those who will persecute you and think they are doing service to God.[3] And these will seek to tempt, to deceive, to persuade even the elect, if possible, to join them in the persecution of the Church.[4] Therefore we must holdfast to the true Word of God. We must holdfast to the true Bridegroom of the Church, who has united Himself to all His people.

And it is, in fact, because of this union that we experience persecution, affliction, and suffering. This is, in fact, a promise and a blessing of God. By persecution, affliction, and suffering – both spiritual and physical – we know that we have been united to Christ. He has chosen you to be united with Him in a death like His, that you might also rise to a new life like His.[5] Like a father proudly training his son in the family business so that one day, he might inherit his father’s life’s work, Christ joins you to Himself. He joins you to His own suffering and affliction because He loves you. It is not torment. It is not masochistic. It is an act of love.

On the one hand, He does it so that you would be driven away from sin and into His loving arms. He allows the suffering of the saints on account of our sin and that we would know that we have been truly united to Him. Even the martyrs sit beneath the altar of the Lamb in glory, crying out ‘How long until our blood is avenged?’[6] They are not so arrogant as to believe their blood is more righteous than Christ’s. They are crying out for the vengeance against their persecutors on account of the Blood of Christ’s. It is Christ’s blood that speaks better things than that of Abel’s. Abel’s blood cries out for redemption in the very blood of Jesus.[7]

We do not seek out suffering. We don’t have to. The Lord has promised that it will come to His faithful because they have been united with Him. At the same time, we do not have to earn our rest. He has promised that our reward will be great in heaven.

We commemorate, today, all those who have received that reward, or at least have received it in part. The saints in glorious array who have fallen asleep in Christ enjoy the nearer presence of Christ. They enjoy a union with Christ that we, the Church on earth, are still looking forward to. While our union with Christ is by faith through Baptism and physical in the Holy Supper, their union is glorious as they stand before Christ in His flesh. Their souls enjoy the company of the whole host of heaven, and they are given to worship Christ, whom they can see with their own eyes.

And yet even these have something greater to look forward to. Their glorious union with Christ will be made complete in the resurrection of the flesh. Currently, they worship Him in soul, freed from sin and in joyous rest in Christ. At the resurrection, they and all the saints of God, will worship Him in their own flesh. At that time, our union with Christ will not be mediated by water, bread, or wine. It will be in actuality, in a way that we can only dream of now. St. John says “now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”[8]

While the saints in glory are at rest, even they long for the day when we will be made like Him, receiving bodies glorious as He is glorious; pure as He is pure. Thanks be to God that He has joined Himself to us, united us to His Holy Body and Precious Blood in spirit and truth; even if that means we must endure a time of suffering, just as our Lord did on our behalf. Let us rejoice with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven as we look forward to the day when we too, will be at rest in body and soul, united with Him in glory.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Matthew 5:3-11.

[2] St. John 15:19-20.

[3] St. John 16:2.

[4] St. Matthew 24:24.

[5] Romans 6:5.

[6] Revelation 6:10.

[7] Genesis 4:10; Hebrews 12:24.

[8] 1 John 3:2-3.