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.

The Third Sunday after Trinity

 Trinity 3 – July 6, 2025

Psalm 25; Micah 7:18-20; 1 Peter 5:6-11

St. Luke 15:1-32

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

The parables of lost things are explicitly told to certain Pharisees who were offended that Christ would receive sinners and tax collectors and eat with them. The tax collectors were especially offensive to the Jews because they were men of Jewish descent who now made their living exacting taxes from the Jews on behalf of the foreign government of the Romans. On top of that, they would collect more than required by the Romans as a wage for themselves.

The sinners and tax collectors were hated by the Pharisees because the Pharisees knew these people. They were once their students. These sinners and tax collectors were raised in the teachings of the Pharisees. Then, at some point, they had turned their backs on their people, on the teachings of the Pharisees, and turned toward a life of sin: usury, harlotry, and prodigal living. It was insult to injury when the Pharisees saw those who had turned their backs on the faith now being received by the Man who called Himself the Christ.

This is the setup for especially the parable of the prodigal son. Christ has created a parable concerning the very tax collectors and sinners that He is dining with. A rich landowner has two sons. They are true sons, entitled to an inheritance from their father. Yet the younger despises his father and insists on receiving his inheritance early. The father obliges and the young man immediately departs from the house of his father to live among foreign nations. He promptly wastes his inheritance on prodigal living – extravagant feasts, fine clothing, and harlots.

Once the inheritance is gone, he finds himself destitute, feeding and sleeping with pigs. Having reached rock bottom, the son finds himself. He is reminded of the father of his youth and determines to return to his father to humbly beg to be received as a servant, a slave. He has no presumption that he will be received as a son. He expects to be treated as a slave since he is the one who abandoned his father.

What a great surprise it is when before he can reach the house, his father comes running to greet him. The father throws his arms around the man and showers him with gifts. He calls for a feast of the finest foods the rich father has to offer. The son is received back into the household with joy and gladness.

Many of us gathered here today have spent time outside of the church. We were born to Christian parents, baptized, catechized, and probably even confirmed. Then, when given an ounce of freedom, we walked away from our inheritance. For some length of time, we departed from the faith and sought fulfillment in the things of this world. We wasted the inheritance of our fathers on prodigal living.

There are also many present today who stand not in the place of the prodigal son, but of the father. Your children have walked away from the house of our Heavenly Father, wasting the inheritance of faith on worldly ideas of autonomy, liberality, and moral relativism.

There is a lot of guilt associated with both of these realities. We feel guilty for our own misspent years outside the church or we feel guilty that we somehow failed as parents to keep our children in the faith. The parable is silent about the relationship between the father and his sons prior to the younger son demanding the inheritance. Maybe the father wasn’t a great father. Maybe he didn’t teach his sons about the 4^th commandment or maybe he wasn’t diligent about praying with his sons that the faith born in them by God would grow as they aged. But we don’t know and the fact that the parable is silent about this is instructive.

Very little is to be gained from trying to figure out why someone has abandoned the faith. Whether it was you or your children, certainly repentance is in order, but no amount of guilt will change the past. The prodigal son abandoned the house of his fathers and this is a fact of history. What really matters is what happens next.

All too often, someone who has abandoned the church will return on a whim and expect to be received as though no time has passed. It is assumed that baptism, or even more commonly a church rite such as confirmation, guarantees an absolute, lifelong right to membership in the church, no matter what happens in between. Such an attitude must be recognized for what it is – sinful pride. It is taking the precious gifts of God and treating them as cheap toys to be used or discarded according to our whims.

Consider, instead, the prodigal son. When he reaches the lowest point in his life, he finally finds himself. He takes an honest assessment of his position and realizes what he has wasted. This realization is an activity of the Holy Spirit. The Law of God has acted on his heart to convict him of his sins – sins against God concerning morality, duty, and faith. He becomes acutely aware of his need for salvation and it is the Holy Spirit who directs him to the one place where he will find salvation – the household of faith, the household of his fathers.

But even then, he does not approach his father to demand his inclusion in the household as a son. He does not assert his rights as a son born of the father. He determines within himself to return home as a beggar, desiring to be treated as a servant. We aren’t even given an indication that he thinks he can work his way back into his position as a son. He sees the gravity of what he has done to his father and wants only the least of things his father has to offer. He is willing to spend the rest of his life as a slave for the sake of his salvation.

This is the humility all Christians must possess concerning our salvation. Truly, we are all beggars. We deserve nothing of what Christ has won for us. We have no “rights” to be asserted when it comes to God. The very fact we draw breath is an undeserved gift of God, for which it is our duty to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. It is His work alone that brings us together today and we should never forget this fact. We are poor, miserable sinners, who have been called into the glorious light of Christ by His grace and mercy alone.

This is also the humility in which the errant children of the church are to return to the house of faith. Sometimes, this humility must be taught. Sometimes, the child returns in pride and must be made to serve as a slave before he can be received as a son. We shouldn’t see this as mean or cruel, nor should such a child be treated poorly. But it is a fact because the prideful child has not realized the danger in which he has put himself. He does not see the depth of his sin nor his need for a Savior. The Law must first do its work to crush the sinful heart before Christ enters in to heal the wounded heart.

Speaking of receiving a child back into the faith, we must now turn our attention to the father. He has clearly been anxiously awaiting the return of his son. He sees him from far away and runs to greet him. That means that the father has been diligently praying for his son, hoping for the day when the Lord would accomplish his work of returning the lost sheep to the fold.

What does that mean for parents of errant children? First it means that prayer is your mightiest weapon in the battle for the souls of your children. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the hearts of man and the Lord has promised to hear your prayers.

Second, it means to never stop talking to your children about Christ – not just the good stuff, not just that Jesus loves them, but also warning them about the dangers of such worldly, prodigal living. When they come to visit, insist on doing devotions. Keep your routine regular when they are in your household. It is up to them to sit in another room while you read the scriptures and pray. Insist on going to church. Even when you go to visit them, find the local LCMS church and insist on going. Don’t just passively tell them you are going to church on Sunday. Make them actively refuse your offer.

Finally, remember that it is the Holy Spirit who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the hearts of men. Apostacy is a truth in the church and you cannot be responsible for the soul of another. As I said, there are often feelings of guilt associated with errant children, but you must remember that this is something out of your hands. If you did err in the raising of your children, there is forgiveness. When I said that repentance is in order for both those of us who have spent time outside of the church and those with prodigal children, I meant the word “repentance” in its proper sense – sorrow over sin and faith that Christ has died and risen to forgive that sin.

Take heart, you who have remained in the household of your Father. All that the Father has is yours and has been given to you to be used. The gifts of Christ – His Word, Sacraments, prayer, repentance, forgiveness – these are your inheritance to be used according to His Word and command. So long as you are in the household of faith, make use of the treasures you’ve been given. And encourage others to return to the fold, for there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.