The Seventh Sunday after Trinity

 Trinity 7 – August 3, 2025

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

St. Mark 8:1-9

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

[2] St. Matthew 6:33.

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

[4] Hebrews 10:25.

[5] St. Luke 10:16.

[6] St. Matthew 18:20.

[7] Isaiah 62:12.

[8] Romans 6:22-23.

Quasimodo Geniti (Easter 1)

 Quasimodo Geniti (Easter 1) – April 27, 2025

Psalm 8; Ezekiel 37:1-14; 1 John 5:4-10

St. John 20:19-31

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

On Easter evening, the 10 apostles were assembled behind a locked door for fear of the Jews. The 10 apostles are the 12 minus Judas, who killed himself, and Thomas, who is conspicuously absent. Christ our Lord has already appeared to Mary and the other women, to Cleopas and the other disciple on the road to Emmaus. Peter and John have seen the burial clothes folded and laid in the tomb and yet the apostles gathered in fear. They did not fully comprehend the resurrection of Christ.

Then Christ appears in their midst and judges their sin. He judges their sin to be atoned for. He proclaims peace to the apostles. The judgment is innocence – innocence won in the crucified hands and pierced side of Jesus. There is a theme throughout St. John’s gospel – seeing is believing. St. John wants to emphasize the physicality of Christ and His presence with His people.

We sometimes mistake John as being the “spiritual” or “other-worldly” gospel and yet right from the beginning, “and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld” we saw, “His glory.”^[1] “No one has seen God at any time. The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”^[2] It is in the presence of the flesh of Jesus that God the Father is made known. In the presence of the crucified flesh of Jesus our salvation is made known.

There is a doctrinal point in this account which we must address. Jesus Christ came to stand in the midst of the apostles according to both His human and divine natures. In the resurrection, the attributes of the divine nature are fully communicated to the human nature. This means that He makes full use of His divine attributes in and with His human nature. He is all knowing, all present, and all powerful according to both natures, now that He is exalted. During the time of His humiliation, Christ denied Himself the full use of His divine attributes. Now that He is exalted, He makes full use of them.

Why is this important? John Calvin, the father of the reformed churches, and many other modern evangelical teachers, will deny that Christ communicates His divine attributes to His human nature. They will claim that Jesus climbed through a window because it would be impossible for His human nature to pass through a locked door. At the same time, do not think that Jesus passed through the door as a ghost in a Hollywood movie. The text says He appeared in their midst. Christ is present in all places, at all times, in His human flesh. Thus, He revealed Himself to be in their midst even as He is already in all places at all times.

Christ’s ability to be present with the apostles according to His human nature, despite the locked door, is directly related to the ability of Christ’s flesh to be present on altars all over the world. His humanity is not chained up in heaven, awaiting a divinely appointed appearance. He is physically present with His people, even if He has not revealed Himself in His full glory to us. He is reserving the revelation of His fullness for the last day, when He will return just as He departed at the ascension.

It is precisely because our Lord knows He must ascend to the right hand of the Father that He desires to institute the Office of the Holy Ministry. No one can forgive his own sins. He must hear the words of absolution from outside himself. Thus, in the crucified flesh which won our salvation, Jesus breathes on the apostles, gives the Holy Spirit to the church, and sends them to preach this word of forgiveness to the church. As He was sent into the flesh to atone for our sins, now pastors are sent to deliver this forgiveness to the world.

Which brings us to Thomas. Thomas is portrayed in St. John’s Gospel as being zealous for the Lord. He demonstrates his faith in encouraging the disciples to follow Christ, even when he went into Jerusalem to die. In John 11, Thomas boldly proclaims “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”^[3] Why then was this bold disciple not with the other ten?

Scripture is not clear on this point, but the words of Jesus tell us that Thomas was unbelieving. What did he not believe? The evidence of St. John tells us that Thomas was zealous for the Lord and believed in His word. It could be that Thomas was ashamed of his actions on Good Friday and so he also had hidden himself. This seems like a poor choice, since he soon rejoins the apostles but refuses to believe their words about the resurrected Christ.

In fact, his confession that unless he touches the wounds in Christ’s hands and puts his hand into Christ’s side, he would never believe is quite profound. He is confessing that only in the wounds of Christ will he find salvation. He has taken the words of Jesus seriously and insists on seeing the wounds by which his salvation is won.

His denial to believe without visual proof is consistent with St. John’s Gospel. His absolute denial to believe is blasphemy. “I will NEVER believe unless I see the wounds.”[4] This is where Thomas begins to get into trouble. He is obstinate. He refuses to believe the words of those sent by Jesus to proclaim the forgiveness of sins. He refuses to believe his brother pastors.

Putting this evidence together, we can see that Thomas believed he could do it himself. He was not gathered with the others because he knew better than them. Thomas is the man who can recite the catechism from heart, so he doesn’t think he needs to come to church. He is the man who daily reads the portals of prayer so that he doesn’t need to read the bible. Thomas is the man who doesn’t like the personality of the pastor, so he chooses to disagree with his teaching, avoid Bible Study, and nod off during the sermon. Thomas willingly stays away from the church because he thinks he knows better than those who gather.

Christ promised the apostles, “Where two or three are gathered, there I am in their midst.”[5] The apostles had gathered, albeit in fear, but they had gathered. They did not neglect the coming together of the saints, even if they did so with imperfect motives. Thomas refused. He believed he could make it on his own without the support of the brethren.

Eight days after Easter, the following Sunday, the apostles made sure Thomas was with them. Why eight days? Because it was the following Sunday. They were gathered to pray, read Scripture, sing hymns, worship Christ, and even to commune with Him. They knew Jesus would come back because He promised to be where His people are gathered to hear His word and receive His gifts. This is the definition of the church – the gathering of the saints to hears God’s word and receive His gifts. And the apostles made sure Thomas wouldn’t miss it this time.

Today is called “Quasimodo Geniti” after the antiphon of the introit, “As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word.”[6] It is eight days after Easter. The apostles recognize not only are all people as newborn babes, but Thomas especially is a newborn babe. He doesn’t know what is best for him. For all we know, Thomas was dragged kicking and screaming into the room that day. But because the other apostles love him, they do what is good for him. They are being good pastors by not giving him what he wants (solitude) but giving him what he needs – the pure spiritual milk, the pure doctrine of the of the Word.

Thanks be to God the apostles loved Thomas enough to do what was good for him. They brought him to church, where Jesus would be found. Then Jesus commands Thomas to touch His wounds and Thomas cries out, “My Lord and my God!”[7] He is convicted by the word of Christ and his heart is converted. He repented of his sins against the First and Third commandments and his sins against his brothers.

It is in this context that Jesus proclaims a divine blessing upon all who have not seen and yet believe. He is speaking of you and me. Thomas blasphemed Christ by denying to believe anything without seeing. You are blessed for believing without sight. This marks the transition in St. John’s Gospel between Jesus’ earthly ministry, when He could be seen walking through the door, and His exalted ministry, when He is present without sight on every altar throughout the world.

Do not follow Thomas’s example of unbelief. Do not cut yourself off from the physical presence of Christ and the church. The other apostles knew to gather together, and Christ would be present. Thomas sought Jesus in his own heart and faith rather than in holy mother church.

Do follow Thomas’s example in zeal and confession. Repent of your sins and boldly cry out, “My Lord and my God!” Seek the Lord in His flesh, given for you. Seek Him in His blood, shed for you. Seek Him in the public proclamation of God’s word. Finally, seek Him in the words breathed out by His apostles: pastors. To them He has given the authority to preach and teach you concerning the Word of God. You may not always like what you hear, even as Thomas thought he knew better, but it is the duty of the Pastor, as a loving father, to guide you as a newborn babe to that which is good for you.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. John 1:14

[2] St. John 1:18

[3] St. John 11:16

[4] St. John 20:25.

[5] St. Matthew 18:20.

[6] St. Luke 24:5-6.

[7] St. John 20:28.

Septuagesima

Septuagesima – February 16, 2025

Psalm 18; Exodus 17:1-7; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:4

St. Matthew 20:1-16

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

Christ calls you into the vineyard of His Church purely by grace. Notice that in the parable, none of the workers presents a resume or shows he is physically prepared to work in the vineyard. Likewise, the landowner does not evaluate the workers based on their skill or ability to work in the vineyard. He goes out early in the morning and calls workers into His vineyard. This is a call by grace; grace that is undeserved and unmerited. The call is the activity of the Lord alone. Even the acceptance of the workers is by grace. He does not invite them or open the door so that the workers can choose to pass through. He calls them and tells them to go into the vineyard. This is most apparent in the calling of the final group of workers. The landowner literally commands them to work in the vineyard rather than offering a job contract.

The calling of the workers is the calling of people into the Church. It is how Christians are made. They hear the Word of the Lord and are called, gathered, enlightened, sanctified, and kept in the Holy Christian Church by that Word. The Holy Spirit works on the heart of man to turn it from a stony heart, set against God, to a heart of flesh, warmed by the love of God. This call is not deserved by anyone. The greatest philanthropist in the world is not called into the vineyard by his works of love toward his fellow man. He isn’t even prepared to receive the love of God by his acts of charity toward man. The heart of man is set against God by his conception. It is the miraculous call of God alone that brings man into the Church.

This call comes at different times and in different circumstances to different men. The landowner goes out five times to call workers into His vineyard. Each time, He finds different workers who, for one reason or another, did not receive the earlier calls. Perhaps they were standing there from the wee hours of the morning, heard the earlier calls and rejected them. Perhaps they slept in.

From this, we see that Christians receive the call of faith at different stages in life. Some are born into Christian families and raised in the faith. Their entire life is one spent working in the vineyard. Others come at midday, perhaps being converted to the faith as teenagers or young adults. Then there are those who are called near life’s end. They have spent the days of their lives idly standing in the marketplace, consumed by the cares of this life. But in the eleventh hour, the Lord called them by His Word to join the workers in the vineyard.

We can also see these different stages of life simultaneously. There are those of you who have labored in the vineyard seventy, eighty, ninety or more years. You are among the first called to work the vineyard and have born the burden and the heat of the day. There are those of you in middle age, who were called at the third, sixth, or ninth hour. And then there are the little ones, the children, who by comparison were called late in the day. You, little ones, have been called at the eleventh hour and are the newest workers called into the vineyard. No matter the time spent in the vineyard or the circumstances, the call was by grace and received through faith.

Those called into the vineyard are called to work in the vineyard. They are laborers. What then, is the work that you have been called to do as one called into the vineyard of Christ’s Church? The first work is to hear and receive the Word of God. This is not a work given only to the “professional” theologians but to every Christian. Every Christian is called to give a defense for the hope that resides in him.[1] As such, it is necessary that Christians not only force their eyes to glide over words on a page of the bible but to ponder those words in your heart. As you read or hear the words of Scripture, you need to consider their meaning. Think about what the words mean in their immediate context and how they interact with the rest of the Scriptures.[2]

Don’t just sit and passively listen to sermons. Hear the words and consider them in your heart. Perhaps you didn’t understand something. Ask your pastor for clarification later on. Perhaps your pastor misspoke. Gently show him where he was wrong from the Scriptures or give him the chance to correct a poor choice of words. Maybe he needs to repent.[3] Perhaps he has given an example within the sermon that doesn’t exactly fit your circumstance. Think about how what he said might apply to you and if you are struggling to see how it fits, talk to him. Ask him.

Attend bible study and do not focus on the warmth of your coffee or the taste of the sugary treat. Consider the words, the topic at hand. What do these words mean? What do they mean for you? How do they impact your faith and life? This type of active listening is, in fact, an encounter and interaction with God through His Word. It takes practice and it takes effort. But in this effort, you will be greatly rewarded. You will be rewarded with the wage promised at the beginning of the day, the day of your call to faith wherein eternal life was promised to you.

The second work in the vineyard is to attend to your vocations. Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, employer, or employee? A neighbor, citizen, or leader? Attend to those vocations according to the Word of God. Being a Christian certainly means you have duties to your congregation. These duties begin with regularly attending the Divine Service and devoting yourself to the Word of God and prayer but also include supporting the work of the congregation through your time, talents, and treasure. This Wednesday, weather permitting, is an excellent opportunity to serve the congregation as we gather to clean the interior of the building. Serving the congregation might mean volunteering for leadership positions or being ready to take a meal to a brother or sister in need. It might also mean simply talking to them, showing interest in them as people.

Such work in the congregation might mean submitting to those already in leadership positions or even just those who have more experience in whatever need you are helping to meet. Sometimes it means venturing into something in which no one has experience. In any situation, setting about the work of the congregation requires communication and humility. Asserting your own way by right is not love, nor is assuming everyone thinks the same way as you. Communication is key. Humility is key.

Sometimes this humility means raising up and preparing others for the works that you once did. Each time workers were added to the vineyard, the amount of work for each worker was divided among a larger labor force. One worker took what he was doing and gave a portion of it to another. On the one hand, that meant less work for each individual. On the other hand, in giving some of that work to another, it means giving up a portion of control. The former cannot control every work of the latter. The foundation laid by the first is important and essential, but the efforts of the last are just as important. There comes a time when the work must be divided among the laborers and this requires communication and humility. It requires the first to be prepared to give authority to others and the last to humbly learn from his forebearers.

The third work of the vineyard is evangelism. In the parable, it is the landowner directly calling the workers into the vineyard. However, we also see that the landowner employs stewards, that is, He works through means. The Word of God is delivered to the world through the lips of Christians. It is the work of every Christian to be the light of the world, shining the love of God in the dark world, both in deed and in word.[4]

Experience shows that while pastors have been given to the public proclamation of the word, it is the lips of the laity that most often reaches the ears of the unbelieving world and draws men to the Church. How do you best accomplish this? Most important is to build relationships with people. Listen to them. Ask questions. When someone makes a comment like, “I have a relationship with God, I just don’t go to church,” ask them, “What do you mean by that?” or “Tell me more about that.” Give them the opportunity to clarify what they mean. Most often, they are simply repeating words or phrases they’ve heard without giving it much thought. Giving them the chance to really consider what they mean will often give you the opportunity to say, “This is what I believe about God and the Church.”

However you go about establishing such a relationship, it should always lead to a conversation about faith and where Christ has promised to be (in His Word and Sacraments). Someone might enjoy walking through those doors because you are a nice bunch of people but that should never be why they are here. If it is, then they are set up to be hypocrites – those who act like the faithful but will find themselves locked out of the wedding feast when Christ returns.[5] The reason to be here is because Christ has promised to be here, giving you His word of forgiveness and especially giving you Himself in the Holy Supper. To hear the Word of God and receive His Sacraments is and always will be the primary purpose of the Church because it is the definition of the Church.

When it comes time to distribute the wages, they are given out from last to first. If we understand the last to be those called into the church late in life, they truly have spent the least time working in the vineyard and likely have suffered the least for the name of Christ. Yet these are rewarded the same as the rest of the workers – eternal life with Christ. If we understand the last to be the children, who have also spent the least time working in the Church and likely suffered the least for the name of Christ, they too are rewarded with eternal life in Christ.

In fact, there are many things we can learn from the faith of those called at the eleventh hour, whoever they may be. Christ commends the faith of little children, saying, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”[6] Children trust that what you say is true. They are also curious, always asking, “Why?” This is to be commended. How shall they learn without someone to teach them?[7]

With age and experience, we tend to keep the questions but lose the trust. We assume that we always know better or even that every source of knowledge is questionable. We question the motives of everyone around us. Are there charlatans? Of course. We shouldn’t be naive. But we should put the best construction on everything, especially when dealing with brothers and sisters in the faith. If something sounds off, ask questions. “What do you mean by that?” “Tell me more about that.” Loves suffers long and is kind, not insisting on its own way but rejoicing in truth.[8]

This is doubly true when confronted with God’s Word. A child wants to know why something happens in Scripture because they are not as familiar with the whole bible. An adult often doesn’t like what they hear and wants to find a loophole. An adult asks ‘why’ hoping to find a way that it doesn’t apply to him.

And this is why those called first are indignant with the landowner. They are offended that those called late in the day would be paid the same wage when they haven’t put in the same work. They resent the landowner’s call and the landowner Himself. They are not concerned with the Word of God but their own interpretation of it. If God acts contrary to what they think is right, it is God’s fault, not theirs. He is unfair for not conforming to their idea of fairness.

By man’s standards, God isn’t fair. And thank God He isn’t. If God was fair, then we would all be doomed. If God was fair, He would give us what we deserve – His wrath and displeasure, temporal death, and eternal damnation.[9] Yet God is merciful by not giving us what we deserve. He is gracious to give us something we don’t deserve. His call into the Church is by grace. We don’t deserve it, but He gives it to us. From those called in the early morning to those called at the last hour, we are saved by God’s grace, completely undeserved and unmerited.

For those who insist on being recognized for their long hours, days, weeks, or years of service to the Church, the Landowner gives them their denarius and sends them out of the vineyard. He gives them their earthly due – the praises and respect of man. But He casts them into the outer darkness. They have no home with Him now or in eternity. Their great works toward man are but filthy rags before God because they were done without faith, without thanks for the gracious call into the vineyard.[10] Despising the Church is despising God.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] 1 Peter 3:15.

[2] Acts 17:11.

[3] St. Matthew 18:15; 1 Timothy 5:1-2.

[4] St. Matthew 5:14.

[5] St. Matthew 25:10-13.

[6] St. Matthew 18:3-5.

[7] Romans 10:14.

[8] 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

[9] Romans 6:21, 23.

[10] Isaiah 64:6.

The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels – September 29, 2024

Psalm 103; Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3; Revelation 12:7-12

St. Matthew 18:1-18

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

Every Sunday, we confess that God created all things visible and invisible. Those things invisible primarily refer to the angels. Angels are a creation of God, distinct from all other creation. Humans do not become angels when they die any more than humans become cats upon death. Angels are spirits, that is, without body.

Sometimes, angels appear to man. They can appear in the form of a human, as fire, wind, or simply a voice. They also take on the visage of terrifying beasts, with multiple heads, hundreds of eyes, wings, and engulfed in flames. They are always referred to with male pronouns in Scripture and are said to neither marry nor procreate.[1] From the beginning to the end of time, there is a fixed number of angels – no more and no less than were created by God.

Individual angels are not omnipresent or present in all places. They are located in a particular space at any given time, but God has not revealed how they are present in space and time. We do not know how big or small they are. They are also spiritual beings. They do not have a physical body that is all their own. They can assume a physical body for a time, like the angels who visit with Abraham or who call Lot and his family out of Sodom.[2] Although this temporary body is physical (in that it can interact with the physical world), these angels are not “incarnate.” They did not take on a body of their own. It is a temporary “man suit.”

Angels are not omnipresent or present in all places, but because they are spiritual, they always see the face of our Father in heaven, even when they are ministering to man on earth.[3] This incomprehensible mystery speaks of their spiritual nature and the fact that God is near to all things, even if we cannot see Him at times.

There is also confusion over the duties of angels. The word “angel” means “messenger.” They are the messengers of God, heralds who bring His Word to man. We see this explicitly in the Angel Gabriel, who speaks to Daniel and then appears to Mary, telling her she will bear the Christ child.[4] However, this use of the term “angel” to mean “messenger” is also applied to human beings. John the Baptist is called an Angel.[5] In the Revelation to St. John, the pastors of the seven churches are called the angels of those churches.[6] All pastors are considered angels as they are the messengers, the ambassadors of Christ, sent to deliver His Word and His gifts to God’s people.[7]

Most importantly, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is called the Angel of the Lord throughout the Old Testament.[8] This reflects that fact that Jesus Christ is the Word of God, he himself is the message and the messenger, bringing the Word and Will of God to man. When reading Scripture, you can be assured that the angel being discussed is Jesus if the angel accepts and receives the worship of man, beast, or any other created thing.[9]

Angels are the messengers of God and yet they have also been given other duties. The Revelation to St. John records how the prayers of the saints are carried to heaven by an angel. He offers the prayers with incense before the altar of God.[10] The Angels are also said to bear the soul of the beggar Lazarus into the bosom of Abraham.[11] The angels rejoice over one who repents and turns toward God.[12] They are superior to us in their delight in the Word of God and yet they joyfully submit themselves to us in love. They are our big brothers in creation, who guard and protect us from danger while ensuring our safety in the hand of the Father.

St. Paul tells us the Holy Angels are present in the Divine Service.[13] We join in their song, first in the Gloria, singing the words of the Holy Angels present at the birth of Christ.[14] Then, we gloriously join their singing in the heavenly temple during the Sanctus.[15] The Holy Angels are present with us and singing the glorious song of heaven in praise of the Most High God. Our time in the Divine Service is a glorious glimpse into heaven, when the veil between this world and the eternal world is thinnest. Heaven itself, as the dwelling place of Christ, comes down to this altar. The risen Christ, the Angel of the Lord, Messenger of the Father, is present for us in His Holy Body and Precious Blood, together with the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Angels.

According to Psalm 34, they “encamp around them that fear the Lord.” The Holy Angels stand guard over the faithful children of God. Satan walks about as a roaring lion and the Holy Angels keep vigil lest our heels should strike a stone.[16] 

In the broadest sense, there are two kinds of angels. There are the Holy Angels, which attend to the Lord, herald his Word, guard the faithful, and bear our prayers and our departed souls to heaven.

Then there are the evil, fallen angels. Scripture calls these “demons.” They are the angels who fell like lightning from heaven, in service to Satan, the prince of demons. These too are spiritual beings, invisible unless they take on a form to be revealed to man. The pagan gods of old, the spirits contacted by mediums, ghosts, goblins, and all manner of “supernatural creatures” are manifestations of demons. They thirst for you soul, that it would spend eternity in torment and misery, as they themselves have been consigned to eternal hellfire. It is against Satan and his minions that the Holy Angels stand vigil on our behalf.

What then of this war in heaven that St. John saw in his vision? “War broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”^[17]

St. John sees a war in heaven between the holy angels, led by St. Michael, and the demons, led by Satan. The result of the war is that Satan and the demons are cast out of heaven, down to the earth. Just before St. John sees the war, he sees a vision a woman who bears a male Child, who is to rule all nations, and a great red dragon who is prepared to swallow her Son. After her Son is caught up to God and His throne, the woman flees into the wilderness, to a place prepared for her by God.[18]

This is a vision of the Incarnation of our Lord, His death, resurrection, and ascension. The woman is in the first place, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ, but she symbolizes the Church. As such, once the Son of God and Son of Mary has ascended to the right hand of the Father, the Church flees into the wilderness, to a place prepared for her by God. This wilderness is the world in which we live. It is the world that is still affected by sin and ruled by Satan.

This vision of the Incarnation through ascension of our Lord sets the context for the vision of the war in heaven. This war between St. Michael and Satan is the result of the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the Old Testament, it seems that Satan had access to the throne room of God, where he would make accusations against the saints of God.[19] He would actively test God by accusing His saints, as we see in the Book of Job. But after the death and resurrection of Christ, Satan no longer has a place in heaven. He has been cast out of heaven, never again to make accusation against God’s holy ones before Him.

But we also hear of the danger of Satan’s new position. Like a terrified wolf backed into a corner, Satan is now trapped and sees his end drawing nigh. Both the wolf and Satan strike out with renewed ferocity, believing they can at least take some of you with them even if they are doomed to lose the war. The war is won in the death and resurrection of Christ but the battle is still being waged on earth. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time!”[20]

St. Michael, the archangel, and all the holy angels wage a war invisible to our eyes yet more real than you can comprehend. Satan and the demons continue to lash out, trying to tempt and destroy the beloved of God. The torment of the evil angels is the purpose for God creating Hell. It was never intended for man. Yet Satan will fill it with the souls of man so that his torment is never without company.

Against this assault of the devil, the Holy Angels encamp around the faithful.^[21] They are servants of the Most High who guard and protect man. They fight not for their own salvation, but for the salvation of man. They long for the peace of the resurrection and joyously peer into the mysteries revealed to man in the Incarnation.[22] The Holy Angels delight in man and in the fruits of repentance. They rejoice in the works of God and praise Him both day and night, side by side with man.

The time of the war in heaven is now. It is the time of the Church, that time between the ascension of Christ and his return on the Last Day. There is no seven-year tribulation nor a 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth. Now is the tribulation and now is the reign of Christ. He rules in his Church even as Satan brings tribulation to those saints. Now the war is fought, but it is already won. Your weapons in battle are the Word of God and the Blood of the Lamb.[23] The Word of God upon your lips, in your mind, and stored in your heart is the greatest weapon against the active assaults of Satan. Receiving the Holy Blood of Christ in the Eucharist revivifies your soul, such that you become like a fire-breathing lion against the hordes of hell, terrifying even Satan with your might because Christ dwells within you.

And those who overcome Satan and his temptations are those who do not love their own lives to the death, that is, those who know that man is eternal, that death is not the greatest evil.[24] If death is the greatest evil, then you must do everything imaginable to stay alive. But this is contrary to God’s Word. Death is not the greatest evil. Death is defeated in Christ.

The greatest evil is apostacy, losing faith and blasphemy against God. And the greatest punishment is not death but is eternal death, damnation, eternity in suffering with Satan and his angels. Those who overcome Satan do not love their earthly lives over their eternal lives. They do not love the earthly lives of their loved ones over their loved ones’ eternal lives. Those who overcome Satan are like the Holy Angels, beholding the face of our Father in Heaven at all times, and they do it by means of the Word of God and the Blood of the Lamb.

Come share in the victory meal. Defeat Satan by placing the Word of God on your hearts and minds and receiving the Blood of Christ. Sing with the Holy Angels the victory song of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. Matthew 22:30.

[2] Genesis 18:1-15; 19:1-11.

[3] St. Matthew 18:10.

[4] Daniel 8:16; 9:21; St. Luke 1:26. See also St. Luke 1:19, St. Gabriel’s appearance to Zacharias.

[5] Malachi 3:1; St. Matthew 11:10; St. Mark 1:2.

[6] Revelation 1-3. See also Isaiah 33:7; Malachi 2:7.

[7] 2 Corinthians 5:20.

[8] For example, see Genesis 16:7; 22:11; 32:24; Hosea 12:3; etc.

[9] Compare Revelation 22:8-9.

[10] Revelation 5:8-12.

[11] St. Luke 16:22.

[12] St. Luke 15:10.

[13] 1 Corinthians 11:10.

[14] St. Luke 2:8-14.

[15] Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8.

[16] 1 Peter 5:8; Psalm 91:11-12.

[17] Revelation 12:7-9.

[18] Revelation 12:1-6.

[19] Job 1:6-12.

[20] Revelation 12:12.

[21] Psalm 34:7.

[22] 1 Peter 1:10-12.

[23] Revelation 12:11.

[24] Revelation 12:11.