The Second Sunday after the Epiphany

 The Second Sunday after the Epiphany – January 19, 2025

Psalm 66; Amos 9:11-15; Romans 12:6-16a

St. John 2:1-11

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

The first of our Lord’s active miracles was enacted at a wedding in Cana. It was no accident that our Lord chose a wedding as the occasion for this first and chief miracle. In the beginning, creation was not deemed ‘very good’ until Eve had been given to Adam in the first Holy Marriage. From that moment on, God has blessed the world through the union of man and woman, the one flesh union through which children are created. Precisely through this one flesh union, the Promised Seed, the Savior, was to be born. The entirety of the Old Testament can be viewed as a genealogy, tracing the lineage of the Promised Seed, and as such, it is a story bound to Holy Marriage.

What’s more, is that God has described His relationship to His people in terms of Holy Marriage. Through the prophet Hosea, He said, “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.”[1] In the New Testament, we not only have the parables of the wedding feast and the virgins attending the wedding feast of Christ, but such explicit statements as “For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ,” and “We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.”[2] That is to say, the Church has been betrothed to Christ, presented to Him as a chaste and righteous virgin, in purity and holiness, and we are members of His body, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bones, united in a one flesh union with Christ.

It is for these reasons that Christ highly values Holy Marriage. Our earthly marriages are a picture, an image, of this marriage between Christ and the Church. From the marriage of Adam and Eve to the last union joined before the Last Day, Holy Marriage is a depiction of Christ and the Church.

Since it is God Himself who has created marriage and has declared, “What God has joined together, let not man separate,”^[3] divorce must be of the devil. Divorce is a rending of the one flesh union, a tearing apart by man of something which has been joined together by God. Divorce must of the devil if it is a tearing apart of that which God has created.

Christ makes no exceptions where divorce is acceptable in the eyes of God. Rather, when He speaks of cases of adultery, the one who has committed adultery has already broken the one flesh union. The divorce has occurred in God’s eyes. The question is not if a signed document makes the divorce but if the spouse who committed adultery will repent and the spouse sinned against is willing to enter once again into the one flesh union with the repentant sinner.

It is also for these reasons that our marriages should be blessed by Christ and conducted in the House of God, the church. A wedding in a courthouse, presided over by a judge is just as valid as a “church wedding” because marriage has been built into creation by God. It is a part of natural law. But we, being sons and daughters of God and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, ought to seek to have our marriages blessed by Christ, attended by the true Bridegroom. The Church is the most fitting setting for a wedding because it is the setting for the marriage between Christ and His Church.

When the wine at the wedding feast in Cana began to run dry, the Blessed Virgin said to our Lord, “They have no wine.”[4] Built into this statement is the request that He do something about it. St. Mary is motivated by a sincere sympathy for the bridegroom and the guests. If the feast ran out of wine, the bridegroom would be embarrassed and put to shame. It would indicate that he was incapable of providing for the feast to which he had invited all these guests. On behalf of the guests, if there was no wine, the feast would end. The joy and merriment would come to an early end. Wine elevates a meal into a feast. The Blessed Virgin is sincerely concerned for all involved and she looks to her Son to alleviate the potential disaster.

However, she is met with a hard response. “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” From this response, we learn a few things about Mary’s request. First, she is asking her Son to do something as the Word of God, through whom all creation was made but she is making her request from her position as His mother. That is, she is leveraging her authority as mother to make a request of her Lord. This is a misuse of her maternal authority. She has no right, as His mother, to request the Christ to make divine acts. Certainly, as a Christian, she has every right to make requests of her Lord, but in this case, she is misusing her office as mother to press Christ into acting.

Ask almost any Roman Catholic about praying to Mary and they will say something like, “We don’t pray that she would do anything but that she would ask Jesus to do it. It helps to have His mother on your side.” That is exactly the error that Mary is making in telling Jesus to do something about the wine at Cana. She is truly blessed among all women and full of grace, but she has no special access or sway with God than any other Christian. Calling her, “woman,” is not derogatory in any way, but it is our Lord’s way of reminding His dear mother that in divine matters, she holds no special office to request His actions.

Speaking of His hour holds special significance in the Gospel of St. John. It refers to the hour of His crucifixion. It indicates that the crucifixion is the culminating moment of the work of Christ. There, His work is finished. It is complete. All the miracles, all the words of Christ point forward to the hour in which all things are completed. Our faith rests on the historic event of the crucifixion and resurrection.

At the same time, because of the crucifixion, Christ may speak of His hour being present in all His actions. Here, it indicates that not only was St. Mary requesting that her Son do something about the wine, but that He do it now. The wine was beginning to run dry, and she wanted to spare the hosts and the guests the shame of knowing there was no more wine. She wanted Him to intercede before the problem was made public.

Here we see the Blessed Virgin’s second folly. She put a specific timeframe on a miracle of God. She as much as told Him, “They have no wine. Give them wine and do it now before the problem becomes an embarrassment.” Such temptation is great for all who call on the name of the Lord. We feel the passing of time. We know that yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is coming very soon. Because of that, we want what we want, and we want it now. If this holds true for a party about to run out of wine, it also holds true for what we deem to be emergencies. Your sister is dying of cancer and may not make it to tomorrow. You want God to act now, or it will be too late. Patient though he was, even Job’s patience ran out and he demanded that God act.[5]

“If our prayer to God is to be acceptable and be heard, then of course we are not to prescribe the time and manner for help, especially in bodily needs. Here we hear from Christ that He has a specific hour, that is, He has actually already in His heavenly counsel decreed when and how He will help us. We should patiently wait for that hour.”[6]

Having been reminded of the proper use of her office as mother and Christian, the Blessed Virgin also gives us a glorious example of faith. She turns to the servants and says, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”[7] Hearing the Word of her Lord, she remembers the virtue of patience and trusts that whatever her Son does, it will be for the good of those gathered at the feast. With Job, she says in her heart, ‘Your hands have molded me and made me into everything I am within and without, and even though You hide it in Your heart, I still know that you remember it.”[8] Christ our Lord may not do exactly what she wanted or when she wanted it done, but whatever He does will be better than she could imagine. And “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”[9]

Hearing a sincere Christian prayer for those gathered at the wedding feast, our Lord performs the first, and chief, of His miracles, for the purpose of manifesting His glory.[10] In the first place, we see by this miracle, and all miracles, that Jesus is truly the Almighty God, Lord and Creator of the universe. Unlike the prophets, He does not need to call upon God to act through Him. He is the God through whom all things are made.

We also see that Christ is revealing Himself as bringing overabundance in joy and grace to those who would receive Him, sympathetic to the needs of man. The stone waterpots formerly held water used to make one ritually clean. Our Lord takes these instruments of the Law and turns them into vessels of joy and gladness, filling them with His Gospel of grace for all in attendance. He makes the understanding of the Law lovely, for that is how the Gospel interprets the Law.

The one who hears and believes the Gospel of Christ, that He has come and delivered you from your sins by means of His death and resurrection, has their heart of stone turned to a heart of flesh.[11] Hearing that the obedience owed to God, that which we cannot perfectly fulfill, has been fulfilled by Christ, our hearts are made glad. “Wine makes glad the heart of man.”[12]

In terms of overabundance of joy and grace, we hear from the master of the feast that the guests had already been well drunk and are now provided with almost 200 gallons of good, strong wine. Our Lord answered St. Mary’s prayer in a greater way than she could’ve imagined.

Not only did this miracle manifest the glory of Christ but “His disciples also believe in Him. They recognized Him as the Son of God and the promised Messiah in whom they placed their heartfelt trust. From this we learn that all miracles of Christ relate to and call for faith; God’s Word and His miracles are the two pillars and the foundation of faith. For from the Word and promises we come to know His gracious will; from the miracles we come to know His divine omnipotence upon which the trusting heart from now on must found and establish itself. May God the Lord sustain and uphold us in such a faith through Christ—the Initiator and the completing Perfector of [our] faith (Hebrews 12:2).”[13]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Hosea 2:19-20.

[2] 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:30.

[3] St. Matthew 19:6.

[4] St. John 2:3.

[5] Job 31.

[6] Johann Gerhard, Postilla, Volume 1, translated by Elmer M. Hohle (Malone, TX: The Center for the Study of Lutheran Orthodoxy, 2001), 161.

[7] St. John 2:5.

[8] Job 10:8, 13; paraphrased.

[9] Romans 5:5.

[10] St. John 2:11.

[11] Ezekiel 36:26.

[12] Psalm 104:15.

[13] Gerhard, Postilla, 163-164.

The Holy Matrimony of Mason Allen Daughters & Ashley Mae Ledbetter

The Holy Matrimony of Mason Daughters & Ashley Ledbetter – September 28, 2024

Psalm 127; Genesis 2:7, 18-24; Ephesians 5:1-2, 22-33

St. Matthew 19:4-6

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

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, performed His first miracle at a wedding in Cana, when He turned six large pots of water into wine. In so doing, He marked this institution as especially pleasing to God and dear to His heart.[1] Holy Matrimony is pleasing to God because it is man fulfilling to his utmost, his role in creation. God did not declare creation to be very good until He had created woman out of man and joined the two in Holy Matrimony.[2] The institution of marriage in the Garden of Eden is the final act of creation and it is the location of God’s first words of blessing to man, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”[3]

As the crown of creation, man and woman are to live as husband and wife primarily for two purposes. First, to fulfill this blessing and command of God, “Be fruitful and multiply.” God gave the entire world to Adam and Eve that they would multiply and subdue it, that is take care of all creation. The household is the foundation of society and the source of children. ‘Children are an heritage from the Lord,’ the psalmist says.^[4] Man does not create children. No effort of man creates life. The creation of new life is within the power of God alone and he has ordained that new life would spring forth from the union of man and wife.

When the two come together, they produce one new flesh. This is the unique blessing of marriage. Through man and wife, children are created; and through children, fathers and mothers are created. Therefore, the Christian marriage must be open to children. No effort of man may be made to stop the will of God in creating children. Such actions would be sinful, contrary to the Word and will of God.

According to creation, the second purpose of marriage is companionship. God declared that it was not good for man to be alone and that he required a helpmeet, a companion, someone who would be comparable to him. A parade of all the animals in the world could not fulfill this need for companionship. It required woman. It required that God make woman out of man’s side. In a sense, man is truly missing a part of himself until he is joined in holy matrimony to woman.

This purpose of marriage, this companionship, is a lifelong commitment to one another. Mason and Ashely will today vow before God, all of you, and each other, that they will take one another to have and hold for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish till death parts them. Man is not free to cut the bonds of marriage. These two will be joined in one flesh. A new creation will be made this day that did not exist before. To separate this union is an act of violence.

It is also central to understand that man did not remain in bliss. Eve gave into the temptations of Satan, ate of the forbidden fruit, gave it to Adam, and he also ate. This sin, this breaking of God’s law, plunged all of creation into sin, corruption, and decay. It introduced death into the world. It also robbed Adam and Eve, and by consequence all men and women, of the original righteousness in which God created them. Now, every thought, word, and deed of man is corrupted by sin, including the institution of Holy Matrimony.

In the fallen state of the world, Holy Matrimony takes on a new purpose. It is for the avoidance of sin. Man is no longer perfectly in control of his faculties, meaning that selfishness, pride, anger, and especially lust now lurk within man’s soul. The estate of Marriage continues to be given to man as the God given outlet for lust and as a special protection against other sins. It is more difficult to be selfish when you have a wife, and doubly so should your marriage be blessed with children…or at least it ought to be. In Holy Marriage, being joined in one flesh means that you now live life for another. You have another person, or eventually persons, for whom to live and care.

However, Satan is crafty. He is cunning. He sees Holy Marriage and hates it. He hates any gift God gives to man and will always seek to corrupt it. For this reason, it will be necessary for you two to always be on guard. Mason, she is your most treasured possession. She is to be your wife, a gift greater than anything else creation has to offer you. You are to ensure she has a home, food, and a joyful life. Recognize her as the precious gift of God that she is. Recognize that focusing on your own wants and needs will always open the door to the temptation to resentment, frustration, and anger. Recognize also that the world will present temptations to neglect her or worse, to find fulfillment anywhere but in the precious treasure of the helpmeet given to you by God Almighty.

Ashley, he is your most precious possession. He is worthy of your time, attention, and submission. He is your head and provider. You are to trust him, provide him a home full of peace and rest. Look to him to provide for your needs. Recognize him as the precious gift of God that he is. Close your eyes to the attentions of other men and remember that he is always worth more time and attention than anything else in the world. You are a precious vessel that has been given to him to cherish. Support him, care for him, trust him, and show him honor by receiving all the good gifts he has to give to you.

To this point, I’ve really only described the purposes and blessings of marriage according to creation. These are incredibly important, especially in our day and age when the world wants to deny creation. From our constant engagement in digital media – streaming services, the internet, social media, etc. – to the denial of creation as fundamental to reality. Our world wants to define creation according to our desires and feelings rather than being that which God has ordered and continues to govern.

But there is a fourth, and perhaps the greatest, purpose of marriage. The union of man and wife in Holy Matrimony is the image of Christ’s relationship to the church. Holy Marriage is dear to the heart of God because it is the image of God’s own sacrifice and love for the church. Adam and Eve plunged the world into sin when they submitted to temptation in the garden. And just as all mankind fell in one man’s fall, so too is all mankind redeemed in the Blood of Jesus.

In prophecy, in parable, and in doctrine, our Lord loves to compare His love for the church to weddings. The Son of God took on human flesh that He would die for us. His death is the ultimate fulfilling of the call for husbands to love their wives even that a man would die for her. Jesus Christ joined Himself to His bride in our flesh when He was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He then died the death that man had earned for himself because of His great love for us.

In the same way, we are called to submit to Christ as our head. He is the God of all creation. Christ is King. And we, while still mired in the filth of our sins, have been called by Him to be washed in His blood, made clean and spotless, washed of water by the Word of God, that we might be presented to Him glorious, holy, and without blemish.

We gather today to witness the joining of Mason and Ashley in Holy Matrimony, but we are called to see this union as the earthly image of Christ being joined to His holy Bride, the Church. We are here to worship the Triune God who has cleansed of our sins.

It is for this reason, that Mason and Ashley, you are called to keep your marriage holy and undefiled. On your own, you can’t do this. I promise you, you will sin against one another, against yourselves, and against others. Satan is cunning and he will lead you astray. Remember that you have been washed in the waters of Holy Baptism. Remember that you have been saved by the Blood of the Lamb. Continue to be steadfast in your faith.

Mason, it is your job as the head of the household to bring your wife to church. It is your responsibility to continue to grow in wisdom and knowledge of God and His Word. Christ willingly endured mocking, torture, and crucifixion because he loves his bride. You are called to do the same. Swallow your pride and love your wife. Be bold in providing for her and protecting her from the dangers of the world. Ensure she remains steadfast in the Word of God and that she raises your children in the faith.

Ashley, it is your job to support Mason in his faith and to encourage him. It is also your responsibility to come to church and encourage Mason to do the same. Remember that he is your beloved. The church lovingly submits to Christ her head but is unafraid to cry out in lament. We look to Christ for every good thing. Even when it seems he is not listening, we trust that he is caring for us, giving us what we need. When Mason needs correction, do it lovingly and in private, that his reputation would not be harmed before others. Should God bless you with children, raise them in the faith. Ensure Mason is teaching them the catechism and reading to them from the bible.

Read the bible together, every day. Pray together, every day. The most powerful words either of you can speak are “I forgive you. I love you.” Do not forget to say them! And, Lord willing many years from now, you two will join with the heavenly choirs of angels and all the host of heaven in the Marriage Feast of the Lamb; when all who trust in Christ will join together in the worship of our Lord forever. Love one another as Christ has loved the Church. Hold fast to one another. May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. John 2:1-12.

[2] Genesis 1:31.

[3] Genesis 1:28.

[4] Psalm 127.

In Memoriam + Alan Kelvin Viets +

In Memoriam + Alan Kelvin Viets + – November 6, 2022

Psalm 23; Genesis 3:8-21; Revelation 21:1-7

St. John 11:17-27

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

It is typical of Near-Eastern, and hence Old Testament, thinking to view time as a cycle. Perhaps an image more familiar to many of us is an extended slinky. Viewed from the top down, you see only a circle. From the side, this circle becomes a continuous spiral. Having that picture in your head, it is quite easy to apply to time. Seasons come and go, always in a cycle. Months begin and then months end – another cycle. We gather every seven days to celebrate the Lord’s Day. In the smallest sense, each day is its own cycle. There is evening and there is morning, another day.

The Holy Spirit has used this cyclical nature of time throughout the Scriptures to teach us concerning salvation. Aside from the repetition of evening and morning in the days of creation, we are not given an indication of when particular events occur until we hear that the Lord came walking in the cool of the day.

The picture painted for us is of a cosmic day. Everything is created through the Word of God in the beginning, that is, the beginning of the cosmic day. It was then during the heat of the day that the serpent, the Ancient Dragon, deceived Eve. The early to mid-afternoon is a particularly vulnerable time for man. He has been tending the garden all day. It is now halfway between lunch and supper. Stomachs begin to rumble, and it is time for a snack.

It is also, as I said, the heat of the day. While the work of Adam and Eve in the garden was no toil, it was still work. They did not ache from their labors, but they certainly grew hungry. Perhaps they grew tired. Whatever they were feeling, we can be relatively certain that Satan waited until Adam and Eve were at their weakest before tempting them with the forbidden fruit.

Such is the way with Satan and temptation. It makes little sense to tempt the strong. That requires too much work. It is far more opportune to attack the weak. Yet even Satan knows not to look at strength and weakness through the eyes of man. The Pharisees would be seen by man to be strong in faith, yet Satan knew the weakness of their hearts. He knew to tempt them with power over their fellow man. The weakness of the Pharisees is the desire to be like God, commanding men and receiving their worship. Such weakness makes them vulnerable to the temptations of Satan.

Having fallen to temptation, Adam and Eve hide among the trees and bushes as they fashion clothing for themselves. The sun begins to set, and the day has become cool. It is then that God comes looking for His beloved creation. The setting of the sun indicates darkness is creeping over the land. God already knew what had happened, yet for love of man He called out that man might return to the Lord, His God.

The cosmic day continues to turn toward evening as God pronounces judgment upon Satan, promising the day when the Seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent, and the serpent would strike His heel. He also curses woman with pain in childbearing and desire for the authority of her husband. The land is cursed because of the man, and he is cursed to labor and toil all the days of his life. He will laud his authority over woman and life in strife because of it. The day grows darker.

Yet even in this darkness, there is the light of promise. There is the lamp of the promised Seed, God’s Anointed One, who at the fullness of time would come to save the world. When Jesus is crucified, as He breathes His last, the sky goes dark. This is often seen as creation itself mourning the death of the Son of God. What’s more is that the cosmic day has reached the darkest night. For those three days of rest for Christ in the tomb, the cosmic day sat at midnight. The light of Christ had gone dark in a tomb of stone.

It is not until the first light on the third day that it is revealed that death could not hold Him. Death could not restrain the Son of God. No one lights a lamp to place it beneath a basket. A lamp is lit to be held high, giving light to all who look upon it. Jesus Christ is the light of the world and darkness cannot overcome Him. The darkest night and deepest tomb cannot hold our God because He is the Almighty Word by which creation came into being. By death, He defeated death. By submitting to the darkness of the tomb, He conquered the night. By rising the third day, He has promised everlasting light to all who receive Him, who believe in His name.

At the last, when Christ has returned to gather His faithful as a hen gathers her flock, the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire. When all has been destroyed, a new creation will arise. This new creation will have no need for sun, moon, or stars; no need for lights, lamps, and fire. The Son of God, sitting on the throne, will be all the light we need. He will shine in glory with the radiance glimpsed by Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. In that day, the faithful will rejoice and sing in the presence of Christ because we shall be like Him, sharing in His glory.

The resurrection of Christ on that first Easter morning was the beginning of a new day. This is the new day of Christ’s church. What was foretold to our fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has come to pass. A new day has dawned. But this new day is not the final dawn. It is not the final day. This new cosmic day is fast waning. We find ourselves already facing the darkening night of the new day. In this sense, we must look to Christ both as our Redeemer and as our example.

When I say example, I don’t mean that you, too, must be crucified for the sins of the world. Nor by your obedience will you merit eternal life for yourself or anyone else. What I mean is that we must take up our cross and follow Him. We must see that on this side of glory, the life of the Christian is to bear a cross. Suffering has been promised to us. Loss has been promised to us.

Being children of Adam and Eve, death will come for us all, so long as Christ waits to return. Death will come for us, and it is never pleasant. We can fool ourselves into thinking that someone died peacefully in her sleep, or that “that was the way he would’ve wanted to go,” but that is not true. No one wants to go. No one wants to die. Death is terrifying because the experience of death is the tearing apart of body and soul. Death comes for you in the darkness of night.

Death is the outcome of the crosses we bear—our own death and the death of loved ones. We ought to mourn Alan and all who have died in Christ because death is painful. It is not good. But we should never mourn without hope. We mourn with hope because we know that dawn is coming. Like the wise virgins, we are prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom. We are prepared the dawning of the final day.

Martha is prepared for the dawning of the final day. She is confident that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world.[1] But Martha had also fallen asleep. Remember that in the parable of the ten virgins, both the foolish and the wise fall asleep. All ten virgins fall asleep when they are supposed to be watching for the Bridegroom.

Martha has likewise fallen asleep because in focusing on the dawning of the final day, she has forgotten that the Christ, the Son of the Living God is present with her right now. She is standing in His presence. The Resurrection and the Life is standing before her in flesh. With man, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.[2]

It is good, meet, and salutary to look forward to the dawning of the final day, when you will be reunited in the flesh with your father, husband, friend, and brother. That will be a glorious day. You will see Alan’s face by the glorious light of Christ, a light that will never fail nor falter. But do not forget to rejoice in the union you presently have with Alan. You are a member of the Body of Christ. In Holy Baptism, you too were made a member of the Body of Christ. You, Alan, and all the Baptized Saints of God are gathered in the One Body of Christ.

Although there is presently a separation in time and space, there is still unity in Jesus. He is the Resurrection and the Life, something both you and Alan possess. This is especially true during the Divine Service. So much of what we sing is borrowed from those portions of Scripture where visions of the worship in heaven is recorded. We are singing the songs of the heavenly host. We are singing the songs of angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. We are singing them together. We never worship God alone for we are members of His body.

Thus, we boldly confess with Martha that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God who has come into the world. We confess that He is the Light of the world, the Light no darkness can overcome. We also confess that this Light is present with us now. As the world turns toward darkness, as suffering on this side of glory grips our hearts and wearies our souls, we look to the coming of the dawn.

We look to the horizon and eagerly await the coming of the Christ because we have His promise that He will come to gather us home. The promise of the return of Christ is as sure and certain as the promise that He would crush the head of the serpent. The certainty of this promise is written in stone such that it is as good as though it had already happened. We can look to the dawning of that first Easter morning to see what our own resurrection will look like.

And since we know the end of the story, since we know the dawn of the final cosmic day will come, we can bear our crosses, endure suffering, mourn with hope, and travel this world of darkening night in joy. We can go about our days in peace and joy. We can remember Alan and all the departed saints in joy because we know they are not dead but living. We are in the near presence of Christ, and they are in His nearer presence. It is now evening and there will be morning, the final, glorious day.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] St. John 11:27.

[2] St. Matthew 19:26.

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity – October 2, 2022

Psalm 86; 1 Kings 17:17-24; Ephesians 3:13-21

St. Luke 7:11-17

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

When comparing prayers written 500 or more years ago to those written in recent decades, you’ll notice many differences. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Language develops over time. And even if the general temptations and afflictions experienced are common to all men at all times, the specifics certainly change.

There is, however, one area in which we should pay more attention to the prayers of our distant forefathers than even our grandparents. I speak of prayers concerning suffering and death. Hear the words of our hymn of the day, The Will of God is Always Best, written in the 16^th century:

Lord, this I ask, O hear my plea, Deny me not this favor;

      When Satan sorely troubles me,

            Then do not let me waver.

      O guard me well, My fear dispel, Fulfill Your faithful saying:

            “All who believe By grace receive An answer to their praying.” [1]

Notice that in this hymn, we did not pray that God would remove the suffering or temptation. Whenever Satan troubles us—and in whatever way he might do so—we prayed that God would not let us waver from the faith He has given us. It is a prayer against losing faith in the face of suffering and temptation.

Then, we prayed that God would guard us and remove our fear. Finally, we prayed that God would fulfill the promise He has given us. He has said that the prayers of all who believe will be answered and, in this hymn, we are holding God to His promise.[2]

Our prayer continues in the fourth stanza:

When life’s brief course on earth is run And I this world am leaving,

      Grant me to say, “Your will be done,” Your faithful Word believing.

My dearest Friend, I now commend My soul into Your keeping;

      From sin and hell, And death as well, By You the vict’ry reaping.[3]

The topic of our prayer has shifted from suffering and temptation to death. Notice that our prayer is not for one more day, a miracle, or even for a peaceful end. By praying “grant me to say, ‘Your will be done,’ we are asking that God would again keep us steadfast in the faith once delivered in the face of death. We are begging God to give us the faith necessary to face the dreadful end of our life on this side of glory.

Our prayer ended by commending our souls to God’s care. It is only by His death and resurrection that the victory over sin and hell, and death as well, is given to us. We can ask God as our dearest Friend because He has come to us and brought us into His home through faith. He alone has the power to conquer death and He has called you His own. Why trust the greatest cancer doctor Mayo has to offer when he is powerless against death? Instead, see that God has given great gifts of healing to doctors but it is the Almighty alone that determines the days of your life. He alone will welcome you into the glory of heaven when the number of your days has come to an end. He alone has won the victory over Satan and the grave.

Hear now, a modern prayer, written on behalf of those experiencing serious illness:

O Lord, You are the great Physician of soul and body; You chasten and You heal. Show mercy to Your servant. Spare his life and restore his strength. Even as You gave Your Son to bear our infirmities and sicknesses, deal compassionately with him, and bless him with Your healing power. We commit him to Your gracious mercy and protection; through Jesus Christ, our Lord…[4]

In this prayer, we are asking for God’s mercy, to spare the life of the afflicted, to restore his strength, that God would deal compassionately with the afflicted, and that God would bless him with God’s healing power. Finally, we commend the afflicted to God’s gracious mercy and protection.

There is nothing heretical or false about this prayer. It is published in the Pastoral Care Companion, the small booklet designed for pastors to use on visits for the purpose of individual pastoral care. There does, however, seem to be something missing.

The modern prayer makes no mention of receiving the affliction in faith. It seems to assume that the affliction is contrary to God’s will for the Christian. Strictly speaking, prayers are not written for the purpose of teaching. They are written for the purpose of asking God for something. But our faith is shaped by the words of our mouth and the actions of our body just as much as our words and actions are shaped by our faith.

The temptation in omitting prayers to receive suffering in faith is to believe the goal of this life is to avoid suffering. The sin in this temptation is elevating the avoidance of pain, suffering, and even death, to the highest good. None is good but God alone.[5] The highest good is God, and Him taking on your flesh and dying in your place so that you might receive His life. Modern Western medicine has made this a daily temptation so that we seek constant and permanent relief from every pain. There is always a prescription, doctor, specialist, or surgery for what ails you. And if there isn’t, if you are deemed to be terminal, then there is medication to render you unconscious and unfeeling until the medicine itself finally stops your heart and lungs.

When the goal of life is to avoid suffering, it leaves no room for repentance. If pain, suffering, and death are only medical conditions, they are not the result of sin. If they are not the result of sin, then we have no need for God to remove them. Suddenly, God is only necessary when we choose to do something we think is evil. We must repent of this idolatry. All pain, all suffering, all illnesses, and death are the result of sin. God allows the suffering of His dear children so that we would never forget the severity of our sin. He allows these things so that we would repent of our sins and cling ever more tightly to Christ our Savior.

When our prayers are only focused on God ending our suffering or making it more palatable, we forget that God is a loving Father who chastens those whom He loves. We forget that the just outcome of our lives is misery and eternal death. We forget that it is only by grace that God delivers us from every evil of body and soul, property and honor, and finally, when our last hour has come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven.[6]

It is not sinful to ask God to remove suffering, temptation, or grief. St. Paul does this three times concerning a particular messenger of Satan sent to torment him.[7] The Lord refuses to remove this temptation, saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” These words cause St. Paul to gladly boast in his infirmities for he knows that God is sending them so that he would be turned away from his own sin. He rejoices in suffering and temptation because it means that he is saved not by his own flesh but by the death of Christ. When Paul is weak, Christ is strong.

Thus we have the words of today’s hymn. We are reminded to pray that God would uphold us in the faith to which He has called us. When you are suffering sickness, pain, despair, or shame, turn to God and pray that He would not let you fall; that your flesh would not succumb to this temptation such that you would lose your soul to eternal death; and if it should be the will of God to remove you from this vale of tears, thanks be to God that He has ended your suffering and brought you home to Him in heaven.

When our Lord arrives in Nain, He interrupts a funeral procession. The mother of the boy is weeping loudly. This could be an indication of the Near Eastern practice of funeral mourning or simply an expression of her grief, but it is certainly weeping and wailing as though there is no hope. Christ bids her stop her weeping. This is not a commandment against grief, it is a commandment against wailing as though death were the greatest enemy, the greatest affliction of man.

Jesus has compassion on this grieving mother.[8] He sees her pain and it moves Him to express His love for her. Stopping the pallbearers, Jesus touches the coffin. He touches the instrument of burial, the mode of transportation carrying this young man from life to death, and He says, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”[9] Immediately, the boy sat up and began to speak.

Jesus was indicating to the crowd that this instrument of burial has no power in the presence of Christ. Jesus is foreshadowing His own death, by which the grave no longer has dominion over man. Jesus will take the place of this young man and conquer death on his behalf. Christ will rise again, just as this young man rose, but the resurrection of Christ endures forever. By His death, the victory has been won on your behalf. By His resurrection, eternity has been given to you.

The coffin is no longer the final resting place of this young man nor anyone who dies in Christ. The tomb is now a cemetery, a word that literally means “sleeping place.”[10] The young man hears the word of the Lord and immediately sits up and speaks the praises of God. Scripture is silent as to what the young man said, but I believe he immediately began singing the Sanctus, the Gloria in Excelsis, or another of the songs sung in heaven. He immediately went from praising God in heaven to praising God in the flesh.

So, when you suffer, pray that God would remove the affliction. Pray that God would hear your prayer and answer it just as He has promised. But do not forget to pray for the most important thing—that God would sustain you through this affliction in the one true faith; that God would grant you the strength to persevere through the affliction, as long as it is His will that you would be afflicted; that God would continue to show mercy to you by bringing to your remembrance that this world is fleeting in the eyes of eternity.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Albrecht von Preussen, The Will of God is Always Best, stanza 3, as found in Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 758.

[2] St. John 14:12-14.

[3] Preussen, The Will of God is Always Best, stanza 4.

[4] The Commission on Worship of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, “Prayer 254 alt.,” Pastoral Prayer Companion (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2007), 199.

[5] St. Matthew 19:17.

[6] Martin Luther, “The Lord’s Prayer: The Seventh Petition,” The Small Catechism.

[7] 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

[8] St. Luke 7:13.

[9] St. Luke 7:14.

[10] “Κοιμητήριον [koi-mā-TĀ-rion] – bedroom, place of rest.” A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd edition, revised and edited by Frederick William Danker [Commonly known as BDAG] (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), 551.