Sermon: Trinity 16 (OT)
23 September AD 2012
Theme: Death Testifies (MP3 Audio)
Summary: The Law of God always accuses—it points out, uncovers, condemns, and convicts sin. Death, the result of sin, is a clear, strong proclamation of God’s Law. Death testifies that our lives are broken, sinful, and hopeless.
The widow of Zarephath and her son had been saved from starvation by the intercession of the Lord’s prophet. Suddenly, hope vanished as she saw her dead son lying before her. She couldn’t believe that Elijah and Elijah’s God would be so cruel as to promise brighter days and then strike down her son.
However, God’s accusation comes not to play cruel tricks on mankind but to drive home our unending need of His forgiveness and the new life that comes when our sins are taken away. For the Christian, death is not the end. Instead, we who are baptized into Christ’s death trust that we are also baptized into His resurrection and new life in Him.
God had mercy on the widow and returned her son to life. God also has mercy on you and makes you alive in Christ so that you might live now and evermore. He causes new and abundant life to grow from the barren soil of our birth natures.
Text: After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”
And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again.”
And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.”
And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.” 1 Kings 17:17-24
Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Death Testifies, preached to the saints of God at Christ Lutheran Church, Platte Woods, Missouri during the early service.
NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.
Other Readings: Psalm 30; Ephesians 3:13-21; Luke 7:11-17
Tags: Trinity 16 | 16th Sunday after Trinity | Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity | One Year Lectionary | 1 Year Lectionary | theology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Law and Gospel | Law | Gospel | Elijah | widow | Zarephath | son | death | condemnation | sin | life | resurrection | 23 September 2012 | September 23, 2012 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Christian | Christianity | 1 Kings 17 | sermon | preaching | text | theme | topic | Death Testifies | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings
Theme: Death Testifies (MP3 Audio)
The widow of Zarephath and her son had been saved from starvation by the intercession of the Lord’s prophet. Suddenly, hope vanished as she saw her dead son lying before her. She couldn’t believe that Elijah and Elijah’s God would be so cruel as to promise brighter days and then strike down her son.
However, God’s accusation comes not to play cruel tricks on mankind but to drive home our unending need of His forgiveness and the new life that comes when our sins are taken away. For the Christian, death is not the end. Instead, we who are baptized into Christ’s death trust that we are also baptized into His resurrection and new life in Him.
God had mercy on the widow and returned her son to life. God also has mercy on you and makes you alive in Christ so that you might live now and evermore. He causes new and abundant life to grow from the barren soil of our birth natures.
And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again.”
And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.”
And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.” 1 Kings 17:17-24
Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Death Testifies, preached to the saints of God at Christ Lutheran Church, Platte Woods, Missouri during the early service.
NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.
Other Readings: Psalm 30; Ephesians 3:13-21; Luke 7:11-17
Tags: Trinity 16 | 16th Sunday after Trinity | Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity | One Year Lectionary | 1 Year Lectionary | theology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Law and Gospel | Law | Gospel | Elijah | widow | Zarephath | son | death | condemnation | sin | life | resurrection | 23 September 2012 | September 23, 2012 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Christian | Christianity | 1 Kings 17 | sermon | preaching | text | theme | topic | Death Testifies | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings
posted by Xrysostom | 22:30
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