Pentecost 12 Sermon: Conflicting Glory

Preached on Proverbs 25:2–10
12th Sunday After Pentecost — Proper 17C
1 September AD 2019

Title: Click to hear the MP3 of Conflicting Glory.

Summary: God does, at times, reveal His splendor to mortal eyes. However, He normally conceals His majesty from plain sight and human reason. Thus His greatest glory hides behind Golgatha’s gloom. The Father gloried in His Son’s sacrifice as Jesus glorified Him. Our Lord, masked mortal in flesh, died for our sins and the world watched unaware.

Likewise, God glories in hiding Himself in Baptism’s water, in Holy Communion’s bread and wine, and in the voices of His pastors as they teach and absolve His people. He also conceals Himself in His people as they live in faith, loving others as He loves them.

Text: It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable.

Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end. Proverbs 25:2-10

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 Conflicting Glory.

NB: A few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio with Windows Media 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 131; Hebrews 13:1-17; Luke 14:1-14

Pentecost 12 Sermon: Lawful Healing

Preached on Luke 14:1–14
12th Sunday After Pentecost — Proper 17C
1 September AD 2019

Title: Click to hear the MP3 of Lawful Healing.

Summary: God gave mankind the Sabbath for our benefit. Even before the Fall, regular rest and refreshment was part of His plan for us. After that dark day and throughout all time thereafter, our need for Sabbath healing only intensified.

Finally, however, physical and mental rest is never enough. The things truly sapping our strength stem from sin — that which is part of us and that which fills Creation. Only forgiveness in Jesus Christ brings full healing and an everlasting “Sabbath rest for the people of God. (Hebrews 4:9)”

Text: One Sabbath, when [Jesus] went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”

But they remained silent.

Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” And they could not reply to these things.

Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.

“But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:1-14

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 Lawful Healing.

NB: A few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio with Windows Media 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 131; Proverbs 25:2-10; Hebrews 13:1-17

Pentecost 15 Sermon: True Humility

Preached on Luke 14:1-14
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost — Proper 17C
28 August AD 2016

Title: True Humility (MP3 Audio)

Summary: To be truly humble is not to go about feeling worthless. It isn’t a life of emotionally abasing and berating yourself. It is, however, learning to see ourselves and others the way God does — as hurting sinners and as forgiven people for whom Christ died.

Living in a nursing home, as do most of those in attendance for this sermon, is humbling on a earthly level. Yet even there, residents need to be reminded that the God who loves them equally loves each of their fellow residents and all who are entrusted with their care. Their low estate doesn’t give them license to take advantage of, bully, or ignore the needs of others.

They — as do we — also need constant reminder that all sins are forgiven. Christ humbled Himself, taking on our flesh and claiming ownership of our sins so that we might be raised up and exalted by Him. Remembering His atoning sacrifice leads believers to joyfully respond and lovingly look out for their neighbor’s best interests.

True Christian humility isn’t a self-started work designed to please or appease God. Instead, it is generated as faith’s response to the Gospel’s freedom. Humility is our acceptance that we are truly no better, holier, or more worthy than anyone else and the God-given desire and ability to act on this knowledge in true love for others.

Humility, then, is the Christian’s “sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 116:17).” It’s the ongoing action of confessing to God and to others that we lowly sinners who deserve God’s wrath are nevertheless also forgiven saints and worthy of eternal glory for the sake of Christ Jesus.

Text: One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent.

Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” And they could not reply to these things.

Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.

“But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:1-14

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 True Humility.

NB: A few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio with Windows Media 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 131; Proverbs 25:2-10; Hebrews 13:1-17

Pentecost 15 Sermon: Preach You the Word

Preached on Hebrews 13:1-17
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost — Proper 17C
28 August AD 2016

Title: Preach You the Word (MP3 Audio)

Summary: “Remember your (church) leaders” — that seems easy. Merely thinking about current and former pastors is no problem. We may remember a series of spiritual leaders or we might have had only one pastor so far in our lives. Some we might recall with fondness, others, less so.

Yet biblical remembering is more than just replaying memories. To remember is to occupy your entire being, body, mind, and soul in engaging the object of your memory. Therefore, when the epistle writer continues by saying, “Obey your leaders and submit to them,” he doesn’t mean blind, unquestioning obedience to their every utterance but rather carefully considering their proclamation of God’s commands and promises, then thinking acting upon these words.

A faithful congregation echoes God in speaking to its pastors: “Preach the Word.” And a faithful congregation likewise joyfully submits to what is proclaimed.

So when our leaders lay down the Law — the damning, destroying message of God’s wrath and judgment — we’d better pay attention. And when they speak the sweet consolation of the Gospel — Christ’s suffering and death for sinners bringing full forgiveness — well, if we don’t focus on this, then we’ve forgotten what it means to belong to Him.

Relationship between pastors and parishes are never perfect — all too often, they’re a fair distance from even being really good. However, just as Christ’s ministers bear with much among the flocks where He places them, so Christian congregations are encouraged to put up with and overlook those things that are mere matters of opinion and preference. This brings joy to pastors as they wash, teach, and feed the flocks entrusted to their care.

Text: Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.

So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Hebrews 13:1-17

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 Preach You the Word.

NB: A few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio with Windows Media 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 131; Proverbs 25:2-10; Luke 14:1-14