2nd Sunday in Lent, 3/16/25 Luke 13:31-35 How Can You Make Any Sense of This? I. It accomplishes God’s saving plan. II. It reveals God’s saving love. What’s your definition of “senseless”? Here’s Miriam-Webster’s definition: “destitute of, deficient in, or contrary to sense, such as unconscious, foolish, meaningless.” We’ve become accustomed to hearing and using that word perhaps more in the last decade or so than ever before. You hear it used almost every day to describe senseless acts of violence. And they’re not just happening in the mega-urban centers of our country; they’re occurring right here in the Miami Valley, daily, without interruption. I’ll spare you the details of some local, recent, senseless acts of violence. They’re heinous. Our society is thoroughly afflicted with them. To counter this disturbing reality, you have likely encountered the term “senseless acts of kindness.” And these acts often receive almost as much attention as the senseless acts of violence do. And that’s intentional. The media would much rather end their 30-minutes of news with a positive report on a senseless act of kindness, than another senseless act of violence. And they warm our hearts. In a cruel world, here’s a glimmer of hope. There are people who make a concentrated effort to do what is good and helpful for others, for no reason at all other than this—to help others. Senseless. That word or one close to it might have entered your mind a few minutes ago as you listened to this morning’s Gospel Reading. Just what was going on here? It’s one weird event in the life of Jesus, to say the least. There’s Jesus. There’s the Pharisees. And there’s Herod. None of those three have anything in common from an outward standpoint. We aren’t accustomed to hearing these three working together on anything. But it certainly sounds like they are—at least some of them—in this account. In fact, in a sense, they view each other as opponents. They all have different agendas. So why would they spend any time and energy even talking to one another, let alone working with each other? How do you make any sense of this? And even if you could, what does it have to do with you? Let’s spend a few minutes sorting through the details and then finding some meaning for this event in your life. So, it’s apparent from the text that Jesus is not in Jerusalem. He’s likely in Galilee. It’s toward the end of his three-year ministry. His popularity among the people is down, not even close to what it was when his ministry started. He has upset some people with what he says, and he has disappointed others by not doing what they want him to do. In short, he’s not the Messiah they were looking for. But that unpopularity doesn’t deter Jesus. He knows who he is, why he came to this earth, and what he must do to accomplish his mission—the saving all sinners from the depths of hell. The second players in this event are the Pharisees, the sworn enemies of Jesus. Throughout his three-year ministry they verbally assaulted him, detested him, tried to trap him and discredit him, and literally hated him. The Pharisees were a sinfully proud group of Jewish religious elites, who denied committing any sins and were confident that they were saved by their good works. They had no use for Jesus as their Savior and they considered his claims to be the Son of God as vial blasphemy worthy of a painful death. But they were centered in Jerusalem. So why would they make the trip to Galilee, which is a part of the Jewish nation they avoided and abhorred? Good question. Their presence in Galilee makes no sense. There are two options to explain their approaching Jesus in Galilee, and both have to do with this seemingly helpful advice to Jesus, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” Now, why would they share beneficial information with Jesus about Jesus when they hated him? Good question. It makes no sense. Well, what they told him might have been a bald-faced lie. It’s possible Herod never spoke these words. So why would the Pharisees go out of their way to share a lie with Jesus? Perhaps simply to harass him. But what they told Jesus might have been the truth. But why would they share the truth with Jesus, if Herod wanted to kill Jesus as much as they did? Because they knew Herod would have more difficulty killing Jesus than they would. The Pharisees as a whole were convinced that they could get rid of Jesus (i.e. kill him), if they could just get him to their headquarters, which was Jerusalem. Personally, I think Herod actually spoke these words. Herod ruled Galilee. Jesus was causing trouble for Herod in Galilee. So, Herod threatened him to get him to leave Galilee. And there’s another reason I think Herod spoke these words. It’s in the fact that Jesus, in his response to these words, addresses Herod, not the Pharisees. Jesus certainly knew who was responsible for speaking these words. But that’s just my opinion. On the other hand, we know from what Luke writes previously, that Herod actually expressed a desire to see Jesus. The same thing is said about Herod a few weeks after this event when Jesus appeared on trial before him. We also know that Herod regretted murdering John the Baptist. He surely didn’t want a repeat of that mistake by murdering Jesus. And even though Jesus was causing some trouble for Herod as the ruler of Galilee, there was still a considerable number of residents in Galilee who simply wanted Jesus around them to perform miracles for them. So, did Herod issue this threat or not? And, if he did, did he really mean it? I can’t be absolutely certain. No one can. It just doesn’t make any sense. None of this does. I. Unless you pay attention to what Jesus says. His word. His holy word. Listen again to these words of Jesus, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” He called Herod a fox. And his opinion of Herod is divinely accurate and appropriate. Jesus immediately recognized what was going on here. It was a plan somehow in some way that was against the plan of his Father, and, thus, against his own plan. What do I mean? Well, Jesus perfectly understood why here was here on earth in the first place. He had known it already as a 12-year-old boy in the Temple. He was here to be the world’s Savior from sin. Right at that time, that plan determined that Jesus was to be in Galilee driving out demons and healing people. And that’s what Jesus was doing. Exactly. Without deviation. Perfectly. And with that divine power Jesus also revealed divine grace. His miracles were not an end in themselves. He wasn’t here merely to impress the people. He was here to save them. Every one of his miracles pointed to the fact that he was true God, and the world’s only Savior from sin. To carry that plan to fulfillment, Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem, just as the Pharisees were suggesting he do. But on his own terms according to his Father’s plan. And only when his Father approved. How can you make any sense of this? Here’s your answer: it accomplishes God’s saving plans. II. And that answer leads us right into another one. Imagine being Jesus at this point. How would you respond to such a devious suggestion for your future? How would you react to people who want nothing more than to kill you, literally? I’ll let you form your own answer. Now, compare your answer with the reaction of Jesus. He didn’t speak curses upon these Pharisees or Herod, his government official. He didn’t even wish evil on them. Instead, we hear him say this, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Can you believe what you just heard?! He speaks words that are oozing with his own personal pain over their rejection of him. He speaks of his deepest desire to save his enemies, not damn them. He wants to spend eternity with them and the rest of the inhabitants of Jerusalem—indeed, every sinner who has ever lived and will ever live on this earth—in heaven. And to make it happen, he will head to Jerusalem to die. And then, on the third day he will rise again. And his overwhelming will and hope is that every single sinful human being looks at this death and his resurrection and believes the truth that saves them—that he is the Son of God and the world’s only Savior from sin. Whether they want him to be or not. He loves them. He wants them to belong to him by faith in him. How can you make any sense of this? It reveals God’s saving love. Four weeks from today, we will speak these words that Jesus spoke. On Palm Sunday, we will join Christians around the world in speaking these words of Jesus to Jesus as he enters the worst week of his life for himself but the best week of his life for us. That almost sounds senseless, unless you know the eternal love of God for you. That love drove Jesus to the cross for you. That was always his plan, a plan that revealed his saving love. So, you can spend time trying to make sense of the senselessness in our world and in your life, or you can spend time surrounded by the comforting love of God. I’d say that choice is a no-brainer. You don’t need a massive amount of sense to make it. Find peace in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Now that makes sense! Amen.

What Kind of Help Is Your God, Anyway?

1st Sunday in Lent, 3/9/25 Hebrews 4:14-16 What Kind of Help Is Your God, Anyway? I. He knows you. II. He shows you. III. He grows you. This first Sunday in Lent is a victory celebration. Not on the same level with Easter on which we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, but a victory celebration, nonetheless. As I mentioned in my worship greeting to you this morning, we celebrate the truth that Jesus won the victory over Satan’s temptations. It was the first victory in an undefeated ministry for Jesus. He faced Satan all along the way to Calvary’s cross during his three-year ministry on earth. Sometimes, as we heard in today’s Gospel, those attacks came from Satan himself. Sometimes they came from Jesus’ earthly enemies—the Jewish religious leaders. Most surprisingly, sometimes those attacks came from Jesus’ own disciples. And he never lost. He always came out on top. The Victor! As Christians, we know and believe that Jesus won that victory for us. His victory over Satan is our victory. We are victors with him. If only, right? If only we felt like victors. If only we were convinced we were victors. If only we enjoyed one victory after another. But that’s not what we experience. In fact, more often than not, we feel like losers, not victors. No matter how hard we try, things don’t seem to work out for us. We deal with disappointment every day. Our lives are an unending struggle. We don’t find ourselves coming out on top. Too often we’re buried on the bottom. And that has led more than one Christian to wonder. I’m guessing you have wondered, too. Wondered what? Wondered where your God is in all of this. If you’re a Christian—and I’m not doubting that—then why aren’t things going better for you? Why can’t you find the strength to live more like a Christian and find the happiness you deeply desire? Why can’t you count on your spiritual successes, instead of dealing too often with your spiritual failures? Why can’t you be more like Christ? Why can’t you come out on top like he did? And those questions lead me to this one, the one I want you to keep in front of you for the next few minutes, “What kind of help is your God, anyway? You’re not alone in asking that question. From the beginning of the Christian Church on earth Christians have been asking it. What good is your faith in Jesus when the rubber of life hits the road? What kind of help is your God, anyway? In this Letter to the Hebrews, our God gives us his answers. Let’s listen to them this morning. I. I’m not sure how popular blues music currently is, but I know country music is arguably the most popular. And it seems to me that those two forms of music have this in common: they both speak directly to the reality of the daily human existence. What do I mean? They both offer this assistance: misery loves company. Perhaps you’re thinking, “Pastor, that’s as overstatement.” Maybe so, but please hear me out. The title “blues” music is accurate. And many popular country music songs deal with the same thing—the blues of life, right? The lyrics describe how the singer lost his woman, his job, his truck, and maybe even his dog. And the only solution is to deal with it by letting others know how much life stinks. These words of the Letter to the Hebrews were written to early Jewish Christians. They had lived during that time when Jewish people both looked forward to the coming of the promised Savior and hearing that the promised Savior had come. His name is Jesus Christ. And, by God’s grace, they believed that saving truth. But life was still tough for them. They still faced the same problems and struggles in life now as they did before. To make matters worse, they now had the added problem of suffering persecution for their faith in Jesus. And one of their reactions was, “What good is my faith in God, anyway? He’s not helping me with all of this!” The writer of these words tells them, “He knows what you’re going through. He knows you.” Now, how can we be sure of that? How can God, who lives in endless glory with all power over all things possibly know and understand what a feeble, limited, suffering human being like me is going through? Are you ready for his answer? Listen to it, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Jesus shared your life, meaning, he knows what your human life is like because lived it. You might think you’re suffering like no one else. You might think that you are facing opposition as no one else has. But you’d be wrong. Your Hight Priest—Jesus—faced everything you’re facing and overcame them all. He came out on top. He never sinned. He never quit. He never gave up. He went all the way to the cross for you. Why? Because he knows you. And there’s the first answer to our question, “What kind of help is your God, anyway?” He knows you. II. The Lord has another answer for you, and it’s found in what Jesus already did for you. Right now I’m trying to think of a task in my life in which I only do it once and never have to do it again. I can’t think of one right now. Can you? Almost every task of life—if not all of them—must be done over and over again. It’s almost senseless. It’s one of the reasons I don’t wash my vehicles very often. It seems like I wash it one day and it rains or snows the next anyway. These Jewish Christians to whom the writer originally wrote these words were used to repeating tasks in their religious life—yearly, monthly, weekly, daily. And they weren’t the only Jews required to do so. Even the high priest was required to do the same. But not your Great High Priest, Jesus. The writer alludes to that fact with these words, “We have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God.” Every Old Testament high priest was only allowed to enter the special presence of God in the Holy of Holies, a small room in the Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was located. God had indicated to the Jews that his special presence was there. But only the high priest could enter it, and only once a year, as he did his repetitive work. Jesus came to this earth to accomplish the work of redeeming us. He shed his own blood so that we could belong to him eternally. How do I know he finished that work? How do I know the Father accepted that work? How do I know that there isn’t something left for me to do to please God enough to have a favorable relationship with him? Jesus not only tells you, he shows you. He ascended into heaven because his work was finished and now he rules over every moment in your life to bless you eternally. What kind of help is your God, anyway? He shows you. There’s nothing left for you to do. III. I’m guessing that you join me in admiring people who work hard and accomplish great things in their life all on their own. They weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth, and no one handed them one golden opportunity after another. They worked tirelessly and earned it themselves. But that situation here in this life has nothing in common with our spiritual life—our life with Jesus. What do I mean? Well, we face daily opposition from three great enemies: sin, death, and hell. Think about it. No matter how hard you work, no matter what advantages you think you might have, no matter how many breaks you might receive, you’re no match for any one of those foes, let alone all three at the same time. But that’s where your Savior, Jesus comes in. He is your divine helper in your daily battles. That’s why the writer tells us, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” He tells us to lean on our God with confidence. Why? Because our God is the God of grace and mercy. Those are two beautiful words which describe two beautiful, saving qualities of our Lord. He is gracious. In other words, he gives us the blessings that we don’t deserve, whatever we need to have a life with him now and forever in heaven. He's also merciful. That means that, in spite of the fact that he has every reason to turn his back on us because we daily offend him with our sins, he is merciful. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. No, he treated his Son as our sins deserve. And that’s our focus in this season of Lent: Jesus doing everything we need for our God to be gracious and merciful to us every day. And today—today—is your blessed opportunity to grow in that grace and mercy, to live in the daily confidence that you are a dear child of God, to grow in your faith and in your confidence in the God of your salvation. What kind of help is your God, anyway? He grows you. He knows you. He shows you. He grows you. Are you open to his help? Of course you are. That’s one of the reasons you’re here today. Too many people in our society right now report that they feel like they aren’t winning; they’re losing. And even we feel like that, children of God that we are. And, at times, it’s nothing but our own fault. We’ve conveniently pushed Jesus to the side of our daily lives. We try going it alone. We forget, too often, the big picture of living this life always with eternal life in focus. We get all caught up in living and trying to succeed—whatever that means—and we fail, we get frustrated, tired, resentful. What kind of help is your God, anyway, in all of this? Just the kind of help you need. Jesus already won your life with him now and life with him forever. So, approach him with confidence in your daily struggles. He knows you. He shows you. He grows you. Amen.

See God’s Grace on Display!

4th Sunday in Lent, 3/30/25 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 See God’s Grace on Display! I. When rebellion takes advantage of it II. When self-righteousness rejects it More than one confessional Lutheran theologian has quipped, “Our God is a hidden God.” Let me repeat that. Our God is a hidden God. And now, here’s a good Lutheran question, “What does this mean?” It means that we often don’t see the way God thinks, feels, and acts. For instance, we believe and confess that he is omnipotent or almighty, but how often do you see it? We also believe and confess that he knows all things, but we often wonder about that, don’t we? Does he really know what’s going on in our world? We believe and confess that he is absolutely just, but then why do good people suffer and bad people prosper? We know that God is present everywhere, but then why do we feel all alone at the worst time in our lives? Bottom line, we want to see God. We want to see who he is and what he does. We want to know what he’s thinking and feeling, especially as it involves me. You. Have you ever wondered those things? I’m sure you have. We all have. But so often God remains hidden. He doesn’t allow us to see and hear and know what we want to know. Instead, he calls for us to trust him as he reveals himself in his word—the Bible. And we have a golden opportunity to do just that this morning. Today’s sermon text is the most familiar parable Jesus ever spoke. It’s been called the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In this version of the Bible it’s entitled the Parable of the Lost Son. It’s also been called the Parable of the Two Sons, because it’s really about both sons, not just one. But, truth be told, the parable’s focus is not on one or the other son, nor both of them. The focus is on the father who represents our God. And the overwhelming divine characteristic on display in this parable is the father’s grace. There is absolutely no good reason why this father should feel and speak and act the way he does. And the same goes for our heavenly Father when it comes to his interaction with me, with you, with every sinful person. This parable highlights this hidden quality of our God: his grace. We just sang about his amazing grace. Now let’s see it. See God’s grace on display! Let’s put our eyeballs on it, shall we? I. I’ve been told that there’s a helpful book entitled, “Set Boundaries. Find Peace.” In other words, it’s completely up to you how much you will allow others to take advantage of you. And yes, it’s true that the Lord does call on us to turn the other cheek, but the 5th Commandment also demands that we protect our lives as well as our neighbor’s, that we take care of ourselves. That involves setting boundaries, doesn’t it? One quick reaction to the reading of this parable is that the sons mistreated their father. They abused his love for them and his goodness towards them. Does God set boundaries? That’s a different parable. In this parable, this one divine quality knows no bounds: his grace. And we see that grace on display even when his younger son’s rebellion takes advantage of it. That’s right. I called the younger son’s actions rebellion against his father. Let’s recall the details. First, he approached his father and requested his share of his father’s estate. Even for a parable, that’s more than a little rude. It’s unheard of! It completely disrespects his father. It all belongs to his father and he should have the opportunity to use it and enjoy it as long as he lives on this earth. But this son wants his share now, while his dad is still living and breathing. And his father obliges without a negative word. And what does the younger son do with his new wealth? He squanders it in wild living. His brother later fills in one of details. His father’s money went to pay for prostitutes. And it goes on until every last penny of his father’s money is gone. And that’s when it hits. Rock bottom. The sinful lifestyle abruptly ends and the suffering begins. He gets hungry. So he finds a job—feeding pigs with the hope that he can eat some pig slop on the side. But that hope doesn’t materialize either. And that’s when he comes to his senses. He realizes his father’s hired men are far better off than he is. So he changes his mind about his situation. In theological terms, he repents. He determines to return to his father, admit his guilt, beg for his father’s forgiveness, and offer to become one of his hired men, because he certainly has forfeited his claim on being his father’s son. Now, don’t miss the next detail. As he returns to his father, his father sees him a long way off. In other words, the father has been watching day and night for his son to return to him. He runs to him and embraces him. And when his son begins to tell him how sorry he is, his father cuts him off. He doesn’t let him finish. And instead of lashing out at him, he calls for a robe, sandals, and the preparation of a “welcome home” party. Think about that! We wouldn’t be surprised or judgmental if the father had said, “I’d like to serve you some food, son, but the fact is I barely have any, ever since you took away so much of what I had.” That’s what we would have expected. At least a look of disgust or even a little disappointment. But none of that! Instead, grace. All grace. Just grace. His undeserved favor. See God’s grace on display even when rebellion takes advantage of it. II. Since this is a parable meant to teach you something spiritual, can you see yourself in the younger son? Maybe not. You wouldn’t treat someone the way he treated his father. And I hope you wouldn’t. So, we don’t identify closely with the younger son. Should we stop right now? After all, if this doesn’t apply to us, why spend any more time on it? But wait. There’s more to this parable. It’s Part Two, and it presents to us the other side of the coin in the older son. You’d like to see yourself in the older son, wouldn’t you? After all, he’s the good son. He always did what was right and didn’t get into trouble, like his brother did. You might admire him. But not for long. Because the way he speaks to his father is not admirable. First, he refers to working with his father in the family business as slaving for him. Ouch! Suddenly he forgets that this enterprise is a father-son business from which he receives just as many good things as his father does. Next, he asserts that he has never disobeyed his father. The flip side of that is the statement that he has always obeyed his father. Really? Always? Never once slipped up? Never once disregarded his father’s wishes? Hard to believe, isn’t it? But that’s what he said. That’s what he thinks about himself. And he expresses his utter disgust for the party his father has thrown for his brother, as if the father needs his older son’s permission when to enjoy himself. Even worse, he charges his father with being unjust, preferential, showing kindness when severe punishment is called for. Bottom line—he calls into question every aspect of his father’s goodness. But his charges are baseless. Did you notice the detail? When the older son refused to come in to enjoy the party, the father didn’t shrug his shoulders and reply, “Fine. Have it your way!” No! The father went out to him just as he earlier had gone out to his younger son. He then reminded the older son of this indisputable truth, “All I have is yours.” There literally is nothing that the father can give him that isn’t already the son’s. Imagine the father raising his hands, palms up, and shrugging his shoulders, as if to say, “Son, what more do you want?” But the older son can’t see the truth about his father. Why not? Because the only thing in front of his eyes is his self-righteousness. In other words, he doesn’t want his father to treat him on the basis of who his father is; he wants his father to treat him on the basis of who he is. But his father won’t play that game. Instead, he showers the older son as he did the younger son—with his grace. See God’s grace on display when self-righteousness rejects it! So, can you see yourself in the older son and his self-righteousness? Probably not. Because if you did, you wouldn’t be here worshipping Jesus. You’d be at home worshipping yourself. As I mentioned earlier, it may be difficult to see yourself in the younger son. And now the same is true regarding the older son. We like to think that we aren’t like either of them. And that’s good—in this one respect. It’s good, because at every moment of our sinful lives we are somewhere on this sinful continuum between sordid rebellion or gross self-righteousness. Sometimes a little more one way, and then a little more the other. And BOTH of those extremes and ALMOST everywhere in between trash the grace of God. I say, “ALMOST” because dead center is where we need to be and where Jesus calls us to be. That dead center is in this honest confession, “Father, I have sinned against you. I’m not worthy to be called your daughter or your son.” BINGO! Whether it’s soul-sucking sin on one side or self-righteous asphyxiation on the other, they both result in death—spiritual death. True life, real life, life with you God, the only life that counts, is found only in a heart that repents of sin and trusts in Jesus for forgiveness. Do you have that heart? By God’s amazing grace by faith in Jesus you do! And see the amazing grace of God each day as he assures you of your forgiveness and eternal life with him! Amen.