Category: Sermon Page

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
October 17, 2021

“The Wealth You Leave and the Wealth You Receive” (Mark 10:23-31)

Today Jesus speaks to us about wealth. He speaks of the wealth you need to leave in order to enter the kingdom of God. And he speaks of the wealth you receive when you do enter. And so our theme this morning: “The Wealth You Leave and the Wealth You Receive.”

Wealth is a subject that interests everyone. Wealth is something the rich have but want more of. Wealth is something the poor don’t have but want. And those of us in the middle? We may say we don’t need it but we wouldn’t mind having a little more of it. Like Tevye of “Fiddler on the Roof,” we daydream about having wealth: “If I were a rich man. . . .”

Wealth is very enticing. It always leads us on to get more. We’re never satisfied. More money, more “stuff.” More, more, more–and more is never enough. That’s the temptation inherent with wealth.

And Jesus recognizes this temptation. It makes money such an intoxicating idol. Last week we heard the story of the rich young ruler. He ran up to Jesus with such eagerness, but he went away with such sadness. He would not give up his attachment to wealth. Our text today picks up where that story left off. Jesus uses this incident with the rich man to teach his disciples about the difficulty that wealth poses for entering the kingdom of God. You know, we tend to think of wealth as being able to solve problems. But Jesus says that wealth causes problems. It’s a big problem in the most important question of life. He says, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”

Why will it be difficult? It’s not because rich people are necessarily evil. No, they may be decent people who have worked hard for their money. Rather, the reason it can be hard for the rich to enter the kingdom is because riches can so easily lead a person away from trusting in God. Instead, they trust in their wealth. Their wealth becomes their god. That’s what they look to for their greatest good. Money can so easily take our eyes off God. You’ve got your McMansion in the suburbs, you’ve got your condo down in Florida, and a Range Rover in the garage. Life is good. Why do I need God? Wealth becomes our idol, and that’s why it can be so difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus re-emphasizes this point: “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Picture in your mind a big old camel, the largest land animal Jesus’ hearers would have seen–imagine a camel trying to go through the eye of a needle! Jesus is using a ridiculous comparison to make a serious point: A rich man who trusts in his wealth will not be able to come into God’s kingdom.

With that, the disciples are “exceedingly astonished,” it says. They were trained to think that the rich must be especially blessed by God. So if they, the rich, cannot make it in, who can? “Then who can be saved?”

And that’s a good question. Because it’s not just the rich who are guilty of idolatry, we all are, in one form or another. Even those of us who are not rich can be chasing after wealth, pursuing it, making it our chief desire. What is it that you run after, displacing God? When wealth or any other thing you set your heart on becomes your god, then you need to leave that idol behind. This is the wealth you must leave to enter the kingdom of God.

But how do we get in? Just because you left your wealth doesn’t qualify you to enter. Who can be saved, who can enter? Jesus tells us, “With man it is impossible.” No matter what you do, no matter what you give up, you cannot merit your way into God’s kingdom. You can’t do it. Giving up your “stuff” doesn’t make up for, or atone for, your sins.

“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” You can’t do it! God’s got to do it! God’s got to get you in. And he does it through this same Jesus who is speaking to us today. It’s impossible for you to do anything to atone for your sins. But it is possible–in fact, it is the case–that Jesus has done this for you. He, the Son of God, left behind the riches of heaven to come down into this world of idolatry and unbelief. Jesus took the way of suffering and death on the cross to rescue us from the domain of the devil and to bring us into the kingdom of God. Jesus brought the kingdom of God into our midst, the kingdom of blessing and salvation. Through his death and resurrection, through our baptism into Christ and the gift of the Spirit, we enter the kingdom of God. “All things are possible with God,” even the salvation of sinners like you and me.

So the wealth we leave behind is the wealth that we worship. It is the love of money, when it become a god for us–that is what we must leave behind, because it is a competing god. Mammon–money, possessions, and “stuff”–is a false god that cannot save. The only God who can save us is the one true God, the triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit.

So to enter God’s kingdom, there is a wealth we must leave. But when we do, there is a wealth we receive. Peter remembers how Jesus had told the rich young ruler to leave his wealth behind and to come follow him. Well, these disciples had left their fishing boats and so forth. So Peter says, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” To which Jesus replies, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

What is the wealth we receive when we enter the kingdom? Jesus lists three types of things we receive in abundance. First, in place of all the stuff and people we leave behind, we gain a hundredfold. “There is no one . . . who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands.” Notice, Jesus says we receive it “now in this time.” What on earth does Jesus mean by this?

What it means is, when you enter the kingdom you gain a whole new set of people and resources, in the form of the church. The church is God’s family, here in this place and all around the world. When you come into the kingdom, you come into a family of caring people who help each other out. In that sense, you do gain a hundred times as many “houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands.” Some of the family members who are here to help you, you can see around you in the pews. These are your brothers and sisters. At the same time, they are the ones who may need your help from time to time. This is why it is important for all of us to be here, in church, physically present, so we can know and share our needs and our loving help with one another.

So the first wealth you receive when you enter the kingdom is the multiplication of your resources and relationships in the form of the church. The second thing you will receive in abundance, though, is something you may not want. And that is, “persecutions.” Jesus says you receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters, etc., and then he adds, “with persecutions.” Dear Christians, because you belong to Christ–note how Jesus says, “for my sake and for the gospel”–because you belong to Christ, you will receive persecutions. Being a Christian in this world is not easy. Jesus tells us that in advance. But know that it is Jesus who is telling you this. He it is who suffered and died to win you victory over your enemies–the devil and the world and death itself.

And that brings us to the last type of wealth you receive when you come into the kingdom. Jesus tells us what it is: “and in the age to come eternal life.” This wealth is the greatest wealth there is. It is a super-abundance of life. Life in the highest quality, life in the greatest quantity. Everlasting life, perfected and restored, life extended into an unending eternity. Friends, there is an age to come that we do not see yet. There is an age coming when our Lord Jesus Christ will return and raise us from our graves and give us glorious, immortal bodies. This will be eternal life, lived in perfect harmony with God and all his saints. No more sin, no more sorrow. Streets paved with gold. Gates made of pearl. No more hunger or thirst, no more tears or heartache. “In the age to come eternal life.”

The wealth we leave when we follow Jesus in faith–that wealth is deceptive and fleeting. Moth and rust destroy, thieves break in and steal. Money makes a lousy god. It doesn’t last, and it cannot save you. But oh, what wealth we receive when we enter the kingdom of God! We gain a hundredfold, now in this time–all our brothers and sisters in Christ’s church. We receive persecutions, also, because we belong to Christ. But that is more than offset by the eternal life we will receive when Christ returns. All this is the wealth we receive when we enter the kingdom of God. What a treasure we have, what riches we possess, through Christ our Savior!

“If I were a rich man. . . .” Well, come to think of it, I am! And so are you!

Guest Pastor: Rev. Matthew Wood

Old Testament: Amos 5:6-7, 10-15

Epistle: Hebrews 3:12-19

Holy Gospel: Mark 10:17-22

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Pastor Thomas Reeder

Genesis 2:18-24

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 26, 2021

“Oh That We Had Meat to Eat!” (Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29)

“Oh that we had meat to eat!” Oh that we had meat we could afford to buy! Have you looked at the price of meat lately? I have. I was at the grocery store the other day, and the prices for all kinds of meat are very high right now: steak, ground beef, pork, even chicken. It confirmed what I read in a news article recently. Prices for meat have skyrocketed this year. Across the nation, beef prices have surged a whopping 12% over the last year. Pork prices have jumped almost 10%. Chicken, 7%. Looking at those price increases might almost drive one to becoming a vegan. Well, almost. I wouldn’t go that far.

“Oh that we had meat to eat!” But we would not be the first ones to cry that. The ancient Israelites said the same thing back during their wilderness wanderings. And they said it as a complaint against God and against his servant Moses. We heard it in the Old Testament reading for today from Numbers 11. “Now the rabble that was among [the children of Israel] had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, ‘Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.’”

“Oh That We Had Meat to Eat!” Was it just the ancient Israelites who complain like this? Or maybe we do too. Our text today serves as both a warning and an encouragement for us. It’s a warning against ingratitude and unbelief. But it’s also an encouragement for us to find our forgiveness in Christ and to give thanks to God for how he does provide for us.

My friends, you and I are like those Israelites. We too complain against God. We too cry out, in one way or another, “Oh that we had meat to eat!” Or maybe it’s not meat. “Oh that we had more money in our bank account!” “Oh that I had a new car!” Or a boat. Or a new kitchen counter. Whatever. We’re never satisfied with what we have. In that respect, we’re a lot like the children of Israel.

Now their situation was like this: The Lord had led his people Israel out of bondage in Egypt, through his servant Moses. God was bringing them up to the land he had promised to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel had seen the Lord’s faithfulness to his promises of old. The Lord had heard their cry for deliverance. He remembered his promises. And he brought them out of bondage with a mighty hand. He brought them to Sinai and made a covenant with them there. He stayed with them, even though they had shown themselves to be an adulterous people. The Lord provided for them along the way in the wilderness, on the way to the Promised Land. He provided manna from heaven, quail in the desert, and water from a rock. He had done these things for them for years now, and he would continue to do so. The Lord was more gracious to them than they deserved. And he had promised them that the land he would bring them into would be a land flowing with milk and honey and all sorts of goodness and abundance.

And yet they complained. They grumbled and groused and kvetched. They complained that the Lord’s provision was not as good as the food they remembered from back in Egypt. “We’re sick of this manna,” they murmured. “At least back in Egypt we had tastier food!” The irony, of course, was that back in Egypt they were slaves! And here the Lord had given them freedom and was bringing them up to a good land where they would have plenty of food. Yet they wanted to go back to Egypt. That was more familiar to them, even though it meant slavery. So they griped and groused and grumbled.

As I say, this is a picture of us. We too grumble and grouse and gripe. We complain and murmur. If we didn’t have something to complain about, we’d probably complain about that! “Why doesn’t God give us more to complain about? We’re feeling a little short-changed here, God!” What an unruly, ungrateful flock we can be!

But not content just to complain against God, Israel also took it out on their pastor, Pastor Moses. He made a convenient target. Now I don’t want to turn this into a pastor’s pity party here, because every pastor knows there are things he could have done better. But the point is, when we grumble against God, we often take out our frustrations on the people around us. It’s been like that from the beginning. Adam blamed Eve and thus was blaming God, who had given the woman to him. Eve, in turn, blamed the serpent. You and I always want to blame somebody else for our own failings and shortcomings.

We grumble and complain, we fight and quarrel. Like Israel, we wanna go back to Egypt. We’re tempted to return to the ways of the world. We think the grass is greener there. Oh, we have seen the Lord’s faithfulness. We have heard his promises. We have received his provision. Yet we want to go back to Egypt. We would rather return to slavery of sin. At least that seemed familiar. Our old nature wants to go back to the ways of the world. The worldlings we know are our friends and neighbors. We want to fit in and blend in. We want to be like them. The surrounding culture calls out to us, like a seductive siren beckoning us to the rocky shoals. So we say, “Who needs church? Who needs this wilderness waybread that we get here? We’re tired of this, this–what is it, ‘manna’? ‘Oh that we had meat to eat!’ Let us go back to the fleshpots of Egypt!”

Think about how we envy the people of this world: “Why, they have their weekends entirely free! They don’t feel like they have to go to church! Hey, I could sleep in on Sunday mornings!” “You know, the people of this world have a lot more disposable income to spend on things they want, like new cars and boats and kitchen counters. They don’t get guilted into putting their hard-earned money into the offering plate!” “Think of it! Nobody would ask me to serve in some church office! Wouldn’t life be great!” “No more dusty old hymns and the boring old liturgy. Who needs all that sin-and-grace stuff? No, if I’ve gonna have a little dab of religion, I’d rather have stuff that appeals to my self-interest. A church that offers entertainment, lots of programs, and maybe a fitness center. Word and Sacraments? No, bread and circuses!” “Oh that we had meat to eat!”

The warning for us here is that we not fall back into unbelief. If we tire of God’s ways and long for the ways of the world, the danger is, we may just get what we wish for. And that would be a disaster. It is better for us to enter into life subsisting on the manna that God gives than to feast on the fatness of the world and be cast into hell. The journey that God leads us on may not always be easy or luxurious, but it is the only path that leads to life.

And so here also is the encouragement for us. Our gracious God does not cast us aside, even though we have grumbled and complained against him. For there is one who makes intercession for us. Just as Moses interceded for Israel, so our Lord Jesus Christ intercedes for us. Jesus pleads on our behalf that we would be saved eternally, and we are! We are saved from God’s righteous anger against ungrateful grumblers. By grace we are saved for everlasting life in the Promised Land of heaven. Christ our ascended Savior even now is interceding for us. His holy blood pleads for us before God’s throne of grace.

Moses felt the burden of the sins of his rebellious people. In a much greater way, Jesus bore the burden of the sins of the whole world and carried that unbearable burden to the cross. There he bled and died for us. Now the weight of sin is lifted from our shoulders, and we are free. Hell holds no terror for us. Satan has no power over us. The Holy Spirit renews our minds and hearts. He renews our words and our attitudes. God’s promises enliven our steps and lift our drooping spirits, as we wend our way through the wilderness of this world. The sure hope of heaven lifts our vision beyond the horizon of the humdrum. The lifeblood of love flows through our veins, and we now are able to love others with the love we ourselves have received from God.

Brothers and sisters, Christ Jesus is your freedom and contentment. Jesus is your provision along the way. He is your promise of the sweet and blessed country to come. He cleanses you from complaining and gives you grace in place of grumbling. Jesus is the living bread that comes down from heaven. Eat of his flesh by faith, and you shall live forever.

Instead of grumbling, now our mouths will be filled with an attitude of gratitude. Meat prices may be up, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to starve. We still have more than enough to eat. “The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O Lord; and Thou givest them their meat in due season.” Yes, you and I believe that God “gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.”

And on top of all those First-Article gifts, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. We have forgiveness, life, and the sure hope of everlasting salvation. So, what do we have to complain about? Not much. Not nearly enough to outweigh the eternal blessings that are ours, as we make our way through the wilderness to the Promised Land.

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 19, 2021

“Wisdom from Above: Humble Yourself, Serve Others” (James 3:13 – 4:10; Mark 9:30-37)

In the Epistle for today, St. James asks, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” Well, I suppose all of us would like to be considered wise and understanding. To have people compliment us on how smart we are and what good decisions we make. And in the Gospel reading for today, Jesus says, “If anyone would be first.” Well, I suppose all of us would like to be first. We like it when we’re in the top spot. To be wise, to be first, to be great–we like it when we achieve those things and are recognized for it.

The only problem is, that’s not the way it goes in God’s kingdom. If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all. That’s counter-intuitive to the ways of this world, where people are pumped up with loads and loads of self-esteem. But in the kingdom of God, lowliness goes along with holiness. Humility and meekness are the virtues that are praised and prized. We’ll see that now from both James and Jesus, under the theme, “Wisdom from Above: Humble Yourself, Serve Others.”

Listen first to what James says: “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Notice here that wisdom is not just a matter of being smart or knowing a lot of stuff. Rather, true wisdom will show itself in how we live, in our character and our conduct. This is the wisdom that comes down from above, heavenly wisdom, God’s kind of wisdom. This is how God would have his Christians to think and act.

How about you? How do you think in your inner thoughts, those thoughts that are hidden from others, but are not hidden from God? Is there some selfishness in there? Maybe a lot of selfishness, in one form or another. What about jealousy, when we envy the praise or the good things that others are getting? When this self-seeking attitude works its way into our relationships with other people–in our church, in our friendships, in our family, in our marriage–what is the result? Disorder. Conflict. Things get out of whack. Harmony is disrupted. Bitterness. Unforgiveness. Resentment.

James says: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” Do you recognize this bad fruit in your life? Have you seen it disturb the harmony in a marriage, a family, a friendship, in a congregation? This is not the wisdom from above. This is, rather, in the words of James, “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” The devil loves nothing better than to stir up conflict and dissent and disharmony among brothers and sisters. It takes our eyes off the Lord. It takes our eyes off of serving our neighbor. You and I get turned in on ourselves, at the expense of everything else. This is not good.

So, what do we do when we recognize this tendency in ourselves? In a word, repent. James tells us: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord.”

“Humble yourselves,” but there’s more. “Humble yourselves before the Lord,” James says, “and he will exalt you.” Yes, the Lord will exalt you; he will lift you up. This is the grace of God, his unmerited favor and forgiveness. As James writes: “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”

God’s grace is such that he forgives our failures to love and to serve. He forgives our selfishness. God is in the business of forgiving and cleansing sinners like you and me. “He gives more grace.” Indeed, God gives his only Son! Grace and truth and wisdom come through God’s Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The wisdom that comes down from above comes in the one “who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven.” Christ Jesus, the Son of God incarnate–he is God’s wisdom in the flesh. He came to rescue us from ourselves. And he did that by laying down his life on our behalf. Jesus was lifted up, but he was lifted up on a cross. He suffered death as the sacrifice for all the sinners of the world–including you and me.

Jesus told his disciples: “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” Do you understand what this means? Jesus’ death and resurrection does the job! What Christ came to do is complete! Mission fulfilled! Sins covered, completely forgiven. Life triumphs, the Christ-life that lives forever, that triumphs over death and even now reigns in life. Therefore, you are a new person, dear Christian. You’ve been joined to Jesus in baptism. There is a new you available. A “you” that will live for others and not only for self. A “you” that will serve the God who has redeemed you. And now, in Christ, you are willing and able to do so. This is the renewing of your mind, the transforming of your thinking.

This new nature is manifested in our relationships. “The meekness of wisdom,” James calls it. Only, don’t mistake meekness for weakness. This is not a flaw. This is a strength of character, to be meek. In the Beatitudes, Jesus commended meekness, when he said, “Blessed are the meek.” The word “meekness” means “gentleness” or “humility.” Meekness is to be like Jesus. It is to be so strong and secure that you are willing to take the lower part, in humility, to bend down and serve others. This is strength of character. It is to be secure in who you are in Christ, so that you don’t have to be always grasping and looking out for Number One. It is to take the lower part in service to others. Your strength and security and confidence are found in Christ, and nothing can shake that. So now you are freed up to serve. This is a good thing. It is pleasing to God.

Jesus describes this meek, humble servanthood when he talks to his disciples in the Gospel reading for today. They were quarreling about who was the greatest among them. Same old, same old for these guys. So Jesus turns things upside-down on them, which is really rightside-up. He says: “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Huh? Why are you talking in riddles, Jesus? The servant is really the greatest? The one who lets himself be last is really first? But you know, I’m beginning to get this! For who does this sort of thing more than Jesus himself? He came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. There is no greater servant than Jesus himself.

And Jesus would have his disciples do likewise. So he takes a little child and sets it in their midst. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” So, brothers and sisters, do you want to be great? Then serve a little child. Serve somebody that nobody pays attention to. Visit a lonely neighbor. These people may not get you anywhere. They may seem rather insignificant–powerless people, on the fringe. But if they’ve got no one to look after them, maybe God wants to take care of them. God kind of has a thing about caring for the poor and lonely. He cares about the last and the least and the lost. And maybe God will do that caring through you. Think about how that might happen. Keep your eyes open this week for opportunities. God will tap you on the shoulder and remind you who you are in Christ. Because you are able to love people now. You are strong enough to be meek. This puts a different perspective on things. But this is true wisdom. This is wise living.

Earlier in James’s epistle, it says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” So, what do you say? Let’s take God up on his promise. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s ask God for the wisdom from above, the wisdom that shows itself in humbling ourselves and serving others.