The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity (Trinity 21)

(Audio)

John 4:46-54; Ephesians 6:10-17; Genesis 1:1 – 2:3

 

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

Genesis chapter one is the account of God’s creation of the universe, “In the beginning….” God created everything ex nihilo, that is, out of nothing, by the life-giving, creative power of his Word alone: “And God said…; and it was so.” In his Gospel, St. John takes us back to the beginning to make it clear that the Word of God is not like a word spoken by men, but is in fact God’s eternally begotten Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity: “In the beginning,” writes John, “was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” It was the life-giving, creative Word of God, through whom God created everything that has been created, His only begotten Son, who became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary and made his dwelling amongst us: “and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

That was Genesis chapter one. In Genesis chapter two we hear of the unique creation of humankind, male and female. God created the man, not by speaking, but from the earth he had made, and then he breathed his own life-giving breath into him and the man became a living being. It was to this first and only human man that God spoke his Word and Commandment concerning the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Then God put that man under a deep sleep and removed from his side a rib. God made from the rib of the man a woman and brought her to the man who immediately recognized her to be flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. The man then proclaimed to the woman, his wife, the Word that God had spoken to him before she was made.

Genesis chapter three is the account of our First Parent’s rebellion and fall from grace. The serpent tempted the woman to question and doubt the Word that God had spoken which she had heard from her husband. You must note that the enemy didn't tempt Adam & Eve to murder, to steal, or even to tell a lie, but he tempted them to question and to doubt the Word of God: “Did God actually say…?” Up until that moment they had never known or considered another word. They were completely and perfectly content and at peace with the Word that God had spoken. The temptation was not immediately to disobey God, but it was to question and doubt what he has spoken, his Word. You must understand, his tactics haven't changed.

It's all about the Word of God, always and forever. In the beginning there was God, period. And then God spoke; God spoke his creative and life-giving Word, his Son. Everything that is, is because of him, the Word, and everything continues to be and is sustained by that very Word. The first temptation was to question and doubt what God had spoken, and ever since that first sinful rebellion humankind has been at enmity with God and with creation and with each other. God’s Word is good, orderly, creative, and life-giving; any and every other word is evil, chaotic, destructive, and brings death. The woman was deceived, but the man chose freely and willfully against his better knowledge to rebel against the God who made him and who spoke to him his Word and so plunged humanity and all of creation into darkness, sin, and death.

God could have destroyed it all and wiped the slate clean. By all right he should have. But he didn’t; that’s not God’s proper nature. Instead, God proclaimed a Gospel promise: A seed from the woman who was first deceived – not from the man who willfully and intentionally rebelled – would crush the serpent’s head. This covenant promise was restated again and again, though men continued to reject God’s Word and rebel, and it was believed and trusted in by the patriarchs, and was proclaimed by the prophets, until it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Though men rejected, mistreated, and killed the prophets of God’s Word, surely they would receive God’s Son. But no, they thought, this is the Son, the heir, if we kill him then the kingdom will be ours. And so they crucified the incarnate Son of God. But the Word of God cannot die. Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, reigns at the right hand of God, and is coming again as King and Judge on a day no man can know. The righteous One died for the transgressors, the innocent for the guilty. Jesus fulfilled the Law that Adam and his children failed to keep, and he suffered and died in their place. He rose again triumphant over sin and death, having crushed the serpent’s head, the firstborn of all who will believe and trust in him.

Still, the enemy tempts you to disbelieve God’s Word. His tactics haven’t changed. What is a Christian to do? Well, only the Word of God is good. Only the word of God gives life. You must stand firm in the Word of God. You must be clothed in the Word of God. You must trust in the Word of God, no matter how tempting the deceiver’s voice might be, how much your sinful flesh desires to seek pleasure in that which is contrary to God’s Word, how much the words of godless men seem like wisdom to your fallen reason. Thus does St. Paul exhort you: “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Paul speaks of armor. Armor is like clothing, something you put on. Armor is not part of you, but it comes from outside of you. Moreover, armor is defensive, not offensive; armor is not used to attack, but its purpose is to defend you from attack, the fiery darts of the evil one. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the readiness of the gospel as shoes for your feet, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation: This armor will protect you from the attack of the evil one. It is nothing other than being clothed and armored by the Word of God. How do you acquire this armor? Well, you cannot buy it, that’s for certain. Neither do you deserve it, nor can you earn or merit it, but you must receive it as a free gift of God’s grace for the sake of the Word made flesh Jesus Christ who suffered and died and shed his holy, righteous, innocent blood for you. This armor is Christ’s righteousness which covers you, his blood which cleanses you and speaks a better Word concerning you than the blood of righteous Abel. You receive it when you are baptized and believe, and you maintain it by returning to your baptism through repentance, confession, and absolution. You keep it clean and strong by regularly hearing the Word of God, by taking Sabbath rest in his Word and Sacraments, just as you are doing this day.

You are at war, dear Christian. To be more accurate, you are under spiritual attack, and the devil will use deceit and lies, and he will tempt your fallen reason, corrupted desires, and weak flesh to question and doubt God’s Word. But God’s Word is the only thing that can protect and shield you from his attack. The last piece of armor Paul names is the sword of the spirit. Now, I know that a sword seems like an offensive weapon, but it is not; the sword of the spirit is the Word of God itself, and it is a defensive weapon by which you can stand against the devil’s attack. This is precisely what Jesus did when he was tempted by the devil forty days and nights in the wilderness. The devil tempted Jesus to question and doubt the Word of God. The devil even used the Word of God as a weapon against Jesus, taking it out of context, omitting parts he didn’t like, twisting its interpretation and meaning in order to lead Jesus astray. But Jesus stood firm on the Word of God and nothing else. He leaned not on his own reason, wisdom, strength, and understanding, but put all his fear, love, and trust in God and His Word. The devil fled from him and angels came and ministered to him. No, you cannot fight the devil using the Word of God as an offensive weapon; the devil knows God’s Word better than you do and he will use it to deceive you. But you must trust in God’s Word and in the Word made flesh Jesus Christ and flee to him for refuge when you are under attack. Do not despise the preaching of God’s Word but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity 20)

(Audio)

Matthew 22:1-14; Ephesians 5:15-21; Isaiah 55:1-9

 

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

You are invited. Only, you can say “No, thank you”. You are in. Only you can make yourself to be out. Such is the nature of kingdom of heaven. Everything is prepared. God has done it all. He has slaughtered His Lamb. He has done what was necessary so that you could come. He has sent His servants to you with this Gospel, this Good News, that you are invited, that you are in. It’s done! It’s finished! Only you can say “No”. Only can make yourself to be out.

The invitation was sent first to the King’s chosen ones, those ordinary, sinful, idolatrous people upon whom God chose to show His mercy and shower upon His grace. The invitation went to Abram and to his descendents, a people who were no nation, whom He made to be a nation, even His own children, by grace. Their history has been one of faith and prosperity followed by betrayal, idolatry and denial, leading to judgment, repentance, restoration, repeat. But then, when the time was right, God sent His only-begotten Son to end that vicious cycle by fulfilling God’s holy Law and by suffering and dying in the place of men. It’s done! It’s finished! God, the King, sent His servants to call His children to the feast, but they would not come. Some were distracted by the pleasures of life and they paid no attention. Some were embroiled in their work, their wealth, and their possessions. Some violently opposed Him, and treated His servants shamefully and killed them. The King was angry. He sent His troops and He destroyed those murderers, and He burned their city. They were invited. They said “No, thank you”. They were in. They made themselves to be out.

But the King did not prepare the feast for nothing. His only-begotten Son did not suffer and die in vain. His wedding hall will be filled. Therefore, He sent His servants to the main roads to invite as many as they would find there. And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good, for the wedding invitation is not based on the qualifications of those invited, but it is based upon the grace and mercy of the King and the merit and work of His Son. The feast is free, as the Prophet Isaiah declared saying, “he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” You are invited. Only you can say “No, thank you.” You are in. Only you can make yourself to be out.

Thus far, this parable of our Lord Jesus proclaims the universal grace and mercy of God the Father, and the universal atonement accomplished by the selfless, sacrificial, and substitutionary suffering and death of His Son. There is no one who has ever lived, or who will ever live, that is left out of the LORD’s gracious invitation. There is no one for whom the Lord Jesus did not suffer and die. There is no one for whom is not provided the wedding garment of Christ’s holy, innocent, and righteous blood. But that garment is necessary. Jesus’ blood is necessary for admittance into the wedding hall of heaven.

It is here that our Lord’s parable takes a slightly unexpected turn. There was a man there in the hall that had no wedding garment. He had been invited. Likely he was one of those good or bad found walking on the main roads. He was there at the LORD’s invitation and as His guest. But he was not wearing the proper wedding garment. Perhaps to your ears this seems a light, pardonable offense, and perhaps you are taken aback at the King’s response to the man found without a wedding garment? The King said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” You see, the man was not even expected to come wearing the proper garment, but wedding garments were provided all of the guests. The implication is that this man refused to wear the garment. He insisted on participating in the feast on his own terms, according to his own will, desire, and wisdom. Can you now see the great offense this was to the King? However, the offense is seen even more clearly when the spiritual meaning of this parable is understood, that the wedding garment is the sacrificial blood and righteousness of the King’s Son, Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ atoning blood, you are invited. Only you can say, “No, thank you.” You are in. Only you can make yourself to be out.

The ungarmented man had no answer, he was speechless. Then the King said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is the King’s righteous and just judgment. Does it seem harsh. Yes, indeed it does. But, as much as we misjudge the breadth and depth of God’s mercy, grace, love, compassion, and forgiveness in Jesus, so too do we misjudge His holiness, righteousness, and justice. God’s holiness and righteousness cannot permit even the smallest sinful imperfection – that’s simply the nature of who God is, His holiness, and what it means to be God. Yet, He has made it possible for all of us and everyone to stand before Him without fear by covering us with the cleansing, holy, innocent, and righteous blood of Jesus. This is the garment that is absolutely necessary to enter His presence. You receive that garment when you believe what God has done for you in Christ Jesus and do not reject Him. Baptism is a sacramental sign and seal of God’s promise made and kept for you in Jesus. To reject Jesus, or to attempt to enter God’s presence apart from Jesus, without His cleansing blood, is to stand before God naked in your sin. Thus, it is not wickedness on God’s part that casts you out, but it is your own refusal and rejection of the atonement He provided for you at great cost in the blood of His own Son, Jesus.

And, what of the weeping and gnashing of teeth? Is this not the fruit of the knowledge of what could have been and what should have been? Those who reject the LORD’s gracious invitation and the garment of Christ’s righteousness, when they find themselves locked outside of the feast in the wedding hall of heaven, they will weep and gnash their teeth in the full knowledge of what they gave up entirely of their own free will and of their own fault. As the time will be too late then to repent and receive God’s gifts of love and forgiveness, grief and sorrow over their self-chosen fate consumes and contorts them so that they are bound hand and foot in anger and fury and grief in the darkness of separation from the God of light, holiness, and righteousness. For many are called, but few are chosen. Indeed, all are called through the chosen One, Jesus Christ. And rejection of Him alone is the cause of being cast into darkness.

So, what are you to make of this parable? What does it mean for your lives today? Well, you can take great comfort in the breadth and height of God’s love for all mankind in Jesus Christ, that He has invited all to the wedding feast in heaven and that He has provided in His Son Jesus all that is necessary to stand in His holy and glorious presence. And, you know that His invitation is for you today, now, as St. Paul has taught you, “Now is the day of salvation.” Further, Isaiah teaches you, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near,” and St. Paul exhorts you, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” For, if you are invited – and you are, and, if you are in – and you are, then what do you have to fear? Nothing! What do you have to be anxious about? Nothing! All that you need, all that is necessary for your eternal life and salvation has been accomplished for you, and no one can take it away from you. You are sealed and clothed in Christ’s holiness and righteousness, cleansed and purified in His innocent shed blood – You are in!

What does this mean for your life now? Live like you believe and know that this is true! Live like you already have one foot in heaven and that you’re patiently looking forward to standing there with both feet, body, and soul. That is to say, live like the Christ you have been given, the Christ you have received, and, indeed, the little-Christ you have been made to be – now! – making the best use of the time, because the days are evil, not being foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is, not getting drunk with wine, but being filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.For, the time is short, and while the Enemy seeks to lead men astray by means of lies and deceit, let yourselves, people of God, work to lead your brothers and sisters and your neighbors to believe and receive the LORD’s gracious invitation and live, now, and forevermore.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.