Sermon for Thanksgiving

 

Thanksgiving Eve

November 22, 2023

 

Counting on His Blessings

Luke 17  ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

 

Before medicines were developed to treat the several diseases known in the Bible as leprosy, those infected were forced to stay apart from society -- isolated so they wouldn’t spread the disease. Lepers could get together with each other. For the company and support groups of lepers would stick together. There’d be leper colonies. Here a group of 10 lepers were hanging around together. I’m not sure if 10 is enough to be a colony, but it’s a good size number. Some of you know what it takes to feed 10 people, or find a place for 10 people to sleep, or to manage how 10 people can get along without getting upset with each other. 10 can be a crowd.

But notice this: There was one who didn’t just go along with the crowd. The crowd was heading off on their way, now cured and cleansed from leprosy, they were happy to go and not turn back. One didn’t go along with the crowd. He stopped and turned back Praised God, worshipped the Son of God, Jesus and gave Him thanks.

This Thanksgiving and on through the rest of the holidays even up to Easter, let’s not go along with the crowd. But let us pause to praise God, worship the Son of God, Jesus, and give Him thanks.

The crowd is satisfied with all the trappings of the holidays, the food, the special events, the decorations, and so forth. No harm in these things. But let’s pause from the crowd’s rush from time to time in these days, and remember God our Redeemer, Creator.

Everyone strives to be their own person; we all strive to be true to ourselves. But you realize, there’s too many times when we just go along with the crowd.  Why go with the crowd? Maybe it’s fear of being ridiculed or rejected. There’s been a strong pressure on us since we were children to behave like the rest are behaving. There’s the peer pressure that we warn young people about, but peer pressure works on all ages. Christians have to learn to stand out, to stand up for their believes.

Often a person just goes along with the crowd because it’s the easiest thing to do. It takes little thought, little effort. Jesus pointed out the Samaritan leper’s faith. That faith was demonstrated in the intentionality of his actions. He paused, thought about it, and worshipped the Lord.

The Puritan Pilgrims of Plymouth were ones who didn’t just go along with the crowd.  The crowd in England in the early 1600s led by King James were oppressive to the Puritans. They said the Puritans were being “Non-conformist” in their religion. Whether King James and the Official Church of England was right or wrong on the issues at stake is a question to consider later. But the thing is the Puritan Pilgrims didn’t want to have an earthly king tell them how to worship and pray. Neither would we.

A couple of hundred years later, German princes were declaring laws on how Lutherans should worship and pray. Especially the powerful King of Prussia was telling Lutheran churches that they needed to compromise with non-Lutherans, just go along with the crowd. Because of this oppression, many German immigrants came to the United States in the 1830s, and this immigration led to the organization of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

The Puritan Pilgrims of 1620 and the Lutheran Pilgrims of the 1830s are positive examples of faith. They are good examples of actively, intentionally confessing the faith in words and actions.

True Christian Thanksgiving is an act of faith. It is an admission that the good we have comes from the Lord. When the Samaritan leper stopped and turned back Praised God, worshipped the Son of God, Jesus and gave Him thanks he was making a bold statement, a powerful confession of his faith.

For this one leper, everything else could wait. This one thing mattered, his faith in Christ, and the worship of his Lord.

For the Puritan Pilgrims they faced the dangers of primitive sea travel and the uncertainties of entering a new land. But they did so in faith, counting of the blessings that the Lord would provide them.

Our Lutheran forefathers immigrated to this land with faith in the Lord, knowing that come what may, the Lord would provide.

You can give thanks. You can admit that you are thankful to God and His Son Jesus Christ, your Savior. You can confess your faith, with boldness and confidence, counting on the blessings of God.

Amen.

 

Evening Prayer -- video

Evening Prayer, Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord

THE Annunciation of our Lord

March 25, 2020

Service of Light

L  Jesus Christ is the Light of the world,

C  the light no darkness can overcome.

L  Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,

C  and the day is almost over.

L  Let Your light scatter the darkness

C  and illumine Your Church.

L  Joyous light of glory:

C  of the immortal Father;

heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.

We have come to the setting of the sun,

and we look to the evening light.

We sing to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

You are worthy of being praised

with pure voices forever.

O Son of God, O Giver of life:

the universe proclaims Your glory.

L  Blessèd are You, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who led Your people Israel by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Enlighten our darkness by the light of Your Christ; may His Word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; for You are merciful, and You love Your whole creation and we, Your creatures, glorify You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

C  Amen.

Psalm 45:7–17

   7You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
   with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
   8your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
   9daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
   at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

10Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
   forget your people and your father’s house,
   11and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
   12The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
   the richest of the people.

13All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
   14In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
   with her virgin companions following behind her.
15With joy and gladness they are led along
   as they enter the palace of the king.

16In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
   you will make them princes in all the earth.
17I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
   therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

L  Let us pray.

Let the incense of our repentant prayer ascend before You, O Lord, and let Your loving-kindness descend on us that, with purified minds, we may sing Your praises with the Church on earth and the whole heavenly host and may glorify You forever.

C  Amen.

Reading                                                                                                                                                 Luke 1:26–38

   26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

   34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

   35And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Sermon

Psalm 45:17

   I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;

        therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation of our Lord. As the Angel Gabriel announced the Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. There is great cause for us to celebrate and rejoice in the good news that our Lord came into this world in this way. He came, not as a tourist, not as a visiting dignitary. He moved in. He was born and bred here in our world. He lived and died.

The date for this Festival, March 25, is set as nine months before Christmas, because humans, like the baby Jesus, are usually born nine months after being conceived. And so, the timing of this celebration is remarkable -- right in the middle of Lent. As we meditate on the passion of our Lord, His humiliation of suffering and death, we also consider the beginning of His incarnation, the humiliation of his leaving the thrown of glory to be conceived in human flesh, so lowly and poor, so ordinary.

But then even more than an ordinary, usual human life, this one was especially humiliated. He was despised, rejected and murdered by evil people. Though the suffering and death of Jesus was carried out with evil intentions, God’s will was hindered but not abolished. God’s work was attacked but not ruined. The death of Jesus, as horrible as it seems, was used by God as His greatest work.  So our Lord Jesus is exalted by His Father. You can hear that exaltation in the Psalm for today:

Psalm 45:7

    You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

    Therefore God, your God, has anointed you

        with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

and again

       I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;

        therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

Jesus became the object of Spirit given faith for people of all ages. He has become the praise of the nations. Ultimately He is the Judge of the living and the dead.

The humiliation and exultation of our Lord Jesus is our hope and salvation. We can hear and believe that our destiny is tied to His, because He has told us, “that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3).

When we pray this Evening Prayer, we ask God to be with us like He was with ancient Israel in that pillar of cloud and fire. We have Him with us, even more so. Rely on your faith. Rely on your Baptism. By faith and by baptism you are in Christ. You are with Christ and Christ is with you. So when you go through dark and difficult, even scary times, you can have the peace of knowing that Christ who went through humiliation and darkness is with you.

Also, when you have glorious days and happy times, you can have the tempered perspective of knowing that, “ya, these are happy moments, fleeting as they may be. Thank God He gives such relief and blessings in this life, but the great exultation we look forward to is when we are with Jesus in His glorious kingdom to be fully revealed on the last day.

In a moment we will sing Mary’s song, the Magnificat, as part of this Evening Prayer. It’s a song for the downcast, the troubled, the sorrowful, the repentant. She tells how God works. He lifts up the humble and the humiliated. God exalts the lowly and feeds the poor. As we meditate on the suffering and cross of Jesus, we trust that it was for the forgiveness of our sins and our  deliverance from death. We take hope in the outcome, that God was pleased with Jesus. He was satisfied with His humiliation, suffering and death. So when Jesus takes us with Him, through suffering and death, and on into resurrection and life, God is pleased with us as well.

Amen.

Magnificat                                                      LSB 248

C   My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.

For He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden.

For behold, from this day all generations will call me blessèd.

For the Mighty One has done great things to me, and holy is His name;

and His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.

He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has exalted the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent empty away.

He has helped His servant Israel in remembrance of His mercy as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.

Litany                                         LSB 249

L  In peace let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For all pastors in Christ, for all servants of the Church, and for all the people, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For President Trump, for all public servants, for the government and those who protect us, that they may be upheld and strengthened in every good deed, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For those who work to bring peace, justice, health, and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For those who bring offerings, those who do good works in this congregation, those who toil, those who sing, and all the people here present who await from the Lord great and abundant mercy, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and need, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  For all those who work to provide us with essential services, let us pray to the Lord:

C  Lord, have mercy.

L  Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

Collect For Peace

L  O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C  Amen.

Lord’s Prayer                            LSB 251

L  Taught by our Lord and trusting His promises, we are bold to pray:

C  Our Father who art in heaven,

     hallowed be Thy name,

     Thy kingdom come,

     Thy will be done on earth

          as it is in heaven;

     give us this day our daily bread;

     and forgive us our trespasses

          as we forgive those

          who trespass against us;

     and lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom

     and the power and the glory

     forever and ever. Amen.

 Benedicamus                              LSB 252

L  Let us bless the Lord.

C  Thanks be to God.

Benediction                                                                                                                                               

P  The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the T Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve you.

C  Amen.

560 Drawn to the Cross, Which Thou Hast Blessed

1      Drawn to the cross, which Thou hast blessed
With healing gifts for souls distressed,
To find in Thee my life, my rest,
    Christ crucified, I come.

2      Thou knowest all my griefs and fears,
Thy grace abused, my misspent years;
Yet now to Thee with contrite tears,
    Christ crucified, I come.

3      Wash me and take away each stain;
Let nothing of my sin remain.
For cleansing, though it be through pain,
    Christ crucified, I come.

4      And then for work to do for Thee,
Which shall so sweet a service be
That angels well might envy me,
    Christ crucified, I come.

Text: Public domain

Tune and text: Public domain

Temptation -- Matthew 4:3

March 1, 2020

First Sunday in Lent

Grace, mercy and peace are yours from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 4:3

    And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

Throughout this season of Lent, in our preparation for the Easter festival, we will have Holy Communion in every Sunday service. Now I suppose that many of you haven’t even noticed a certain something about our communion services, so let me point out the fact to you that church is a few minutes longer when we have communion. One way in which the service is longer is that for Communion services we usually use the Nicene Creed, and it has a few extra words, not in the Apostles’ Creed. For instance, when we talk about God The Father, maker of heaven and earth, the Nicene Creed has these extra words, and of all things visible and invisible. It’s a little longer, but it does us good to regularly remind ourselves and remind each other that our faith is this: there is more to reality than what is visible, what can be seen. In fact, we could even say that there is more real that we cannot see than what we can see.

The gospel reading today describes temptation by the Devil. That is usually part of the hidden, invisible life we live. We don’t usually see the devil, his works and his ways remain hidden. So we have here an interesting story, an educational story from the life of Jesus Christ, but more significantly we have here a warning that there is in the invisible realm a danger. The old evil foe now means deadly woe. Deep guile and great might are his dread arms in fight. On earth is not his equal. 

It is the devil’s desire to tempt us, to watch us sin, and to bring our ruin upon us. He wants you to fail.

We are reading through some selected Psalms these days of Lent. Some of these passages talk about enemies. Like yesterday, we read Psalm 18, by David, which has these verses:

Psalm 18:46-48

    The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,

        and exalted be the God of my salvation—

    [47] the God who gave me vengeance

        and subdued peoples under me,

    [48] who delivered me from my enemies;

        yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;

        you rescued me from the man of violence.

David was a man of war. He was a king during a time when Israel had many enemies around them, and within the kingdom there were enemies, even in David's own family that fought against him. Can you relate to these Psalms? Do you have enemies? Is there a Goliath in your life that comes to mind when you pray these Psalms? Maybe there is. But I think a lot of us have to say, “no, I don’t really have any enemies that are actively trying to kill me and seek my ruin.” And, if you’re honest with yourself, you might have to consider that the so-called enemy that comes to mind is someone with whom you should be reconciled. It is very rare that we have a situation like David and Goliath, where one side is completely righteous and the other side is completely wicked. Usually in our conflicts, there is fault on both sides and the conflict continues because of stubbornness. In such cases, do not pray against your enemies like David. Pray for your enemies and hear God’s command to work toward reconciliation. Make things right.

Ephesians chapter 6 teaches us how to think about things like this. It says, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The enemies that you and I have to pray against are of that invisible realm which we confess and believe in. Our enemies are against us not just to take our money, or reputation from us, not just “goods, fame, child and wife”. Our enemies would seek to destroy our eternal soul.

Considering what is at stake, we ought to happily take a few extra minutes to receive the means of grace, the means God gives us to be saved from the devil.

So let’s get back to Matthew chapter 4 and Jesus temptation by the enemy. Can you picture the scene? It’s rather easy to picture because it’s described so well. You can picture this conversation between the devil and Jesus. But it’s strange though, isn’t it? This is Jesus, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit is one God, Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, and all things, visible and invisible. Here is the creator, being tempted by a creature.

It’s part of his humiliation, which we recently studied in the middle school catechism class. Jesus when he became human, in the incarnation, was in this state of humiliation. How humiliating it was, to become flesh, and have the weaknesses of flesh and the temptations of the flesh. The desires of the flesh include hunger, essentially the desire to stay alive. And with all of the flesh’s desires comes the temptation to meet the desires in the easiest way, the quickest way. Here, just make some bread.

Further on, the tempter suggests Jesus take the easier way out. “Don’t go through humiliation. Come to my side and receive the glory you want. Not the humility of the cross but all the glory and power of all the kingdoms of the world.”

Jesus said “no” to that temptation.  And every temptation. All the way to the cross. The devil in tempting Him so, was trying to steer Him away from the cross. But Jesus was resolute and kept going the difficult, painful road to the cross. He would not take the easy way out. He would go all the way to death, because that’s what He had to do for you. With you in mind, He had to say no to the devil’s tempting offer.

So you can imagine the scene with Jesus and the devil. So likewise, imagine the scene where the devil would work on you next time.

I think a lot of times Christians feel stupid in times of temptation. They say internally to themselves. “Oh, come on! I’m a Christian. I’ve been redeemed, sanctified. I had to memorize the whole catechism! I know better. Why should I be tempted? I shouldn’t be feeling this way or even considering such horrible things.”

Understand what is going on. In temptation you are with Jesus, “who in every respect has been tempted as we re, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Matthew 4:11, the last line of the Gospel reading today says this: 

    Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

 Those same angels are looking after us, invisibly. We say as much every time we confess the maker of heaven and earth, and all things visible and invisible.

   

The same angels and the same faith.  Jesus believed that the cross was the way to go. The devil’s distractions were not worth comparing to the purposes of Jesus and His Father. Jesus understood what was going on.

So by faith in Jesus and His cross, understand what is going on when you are tempted. And remember your Savior.

Hebrews 4:16 --

    Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

   Amen.

“Hearing the word, hold it fast” Luke 8:15

Luke 8:15

    As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to hear what He says. All of the Scripture readings today are about this. The third commandment is about this. Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and God’s word but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it. The Lord demands that you to listen to Him not because he is craving the attention, but because what He speaks to you is for your good and for your abundant blessings. He truly desires to produce in you all the results of faith that come when you believe what He says.

Jesus tells this parable about the Sower and the seed to show how His kingdom comes. The seed is the word of the Lord. He speaks and His word is like planted in the hearts of those who  hold it fast. There it grows and matures and produces a hundredfold crop. 

Let's consider now that hundredfold crop. I’m going to list some things that you can have in mind as you meditate on this crop that the Lord has planted and is growing in you.

Salvation.

First of all, it’s your salvation. Jesus is describing His work. He is the Sower. His word tells you about His Kingdom and how He has done everything to make and to keep His Kingdom. He came to this world, lived in this world, suffered here, dying on the cross outside of Jerusalem, and rose again on the third day, all for your salvation. Hear what He says about that. Believe it. Hold it fast in an honest and good heart and you will, as Jesus promised, “bear fruit with patience.” And chief among that fruit is your salvation. You are saved, redeemed, won by Jesus from your sins, from death and from the power of the devil. 

Your salvation in this life and in eternity is the crop and harvest Jesus, the Sower is sowing for. He was sowing seed for that harvest when He spoke to crowds in the towns and countryside of Judea. He has been sowing seed for that harvest in every generation since, as His church continues to preach His Word and His followers continue to testify to Him. He Sowed that seed in you when you were taught about Jesus by your pastors and parents and Sunday school teachers. He sows His seed when architects and craftsmen depict His salvation in wood and precious metals and paint and pixels. He sows His seed when you sing His Hymns and show His love and tell others the salvation that is yours and theirs, too.

Repentance.

Now, this crop that the Lord is sowing within you can be thought of in another way. The harvest, the result, is repentance. Repentance means to turn around -- to turn from the old, bad, sinful ways, to turn back to God and His good ways,

This Word of God, that is the seed to be planted, is described in the Epistle reading from Hebrews as “a two-edged sword”. Hebrews 4:12 :    For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

It cuts, both ways. It cuts in the way of the Law and in the way of the Gospel. It comes to you bringing both warnings and promises. It cuts though your defenses like a sharp sword, exposing your sin and guilt. All that which for shame, you hoped would be hidden -- so no one, not even God, would know what you think and do in secret --  This the word of Christ cuts right through to open up hard hearts, that the Lord can replace your heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

There are some sharp warnings for us in this parable that Jesus tells. Some seed falls on bad ground and when it sprouts, the roots cannot penetrate the rocky ground. Some seeds fall where the devil can snatch it away before it even sprouts. Other distractions in this world can be like weeds and thistles, choking out the tender life of faith.  

Heed such warnings, examine your heart. If there is any barrier to hearing and believing the word of God within you, do whatever it might take to remove it and let it be destroyed by the sharp sword of God’s Holy Word. Repent of behaviors that go against the way of the Lord. Avoid the distractions that keep you from hearing and believing and living the Lord’s Gospel. 

Lent starts in a week and a half. Again this year, I want to tell you, make the most of it. We will take some extra time to hear God’s word and have it planted in our hearts. We will come here on Wednesdays at 7:30 to hear His word, pray the Psalms, and sing the hymns of Lent. Use the discipline of Lent to heed the warnings of the Word of Christ. 

And use the discipline of Lent to prepare your hearts to hold fast to the promises of Easter. That’s what Jesus wants mostly. He wants you to have the full understanding of these warnings, in order that you have a full understanding of all His good promises. And that understanding is a part of the great crop we have a part of. 

Understanding.

We understand that because of the Lord’s salvation “we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”, as we say in Psalm 23. In the Psalm appointed for today, Psalm 84, we hear these words:

How lovely is your dwelling place,

        O Lord of hosts!

    Even the sparrow finds a home,

        and the swallow a nest for herself,

        where she may lay her young,

    at your altars, O Lord of hosts,

        my King and my God.

    For a day in your courts is better

        than a thousand elsewhere.

    I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

        than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Not everyone understands this. Not everyone believes it. Not everyone would agree with this opinion, or so they would call it. Some are so bold as to say things like this, “Wait, if I have to repent of my sins, and believe in Jesus and then I’ll go to heaven and have a place in the Kingdom of God for eternity. . . .No. I don’t want to. It’s not worth it to me.” It can be so disturbing, so frustrating to us when we come across someone with such a hard heart toward Jesus Christ. But Jesus doesn’t seem to let it bother Him so much. He just keeps on sowing the seed.  

This is the parable of the Sower. He is not the planter. The planter of seeds is careful and protective of each seed, placing carefully just so, in a row, at just the right spacing, just the right depth of soil. The Sower broadcasts the seed freely. That's Jesus. Spreading His love and His word to all, even while some won’t take it, won’t hold it firmly.  . . .. .

Jesus said to His disciples, Luke 8:10, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

To you who hear the word of the Lord and hold it fast in your heart, it grows to bear a good crop of understanding. And with that understanding you can appreciate the other ways we can talk about the crop that is harvested from faith.

Assurance of His love.

There is assurance of His love. You can count on it. When you pray, be assured that you have a God who is behind you on all this. He is pulling for you. He wants what’s best for you. There is this concern that can crop up in our minds that God’s got good reason to hold a grudge. When we hear from our Lord both the warnings of the law and the promises of the Gospel we must remember that He always wants us to have the last word be His Gospel and that we His people rest on those promises.

Consider the structure and order of this parable, the promises predominate. As Jesus describes all that can happen to the seed the Sower is scattering, He saves the best for last -- the seed falls on good soil and produces a crop a hundredfold. That’s the word Jesus leaves us with, that’s the line He wants to stick in our mind. He is speaking this to His disciples, His believers so that we can get the understanding of our salvation, the assurance of His love and the comfort from His Gospel. 

Comfort in your suffering.

In the passage from Isaiah that was today’s Old Testament reading, we hear again how God sends His word to accomplish His purposes: 

Isaiah 55:10-11

    "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

        and do not return there but water the earth,

    making it bring forth and sprout,

        giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

    [11] so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

        it shall not return to me empty,

    but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

        and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Then it goes on to list one of the purposes for which He sends forth His word. Isaiah 55:13

    Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

        instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

    and it shall make a name for the Lord,

        an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

In the midst of our temporary discomforts and sufferings all we can see is the thorn and the brier. God’s word calls us to trust in more than what we can see with our eyes and experience in this fallen world. God’s promises continue to assure us that He is working for our good. We need not be frustrated when we can’t see all the answers, when we haven’t yet realized all the solutions. We and the Sower of the seed are both waiting for the harvest to come. In the meantime, that growing faith within in us produces the comfort God has for us, that even in suffering, His good purposes are being accomplished.

Training in Righteousness.

The word of Christ produces within you the growing ability to live as children of God, so that your thinking, your saying, your doing may be pleasing to God and good for your neighbors sake. Keep that in mind now and through Lent. How can we observe Lent in righteousness? Perhaps there is some individual practice you will want to do. You are certainly not required to, but you may give something up in Lent, as a regular reminder of the season.

Perhaps you can give up some treat that you’re used to buying and your savings can go toward your offerings to God or to someone’s needs. Perhaps you can work on cleaning up your language, or cleaning up your thoughts. I’m going to suggest that you give up 15 minutes a day of TV watching or internet surfing and use the time to prayerfully read the Psalms. I hope to give out a guide for you to do that next Sunday.

So you see, you who hear the Word of the Lord and hold it fast have a crop coming, repentance, salvation, understanding, assurance of God’s love, comfort in your suffering and training in righteousness.

Amen.