O Antiphons

The Christian Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. An antiphon is a psalm, hymn or prayer sung or chanted in alternate parts. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Messiah. The importance of the O Antiphons is twofold: each one highlights a title for the Messiah: O Emmanuel, O Wisdom, O Lord, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Dayspring and O Desire of the Nations. Each one, also, refers to the prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.

Each devotion in this O Antiphons series begins with a Scripture reading on a name for Christ, followed by a brief devotional thought, and completed with one of the ancient hymn verses as we sing about that name of Christ.

FIRST ANTIPHON: IMMANUEL Isaiah 7:10-16

The LORD spoke to Ahaz again. He said, 11“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or in the heights above.”

12But Ahaz responded, “I will not ask. I will not test the LORD.”

13So Isaiah said:

Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to test the patience of men? Will you test the patience of my God as well? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel. 15He will eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse evil and choose good, 16because even before the child knows how to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

We cannot help ourselves. On our own, we are helpless. We cannot save ourselves from hell. We cannot free ourselves from our damning prison. We cannot raise our spiritually dead souls or our physically dead corpses. We are hell-bound and cannot change our direction.

The most helpless creature in our world is a human infant. So, what does God do to save us? He sends his divine Son into our world as a human infant! The Son of God sets down his crown and takes off his royal robes. He puts on our humanity. He is God with us to do what we cannot do on our own. He saves us, frees us, and raises us – body and soul. All because he is Immanuel.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

SECOND ANTIPHON: LORD OF MIGHT Exodus 19:16-20

On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was over the mountain, and there was a very loud blast of a ram’s horn. All the people in the camp trembled. 17Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke from a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19When the sound of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in the thunder. 20The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, at the top of the mountain. The Lord then called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

We are weak on our own. We would become slaves of a tyrant. We would be trapped between the rage of Pharaoh and the raging waters of the Red Sea. We would die in the desert from thirst and hunger.

The Lord of Might comes to rescue his people. He comes in a burning bush to name a leader. He comes as a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud to protect his people from the Egyptians. He comes to blow his mighty wind to dry a path in the Red Sea waters. He comes to feed his people with manna and quail and give them water flowing from a rock. He comes on Mt. Sinai to give the law in cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might,

Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times didst give the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

THIRD ANTIPHON: ROOT OF JESSE Isaiah 11:1,10-12

A shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse,

and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

10This is what will take place on that day. The peoples will seek the Root of Jesse, who will be standing like a banner for the peoples, and his resting place will be glorious.

11On that day the Lord will reach out his hand for the second time to reclaim the

remnant of this people who survive from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coasts of the sea.

12He will set up a banner for the nations,

and he will assemble the outcasts of Israel

and gather together the scattered people of Judah,

from the four corners of the earth.

If we closely examine our family trees, there are probably family members we don’t want to admit to knowing and certainly don’t want others to know about. … Maybe our family members feel the same way about us. Gasp! We are all messed up!

Jesus comes from a family tree that was all messed up – Gentiles, a prostitute, adulterers, a king who was also a murderer! Jesse is one of the men in Jesus’ family tree. Jesse is the father of King David. After David, the family tree becomes like a stump. Yet, even from this decrepit, lifeless stump, Jesus came as the Root of Jesse. He brings life back into the trunk, branches, and leaves of the tree. Though we and our fellow Christians are still messed up – we’re still gossips, thieves, adulterers, murderers, and more – Jesus accepts us all as those who have faith in him. Jesus has grafted us onto the Root of Jesse. Now we are part of Jesus’ family tree … and we will bear much fruit.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny;

From depths of hell Thy people save,

And give them victory over the grave.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

FOURTH ANTIPHON: DAYSPRING Revelation 22:12-16

Look, I am coming soon and my reward is with me, to repay each one according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the Tree of Life and so that they may enter through the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, that is, the sorcerers, the adulterers, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.

Adam and Eve’s sin plunged this world into darkness and death. Sin loves the darkness and hates the light. Sin loves death and hates life. Adam hid in the darkness of Eden’s trees. Judas betrayed Jesus in the darkness of Gethsemane. We

often attempt to hide our embarrassing guilt when we are alone in the darkness.

God sent his Son, the light of the world, into the darkness. He is “the light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Jesus was born in the darkness so we might be reborn as children of the light. He died in the darkness so we might live in the light of his life. He rose at dawn to usher in the new day of his resurrection. He is the light that chases away our darkness. He is the light that exposes our sins, so we come to him in repentance and seeking forgiveness. Jesus is the bright Morning Star, the Dayspring from on High. His very name means there will never be darkness in his eternal paradise.

O come, Thou Day-spring, from on high,

And cheer us by thy drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

FIFTH ANTIPHON: KEY OF DAVID Revelation 3:7-8

To the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write:

The Holy One, the one who is true, the one who has the key of David, the one who opens and no one can shut, and who shuts and no one can open, says this:8I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Because of our sinful nature and because of sins, we are locked out of heaven. Sin cannot exist in the holiness of our God. We are in bondage to our sin and cannot free us from our pitiful condition. No matter how much we struggle against the chains and rattle the bars, we are unable to break out of our prison. The eternal penitentiary of hell is waiting once death finds us.

Jesus the Christ entered our world. He endured the Law’s sentence. He stormed the gates of hell with his death, resurrection, and descent into hell. He is the Key of David. He frees us from our damnable dungeon by locking the gates of hell to us. Through faith in him, he unlocks the portals of paradise to us. He is the Key of David who opens the doors that no one else can close. He is the Key of David who shuts the doors that no one else can open.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

SIXTH ANTIPHON: WISDOM Isaiah 11:2-5

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him:

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

3He will be delighted with the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

nor will he render decisions based on what he hears with his ears,

4but with righteousness he will judge the poor,

and he will render fair decisions in favor of the oppressed on the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath from his lips he will put the wicked to death.

5Righteousness will be the belt around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his hips.

We are so foolish! Our current culture has become consumed with keeping “Mother Earth” from being angry with us because of “climate change.” Our culture has elevated the earth, the trees, the oceans, and the animals to become pagan gods. It is the new pagan religion of our age that’s no different from the pagan religion of past ages. It is the worship of the created instead of worship of the Creator. How foolish!

Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of God incarnate. He is God’s Wisdom in the flesh. He is the “power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). It seems foolish that the Creator would take on the flesh of a creature to save his fallen creation. But that’s exactly what happened! This sounds foolish, yet Scripture says of this, Since the world through its wisdom did not know God, God in his wisdom decided to save those who believe, through the foolishness of the preached message” (1 Corinthians 1:21). What is this “foolishly” wise message? “We preach Christ crucified, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25a).

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

Who orderest all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

SEVENTH ANTIPHON: DESIRE OF THE NATIONS Haggai 2:6-9

Listen, this is what the LORD of Armies says. Once again, in a little while, I myself will shake the heavens and the earth, the seas and the dry land. 7I will shake all the nations, and the desired of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Armies. 8The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of Armies. 9The glory of this second house will be greater than that of the first one, says the LORD of Armies. For in this place I will provide peace, declares the LORD of Armies.

What do you desire? We can have desires that are spoiled by sin. Desires for a better job, better economy, better leaders. We can have desires that are set apart by sanctification. Peace in our homes, peace in our cities, peace among the nations.

Jesus Christ is the Desire of the Nations. He is what we and our world really need and should really be longing for. He is the Desire that shakes the nations (Haggai 2:7). Jesus caused the greatest upheaval in history. He split time between B.C. – Before Christ – and A.D. – Anno Domini, the Year of Our Lord. What happened in Bethlehem that Christmas night long ago is still sending its shockwaves among the nations. The Savior came to all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages. It is the Advent of our Lord.

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Joy in Faithful Service by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Matthew 25:14-30 Proper 28A

SN: 0035 11/19/23

Joy in Faithful Service

In 2006, two young men made a startling discovery. They were going through their father’s house after he had passed away and noticed something strange. They discovered a false wall with a hidden passage behind it. When they opened this secret compartment, they found several valuable paintings, including a famous painting by Norman Rockwell worth five million dollars. They did not know why their father had hidden these paintings but were excited to own these valuable treasures now. It seems odd that someone would hide something like valuable paintings.

We could argue that this man was not a good steward of these paintings. They were meant to be viewed and enjoyed, but if they were hidden and locked away, no one could appreciate them, and if this man’s sons had not found the hidden passage, they would have had no value. This is the attitude Jesus warned us about in our Gospel lesson this morning. We have all been given valuable gifts and abilities from God. God requires us to use those gifts in faithful service to his kingdom. But do we always make the most of these blessings from God? Do we immediately put them to work and eagerly serve to the best of our abilities, or do we hide what we have been given? This morning, let us consider how to use our gifts and talents to serve our God and find joy in faithful service.

Our lesson this morning takes place during the events of Holy Week. Jesus left Jerusalem with his disciples and went up on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem. He has been instructing them about the signs that point toward the end of the world. The parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins that we heard about last Sunday shows us that we should be ready at any moment for our Lord’s return. The parable of the Talents illustrates the faithful service that God expects from his people as they await his glorious return.

In this parable, Jesus describes three different servants. All three serve a rich master who is going on a long journey. While he is away, he entrusts them with different amounts of his money according to their abilities. He gives each what they can handle with their different talents and abilities. The first two servants are faithful and immediately put the money to work and earn a return on what they had been given. The third servant takes the money he is given and hides it in a hole. He makes no effort whatsoever to serve his master faithfully. When the master returns, he is well pleased with the work of the first two servants and rewards them for their efforts. But he is enraged by the faithlessness of this wicked and lazy servant and has him cast out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Dear friends, this parable allows us to consider our faithfulness in God’s kingdom. The Lord has given us all different gifts and abilities. Some of us have been blessed with great personal wealth; others have been blessed with the gifts of teaching and preaching God’s Word; others have been blessed with the gifts of leadership, or with, as the Irish say, “the gift of gab” (the ability to quickly and easily talk to and make friends with complete strangers); the list could go on and on. Each of us has been given unique blessings. God does not ask us to serve him in ways beyond our abilities. For example, I have a gift for public speaking, but I’m not the person you would ask to run a marathon or make a banner for the church. But God does ask us to use what he has given in faithful service to him.

How well have we done this? Have we made the most of our gifts and talents and faithfully served God to the best of our ability? Have we made the most of every opportunity to serve the Lord in his church, or have we hidden our gifts? Dear friends, we must all confess that we sometimes let our own selfish wants and desires take priority in our lives. We have not always used our blessings in service to God. We have not joyfully offered the Lord our first fruits but often give him what we have left over after doing what we want. We have not made the most of our time, and we have let opportunities to share our faith slip away.

Dear friends, we are all guilty of sins of omission. These are times when we know we should do good and serve others, but instead, we choose to serve ourselves. We have not been perfectly faithful with the great and numerous blessings that we have received. We have not always been

thankful and given credit to God, remembering that everything we have in our lives is a gift and trust from him. If we are honest, we should see ourselves as the wicked and lazy servant who hid his talent. We deserve to be thrown out to that place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Dear friends, we have not been faithful servants. We have failed to use our gifts and talents in faithful service to our God. If we needed to rely on our own works to earn our God's love and mercy, we would be lost. Praise God that we are not saved by our works but through faith in Christ alone. We have not been faithful, but Christ has been faithful. He never failed to do good. He used his gift and abilities perfectly in service to God. He taught the Word of God faithfully; he healed the sick, helped the poor, and loved his enemies. He did everything that God’s law required of him, and he did it for us. He did it so that he could take all our sins upon himself and give us his perfection in return.

The Apostle Paul beautifully describes this perfect faithfulness of Christ in Philippians 2, “Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant. When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” All this Christ did so that we could be his own. He sacrificed his life and endured the torments of hell so that we could be servants in his kingdom. He conquered the power of death by his resurrection and gave us the gift of eternal life with him.

Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we are members of God’s household. We have been given the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. But if that was not enough, God also blesses us by giving us everything else in our lives. Everything we have is a gift from our Father in heaven. Because of this, we are like the two faithful servants in this parable and find joy in our faithful service. We do good works not to earn a place in heaven but because, as Christians, we cannot help but do good works. Martin Luther describes our faith in this way, “O, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly. It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has already done them and is constantly doing them. Whoever does not do such works, however, is an unbeliever.”

Each of us has been gifted in different ways. As believers, we are one body in Christ but many different parts. We each have unique gifts and abilities that help build up the church. Our service in God’s kingdom will look different, but everything we do is good and pleasing to God our Savior. This is why the Apostle Paul urges us to use our gifts in whatever way we have been blessed in service to God. Paul writes in Romans 12, “For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.”

Dear brothers and sisters, using our gifts in faithful service to our God brings us joy. Using what we have been given to serve others is a blessing, and it pleases our heavenly Father. The two brothers found joy when they could take that Norman Rockwell painting out of hiding and share it with others. We have joy when we live in faithful service to our king. Because we are rooted in Christ and have been redeemed by his blood, we confidently serve our Lord. We know that he sees our good works and is pleased by them. What joy we will have on the last day when we stand before our Lord and hear those words of joy, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Be Prepared, Not Surprised by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Proper 27A

SN: 0034 11/13/23

Be Prepared, Not Surprised

What does it mean to be prepared? If I tell my catechism students to prepare for an upcoming test, I’m hoping they will study. If you are going to buy a new car or a new house, you do research. If we hear on the news that it will snow, we plan accordingly. Sometimes, we may go a little crazy with our preparations, but generally, we think it’s good to be prepared. We’re very good at preparing for things we know will happen, but how good are we at preparing for the unexpected? It’s hard to maintain a constant level of alertness. It’s easy to fall back into routines and begin to miss details. It’s easy to become complacent. This is especially true if we are expected to remain alert and prepared for an extended period of time.

This attitude of complacency is precisely what Jesus is warning his people about with the parable of the Wise and Foolish virgins. The church has been expectantly waiting for the Lord’s return for a long time. And, as individual Christians, it's easy to think that Christ’s return is still a long way off. But we have no idea when he will return. It could be today, tomorrow, or a hundred years from now. We also have no idea when we ourselves will die. This is why Jesus gives us this warning. He wants us to be prepared and not surprised by his return.

As the disciples were leaving the temple courts with Jesus, they were overawed by the large and splendid buildings. Jesus warned them not to be too impressed by these great buildings because they would soon be destroyed. Jesus then uses this discussion as an opportunity to warn his disciples about the end of the world. He tells them about the signs that will signal the end of all things. Wars, famines, false prophets, and persecutions will all be signs that the end will soon come. But Jesus also warns his disciples not to worry about the exact day or hour he will return. God has kept the precise time of the end of the world hidden. One of the reasons that he has done this is so that his people are always prepared for his return.

Jesus illustrates the importance of being prepared with the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. In this parable, the groom is going from his house to the house of the bride, where they will celebrate the marriage feast. On the way, he will be met by a group of the bride’s friends who will greet him with lit lamps and form a joyful procession to the feast. But the groom is delayed, and the young women fall asleep during the wait. Suddenly, there is a cry in the night, “The bridegroom approaches!” The young women awake and prepare their lamps, but five of them are not prepared. They were not ready for a long wait, and their lamps had gone out. They beg the others for oil, but they can spare none. The five unprepared women rush away to find oil and miss the groom's arrival. When they return, it’s too late, and they are locked out of the party.

In this parable, Jesus is the groom, and ten virgins represent individual believers. Just like the groom was a long time in coming, so Christ has been a long time in his return. This parable is a harsh reminder to us not to become complacent in our faith. We want to be prepared to meet our king not surprised when he returns. But it is so easy to be distracted by the cares and concerns of this world. We have countless things that are clamoring for our attention. We never seem to have enough time, and it’s easy to allow all those other things to take precedence in our lives over God’s Word. Do we faithfully come to church each Sunday? Or do we let sports, work, or sleep have priority? Do we read and study God’s Word, or do we watch one more episode of our favorite show?

Dear friends, it is so easy to become complacent in our faith. This parable is a warning that we should not take that faith for granted. What will our Lord find when he returns? Christians who are actively living their faith, or Christians who don’t look any different than the world? We are surrounded by temptations on every side. Allowing sin of any kind to take root and grow in our hearts can destroy our faith. Then, we will be like the five foolish virgins who ran out of oil. We will not be ready to meet our king, and the door to heaven will be shut. Just think of the terrible words of judgment that Jesus speaks to those who were not ready for his return, “Amen, I tell you: I do not

know you.” This is the fate of all who do not believe in Jesus as their Savior. They will be eternally barred for the joy of heaven and the love of God.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this parable is a harsh warning that we should always be prepared for the return of our king. On the one hand, we are filled with dread, knowing that we have not always been as prepared as we should be, but on the other, we look forward in joyful anticipation to that great and glorious day. Dear friends, we have been invited to the great and glorious wedding feast. This is an invitation of pure grace. When we think about our lack of preparation, we know we have done nothing to earn or deserve this invitation. We should be locked outside like the foolish virgins, but instead, we have been invited in.

We receive this invitation through faith in Christ our Savior. While we may not be faithful in our preparation, Christ was always faithful. He perfectly resisted the temptation of the devil in the wilderness, and he remained obedient to the will of his Father. He was obedient even to death on the cross. Christ was prepared to face the torments of death and hell for us. He willingly offered himself as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of the whole world. All this he did because he loved us and wanted us to be his own. Through his blood, we have received the forgiveness of sin and an invitation to the great and glorious wedding feast that awaits us in heaven. We receive just a foretaste of that heavenly banquet each week as we come forward to receive body and blood, bread and wine.

This was symbolized in many older churches that had communion rails that were half circles. As we gather around visibly on one half, we are to think of the other invisible half. The great feast of all those who have been called home by our Father. This is the certainty we have in the resurrection of Christ. Death is not the end but just the beginning of the eternity of joy at the great wedding feast of our Savior.

What an amazing invitation. Think of the joy we have attending wedding celebrations in this life. Think of the preparations we are willing to go through for those celebrations. We have an invitation to a far greater feast than any celebration this world can offer. In the same way, we don’t neglect our preparations for an earthly wedding; let us not neglect our preparations for the wedding feast of our king. In our reading from 1 Thessalonians this morning, the Apostle Paul encourages us to live as sons of the light. But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day takes you by surprise like a thief, for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober. To be sure, those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

These are the preparations that our Lord asks of us. We want to be ready for his return, so we are not surprised by it. We prepare ourselves by putting God and his Word first in our lives. We eagerly strive to return to the well of living water that is his Word. We prepare ourselves by regularly coming to his house to grow in our faith and to encourage one another. We strive to live our lives as those eagerly awaiting our king's return. We do this because it pleases our Lord, and we do this as a witness to those who are still lost in darkness.

We are called to live as children of the light. We follow the commands of our Father and do his will because we are his people. We do things that the world thinks are foolish but are wise. We teach our children the truths of God’s Word. We strive to avoid the temptations and seductions of this world. We let our lights shine so others can see the love of Christ in our hearts and be drawn to it. After the Lord returns, it will be too late to share our oil with those who have none. Now is our time of grace. Let us share the message of the Gospel with friends, family, and neighbors so that they too may stand ready with burning lamps ready to great our long-awaited king.

Salvation Comes from our God by Pastor Zarling

Salvation comes from our God

Revelation 7:9-17 After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 10They called out with a loud voice and said: Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb.

11All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12saying: Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.

13One of the elders spoke to me and said, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”

And I answered him, “Sir, you know.”

14And he said to me: These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Because of this they are in front of the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again. The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat, 17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb (Revelation 7:10). Amen.

Kaitlyn, a fourth grader at Wisconsin Lutheran School, Kaizer, a preschooler at WLS, and their little sister Ava are being baptized this morning.

It took a little bit – actually, it took a lot – to bring these children to the baptismal font today.

Their parents, Justin and Stacie, gave me permission to share their story with you.

Stacie was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in South Milwaukee. She went to church and was confirmed at Zion. Stacie attended a public high school and then started attending non-denominational churches. She started questioning God and his teachings. She felt she was not getting what she wanted out of the churches. By her own admission, she now knows that what she was looking for was selfish. As a result, she lost her focus on God.

Stacie and Justin left Christian churches and became involved in paganism … even Satanism. She said that they got what they thought they wanted there … and it wasn’t good! It was scary! Demonic!

Then they found the Church of Latter Day Saints. Well, Latter Day Saints found them by knocking on their door. Justin and Stacie like them, but they never felt quite right there.

Then several years ago, they moved across from our Racine campus. They both wanted to renew their relationship with God. Stacie wanted to enroll Kaitlyn in our school three years ago, but she felt she would be judged by members of the church. So, she chickened out.

As part of God’s overall plan for them, Justin and Stacie kept going to Camp Phillip, a WELS campground in Wautoma. Their friends at camp convinced them to give our church and school a chance. No one was going to judge them.

Now, according to Stacie, they are back where they belong. Their children are in our school. Their will be standing at the font today for God to make his vows of faithfulness to them. Justin and Stacie are halfway through our adult confirmation classes. Lord willing, they will be

standing before God’s altar in a few weeks for them to make their vows of faithfulness to the Lord.

Justin and Stacie were looking for something. They didn’t find it on their own. God found them. They couldn’t get what they wanted. God gave them what they needed. He gave them salvation.

Today God gives their children – Kaitlyn, Kaizer, and Ava – the gift of salvation through water and the Word.

It is this salvation that St. John heard the multitude of saints from every nation, tribe, people, and language shouting, “Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10).

Justin, Stacie, and their children had a difficult time getting to this day. That’s called “tribulation,” That tribulation will continue for them. That tribulation will continue for all of us.

Right now, we belong to the Church Militant – the Church at war, the Church enduring earthly tribulation. We see, hear, and feel this tribulation on a larger, macro level. For example, it certainly seems like we are on the verge of World War III. There is extreme violence in our nation’s large cities. There is sickness and disease, political, social, and sexual unrest. There is hunger and thirst in our homes because we have teenagers. But there is real hunger and thirst in our nation and around the world.

We also see, hear, and feel this tribulation on a smaller, micro, personal level. Perhaps it’s the struggle of mean words directed at you on the bus or on social media apps. Perhaps it’s the attempts to find a job or provide for your family in our current economy. Perhaps it’s the strain of a spouse or parents deciding to break their lifelong marriage bonds. Perhaps it’s the heartrending pain of the death of a child.

This tribulation is both caused by us and endured by us. We are sinners living among other sinners, living together in a sinful, broken, and painful world.

In his vision of heaven, St. John hears one of the elders say to him, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”

John answered him, “Sir, you know.”

The elder said to him, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:13, 14).

With this vision, we are reminded that one day – hopefully soon – we will be among those coming out of the great tribulation. We will no longer be saints and sinners at the same time here on earth. We will then be made only into saints for eternity. We will be like the saints whom we remember today in our Prayer of the Church who have been transferred from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant.

We are still in this great tribulation. We are on one side of eternity; they are on the next. We labor; they rest. We fight; they are at peace. We wrestle; they walk. We hunger and thirst; they are forever nourished. We suffer under the cross; they abide in glory. Thorns and thistles afflict us; they endure no tears for God’s hand wipes them all away. This is the reality of both sides of eternity.

In November of 1940, the city of Coventry in England was bombed by the Nazis. The town was destroyed, and the centuries-old cathedral took two direct hits and was reduced to rubble. In the aftermath of the war, the church made an interesting decision. They left the ruins of their

cathedral in place. They cleaned up the rubble, but they didn’t tear down the stones that remained standing. They left the broken walls in place and then built their new church right next to it.

When they built the new cathedral, they installed a huge glass wall. Etched into the glass are large figures, four feet wide and ten feet tall – images of saints and angels rejoicing in heaven. Why a wall of clear glass? Because outside that wall of glass stand the ruins of the old cathedral. As you look through the glass, you see what remains of the bombed out church. Those ruins are a picture of the broken world in which we live. But to see the ruins, you must look through the glass that is etched with images of saints and angels. You cannot see the rubble except in the light of the promise of heaven.

John’s vision lets us see the Church in heaven, the images etched in Coventry glass, so we might remember the future glory that waits for us. We are all looking for something. We won’t find it on our own. God doesn’t give us what we want. He gives us what we need. Salvation comes from our God. It is the salvation that God gave to Israel and has now reached all nations. By his grace, God has given that salvation through his Son by his Holy Spirit to you. God’s salvation now belongs to you.

This salvation comes through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God sacrificed on the altar of the cross. The Lamb’s blood - and his blood alone - makes us clean. Jesus left the glories of heaven to suffer this world’s tribulation. Jesus endured an eternity of hellish tribulation during his hours on the cross. Why? So that we might have an eternity without burden, tribulation, or tears.

He touched our filth, so we might be bathed in his glory.

He suffered our death, so that we might enjoy life eternal.

He endured our hell, so that the gates of heaven might be flung open for us.

He cried out on the cross, so that we might sing his praises around his throne.

He became dirty with our sins and covered with his blood, so that he could wash us from our sins with his blood.

He appeared defeated during his time on the cross, so that we would emerge victorious forever and ever.

Your God who suffered his world’s tribulation, offers you an eternal reprieve from your tribulation. The same promises that God made to the saints who are now enjoying heaven, he also promises to you. The tribulations which the saints of God bore in their earthly life, we still suffer today. Yet, through God’s holy Word, each of us is called to repent and believe the gospel. Each of us is called to turn around, to ask the Holy Spirit to change our minds and correct our heart so we walk in the path of blessing that Jesus lays out for us in his Beatitudes in our Gospel lesson.

God calls us to lead a life that portrays the white robes he gave us in our baptism. Instead of tainting our baptismal gown by indulging in sin, let us glorify God with our bodies, serving our neighbor with love and good works. Let us be found where the saints of God are always found – gathered in the house of the Lord on his day, with his people around his Word, Water, and Supper. This is for our eternal benefit. This is what made us saints. This is what keeps us as saints.

Through faith in Jesus as your sacrificial Lamb and saving Shepherd, one day you will be saints streaming out of this great tribulation.

You will be with the multitude of saints.

You will be with your Lamb, who is your Shepherd.

Because you will be in heaven one day, live like you are strangers here and heaven is your home.

Because the Lamb’s sacrifice paid the price to get you into heaven, live like you cherish that sacrifice with your worship, prayers, words, offerings, and actions.

Because you will be with our Shepherd for eternity, live like you are part of the Shepherd’s flock here on earth.

Because you will be rescued from the great tribulation, allow the Holy Spirit to use this tribulation to produce endurance, character, and hope within you (Romans 5:3-5).

Because you will be made saints in white robes and golden crowns forever, live like a saint who cherishes your white baptismal robe and treasures your golden crown right now.

Kaizer, who is in preschool, summarizes this all very well.

On Tuesday night, Stacie and Justin were talking to their kids about baptism during dinner. Their baptismal date is also Stacie’s birth date. Kaizer asked, “So, I’m forgiven of my sins?”

“Yes,” they said.

He replied, “OK. So, let’s plan this. We go to church on Sunday. Then we can all just head to heaven! Everyone who is baptized who is at church can join us. Then we can celebrate your birthday in heaven with God!”

Stacie asked, “Why do you want to go to heaven?”

Kaizer replied, “Well, I think that’s silly! God is amazing! So, let’s go now!!!”

As baptized saints, we all agree with you, Kaizer. Amen.

Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen (Revelation 7:12).

Things Change…Things Stay the Same by Pastor Nathan Klusmeyer

Text: Romans 3:19-28 Reformation A

SN: 0033 10/29/23

Things Change…Things Stay the Same

I may have mentioned this a few times, but one of my passions is history. I love learning about the past: names, dates, places, famous battles…all of these fascinate me. My wife thinks I’m crazy, but I can spend hours watching a history documentary, listening to a 30-hour podcast on WWI, or reading one of my old history textbooks from college. There’s a famous quote from Winston Churchill, “Those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it.” It’s important to understand what happened in the past to plan for the future. Because things change, but they also stay the same.

This congregation is different than it was three years ago. I’m different than I was three years ago. Three years ago, you were two different congregations, now you have merged into one congregation. Three years ago, I was two months into restarting my Seminary career as the second oldest man in my class. Change is often good because it shows growth and an ability to adapt. History teaches us that while some things change, other things stay the same. The festival of Reformation gives us a chance to look at the history of the Christian church and some of the errors it has fallen into. We need to understand these errors because they are nothing new. Believers have struggled with these same issues from the Garden of Eden right up to the present day.

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul needed to correct a misunderstanding about salvation. Some were teaching that to be saved, you needed to keep God’s Law as it was revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The death of Christ ended the requirements of the Law and made known a righteousness from God apart from the Law. Almost 1500 years later, Martin Luther faced the same dilemma. The church of the Middle Ages had corrupted the message of the gospel. Christians were taught that they needed to earn their salvation by doing good works, works of the law. Through his study of Scripture, Luther learned that no one is declared righteous by doing works of the law; instead, through the law, we become conscious of sin. This has been an ongoing struggle throughout the history of God’s people. The church may grow and change, but the temptations of Satan stay the same.

Satan wants us to focus on our own works because he knows this is an easy way to undermine our faith. Reliance on works leads to one of two outcomes. Either we realize that there is no way we can ever keep God’s law perfectly and fall into despair, or we become filled with self-righteousness and think we can earn our own salvation. Paul reminds us that we cannot earn our righteousness by following God’s law. “For this reason, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by works of the law, for through the law we become aware of sin.”

The law does not save us; the law shows us our sin. God’s law reminds us that we have failed to live to the standard of perfection that he demands. We have sinned against God in our thoughts, words, and deeds. We have sinned against God when we have had unkind or lustful thoughts about another person. We have sinned against God when we have taken his name in vain in a moment of anger, and we have sinned against God in countless other ways each day of our lives. The law bluntly tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

As Christians, we know this. We know our sin, and we know that our sin has been paid for by the blood of Christ. And yet, we still struggle with the same temptation that Paul and Luther had to address. We are tempted to think that we can do something to restore our relationship with God. When we sin, we have a natural tendency to want to make up for that sin. We want to do a good work to cancel out the bad. But dear friends, our good works cannot pay for our sins. Imagine the horror if that was how salvation worked. How could we ever pay for a lifetime of sin?

This is where the amazing message of the Gospel gives us comfort. We don’t need to restore our relationship with God because that relationship has been restored in Christ. We don’t need to pay for our sins because Christ has paid for them on the cross. This is the glorious message that Paul emphasizes that we are at the same time saint and sinner. We all stand condemned under the law and redeemed through Christ “because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

In this section of Romans, Paul gives us three beautiful pictures of what our forgiveness before God is like. The first picture is one of a courtroom. As sinners, we stand accused of all our sins before God as the

almighty and righteous judge. Satan accuses us; our own consciences accuse us; God’s Law accuses us. All the evidence is against us, and we should be declared guilty of all charges. But instead, we have one who intercedes for us. We have Christ as our defender who did what we could not. Christ kept God’s law perfectly. He then offered his holy life as a sacrifice for our sins. By faith, his holiness and sacrifice become ours. In that courtroom, God looks at the sacrifice of his own Son and declares us justified. We are not guilty, and no one can bring any charge against us.

The second picture that Paul uses is that of someone who has been enslaved. By nature, we are all born as slaves to sin. We can do nothing to free ourselves from our terrible bondage. But Christ paid the price to free us. He redeemed us by offering his life as a ransom to free us. Our sins deserved the punishment of death and hell. Christ took the punishment for us. He endured the agony of the cross and the torments of hell in our place. He offered his perfect life, the life of God, to make payment for the sins of the entire world. We are restored as God’s children through faith. The forgiveness of sins and the certainty of eternal life are ours through faith. We have been purchased with the holy blood of Christ.

The blood of Christ is Paul's final picture to describe our salvation. Our God is just and holy. He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. The debt of sin must be paid; blood is the only thing that can pay that debt. During the Old Testament, once a year on the Great Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies before the Ark of the Covenant and offer the blood of animals to make atonement for the sins of the people. This ritual pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, whose blood would make atonement for the sins of the entire world. Paul says that God publicly displayed Christ on the cross as a sacrifice for the world's sins. Only the blood of God could pay for our sins. All of our sins have been washed away through the blood of Christ. He was our great High Priest who offered himself to save us.

This is the ultimate act of love and grace. God sent his own Son to suffer and die for the sins of the world. How foolish it is to think that any of our small deeds could compare with Christ's sacrifice. Dear friends, we do not need to do good works to make ourselves right in the eyes of God. We do not need to carry around a burden of guilt and shame because we have been forgiven. Christ has done it all. This is the freedom we have in Christ. This is the message of freedom that Luther and others restored to the church. As Paul says, “For we conclude that a person is justified by faith without the works of the law.”

Dear friends, through faith in Christ, we are righteous in the eyes of God. We are his beloved children and chosen people. We are free from all the burdens of the law because Christ has fulfilled the law for us. And because we are free from the law, we are now free to love others. We do this best by serving others in our various jobs and callings. We serve God by being good parents and loving our children. We serve God by faithfully working in our different jobs. We serve God in our freedom by uniting our ministries and carrying on the work of his kingdom. This is the freedom we have in our salvation. We don’t need to make up good works to please God because all of our works have been purified by the blood of Christ. Everything we do, from holding a door for someone to showing up to our jobs on Monday morning to giving our offerings at church, are good works that our God loves. We do all these in service to him.

Dear friends’ history is the study of how things change and how things stay the same. Satan’s tactics haven’t changed. His goal remains the same: to lead us away from Christ. The annual celebration of the Reformation reminds us of the joy and freedom we have in the Gospel. We are free from the burdens of the law, we are free in Christ, and we are free to serve. Let us rejoice as we celebrate our unified ministries, and let us pray that God will continue to bless the work of this congregation as we tell the world of the salvation that we have in Christ by grace alone through faith alone. Amen.

The Feast is Ready, Come to the Feast by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Matthew 22:1-14 Proper 23A

SN: 0032 10/15/23

The Feast is Ready, Come to the Feast

If you could be invited to one party or event in your life, what would it be? Would it be the Super Bowl, the Oscars, or something that’s only happened once in many of our lives a royal coronation? How would you respond to such an invitation? Would you be filled with joy and gratitude? Would you count down the days till that event filled with anticipation? Or would you spurn the invitation and make up a lame excuse why you couldn’t go? Would you insult and perhaps even hurt the one who sent you the invitation?

That would be crazy. But that is exactly the situation Jesus described in our parable this morning. A rich king had prepared a lavish wedding banquet for his son. When the feast was ready, he sent his servants to summon those who had been invited to the feast. They refused the invitation. So, the king sent more servants to summon those who had been invited. Some made excuses as to why they could not come, while others mistreated and killed the king’s servants. The angry king destroyed the city of those who had killed his servants. He then ordered his servants to go out on the highways and byways and invite all they found to come to his feast.

In order to understand this parable, we need to understand the context in which Jesus gave it. Shortly after the Triumphal Entry of Palm Sunday, Jesus was teaching and preaching in the temple courts on either Monday or Tuesday of Holy Week. The Pharisees, chief priests, and other leaders of the people questioned by what authority Jesus was teaching these things. Jesus responded with a series of parables intended to call these men to repentance.

All three of the parables deal with the idea of disobedience towards God and rejection of his Word. In the parable of the Wedding Banquet, Jesus says that the chief priests and elders of the people are like those guests who had been invited to the banquet but had rejected the invitation. These were the same leaders who had rejected the ministry of John the Baptist and now rejected the ministry of Christ and were actively plotting to kill him. Jesus uses this parable as a reminder and a warning of what happens to those who reject God’s Word.

Throughout the Old Testament, the people of both Israel and Judah had repeatedly turned away from God. They had fallen into sin and rebellion. God, in his great mercy, sent his prophets to his people again and again to call them to repentance. Sometimes, the people would listen, but many times, the people would scorn and attack these servants of God. We see this in the story of Elijah being persecuted by wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. We see this in the book of Jeremiah, where that prophet was repeatedly mocked and threatened for his message of warning. This history against God’s servants, the prophets, is summed up in the letter to the Hebrews 11, “They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were tempted; they were killed with the sword; they went around in sheepskins and goatskins, needy, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them as they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”

God’s great mercy and patience are displayed in this history and the parable. Just as the king sent more servants to extend the invitation to the wedding feast, God sent his prophets again and again. God even sent his own Son to preach, witness, and call his people to repentance. But God’s patience with sinners is not infinite. There is a time when God will punish the sins of those who rebel against him and refuse to repent. We see this in the history of Israel and Judah. God sent the Assyrians to destroy the kingdom of Israel, and he sent the Babylonians to take the kingdom of Judah into captivity. We also see this after Jesus’s death when the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD.

While this parable is a warning specifically to the chief priests and elders of the people, it also serves as a warning to us today. As Christians, we are God’s chosen people. Through faith and the waters of baptism, we have received an invitation to the great wedding feast of the Lamb. The glorious feast awaits in eternity, where we will dwell in the presence of our God for all eternity. But are there times that we give other things higher priority than the invitation of our God? Do we faithfully attend worship and partake of the glorious foretaste of that heavenly feast offered in Holy Communion, or do we sometimes give work, leisure, family, or anything else higher priority? The sad truth is that we are breaking the 1st and greatest commandment to love God anytime we sin because we are saying that our sinful pleasure is more important to us at that moment than God.

Dear brothers and sisters, by faith in Christ, we have received a gracious invitation to the wedding feast of our Savior. Isaiah describes this banquet as the most lavish and extravagant banquet that has ever been prepared. “On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.” This is an invitation of pure grace. Like the king in the wedding banquet, God sent his servants to preach the Gospel to anyone they could find. We are not worthy to receive this invitation. By nature, we are all sinners and deserve only the wrath of God. But in his mercy, he extends the invitation of the Gospel to all people.

The message of the Gospel creates faith in our hearts and makes us worthy to attend the feast of salvation. As Paul writes in Romans 1, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed by faith, for faith, just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” Paul is talking about the righteousness given to us because of faith. Jesus Christ offered his perfect life as a payment for the sins of the entire world.

By faith, we receive his perfection. Our sins have been washed away by the blood of the lamb. By his resurrection, he proved that God accepted his sacrifice. We can be absolutely certain that our sins have been paid for. As the words of our hymn this morning proclaim, “Bold shall I stand in that great day; who can a word against me say? Fully absolved through these, I am from sin and fear, from guilt and shame.” We are forgiven; more than that, we have been invited to an eternal banquet in heaven. The power of death has been broken, and all who believe in Christ will be raised again in glory on the last day to dwell with God in that glorious place where there is no more weeping, crying, or pain.

Dear friends, because we have received the invitation to the great feast, we are God’s children. And as God’s children, we are called to live as his children. Think of the wedding guest who was at the feast without wedding clothes. How would you feel if one of the guests showed up in filthy clothes at your wedding or the wedding of a son or daughter? You would be insulted. You would feel that this person did not appreciate the honor shown to him.

This is how God feels when his people do not live and act as his people. Our sins are an affront to God, and we want and desire to live in a way that is pleasing to our heavenly Father. We obey his commands because we know this makes him happy and shows our gratitude for the many blessings he has given us. We fulfill his commands by showing his love to others. And we can do this in many different ways. We are all parts of one body in Christ, but just as each body has a unique function and role, we, too, have been given unique gifts to serve our God.

Some of us have been given the gift of sharing God’s Word with others and teaching the truths of his Word. Others have been given hands that serve in the church by cleaning, repairing, and serving. We have all been called to support the work of his church by giving our offerings of returning to God a portion of the gifts that he has blessed us with. We all serve in a variety of ways in God’s church.

All of these help spread the message of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Maybe we can’t do that ourselves, but our gifts that we joyfully give to the service of the church help spread the message of love.

Our God has graciously invited all people to the great victory feast of the Lamb. That feast is ready, and God now calls all people to come and enjoy that feast. Some will reject this gracious invitation and be thrown out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. But God desires that as many as possible hear this glorious invitation of the Gospel. Let us go forth and use whatever gifts God has given us to share this invitation. Amen.

Confession Instead of Compromise by Pastor Zarling

Confession instead of compromise

Daniel 1:3-21 3The king told Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring some young Israelite men from the royal family or from the nobility. 4He was to choose young men who had no blemish, who were good looking, who had insight into all kinds of wisdom, who possessed knowledge, understanding, and learning, and who were capable of serving in the king’s palace, in order to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5The king assigned them daily rations from the special royal food and from the king’s own wine. He ordered that they should be trained for three years. At the end of training they were to serve the king. 6In this group of young men were the Judeans Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7The chief of the officials gave them new names. He gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar, Hananiah the name Shadrak, Mishael the name Meshak, and Azariah the name Abednego.

8Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the special food of the king or with the wine that he drank. So he sought permission from the chief official, so that he would not have to defile himself. 9God made the chief of the officials favorable and sympathetic toward Daniel. 10Then the chief of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink. Why should he see your faces looking less healthy than those of the other young men who are your age? You put my life at risk before the king.”

11Daniel said to the superintendent whom the chief of the officials had placed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12“Please test your servants for ten days. Tell them to give us only vegetables, and we will eat them and drink water. 13Observe our appearance and the appearance of the young men who eat the special royal food. Then deal with your servants based on what you see.” 14So he listened to what they said about this and tested them for ten days.

15At the end of ten days, their appearance was noticeably better than that of the others. They were healthier than any of the young men who had been eating the special royal food. 16So the superintendent permanently took away the special royal food and the wine they were to drink and gave them only vegetables. 17As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and insight into all kinds of literature, as well as wisdom. In addition, Daniel also understood every kind of vision and dream.

18At the end of the time which the king had set for them to be brought to him, the chief of the officials brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19The king spoke with them, and none of the others were found to be comparable to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they served the king. 20In every matter concerning wisdom and understanding that the king sought from them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and spell casters in his entire kingdom. 21So Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

The Lord reigns. He is clothed in majesty. The Lord is clothed-he wears strength like a belt. Yes, the world stands firm. It will not be moved. Your throne was established long ago. You are from eternity. (Psalm 93:1-2). Amen.

There they were. Four Jewish teens kidnapped from their homes and carried away by their enemies. They were now exiles living in a faraway foreign country.

That’s how the story begins in Daniel 1 for Daniel and his three friends – Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were from Jewish royalty or distinguished families. When the rest of the Jews were carried into captivity in Babylon, these four were brought to the palace to serve in the government. Only the best and brightest were picked to serve in the Babylonian government.

They had to immerse themselves in the study of heathen culture. They could do that without compromise. They had to learn the language and literature of Babylon without believing its

falsehoods. They could do that without compromise. They had received new names of Belteshazzar, Shadrak, Meshak, Abednego (or Rack, Shack, and Benny). They could do that without compromise.

They also had to eat “the special royal food” and drink “from the king’s own wine” (Daniel 1:5). They could NOT do this without compromise.

The Jews were permitted to only eat “clean” foods as described in Leviticus 11. They had to be sure the animal was properly slaughtered and its carcass properly drained since God had forbidden his people to eat blood. Also, the meat and wine on the king’s table would have been sacrificed to the Babylonian gods first as an offering to them (Daniel 5:4).

Daniel and his friends would not compromise. They requested permission not to defile themselves by eating the king’s meat or drink his wine. Instead, they asked to eat vegetables. Thankfully, the word for “vegetables” also means “foods sown” so it included grains and breads. (Personally, I can’t imagine living on veggies alone!)

Daniel does not rebel. He does not revolt. He is respectful in his resistance. Ashpenaz, the chief of the king’s court officials, was afraid of losing his head if these four teens lost weight. But he doesn’t become angry or impatient because God caused him to show favoritism toward Daniel (Daniel 1:9).

This had to be the first and last time teenage boys refused food.

The four Jewish teens were tested for ten days eating their special diet. God blessed Daniel’s respectful resistance. God blessed Daniel’s bold confession because he did not compromise God’s Word or will.

How can we today be like Daniel and give a bold confession instead of compromise as we interact with governing authorities?

Admittedly, this is hard to do. St. Paul tells us in our Epistle lesson: “Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. For no authority exists except by God, and the authorities that do exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1). We want to willingly submit to governing authorities when they are acting as God’s servants. God is working through them to do us good.

We have governing authorities in America who are over us, so we submit to them. But the U.S. Constitution reminds us that “We the people” are the authorities who are also over our government. We elect them and pay their salaries. We are to give them honor and respect as our appointed authorities. They are to listen to and respect our wishes because they work for us.

It’s similar to how your pastors are over you as your appointed spiritual authorities. But you are over us since we are your called servants of the gospel.

Romans 13 reminds us to submit to governing authorities as they submit to God’s will. Then they are acting as God’s servants. Revelation 13 reminds us that governments and governing authorities can switch sides and serve the great red dragon of Satan. When governing authorities are submitting to Satan’s will, then they are behaving as the dragon’s pet as the beast out of the sea.

Jesus teaches in our Gospel lesson, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Martin Luther and our Lutheran confession called The

Magdeburg Confession remind us that we are not to give to Caesar the things that are not Caesar’s.

The pastors in The Magdeburg Confession call for allegiance to both God and Caesar. But when Caesar exceeds his powers, then he is attempting to exert the powers of Christ. They are clear in their writing that this is not about revolution or rebellion. It is resistance. It is holding governing authorities accountable to following their own laws and God’s laws.

God uses governing authorities to curb our sinful natures so that everything is in good and godly order. God is keeping us from anarchy. God also uses us as Christian citizens to curb the sinful natures of governing authorities so that everything is in good and godly order. God is keeping the government from tyranny.

In whatever we do, we work hard to give a bold confession of our Christian faith instead of compromise.

Imagine perfect submission to governing authorities who submit to God’s will and perfect resistance to governing authorities who submit to Satan’s will as driving down the middle of the road. As sinners, though, we will often weave to one ditch or the other along the road.

We will careen into one ditch as we care too much about who the next Speaker of the House or the next President will be. We imagine the right politician or policies will correct our nation’s problems. We fill our time by consuming CNN or Fox News. We allow the government to have more control over our lives and influence over our culture.

We allow our humble submission to become blind, absolute obedience. Absolute obedience is nothing less than worship. Jesus warns in his vision in Revelation 13 that people will worship the beast out of the sea, which symbolizes governments who wage war against God’s saints (Revelation 13:7, 8).

Or we will overcorrect and careen into the other ditch and care too little about what’s going on in government and culture. We sit on our sofa consuming Netflix and Cheetos. We do not know our civics or Constitution. We are not respectful in the way we speak about God’s appointed representatives. We resist – not because what is proposed is evil or wrong or poor policy – but just because we don’t like it.

We can easily swerve from one ditch into the other. We are not fulfilling our vocation – our godly duty – as Christian citizens.

These sinful attitudes and actions always hurt our confession of Christ.

So, what are we going to do?

Confess Christ!

Jesus obeyed and respected his family, religious, and political leaders. He submitted to his mother’s authority as her son when she came to him with an issue at the wedding in Cana. But he also told her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My time has not yet come” (John 2:4). Jesus’ answer was a little cryptic, but he was respectful in his resistance in telling his mother that she could not direct his ministry as God’s Son.

Jesus submitted to the will of the Jewish religious leaders when they arrested him. He submitted to Governor Pilate’s will when he had Jesus scourged and even crucified. But Jesus also resisted the religious leaders when they tried exercising authority over him that they didn’t have. When

Jesus was accused by the chief priests and elders, he didn’t say anything to them, though they demanded it (Matthew 27:12). Jesus didn’t answer one word of Pilate’s questions, though Pilate was surprised by Jesus’ silence (Matthew 27:14). Jesus refused to perform like a circus clown by performing miracles in front of King Herod (Luke 23:8-12).

In these ways of submission and resistance, Jesus gave a bold confession that he was the Christ.

Jesus was the only one who was perfectly respectful in his submission to God’s governing servants but also remained respectful in his resistance when authorities’ actions opposed God’s will.

Jesus is our Example. … More than that, he is our Substitute.

Jesus perfectly drove down the middle of the road. He lived his entire life keeping the Fourth Commandment perfectly toward his parents, religious authorities, and governing authorities. He perfectly submitted to God’s governing authorities. He perfectly gave to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. He never once compromised that he was the Christ.

In these ways, Jesus actively obeyed God’s Word and will. He did this to cover over our sinful attitudes and actions, our sinful disrespect and inactions, our sinful refusal to submit to God’s servants, and our sinful blind obedience to Satan’s servants.

Jesus also passively obeyed God’s Word and will by enduring the scourging and crucifixion by his religious and governing authorities. He went to the cross and out of the grave to pay for our absence of worship of the true God and our abundance of worship toward the beast out of the sea.

Staying in the middle of the road is hard. It’s like being Frodo and Sam traveling the difficult path to Mordor. Or its like being Luke Skywalker by using the light side of the Force while resisting the dark side.

I realize that only a handful of you - and Pastor Klusmeyer - understood those references. 😊

It’s like trying to know what college to attend or career to pursue. Or if you should give money to your alcoholic parent or withhold money from your drug-addicted child.

These are difficult decisions. Continue to study the Scriptures. Keep on discussing how to apply these Scriptures. Pray for wisdom. Trust one another’s sanctified reasoning when they see things differently than you do. Pray for your leaders. Become active in your vocation as citizens – perhaps active enough to be involved in the government in some way so you can serve God and your fellow citizens as their servants.

May God bless us with the wisdom and sanctified spirit to submit to our governing authorities when they are submitting to the Lord as his established servants. May God also bless us with the wisdom and sanctified spirit to resist our governing authorities when they are submitting to the dragon as the beast out of the sea. May God use his governing authorities to curb our sinful nature. May God use us to curb the sinful nature of our governing authorities.

May we repent and receive Christ’s forgiveness through his active and passive obedience. Through it all, we pray that we remain respectful in our submission or resistance. So, no matter what, we are giving a bold confession of Christ instead of compromise. Amen.

The waves have lifted up, O Lord, the waves have lifted up their voice. The waves roar loudly. Mightier than the thundering of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea, the Lord

on high is mighty. Your testimonies stand very firm. Holiness beautifies your house for endless days, O Lord (Psalm 93:1-5). Amen.

(The pastors conclude The Magdeburg Confession by quoting Psalm 93. Whether they are tyrants, antichrists, or beasts out of the sea – all allying themselves with the red dragon of the devil – the Lord on high is still mighty.)

What Will God Do? By Pastor Zarling

What will God do?

Matthew 21:33-43 33“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it out to some tenant farmers and went away on a journey. 34When the time approached to harvest the fruit, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35The tenant farmers seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36Then the landowner sent even more servants than the first time. The tenant farmers treated them the same way. 37Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’ 39They took him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40So when the landowner comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers?”

41They told him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end. Then he will lease out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his fruit when it is due.”

42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?

43“That is why I tell you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruit. 44Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was talking about them. 46Although they were looking for a way to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds because the people regarded him as a prophet.

Let us think the same thing and walk in line with what we already have attained. Amen. (Philippians 3:17)

The parable of the wicked tenants is a strange story. A landowner plants a vineyard, rents it out, and leaves for a faraway country. When it’s harvest time, he sends servants to collect his share of the fruit. The tenants refuse. Instead, they beat some, stone some, and kill some.

After being cheated out of his rent and having his servants brutalized and murdered, what does the landowner do? He doesn’t say, “I know what I’ll do. I’ll teach them a lesson they’ll never forget!” Instead, he says, “I’ll send my beloved son. They’ll respect him.”

Not only does the landowner give these wicked tenants another undeserved chance, he risks the life of his son with that chance.

What do the tenants do? Instead of repentance, there is rage. Instead of payment, there is pulverizing. The beloved son becomes a bloodied corpse.

This vineyard imagery represents the children of Israel. God did everything for his chosen people. He promised them the land of Canaan. He freed them from slavery in Egypt. He brought them into the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. He established the kingdom of Israel and prospered it through King David and King Solomon. God did all this through grace. Israel deserved none of it.

In return, God desired the fruits of faith. He desired worship, obedience, and sacrifice from his chosen people. But the people worshiped false gods. They disobeyed God’s commands. They sacrificed in pagan temples. So God sent his servants – his prophets – to his people. The prophets called out, “Repent. Return to the Lord.” The people refused to listen. They rejected the prophets, mistreated, and harassed them.

What will God do? He sends his beloved Son. Do the people respect the Son? No! The chief priests and Pharisees – who know this parable is about them – had the Son of God arrested, scourged, and brutally murdered.

This vineyard imagery also applies to us. God has placed us in the vineyard of this world. He does everything for us. He provides us with clothing and shoes, house and home, and all we own. He has placed us in a nation with freedom and liberty. He gives us our Lutheran churches, grade schools, and high schools. He has freed us from the slavery of our sin.

In return, God desires the fruits of faith. He desires worship, obedience, and sacrifice from us as his chosen people. What do we do? God sends his teachers into our classrooms to teach, but our children refuse to be taught and pile up late work. God sends his pastors into our churches to preach, but our people refuse to repent and believe. God offers his forgiveness in his gifts of Word and Sacraments – in the Bible, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. But we so rarely make use of these gracious gifts. We choose kids’ sports, video games, family time, vacationing, work, sleeping in, and more to fill up our time and calendar. We want more than God offers in the spoken, sung, and written Word, in a splash of water, or in a sip of wine and a bit of bread.

What will God do? He sends his beloved Son. Do we respect the Son? No! Our sins caused the Son of God to suffer. Our sins put the Son on the cross. Our rejection of worship, our disobedience to God’s commands, and our refusal to sacrifice make us just as guilty as the Old Testament children of Israel, and just as guilty as the chief priests and Pharisees of brutally murdering the Son of God. We are the wicked tenants.

What will God do with us?

Notice how Jesus does not tell us the ending of the story. Instead, he asks his hearers, “So when the landowner comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers” (Matthew 21:40)? His audience provides an ending to the story. They told him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end. Then he will lease out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his fruit when it is due” (Matthew 21:41).

What will God do with his wicked tenants, with his chosen people of Israel, and with us?

At a certain point, you just have to cut your losses and move on, don’t you? Your vehicle has been in the repair shop numerous times this year, so you plan on selling it. Your houseplant that you keep nurturing keeps dropping its leaves, so you plan on throwing it away. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and move on.

At a certain point, you would think that any normal God would cut his losses with us, move on, and start over. Any normal God would wash his hands of us and delight in our suffering. Any normal God would send his legions of angels to bring judgment upon his wicked people.

That might be what any normal, pagan God would do. But our God is not normal, nor pagan. He is the one true Triune God. He is the God who is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness. He is the God who doesn’t want anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance, faith, and salvation.

Our God does not fight against us. Our God fights for us. He fights for us by sending his beloved Son into the vineyard of this world for us. Instead of considering us his enemies and fighting against us because of our lack of worship, obedience, and sacrifice, the Son fights for us against our enemies of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. He does not come exalting himself wearing a golden crown and sitting on a throne. He does not come with fists swinging and feet stomping. He does not come to kill us.

Instead, the Son comes to humble himself laying on a bloody cross and wearing a crown of thorns. He comes allowing his fists and feet to be nailed to that cross. He comes to be killed by us … and for us.

Jesus said, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Matthew 21:42)? With these words quoted from Psalm 118 and with this parable, Jesus is foreshadowing his own rejection and death. This rejection and death are the cornerstone of our salvation. God, the owner of the vineyard, uses the death of his beloved Son to redeem us – his wicked tenants.

Even though you deserve destruction, God sends his Son for salvation. Completely out of his grace and mercy, God uses the destruction of his Son to save you from hellish destruction. He uses the death of his Son to rescue you from eternal death. He uses the death of his Son to rescue and redeem you - to buy you back from the devil and your empty way of life.

As St. Paul says in our epistle lesson, Christ redeemed you from your destruction, the god of your appetite, your shame, and your eagerness for earthly things. He has given you a citizenship in the kingdom of heaven (Philippians 3:19, 20). Jesus buys you back and makes you worthy of being workers in his Father’s vineyard.

This redemption and salvation is yours through faith in the Father and his Son through the Holy Spirit. All God, the owner of this vineyard, asks from you are the fruits of your Christian faith – worship, obedience, and sacrifice. He desires for you children to listen to your teachers and put effort into your homework. Not to gain God’s love, but because God already loves you. He desires you people to accept your pastors’ call to repentance and believe the good news. Not to gain heaven, but because heaven is already yours. He desires for you parents to prioritize God’s gifts of his spiritual kingdom over his gifts of his earthly kingdom. Not to gain the vineyard from the Son as your inheritance, but because God has granted you the vineyard of his kingdom of heaven through the Son as your inheritance. “Let us think the same thing and walk in line with what we already have attained” (Philippians 3:17).

Christ Jesus is the cornerstone of God’s kingdom. Through him, the Lord builds a kingdom that will never be overcome.

What will God do?

Isn’t it comforting to know that you have such a loving God – a good and gracious God? A God who doesn’t cut his losses and move on? A God who hasn’t given up on you … and won’t give up on you?

Perhaps, instead of asking, “What will God do?” we can ask, “What has God done?” He has sent his beloved Son into the vineyard to rescue and redeem his wicked tenants.

Spend the rest of this day … and the rest of your days thanking God for what he has done in not giving up on you. Amen.

Our citizenship is in heaven. We are eagerly waiting for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Philippians 3:20)

He Holds the Field Forever by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Revelation 12:7-12 Michaelmas A

SN: 0031 10/01/23

He Holds the Field Forever

Angels are a special blessing from God. He sends his angels to watch over his people to protect them from harm and danger. He also sends them to protect his church. For this reason, the church has celebrated a festival day each year for hundreds of years to thank God for this special blessing. Traditionally, this festival is held on September 29 because this is near the start of Fall when the days are almost equally divided with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. This reminds us that there are forces of light and darkness waging a war for our very souls. Think of how common this concept is in our society. Think of incredibly popular movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. There are two forces of light and darkness waging war for the soul of the main character. A character like Luke Skywalker or Frodo Baggins needs to find the personal courage within themselves to overcome the temptation of the darkness and stay in the light.

But this concept of equally opposed forces does not match the reality of our spiritual lives. There are not two equally opposed forces of light and darkness waging war for our souls. The forces of darkness have already been defeated. Satan, the great dragon, and all his evil angels have been thrown down. Michael and his angels warred against the forces of darkness, but the battle was never in doubt. Satan had no chance at victory, and he was utterly defeated by the blood of the Lamb, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This festival reminds us that our Lord and his angels have completely crushed their enemies on the battlefield. This is why we boldly proclaim in our great Reformation anthem, “He holds the field forever!”

The section of Revelation we are looking at this morning describes a great war fought in heaven. Satan and his angels warred against Michael and the hosts of heaven. There have traditionally been two ways of interpreting this section. The first is to understand this as a description of Satan’s initial fall from heaven. We know that at some point after the first seven days of creation, Satan rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. The fallen serpent then tempted Adam and Eve, and all humanity fell under the curse of sin. The second interpretation sees this as a great spiritual battle Satan waged when Christ was crucified.

This illustrates the foolishness of our Adversary. The Bible tells us that Satan tempted Judas to betray Jesus and influenced the hatred of the chief priests. In his great hatred for God, Satan believed that killing Jesus would somehow serve his purposes. Instead, the death of Christ defeated and broke the power of Satan once and for all. On the cross, Christ crushed the head of the serpent and destroyed the power of death and hell. By his death, Christ made full atonement for the sins of the world. This is the great victory of our Savior. Satan was forever cast down. After his resurrection, Christ marched into hell and declared complete and total victory. By his resurrection, we know with absolute certainty that our sins have been paid for. We are forgiven and will enjoy eternal life. This is why John records the great voice in heaven saying, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony. They did not love their lives in the face of death.”

Satan means the Accuser. And this is precisely what he does. He accuses us of our sins before God. He repeatedly tweaks our consciences and reminds us of our sins. He constantly accuses and whispers in our years a horrible lie. He wants us to believe our sins are too great and terrible for God to forgive. He wants to burden us with guilt and make us doubt the love and forgiveness of our God. But the Accuser has been cast down. He has been defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the testimony of the witnesses. This testimony is the Word of God. It is the testimony of the Prophets and Apostles who

saw the salvation of our God with their own eyes and were moved by the Holy Spirit to write for us all that Christ has done for us. This is the Word that assures us that we have been forgiven. Our sins have been washed away in the waters of baptism, and our Lord comes to us again and again, offering his body and blood as an assurance that our sins have been forgiven. This is why the Apostle Paul boldly says in Rom 8, “Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect?” God has declared us not guilty because of the blood of the Lamb. Satan has been conquered and can bring no accusation against us, for we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ the righteous one.

But our adversary is still dangerous. He has been defeated but still “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The Book of Revelation describes Satan as a great and terrible dragon. He is a powerful adversary who has been mortally wounded. And like any dangerous beast, we should be cautious of him. He is filled with anger and rage and wants nothing more than to condemn as many as possible to the fires of hell. He is a murderer and a liar who wants to kill us and condemn us to an eternity of torment with him.

As a liar, he seeks to twist God’s Word and use it against us. He did this to Christ when he tempted him in the desert. He twists God’s Word to convince us that we must do something to earn our salvation. Or he twists God’s Word in numerous ways to get us to ask, “Did God really say?” We see an example of this in our modern world when we are told that being loving means accepting and tolerating behavior that is clearly against the will of God. We fight against the Devil by immersing ourselves in God’s Word. We arm ourselves with the truth, as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the schemes of the Devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to take a stand on the evil day and, after you have done everything, to stand.”

As we celebrate the Festival of St. Michael, we remember the spiritual battle being warred for our souls. Satan and his evil angels want nothing more than to destroy our faith and condemn us to an eternity of hell with him. But God is on our side. Our powerful Father sends his servants, the angels, to guard and protect us. We remember the archangel Michael in particular because he is viewed as the protector of the Church. He was the protector of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, and he continues to protect God’s church today.

As we heard in the Old Testament lesson, there is an invisible war going on around us. God sends his army of invisible angels to protect and watch over us. God would not need to do this. He is with us every day of our lives, but the angels are a special blessing that God gives to his people. They defend us from the attacks of the devil and his evil angels. They thwart the plans of Satan and his minions. They rejoice when we repent of our sins and when unbelievers come to faith. They have, at times, proclaimed the message of the Gospel and the Word of the Lord to people. They are God’s servants who serve faithfully before his throne and sing his praises day and night.

Scripture also teaches us that the angels watch over us and protect us from physical danger. Psalm 91:11-12 gives us this promise from God, “Yes, he will give a command to his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Many believers have a story of a time in their lives when they know an angel was guarding and protecting them from harm. God promises to use his angels to watch over and protect us. This does not mean we should act foolishly and take unnecessary risks, which is how Satan tried to twist this passage when he tempted him to throw himself from the temple. But God does promise to use his angels to watch over and protect us. What a comfort and blessing to know that our God loves us so much that he is using his angels to continually guard and protect us.

This Festival of St. Michael gives us a wonderful opportunity to praise God for his angels. This is one of the differences of the Lutheran church. All of our praise and worship goes to God and not to the angels who insist in Scripture that they not be worshiped. We thank God for using his angels to watch over us in our spiritual and physical lives. We know Satan is constantly raging against us and seeking to destroy us. But he has been defeated by the blood of the Lamb. We rest assured knowing that “This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; one little word can fell him.”

That's So Unfair by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Matthew 20:1-16 Proper 20

SN: 0030 09/24/23

That’s So Unfair

There are many days that I will be sitting at my house enjoying a quiet cup of coffee, and the silence will be shattered by an ear-splitting cry of, “That’s not fair! You’re cheating!” Both of my boys love video games and are very competitive, so when they feel like they are not being treated fairly, they make a big deal out of it. Or I’ll be sitting in the stands at a sporting event and hear cries of “Come on, ref,” or “Hey, that’s a foul!” And before I give the impression that I am not guilty of the same thing, I’m pretty sure that in a little bit, when I’m watching the Packers, I will be making the same complaints.

Why do we do these things? I think it’s because we are wired to want things to be fair. We want things to be equal. We don’t like it when people cheat. And we especially don’t like it when we feel that others are being given an unfair advantage. You even see this concept in some of our legal symbolism. This morning, I have a picture of Lady Justice. She represents our ideal of justice: it is blind (so she can’t show favoritism) and with even and fair scales that will judge things equally. This is how we want to be judged, fairly and equally. As humans, we have a natural desire to be judged based on our actions. We want to be rewarded for doing good, and while we don’t want to be punished for doing wrong, we understand that evil deserves punishment.

This natural tendency is one of the reasons we struggle with the parable of the workers. This story doesn’t sound fair to us because we can easily put ourselves in the shoes of the workers who were hired first. The vineyard owner went out early in the morning to hire workers. He promised to pay them a fair wage for their day of work, to which they agreed. This would have been a 12-hour shift doing hard manual labor in his vineyard. He then went out at 9, 12, and 3. Finally, he went out at 5 and hired a few more workers to help for the last hour. At the end of the day, he instructed his foreman to pay each worker, starting with the last one hired. They were paid one denarius, so the workers hired first assumed they would get more, even though that’s the sum they agreed to.

Let’s put this in a modern context. Imagine you’ve worked at a factory or a store for years. Your boss hires new workers and starts paying them the same amount of money you make. He’s not doing this to slight you; he just wants to be generous to the new workers. How would you feel? You’d most likely demand a raise or look for a different job. So, we understand the frustration of the workers who worked the whole day and received the same pay as those who only worked one hour. But what does the vineyard owner say? He says I have not been unfair, “I paid you the wage you agreed to; I have simply chosen to be generous to all those I hired to work in my vineyard and pay them the same amount of money.”

In this parable, Jesus is not giving us an example of how we should manage a business. He tells his disciples this parable to correct their misunderstanding about the kingdom of heaven. Just before this, a rich young man had come to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to be saved. Jesus replied that to be saved, he must keep the commandments. The rich young man responded that he had done this. Jesus then answered that he needed to sell all his possessions and give them to the poor. The rich young man went away sad because he realized this was something that he was not willing to do. Jesus’s point was that God is not concerned with our outward actions but with the attitude of the heart.

The rich young man loved his possessions more than he loved God. When the disciples saw this interaction, they were amazed. Peter then had the idea that because they had given up everything to follow Christ, this made them better than the rich young man. Jesus responded that it is true that those who love God and put him first in their lives will receive the gift of eternal life. This does not make one group of Christians better than another. The parable of the workers illustrates the truth that God does not deal with us fairly in matters of faith. When it comes to salvation, God does not deal with

us fairly; he deals with us graciously. And when we start examining this concept, we realize that the idea of God dealing with us fairly should fill us with terror and dread.

Because of our sinful natures, it is very easy for us to want to compare ourselves to others. It’s very easy to fall into the same attitude as workers vineyard. We know we have toiled long and hard in the Lord’s vineyard. We want to receive more than those who have not worked as hard as we have. We want to think that we are better than others in God's eyes. We like to be able to look at others and say, “While it’s true that I am a sinner, at least I’m not as bad of a sinner as those people over there.” Or do we want to be like Jonah, sitting under his vine and lamenting that God is not destroying the wicked as they deserve? We want our God to be just. We want him to punish the wicked and reward those who do the most good. This satisfies our innate desire for justice and fairness. But the point of Jesus’s parable is that in matters of faith, we should not be comparing ourselves to others. God does not judge us by comparing us with others; he judges us according to the standard of his holy law: "So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

And how do we measure up to that standard? We have failed. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” When we view our lives and our conduct against the standard of God’s holy law or even just against the 10 Commandments, we realize that we are sinners. We understand how foolish it is to want God to deal with us according to his justice. If God dealt with us fairly, he would punish us as our sins deserve. He would condemn us to eternal death, for the wages of sin is death.

This is the point of the parable. It doesn’t matter how long or how hard we work. We can do nothing to earn our salvation. God gives us salvation as a free gift. “Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Think about it this way: Adam faithfully served the Lord for 930 years, Abraham faithfully served the Lord for 175 years; after his conversion, the Apostle Paul served the Lord for about 30 years, and the thief on the cross was a believer for only a few hours, and yet they all received the same reward: salvation.

From a purely human standpoint, this does not seem fair, and yet this is how God deals with us in grace. In order to save us, God did something that was incredibly unfair. He punished his one and only Son in our place. Think of the life that Christ lived for you. Jesus never sinned. He lived his life in complete obedience to the will of the Father. He kept every commandment. He never failed to show love and mercy to others. He did nothing that deserved punishment. And yet, what did God do? He punished Jesus for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Christ willingly offered his perfect life as payment for the entire world's sins. He took all our sins on himself and paid for them with his life.

This is the great injustice of our salvation. Instead of being punished for our sins, Christ was punished in our place. By his death, he made full and complete payment for all of our sins and gives us forgiveness as a free and gracious gift. By his resurrection, he defeated the power of death and hell so that we could receive the reward of eternal life with him. This is the generous gift that our Father in heaven gives to us. We are paid the wage of salvation because our God is generous and not because we have done anything to earn or deserve that gift. This is not fairness; this is not justice; this is pure grace.

As we consider the parable of the workers, we are tempted to sympathize with those workers who felt that they were being treated unfairly. We must daily struggle against that tendency to compare ourselves to others and think that we deserve more from God. We instead place ourselves in the place of the workers who received a full day's wages for only a little work. We understand that because we are sinners, we don’t deserve any reward but only the wrath and punishment of God. But we also know that our Savior has paid for our sins. We are forgiven! We have been born again through the waters of baptism and washed in the blood of the Lamb. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, we remember

that we have been redeemed in Christ. God did not need to give us anything, but in his love, he gave us salvation. This is the truth and joy that we cling to every day of our lives. This is the hope and confidence we have that we have been fully and completely forgiven in Christ.

Dear friend, we love to have things be fair. We value justice and want to be treated equally in all things. But our God doesn’t deal with us fairly. Grace isn’t fair. Grace is a merciful and undeserved gift given to us through Christ. If God dealt with us according to his justice, we would be lost. But God has dealt with us through his love and mercy. He has removed our sins in Christ, so when we are tempted to wonder why others have received the same reward, we remember that we have been saved not by our own efforts but by Christ.