Proverbs 25:2-10; Hebrews 13:1-17; Luke 14:1-14

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Everyone wants to be the one in the seat of power. We want to be our own boss. It’s alluring to know that you don’t have to listen to anyone else and also get to tell others what to do. We all know that this is the way the world works. Power is a currency in our world. Whoever holds more power is seen as the more “successful” person. And there’s no shortage of “self-help” books that aim at leading you towards such a life, teaching you the secrets of certain habits or traits to practice to become such a person.

Issues arise though when we try to implement such a system within the church. The church doesn’t work the same way. You don’t get to tell people what to do and have them still listen to you. Rather, the “higher” a position you have, the more you work for others. “Power” in the church is actually service. This is why pastors are called to serve the people, not become their boss.

In our Gospel lesson this week, Jesus argues with some Pharisees who are trying to lay a trap for him. They first place a man who has dropsy before him (on a Sabbath) to see what Jesus does. But Jesus sees right through it, as he says, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?... Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” Luke 14:3, 5. These Pharisees were so concerned with their laws regarding the Sabbath that they left no room for compassion. Jesus however begins to show them the opposite. 

The Pharisees weren’t the only ones paying close attention. Jesus too observed them and took notice of their habits, “when he noticed how they chose the places of honor” (Luke 14:7). The Pharisees always sought the best seats, the place of the greatest honor and power. Yes, they had completely perverted their office and what God had given them to do. They had let their own pride and arrogance supersede their responsibility to serve the people of God.

But pride always comes before the fall, right? At least, this is the lesson Jesus teaches us. When we seek out the places of honor and power, there’s always the chance that someone else will come who deserves the seat more than we do. “And then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’... For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted,” Luke 14:9-11. The example Jesus sets for us isn’t one of seeking power to rule over others. Rather, it’s the power to serve one another. For Jesus didn’t exalt himself, but rather came to take the lowest place among us. He became as we are in his humility, even being made in the image of sinners. Thus, Jesus took even the lowest place of the cross, to serve everyone with his atoning death, being exalted by his Father to the throne of grace! Yes, Jesus humbled himself to serve us, though he holds the greatest authority and power. So too, shall we in humble service care for one another just as Jesus has served us! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord of grace and mercy, teach us by Your Holy Spirit to follow the example of Your Son in true humility, that we may withstand the temptations of the devil and with pure hearts and minds avoid ungodly pride; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Isaiah 66:18-23; Hebrews 12:4-24; Luke 13:22-30

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“Lord, will those who are saved be few?” (Luke 13:23). Let’s get right to the point. Skip past all the chitter-chatter, the back-and-forth, the long-winded explanation. It’s one of those questions that we do often ponder. After looking out at our world and seeing the nearly eight billion people, we’re left wondering how and who God will save. I’ve heard some argue that God isn’t truly good if he doesn’t (or can’t) save everyone. 

It's the wrong question though, as Jesus shows us. For you see, we can spend all day (or a lifetime) contemplating such questions and it won’t do us or anyone any good. It won’t get others into heaven. For the reality is that not everyone will be saved. This has always been clear. “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able,” Luke 13:24. Many won’t make it. Many will be shut and locked outside the pearly gates of heaven and “in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth…” Luke 13:28. 

That’s not a very comforting thought, is it? It kicks your feet out from under you. Anything that you thought earned you that spot is now under scrutiny, or at least it should be. Have I done enough good things? Have I helped enough people? Have I given enough of my time, talents, and money for the glory of God? “Strive to enter through the narrow door.”  

But here’s the thing. That’s the entire point. This striving to enter isn’t a striving to “do better” or “do enough good works.” This striving is none other than repentance and faith. It’s a striving to strip ourselves of all those things we trust in other than God for salvation. Enter through the narrow door. You can’t walk through the pearly gates of heaven trusting in your own self-righteousness. Nor can you carry in your belief in karma or your own personal spirituality. This narrow door won’t permit you to believe in any other God.

After all, it’s not our own striving that gets us to heaven. It’s the striving of Jesus who has opened wide the gates of heaven! Jesus is the narrow door, the one and only way to salvation. He has striven against sin, against every temptation of the flesh, and against death. This is why we are told that Jesus was journeying toward Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, Jesus would finish the fight, complete his work, and end the agony of sin by his death on the cross. On the cross, the striving against sin would be completed. Enter through the narrow door by clinging to Jesus alone. Strive against the sinful flesh in faith that you may be among the many who are welcomed to the table in the kingdom of God. For “people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God,” Luke 13:29. Strive in faith that you may enter eternal life!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, You have called us to enter Your kingdom through the narrow door. Guide us by Your Word and Spirit, and lead us now and always into the feast of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Jeremiah 23:16-29; Hebrews 11:17-12:3; Luke 12:49-56

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

To have a family worship together is a blessing beyond all others. Father, mother, sons and daughters together in the pew hearing the blessed words of Jesus Christ. If you have been blessed to have such a family, rejoice! When faith permeates all members and all actions of the family, there is nothing greater. However, we know this is rarely the case. Personal experience often shows us the exact opposite. A mother and son arrive to church, yet no father. A father and daughter, but no mother. Parents, but no children. A brother but no sister… and so on. It is a sad but true reality that our own families are rarely united on something as important as faith.

What we would give for just a little peace from the strife and anxiety caused by a divided family! Yet, this is how we come to understand our Gospel reading firsthand. Faith is divisive. It alters even the most fundamental relationships we have, that is, those of family: father, mother, brother and sister, son or daughter. Just as Jesus tells us, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division, For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three,” Luke 12:51-52. For one reason or another, it’s not uncommon for the Word of God to take root in one member and not another. 

So, what are we to do? We certainly don’t wish to have divided families, yet when they occur, we often feel powerless. We don’t want to lose our family members, but we must remain faithful above all else. For that’s the major lesson today. Nothing should drag you away from faith in Jesus, not even a family member. As difficult as it can be, our number one priority as a Christian is faithfulness to God. Should a family member be tempting you to sin or worse, be dragging you away from faith, it is better to be divided from them than to suffer an eternity in hell. Now, that doesn’t mean abandoning them altogether. Rather, our call is to witness to them as to any unbeliever. Pray for them that the Word of God may take root in their life and so find peace and unity again in Christ!

For this purpose, Jesus came. “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!” Luke 12:49. The fire of God’s Word has been cast upon the earth that it may kindle faith in all people! Just as John the Baptist states, Jesus has come to baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire,” Luke 3:16. Jesus casts this fire that it may divide you from your sin! Division is the process of making holy. A holy people are those who have been divided from the stain of sin and chains of this world. We do not want peace with the world, but peace with God! For Jesus came to be baptized with the fire of God’s wrath on the cross. Jesus died for all your sins that the fire of his Word may be kindled in you and purify you. Thus, may God divide us from sin and all that seeks to drag us away from faith, even as we pray for the kindling of faith in our family! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Merciful Lord, cleanse and defend Your Church by the sacrifice of Christ. United with Him in Holy Baptism, give us grace to receive with thanksgiving the fruits of His redeeming work and daily follow in His way; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-16; Luke 12:22-34

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Does God already know? I chose not to expand this sentence because it applies to just about everything. Whether we’re talking about our personal struggles, the state of our world, a recent tragedy, or so on, the answer remains the same. In truth, God does know. He knows what happens in our life as well as throughout the world. God is infinitely aware of all that transpires on a daily basis.

But this is only half the story. For people will often follow up with another question, does God care? As many will posit, that God is indifferent to our world and the happenings within it. Even if God knows, because of all the evil in our world, many believe that God either doesn’t care or is unable to help us.

Yet, Jesus gives us a different answer. One that we really should take to heart if we desire to know God and what he thinks about us. As Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on,” Luke 12:22. Jesus tells us not to worry, which is easier said than done. Worry is such a large part of our life on this earth because we all want to know that everything is cared for, that we won’t fall on hard times. But also consider, as Jesus says, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” Luke 12:25-26. Worry, while rational at times, really doesn’t help us at all.

There’s no doubt that we are worrisome creatures. But we must understand what is at the center of our worries. Whether it’s our worry about a job, about school, about friends, money, or so on, it all boils down to our worries of death. Yes, our worries are grounded on the desire to avoid death as long as possible. We know that we’re mortal creatures who have a risk of death at any time. 

But, doesn’t God know? Indeed, he does. And does God care? Well, yes! This is what Jesus shows us. God so cares for the ravens as he feeds them or the lilies of the field as he clothes them (Luke 12:24, 27). And if he cares for these things, how much more does he care for you? God who created the world still cares for all that he created. As Jesus says, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” Luke 12:32. Worry is something we don’t need as Christians if we truly know God and his care for us. Indeed, God is pleased to give us food and clothes and all that we need for he has also given us Jesus to die for us on the cross that even death may not concern us. Yes, God knows all that we need and he is pleased to give you this and so much more by his grace in Jesus Christ! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty and merciful God, it is by Your grace that we live as Your people who offer acceptable service. Grant that we may walk by faith, and not by sight, in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-26; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Few things will solve a problem faster than a different perspective. We all have had those issues that we bang our heads against for so long and fail to solve them, only to step away and look at in a different light and find the answer immediately. Perspective is an important part of life and navigating life’s challenges. Our perspective on life and work and family and friends will be a large part of who we end up being.

It should be no surprise then that faith demands its own perspective. Faith has a different way of looking at the world, life, job, and all that we say and do. This is because faith is so distinct and different from how our thoughts normally go. There’s this division between the “things of this world” and the “things of faith”. Faith tells us that there is a different way to look at this world because God is present in our life.

Consider our Gospel reading this week as Jesus interacts with a person from the crowd demanding Jesus to judge his dispute. This man seeks Jesus’ intervention in receiving his inheritance from his brother. To this, Jesus tells a parable. A rich man is overly blessed by the growth of his crops. He sees that he has no more room to store his grain and ponders what he shall do at this dilemma. Thus, he decides, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry,” Luke 12:18-19. While this solution sounds well and good, this man has failed to consider a different perspective... his own mortality. As God responds, he tells him that his life will be required of him that very night. So, what shall become of the abundance of his possessions?

This is where Jesus pushes us toward a new perspective on wealth, money, and possessions. Our goal in life isn’t to seek after wealth for its own sake. Money cannot deliver us from death, no matter how much we have. Likewise, we’re to realize one other big perspective shift. Our wealth and even our life are not our own. Everything we have in this life is a gift of God and we are stewards of God’s wealth. 

When we look at life in this different perspective, we’ll come to realize what has value and what does not. Through faith, we come to see this life in light of our mortality, but also through the lens of eternity. As Solomon teaches us, the things of this world are nothing but “vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). But there’s a wealth that far exceeds anything in this world... the treasures of heaven! Instead of being rich in this life, for a time, by faith in Christ, we have the wealth of eternity! For God has given us the abundance of his grace through Jesus and his death on the cross for us. Thus, let us look with renewed perspective and as good stewards of God’s gifts, that we may share this heavenly treasure with all!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, grant us wisdom to recognize the treasures You have stored up for us in heaven, that we may never despair but always rejoice and be thankful for the riches of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Genesis 18:20-33; Colossians 2:6–15; Luke 11:1-13

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I’m always looking for the right words. It never fails that in conversations and writings, I can’t seem to think of the right words to express what I want. I juggle around other words to try to make up for the loss of vocabulary, yet they don’t do it justice because it’s not the word I was thinking about. It bothers me especially when it’s on the tip of my tongue, yet still won’t come to mind. 

Now, I know I’m not alone in this struggle for I’ve heard others tell me similar things. I’ve also found this is especially true when we’re talking about prayer. So many people have an aversion to praying, that is, especially praying out loud in front of a group. Growing up, in church youth group, it wasn’t uncommon for the leader to ask someone to pray. Right as they did, everyone would turn and look away, hoping not to be called on. You could say we were all at a loss for words.

Prayer is a funny thing. We all think it’s so hard to pray because we never know what to say. We don’t know how to communicate our thoughts and ideas. It should come as no surprise then that Jesus’ disciples were no different. In our Gospel reading this week, the disciples ask Jesus to give them the words to use that they may pray “better.” And of course, Jesus obliges. Hence, we have the Lord’s Prayer.

There’s no understating what a blessing this prayer is for the Christian. To have our Lord’s own words be given to us that we may pray is helpful for us to learn what prayer actually is. For you see, we should cherish these words as believers, but they shouldn’t be thought of as constricting. Our Lord’s prayer is a building block, teaching us greater and deeper truths.

In our Lord’s prayer, Jesus shows us that we have a Heavenly Father who is beyond gracious. God desires to give us all good things; things which are far greater than anything we could ever think or hope to ask for. He gives us daily bread. He gives us forgiveness. He gives us his kingdom by sending His one and only Son. Yes, our Lord’s prayer shows us that we don’t need the most sophisticated words, perfect phrases, or even a coherent thought. We can simply come before God with all that is on our heart and ask. For so Jesus says, “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened,” Luke 11:10. Indeed, we know that God our Heavenly Father hears us and desires to give us the greatest things. Now, we have all the words we need to ask for and receive faith, forgiveness, and eternal salvation! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, let Your merciful ears be attentive to the prayers of Your servants, and by Your Word and Spirit teach us how to pray that our petitions may be pleasing before You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Genesis 18:1-14; Colossians 1:21-29; Luke 10:38-42

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

If only there was more time in a day, then we could get everything done that we wanted to finish. It’s a common theme that we just don’t have enough time everyday to do everything we want to do. Some things need to be left for another day or perhaps, some things just need to be dropped altogether. This is why we must pick and choose which will be better to get done first. Do we want a clean house, or time to relax? Do we want to go to the school dance or attend our favorite band’s concert? 

For you see, most weeks our discussion is between right and wrong, good and evil (in the eyes of God). However, what we find this week isn’t so much a repudiation of bad behavior, but an encouragement towards better behavior. It’s a “good, better, best” type situation. While one choice might be “good”, there is a better choice still available.

In our Gospel lesson, we meet two sisters—Martha and Mary—who come to host Jesus in their home. While there is much to get done around the house for such an occasion, we see the two sisters make different choices about what is right for them to do. As we heard, “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving,” Luke 10:39-40. Martha had turned her focus toward serving her guests. Mary chose to sit and listen to her guests. Both were “good” choices. However, Martha didn’t see it that way.

Looking at all the work to do, Martha knows there’s not enough time for her to do it all. She needed help if it was all to get done. Thus, she is hurt by Mary not helping her. Martha is so focused on getting everything done that she even brings Jesus, her guest, into their disagreement. “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me,” Luke 10:40. To Martha, the food, the dishes, the act of serving was the highest good. However, Jesus gently reminds her that there actually is something better.

Serving one another is certainly a good thing. It’s good and noble to serve one another with the same care that Martha had for her guests. However, in faith as in life, there will be other things that are also “good” that we need to decide between because there simply isn’t time for everything. We can become distracted by the number of “good” things that we want to do so that we forget the one thing we need to do. As Jesus tells Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her,” Luke 10:41-42. The best thing wasn’t getting the food done or finishing cleaning. The best thing was sitting and listening to Jesus. Indeed, it is for us as well. There are many good things we can do to the point we must choose between them. But as we choose, let us not neglect to chose the best thing for us as well. To sit at our Lord’s feet and hear of his great love for us as displayed in the cross! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, grant us the Spirit to hear Your Word and know the one thing needful that by Your Word and Spirit we may live according to Your will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!