Revelation 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Congratulations! You came in last place! Congratulations! You broke your arm! Congratulations! Life is falling apart and you have nothing left. Yes, these aren’t normally things that we celebrate. The sympathy trophies for those who come in last or the participation medals for those who started but didn’t finish might feel more like a greater insult than losing does. This isn’t what we normally do. We like to celebrate winners—the strongest, the fastest, the smartest. These are the people that we celebrate.

But congratulations. Life is terrible... and that’s good! Yes, it’s the complete upside-down logic from what we normally think. But that’s because it’s not our normal logic. It’s God’s logic. God’s kingdom works in an upside-down fashion from what we experience here. Hence, we get the beatitudes this week.

As we come to celebrate All Saints’ Day this week, we hear the upside-down way in which God is at work in our world. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted...” Matthew 5:3-4. Blessed are those who have everything going wrong in life. It sounds strange to us because it is! Jesus comes and blesses those whose life is in shambles, who has nothing left, who can’t even accomplish anything themselves. And yes, that’s a good thing!

For let’s not lose sight of the significance of this church holiday. All Saints’ Day is the day where we remember all those Christians who have died in the faith—our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers, our sons and daughters, our friends, and all those we love. It’s a somber day because we weep and we mourn for the pain that death has caused in our life. For in our world, death is seen as the final barrier, even as it’s called a “natural” end. No one is able to escape death. 

But blessed are you who mourn, for you shall be comforted. Not comforted by the ways of this world, but by the upside-down rule of Jesus. For those who find themselves in such low estate know that God alone is their help. Those who suffer the death of a loved one have felt the mortality of their own flesh and know that there’s nothing we can do. But God can... and does! For you who mourn shall be comforted by Jesus’ death. You shall be comforted that Jesus has already died for you and for your sins. Jesus gave himself over to death so that death would no longer have anything on us! “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven...” Matthew 5:12. Yes, All Saints’ Day is a somber day because we still feel the sting of death, however, we find comfort and reason to celebrate because Jesus has defeated death! By Jesus’ resurrection, he has ripped the door off its hinges, rolled back the stone, and shown us that death’s reign is over! So, blessed are you who mourn, for we look to Christ and find eternal life!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Revelation 14:6-7; Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

There are so many lasting legacies of the Reformation that it can be hard to talk about them all. Of course, the common refrain about the Reformation is the restoration of the gospel to the Church. However, this doesn’t even capture the full picture. For what does it mean that the gospel was restored? Was it only the teaching of salvation by faith alone? What about the teaching of the law? Or good works?

Indeed, these are all good topics and all worthy of discussion. However, there’s another topic that gets passed over all too often. While Luther came to understand these core truths, he also had to find a way to teach them, pass them down to future generations, and ensure they wouldn’t be forgotten. For the secret of the Reformation was music! Luther came to write, use, and master the art of music for teaching important doctrines of faith. 

First, let us consider the popular Psalm which Luther turns into the “battle hymn” of the Reformation (“A Mighty Fortress is our God”). By singing this hymn, we hear right from the Psalm, “A mighty fortress is our God, a trusty shield and weapon.” It reminds us that God is our mighty fortress against all storms of life. No matter what comes our way in this life, God alone can stand strong for us. Though we find that “On earth is not [the devil’s] equal,” we also hear that Jesus fights for us and needs but one “little word” to fell this mighty opponent.

Yet, we turn to the Gospel and hear the sad truth about our captivity to sin. As Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin,” John 8:34. Luther captures this same sentiment in another hymn (“Salvation unto Us Has Come”), where he writes, “From sin our flesh could not abstain, sin held its sway unceasing…” We all must know just how deep our sin goes lest we fall into false belief that we’re able to justify ourselves. In a way, Luther sought to restore the Law to its proper place just as much as he sought to rediscover the Gospel.

To get all the way to this point, Luther came to know and appreciate what the true core of the Reformation was. The doctrines, the hymns, the other debates were all periphery to this one thing. Salvation counted on Jesus alone. If we had Jesus only, we had true life and eternal salvation! If we had Jesus plus anything, then we really had nothing at all. As his hymn says, “Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone and rests in Him unceasing… for faith alone can justify”. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed,” John 8:36. It was Jesus alone who could justify and set us free from sin, death, and the devil. It was Jesus that he (and all of us) needed most of all. And if it was Jesus we need, then it was Jesus that needed to be preached, taught, and passed on. Not just his teachings, but Christ crucified for you and me! Yes, it’s Jesus on the cross that sets us free. It’s Jesus alone who we look to and find as our “mighty fortress.” It’s Jesus alone who offers us the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Genesis 32:22-30; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Prayer should be like calling your best friend. It should be like talking with a spouse. It should be like having a conversation with your own parent. Prayer should be like all these things because we should want to pray just as much as we want to hear from and talk to those we love. It shouldn’t be seen as something burdensome or useless. After all, a five-minute conversation with any loved one is of great benefit. 

So, why is talking to God any different than talking to these? Perhaps, prayer is so dressed up in spiritual garb that we think it’s actually different. Or perhaps, we begin to think that prayer doesn’t do as much as we’re told. There’s no escaping the feeling that you’re talking to an empty room when you pray. We certainly wish God would just open the heavens and speak with us or even call us on our phones. How hard could that be for God?!

Yet, this is the difficulty we always have with prayer. It doesn’t seem to do anything. God doesn’t act as quickly as we would like him too. When we pray, we often expect God to answer immediately, especially when we pray for something repeatedly. We can ask only so many times before we start to give up on receiving an answer or reply.

For this is the purpose of Jesus’ parable this week. “[Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart,” Luke 18:1. Jesus wants us to pray. He wants us to want to pray so that we don’t lose heart. He doesn’t want us to give up hope and faith in God. For so he told us this parable. The widow in ancient Israel had no standing in society to request anything; yet this is why God required society to care for them. The unrighteous judge however had no care for God or his commands. He thus had no reason to hear her out or to give her what she wanted.

This widow was answered for her persistence. Even an unrighteous judge has reason to vindicate a lowly widow. How much more so God?! That’s ultimately the point. If even an unrighteous person on earth can be persuaded or convinced to answer us in our favor, God who cares immensely more for you and loves you will bring you justice quickly! God is gracious and merciful. He hears the cries of his saints night and day, and he will not delay his judgment forever. For this is his judgment. God has suffered long over our sin that he may answer us and vindicate us in Christ. For by his grace and mercy, he gave us Jesus to die for our sins that we may not suffer forever but have peace and eternal life! God was vindicated when He raised Jesus from the dead to declare his victory over sin, death, the devil and all evil on earth. So, may we always pray to God, bringing every plight and trouble before him and never lose heart. For he will answer us quickly with his grace in Christ Jesus!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, You have commanded us to pray and have promised to hear us. Mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may direct and govern our hearts in all things that we may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Ruth 1:1-19a; 2 Timothy 2:1-13; Luke 17:11-19

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

What does it take to earn the title “master”? In most scenarios, it often means you are really good at something. For instance, champions in chess or golf are called “masters”. Or you might think of someone earning a “masters” degree in a field of study. Masters are often those who are extremely talented in their field and exceed the skills of most others.

It often takes years, or even decades for most to achieve such a status. It’s also the case that only a very few will actually achieve it. This is why we don’t sling such a title around needlessly. We don’t just call everyone “master” lest it suddenly mean nothing. To call someone master is to acknowledge both their skill and the time and effort they put into it.

As we read our Gospel lesson this week, we hear ten lepers call out to Jesus for help and mercy. What is more interesting is what they call Jesus, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,” Luke 17:13. What these ten lepers proclaim with this title is that Jesus is more than able to heal them. They know that Jesus is “master” over illness and disease since word of Jesus healing others has crossed their ears a number of times. But even more so, this simple title is a statement of their unworthiness to ask anything of Jesus. Rather, they seek his mercy for they have no greater hope.

Consider that we are like those lepers. We have been isolated and alienated by our sin. For leprosy at that time caused individuals to live outside the camp or community. They were cut off from everyone until they were healed or died. Sin does the same to us. Sin cuts us off from God and from one another. And we have no greater hope than appealing to the mercy of our master... God.

Of all the names and titles we ascribe to Jesus, master is perhaps one we don’t often consider. However, it’s a title that fits Jesus just as well as any other. For who else is able to heal like Jesus can? He doesn’t need to see or touch, but only says the word so that these ten lepers are healed! So too with us and our sins. Jesus is master over us. He’s the one whom can forgive our sins, heal our divisions, bring back the wandering, restore those alienated from community, and so much more. For all of this he does by going to the cross for us! Jesus is the master, not just over health and diseases, but over all of creation, over sin and death. Better yet, he’s a master that has mercy! For Jesus isn’t just our last hope; he’s our best hope! Jesus has mercy on us and grants us the gifts of faith so that we may be healed of the disease of sin, and restored unto the community of God! So let us turn back to Jesus and offer up our thanks and praise for all he has done for us!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty God, You show mercy to Your people in all their troubles. Grant us always to recognize Your goodness, give thanks for Your compassion, and praise Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:1-10

Dear brother and sisters in Christ,

It’s not uncommon for things to be left undone because we lack the motivation to do it. Sometimes dishes don’t get washed, toys don’t get put away, the lawn doesn’t get mowed because we lack the motivation or energy to do it. In those moments, we all recognize the physical and mental strain that we must overcome in order to complete the task at hand. This is why we often say, “I wish I had more motivation to get it done.”

Similarly, with faith, God has given us many things that we’re supposed to do. Be a good person, forgive others, share your faith, witness through your actions, and so on. As Christians, we realize at times that we lack the “motivation” or rather faith necessary to do what God has asked of us. Or the circumstances and situations we find ourselves in demand a greater faith to overcome them.

This week, I think we all can relate to the apostles as they listen to Jesus’ teaching. As Jesus tells them, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in a day, and turns to you seven times, saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him,” Luke 17:3-4. Living a Christian life is difficult work. Calling out others sins in a loving and caring way, and also being willing to forgive them is definitely not easy. Realizing the scope of what Jesus has said, the disciples’ response shouldn’t surprise us. “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:5. It’s both our plea for help with such a difficult task and an admittance that we’re not strong enough on our own. 

Increase our faith, God. Indeed, we’re not up to the task you have asked of us. We often fail or refuse to listen to you because it’s hard for us, or we just don’t want to. We often pay more attention to the mistakes of others than to our own. Just as Jesus says, "Temptations to sin are sure to come..." Luke 17:1. Daily, we’re tempted to fall away from you and daily we sin against you. Even when I do what you ask of me, I do it for my own glory and not for yours. Forgive me, Lord for all the times I haven’t lived as you have commanded or desired!

Yet, for all that the Lord has asked of us, he shows us the way in which we can carry it out. The motivation of the Christian life doesn’t come from within us. Rather, it always flows from Christ! Seven times, we forgive because God has forgiven us a million times! We’re called to love one another because God has loved us to the point of sending Jesus to die on the cross in our place. We serve one another because Christ has tied the towel around his waist and served us first. There can be no doubt that God grants us more faith, but he does this by simply pointing us to and showing us all that HE has done for us in Christ! Thus, when we have done all this, we’re to say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty,” Luke 17:10. Praise be to God who has served us in Jesus Christ and his death for us that we may now serve one another with forgiveness and love!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O God, our refuge and strength, the author of all godliness, by Your grace hear the prayers of Your Church. Grant that those things which we ask in faith we may receive through Your bountiful mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Amos 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Does God give us karma? You know karma, that is, “what goes around comes around”. This has always been a favorable stance for us as humans. We like the idea that those who do good are rewarded and those who do evil are punished. It’s like watching someone speed past you on the road and hoping the police are waiting nearby. Indeed, we often revel in such circumstances because we believe that is the way things are supposed to work.

It seems as though Jesus says much the same in our Gospel lesson this week. We hear Jesus tell us the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man has everything he desires in life and enjoys great comfort, whereas Lazarus has nothing but suffering. Then we hear their fate after they die, where Abraham speaks to the rich man, saying, “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish,” Luke 16:25. It seems that the moral of this story is that the greedy man is punished and the poor man rewarded.

Hence, our question... Does God give us Karma? It would make us feel better if we could say yes. We all would prefer it that way, wouldn’t we? But the problem is, we all are evil. We all deserve punishment for the sins we commit and “karma” shows no mercy. If every time I did something wrong I had to pay a price for it, I would be bankrupt in a day! 

However, the rich man is meant as a stern warning for us who live comfortable lives. You see, the problem with the rich man is that he has made an idol out of his wealth and comfort. When life is going well, we feel no need to ask for help. This is why Scripture repeatedly warns us about the allure of money. Wealth, riches, and a comfortable life are among the many things that cause us to stop listening to God’s word. Yes, when life and “faith” become easy for us, it’s far easier to stop believing or listening to God. Rather, faith requires us to examine ourselves constantly, to know that we are nothing other than poor, miserable sinners.

But consider also Lazarus. Did he get into heaven simply because he was poor? That’s also a no! Understand that the name “Lazarus” means “One whom God has helped”. Lazarus was helped by God throughout his life so that God may be his help even in death. For God has helped us by giving us Moses and the Prophets. But he didn’t stop there. Yes, upon hearing God’s word to his people of Old, we come to know and look towards the promised messiah, Jesus Christ! Jesus is the one who helps us in our weakness, warns us of our sin, and comforts us in our afflictions. Jesus is the one whom God put to death for your sins and even raised him to witness to new and eternal life for all who believe! God is not the God of karma, but the God of mercy and grace! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O God, You are the strength of all who trust in You, and without Your aid we can do no good thing. Grant us the help of Your grace that we may please You in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Amos 8:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Luke 16:1-15

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

America was built on the Christian work ethic. Christians have long been the ones who put in the long hours, showed the extra effort, and been the dutiful employees. Of course, it comes from our teaching of vocation that we’re meant to honor our bosses or employers just as the Christian employer is to respect his employees. Even if one or the other is an unbeliever, they are owed that same respect and care. For we know by that, we witness to our faith and the care God has given to us.

This is why our Gospel lesson is so confusing this week. Jesus is teaching his disciples about a range of different topics, when he comes to this parable. The dishonest manager shows none of these “Christian work ethic” traits for which he should be commended. He is said to be lazy, even squandering his master’s wealth. When he is rightly fired for his dishonesty, he doesn’t come with some heartfelt apology and a plea for a second chance to do better. Rather, he fudges the books for his own personal gain, so that he may have some place to run after he’s removed.

Jesus is, of course, not teaching us to be dishonest, nor to be lazy. Such imitation would face a stern rebuke from our Lord. The Ten Commandments call us to honor our bosses (4th commandment), help protect and improve their possessions and income (7th commandment), nor covet what they have (9th & 10th commandment). For there are many people today that become dishonest in their labor. There are many that want to put in as little effort as possible while still being paid for extra work. 

So, what are we to take from this parable? The dishonest manager gives us little we can imitate or commend, yet he was commended by the master. Here in lies the secret. It’s not really about the manager. The parable is more about the master. The parable is meant to emphasize the graciousness of the master. In spite of the manager’s dishonesty, he knows the character of his master. He’s commended, not for his laziness, but for his faith in his master’s mercy! The manager’s plan relies fully on the graciousness of his master!

Be wise in faith. Plan your future knowing you have a master and Lord who is merciful towards you. For God has given you his only Son, Jesus Christ, to forgive you all your debts. He has shown his mercy and grace towards you by sending Jesus to die on the cross. For it is not right for us to count on money for our salvation. Money will fail. Rather, let us use money as a testament to our Lord’s grace and mercy, that we may be received into His eternal dwelling! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, keep Your Church in Your perpetual mercy; and because without You we cannot but fall, preserve us from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!