Tuesday, June 30, 2020

June 30 – Tuesday prior to Proper 9




Zechariah 9:9-12 – Peace for the nations.  Jerusalem has promised that her king is coming to bring peace to the nations. Rejoice (v. 9). What is there to rejoice about? Can we rejoice over the shortage of energy, the arms race, the pollution of the earth, the racial unrest, and political corruption? God gives Israel reason to rejoice — a world ruler is coming in peace for the peace of the world. If we could have world peace, a world government of justice, a ruler of compassion, we would have reason to shout with joy. Has this King not come in Jesus? Christians should be a celebrating people.

God’s people are called to welcome their coming King with joyful shouts. This is a preview to the depiction of the new Jerusalem as the Bride of Christ. See Revelation 21:2

Says Luther, “Here there is no violence, no armor, no power, no anger, no wrath. Here there is only kindness, justice, salvation, mercy and every good thing.”

In His triumphal entry into Jerusalem Jesus gave public proof that He is this promised King. See Matthew 21:1-11

A simple yet heartfelt Prayer – “Almighty God, grant us a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in Your mercy, and a sincere love for You and one another.”

Luther’s Works, American Edition 20:29 copyright © Concordia Publishing St. Louis Fortress Philadelphia, 1955-86
Palm Sunday copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House

Monday, June 29, 2020

June 29 – Monday prior to Proper 9




Psalm 91:1-10 - This is the Psalm portion from which the Introit for next Sunday is taken. The antiphon is taken from verse 1, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

The refuge that is found in God alone will sustain people even if the body is destroyed. This refuge will provide rescue from those things that would harm our relationship with God. The refuge is precisely that. It is a refuge of solace that can provide an inner strength to endure the harshest trials of life. In that sense, God’s presence is a refuge. Since God is ever present in all circumstances of every waking and sleeping moment, then there is a refuge that one can experience in the here and now, and in the future yet to unfold. God is our rock shelter of hope.

Lord Jesus Christ, when tempted by the devil, you remained true to your Father, who commanded his angels to watch over you. Guard your Church from the plague of sin, so that we may remain faithful to you until the day when we enjoy the fullness of your salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen
Prayer for Psalm 91, For All the Saints – A Prayer Book For and By the Church Year 1 © 1994American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi NY 
Lift High the Cross copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Proper 9 - Series A


Proper 9
(5 July 2020)
 Series A

Zechariah 9:9–12
Romans 7:14–25a
Matthew 11:25–30

Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Your mercy attends us all our days. Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 

Jesus Christ, Our Savior, Is Our True Peace and Sabbath Rest

Though we have died with Christ in Holy Baptism, and we are raised to new life in Him, we find “another law waging war” in our body and life, that is, between our old Adam and the new man (Romans 7:23). By the Spirit of Christ, we “desire to do what is right,” but we are not able to do so because “nothing good” dwells in our sinful flesh (Romans 7:18). “Thanks be to God,” therefore, “through Jesus Christ our Lord,” who delivers us from “this body of death” (Romans 7:24–25). 

We rejoice in Him, our gentle King, who comes “righteous and having salvation” (Zechariah 9:9). He speaks peace to our embattled hearts, and by His blood of the New Testament He sets us “free from the waterless pit,” and He returns us to the stronghold of our Baptism (Zecariah 9:10–12). 

Though we “labor and are heavy laden,” He calls us to Himself and gives rest to our souls through His free and full forgiveness (Matthew 11:28), not because we are “wise and understanding,” but by the “gracious will” of God the Father, whom “the Son chooses to reveal” in love (Matthew 11:25–27).

Rev. Dr. Daniel J Brege

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

As we labor under the unbearable weights of temptation, sin, guilt, various miseries and death, we hear Jesus’ merciful invitation to come to Him and realize rest in Him.

Rest in God is a continuous, hallowed theme of God’s revelation. It begins already as part of God’s design at the world’s creation:  So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation (Gen 2:3).  God did not need to hallow a day for himself; it was hallowed for man.  It is apparent that the holiness of the day of rest was recognized by humanity at the beginning.  Such recognition was also true concerning the creation-established sanctity of marriage and of life itself.  As Adam fell and the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen 6:5), God’s foundational holy ordinances were corrupted and even totally lost.  God would again set forth these truths in the Ten Commandments as well as in the unique commands given to the nation of Israel.  Jews—and all humanity—were created to find hallowed rest on the seventh day.  God gave other rest-related commands to the Jews, and all of these rest-related mandates, along with the other Jewish mandates and festivals, were but a shadow of a greater reality.  That reality is the Messiah, the Christ (Col 2:16,17).

Now comes the Messiah, who is God in the flesh, and He invites people to find their rest no longer by observing a specific day, but in Him alone.  He is not nullifying the created day of rest, nor is he nullifying the Jewish rest-related mandates, He is fulfilling them, thus making them obsolete.  When Jesus invites people to find rest in Him, He is declaring that in His person and work He is the Sabbath for mankind.  His invitation in Matthew 11 to realize Sabbath in Him finds its context in the oft-encountered controversy concerning whether He kept the Jewish Sabbath.  It is clearly not a coincidence that immediately after Jesus invites people to find rest in Him, the Jewish Sabbath is discussed and debated (Mt 12:1-12), during which Jesus makes the strange and authoritative statement, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (v 8).   This statement not only identifies Jesus as the Creator of the Sabbath but it identifies Him as the man who completely fulfills the Sabbath.

As Jesus lived a sinless life, laboring and heavy laden under the weight of man’s sins, His climactic moment of weight-bearing occurred at the cross.   Here the God-man became down and dirty, meek and lowly, as He bore the heretofore unbearable weights of temptation, sin, guilt, mankind’s miseries and death.  Then, after working as no man had worked before, and after working as God to establish a new creation, He rested.  He rested on that hallowed seventh day, resting so completely that He didn’t even breathe.  Then on the eighth day, on the day when the new creation begins, He burst forth from the grave, anxious to breathe new life and once again the image of God into human beings who had become but dust. Jesus thus invites, Come to me…and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  Indeed our Lord’s invitation, Come to me, is as powerful as the words of creation, Let there be light.  By His very invitation the dry, dead bones of people are given the breath of life.  When the Lord then invites, Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, He is presenting the feather-light yoke of continually hearing and learning the word of the meek and lowly crucified Christ.  As we labor and are heavy laden, we are baptized into and trust in the word of the crucified and risen Christ and, as He promised, we find perfect rest for our souls.  For as we are in Him who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, who became the embodiment of Sabbath when He rested perfectly in the tomb, we cannot but find rest for our souls.
© 2020 Indiana District - Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

Matthew 11:28 in the Lutheran Confessions
Pr. Andrew Yeager

There are two parts here: being weary and carrying heavy burdens refer to contrition, anxieties, and the terrors of sin and death; to come to Christ is to believe that on account of Christ sins are forgiven. When we believe, our hearts are made alive by the Holy Spirit through the word of Christ. Therefore these are the two chief parts: contrition and faith. Apology XII Repentance.44

Two conditions must be met for a person to qualify as a propitiator. First, there should be a Word of God from which we know with certainty that God wants to have mercy upon and to answer those who call upon him through this propitiator. Therefore, such a promise exists for Christ…no such promise exists for the saints. Therefore, consciences cannot establish with any degree of certainty that we will be heard if we call upon the saints. Such an invocation does not flow from faith. Then we also have the command to call upon Christ according to [Matt. 11:28], “Come to me all you that are weary…” which certainly applies also to us. Apology XXI Invocation of the Saints. 17.

For in this Sacrament he offers us all the treasures he brought from heaven for us, to which he most graciously invites us in other places, as when he says in Matthew 11 [:28]: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Surely it is a sin and a shame that, when he so tenderly and faithfully summons and exhorts us for our highest and greatest good, we regard it with such disdain, neglecting it so long that we grow quite cold and callous and lose all desire and love for it. We must never regard the Sacrament as a harmful thing from which we should flee, but as a pure, wholesome, soothing medicine that aids you and gives life in both soul and body. For where the soul is healed, the body is helped as well. Why, then, do we act as if the Sacrament were a poison that would kill us if we ate of it? Large Catechism The Sacrament of the Altar. 66-68.

This Christ calls all sinners to himself and promises them refreshment. He is utterly serious in his desire that all people should come to him and seek help for themselves [cf. Matt. 11:28; 1 Tim. 2:4]. He offers himself to them in the Word. He desires them to hear the Word and not to plug their ears or despise his Word. To this end he promises the power and activity of the Holy Spirit, divine assistance in remaining faithful and attaining eternal salvation. FC Epitome Election. 8.

The true and worthy guests, for whom this precious Sacrament above all was instituted and established, are the Christians who are weak in faith, fragile and troubled, who are terrified in their hearts by the immensity and number of their sins and think that they are not worthy of this precious treasure and of the benefits of Christ because of their great impurity, who feel the weakness of their faith and deplore it, and who desire with all their heart to serve God with a stronger, more resolute faith and purer obedience. As Christ says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” [Matt. 11:28]… FC SD VII Holy Supper. 69-70.

Therefore, if we want to consider our eternal election to salvation profitably, we must always firmly and rigidly insist that, like the proclamation of repentance, so the promise of the Gospel is universalis, that is, pertains to all people…Christ said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11 [:28]). FC SD XI Election. 28.

Accordingly, the eternal election of God should be considered in Christ and not apart from or outside of Christ. For in Christ, the holy apostle Paul testifies, we have been chosen “before the foundation of the world” [Eph. 1:4], as is written, “He has loved us in his beloved” [Eph. 1:6]. This election is revealed from heaven through the proclaimed Word, as the Father said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well-pleased; listen to him!” [Matt. 17:5]. And Christ says, “Come to me, all you who are…carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” [Matt. 11:28].

Therefore, if people wish to be saved, they should not concern or torture themselves with thoughts about the secret counsel of God—whether they are chosen or preordained for eternal life—with which the accursed Satan is wont to attack and trouble upright hearts. Rather, they should listen to Christ, who is the “Book of Life” and the book of God’s eternal election for all God’s children to eternal life [Phil. 4:13; Rev. 3:5; 20:15]. For he testifies to all people without distinction that God wills all people who are burdened and weighed down with sins to come to him, so that they may be given rest and be saved [Matt. 11:28]. FC SD XI Election 65, 70.

Similarly, by instructing people to seek eternal election in Christ and in his holy gospel as in the Book of Life, this teaching gives no one cause either for faintheartedness or for a brazen, dissolute life. For this teaching excludes no repentant sinners. Instead, it calls and draws all poor, burdened, and troubled sinners to repentance, to the recognition of their sins, and to faith in Christ. It promises the Holy Spirit for purification and renewal [Matt. 11:28…] Thus, it gives the most reliable comfort to troubled, tempted people, that they may know their salvation does not rest in their own hands. FC SD XI Election 89.



Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

Matthew 11.25
 Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν• Ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, πάτερ κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἔκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν, καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

Matthew 11.26 
ναί, ὁ πατήρ, ὅτι οὕτως [b]εὐδοκία ἐγένετο ἔμπροσθέν σου.
yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 

Literally “for so it pleased you well

Matthew 11.27
Πάντα μοι παρεδόθη ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπιγινώσκει τὸν υἱὸν εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ, οὐδὲ τὸν πατέρα τις ἐπιγινώσκει εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 

Matthew 11.28 
Δεῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Matthew 11.29 
ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς καὶ μάθετε ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

Matthew 11.30 
ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν ἐστιν.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software

Time in the Word - Pentecost 5 - Proper 9


Peace for the world
Pentecost 5
Proper 9
June 29 – July 04, 2020

Peace (rest) is the obvious theme for the coming week. Zechariah tells of the king of peace coming to Israel; the passage is often used on Palm Sunday.  This promise is fulfilled by the Messiah – Jesus – who invites the burdened to Himself where they will find rest for their souls. In the Epistle lesson Paul dramatically describes his inner conflict and its resolution in Christ the Deliverer. This theme of peace is carried forward in the Prayers of the Day with references to God as the source of peace and to us as being peacemakers. The Psalm mentions the King and thus refers to the Old Testament lesson. The Hymn of the week is related to the Gospel lesson

Collect for Proper 9Gracious God, our heavenly Father, Your mercy attends us all our days. Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

A simple yet heartfelt Prayer – “Almighty God, grant us a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in Your mercy, and a sincere love for You and one another.”


For Our CountryAlmighty God, You have given us this good land as our heritage. Grant that we remember Your generosity and constantly do Your will. Bless our land with honest industry, truthful education, and an honorable way of life. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil course of action. Make us who come from many nations with many different languages a united people. Defend our liberties, and give those whom we have entrusted with the authority of government the spirit of wisdom that there may be justice and peace in our land. When times are prosperous, let our hearts be thankful; in troubled times do not let our trust in You fail; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

A prayer before we study the WordAlmighty God, our heavenly Father, without Your help our labor is useless, and without Your light our search is in vain. Invigorate the study of Your holy Word that, by due diligence and right discernment, we may establish ourselves and others in Your holy faith.

Monday, June 29, 2020Psalm 91:1-10 - This is the Psalm portion from which the Introit for next Sunday is taken. The antiphon is taken from verse 1, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Tuesday, June 30, 2020Zechariah 9:9-12 – Peace for the nations.  Jerusalem has promised that her king is coming to bring peace to the nations. Rejoice (v. 9). What is there to rejoice about? Can we rejoice over the shortage of energy, the arms race, the pollution of the earth, the racial unrest, and political corruption? God gives Israel reason to rejoice — a world ruler is coming in peace for the peace of the world. If we could have world peace, a world government of justice, a ruler of compassion, we would have reason to shout with joy. Has this King not come in Jesus? Christians should be a celebrating people.

Wednesday, July 01, 2020Romans 7:14-25a – Peace for the individual.  Christ delivers Paul from the raging war between the carnal and spiritual selves. A Christian has a dual nature: a carnal and spiritual nature that are in conflict with each other. It results in one’s doing what one does not want to do and vice versa. This struggle between good and evil continues to the point where one exclaims, “Wretched man that I am.” It is not a matter of a good higher nature and a lower evil nature. The whole person is in need of redemption, not only the lower self. The only solution is the redemption of the whole body of Christ from the body of death. For this Paul gives thanks.

Deliverance (v. 24).If a Christian has not only a dual but a duel nature, the conflict that persists leads to despair of self. The victim of this civil war cries out in despair, “Wretched man that I am!” Is there no end, no way out? Paul found the solution in Christ for whom he gives thanks for the deliverance. Christ is our peace who brings together the two warring selves into one integrated, harmonious person.

Thursday, July 02, 2020Matthew 11:25-30 – Peace for the followers of Christ. They who put on the yoke of Christ will receive rest for their souls. This pericope is in sharp contrast to Jesus’ earlier teachings about the price of discipleship and to his harsh warnings to cities that rejected him. The passage is warm, intimate, and consoling. He thanks the Father for revealing the truth to his “babes,” his simple unlearned disciples. His reference to God as Father indicates his unity with his Father whom alone knows him and whom he knows alone. Though tough demands are made on the disciples, Jesus promises rest to those heavily burdened if they will take his yoke upon them, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

A new religion (vv. 28-30).Jesus invites us to leave an old religion for a new one, His religion. It is not a religion of Jesus but about Jesus. His religion gives rest from a religion of law, duty, and obligation — a religion of works to be saved. As the object of our worship, He is gentle and humble. Our commitment to him is easy and light because our service to Him is voluntary (“Come”). His yoke is “easy,” because it fits us perfectly. This should save our religion from being a bore or a burden. Instead, the Christian religion is one of joy.

Friday, July 03, 2020Psalm 145:1-5 – This Psalm is suggested for next Sunday. The key verse “I will extol thee, my God and my King” (v. 1a).

Saturday, July 04, 2020 –John 6:35 – This passage is the inspiration for the hymn “I heard the Voice of Jesus say.” {LSB 752}.
________________________
Sources: 
LUTHERAN SEVICE BOOK © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO
LUTHERAN WORSHIP © 1989 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO
LECTIONALRY PREACHING WORKBOOK SERIES A © 1980 John Brokhoff CSS Publishing Lima, OH
Schnorr von Carolsfeld, woodcuts © WELS Permission to use these copyrighted items is limited to personal and congregational use. 
The United States Flag copyright © Google Images 

Pentecost 4 - Proper 8

28 June, 2020
Matthew 10:39 


Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:39

Decatur, Indiana. Our fair city. Is the home of the world's first monument dedicated exclusively to peace. Lady peace stands in the yard of the Adams County Courthouse. [1] 

This little known fact is quite compelling in light of the Savior’s words from our Gospel for today. He speaks quite plainly; “I did not come to bring peace by a sword.” 

Jesus calls upon His disciples to take up the cross and to lose themselves in His cause. King Ahab called Elijah the “troubler of Israel” because he demanded justice and obedience to God. 

Christ was a troubler in His day. — He cleansed the temple, broke the Sabbath law of the Pharisees by healing on it. He challenged the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and bigotry. 

In our day Jesus is the troubler of our society. He is not content with a status quo based on injustice and falsehood. When conditions are evil, Jesus comes not to bring peace but a sword — of conflict, fighting, dissension. 

Out of this conflict will come genuine peace when truth and justice triumph. Jesus will have no part in the violence of our day because it is the product of hatred. Controversy and conflict result when truth challenges falsehood. When right faces wrong. And love opposes hatred. 

Though He was born the Prince of Peace, Jesus shocks us when He says He did not come to bring peace but a sword. Peace is not always possible. There are times when conflict is inevitable. 

We live in a “What’s in it for me!” kind of world. Where we are tempted to focus on what we can get rather than what we can give. 

Businesses use accounting gimmickry to persuade people to pay more for their stock than it is worth. 

Executives bail themselves out on Golden Parachutes, leaving behind broken businesses, ruined investors, and abandoned employees. 

Politicians make decisions based on re-election considerations rather than the good of the nation. 

Young people may be persuaded to go to college, not to become productive citizens, but to make more money and to have more fun. 

Jesus tells us that such behavior is ruinous in the long run—such people will lose their lives. We see it even in the short run. 

Truly contented people are those who are who live for something larger than themselves. The self-absorbed and self-centered person strives for happiness but achieves only broken relationships and unfulfilled dreams.  Jesus promises that it will be quite different for those who “loses his life for my sake” (v. 39). 

To hate means to love less. Jesus here invites His children to love human relationships less as they love Him more. 

The meaning of the word “life” may be expressed thus: ‘He that is anxious to save his "temporal" life, or his comfort and security here, shall lose "eternal" life. . . . He that is willing to risk or lose his comfort and life here for My sake, shall find life everlasting, 

Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26) 

It seems to be a paradox. To seek to find it is to lose it. To lose it is to find it. But this is exactly what 

St. Paul teaches, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Paul reminds us to "consider yourselves; reckon, count upon the fact to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11). 

The Father's solution to our sin problem was to crucify us with Christ. As far as the Father is concerned we were there in the grave with Christ and we rose into newness of life with Him. This happened in Baptism. 

Now we are joined in an intimate union with our Lord and Savior. Remember, in Baptism you died to sin. Christ bore the penalty of the law on our behalf, and rose from the dead. The moment you were born again in Baptism you were identified with Christ's death and resurrection. You are no longer under the law, but under grace. 

Luther observed, "It is impossible for a man to be a Christian without having Christ; and if he has Christ, he has at the same time all that is in Christ. What gives peace to the conscience is, that by faith our sins are no more ours, but Christ's, upon whom God has laid them all; and that, on the other hand, all Christ's righteousness is ours, to whom God has given it. Christ lays His hand upon us, and we are healed. He lays His mantle upon us, and we are clothed; for He is the glorious Savior, blessed forever. [2]

The psalmist cries, "Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word." Psalm 119:154 

Christ is the advocate of his people, their Redeemer. Who is mighty, and thoroughly pleads their cause against the accusations of Satan. He defends their innocence from the slander and slurs of wicked men; all designed to smear you and rights their wrongs, and redresses their grievances. 

You are promised that you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. David knew that he is helpless unless the Lord takes his side. He is like a defense attorney who pleads your case for you. 

Christ your Savior works on your behalf, pleading to the Father for pardon, mercy and grace. Jesus set the example. He did not come to do His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him. 

The cross of Jesus stands as the greatest example of selflessness in the history of man. "He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor, that we through His poverty might know the riches of God.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) 

If a person actively “finds(Present tense) his life, he “shall lose it(Future tense). But if he actively “loses(Present tense) his life in the name of Christ, then he “shall find it.” (Future tense) 

Put simply, what you do now has a direct impact on your future. Place your trust in Christ. 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Monument_(Decatur,_Indiana)
[2] History of the Great Reformation of the Sixteenth Century in Germany by Jean Henri Merle d'Aubigné
Christ is the Door copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Words –1,137 
Passive Sentences –10% 
 Readability – 77.8% 
Reading Level – 5.7 

Saturday, June 27, 2020

June 27 – Saturday prior to Proper 8




John 11:16 – This passage is the inspiration for the hymn “Let us ever walk with Jesus” LSB 685. Thomas is ready to suffer all, even death, for the sake of Christ. Such commitment is necessary yet impossible without faith in Christ. Our prayer: Lord, increase my faith!

Sigismund von Birken was the son of an Evangelical pastor in Bohemia. His family was forced to flee to Nürnberg when he was three. Birken was an established poet and was appointed a tutor at the age of 16 to the Princes of Brunswick-Lünesburg. His poetic skills led to publication of 52 hymns. However, only three of them have been translated into English. The most prominent of these hymns is Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus and Jesus I will Ponder Now which was the focus of our mid-week Lenten series this spring.

Meditate on this much loved hymn

1 Let us ever walk with Jesus,
Follow His example pure,
Flee the world, which would deceive us
And to sin our souls allure.
Ever in His footsteps treading,
Body here, yet soul above,
Full of faith and hope and love,
Let us do the Father's bidding.
Faithful Lord, abide with me;
Savior, lead, I follow Thee

A Prayer of thanksgiving– Heavenly Father, God of all grace, govern our hearts that we may never forget Your blessings but steadfastly thank and praise You for all Your goodness in this life until, with all Your saints, we praise You eternally in Your heavenly kingdom.

Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
Luther’s Seal copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Friday, June 26, 2020

June 26 –Friday prior to Proper 8




Psalm 119:153-160 – This Psalm is suggested for this coming Sunday. It falls under the Hebrew letter “Resh” the twentieth letter in the Hebrew alphabet.  It is a psalm and prayer of deliverance. “See how I love your precepts; preserve my life.
We must rely on God to justify us and to defend us in the final day.  This life is full of grief, pain and affliction. Yet, we serve a heavenly Father, and His tender mercies are greater by far than any persecution of the enemy. We feel secure when we listen to His words and trust in His loving-kindness.
The psalmist cries, "Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word."
Christ is the advocate of his people, their Redeemer. Who is mighty, and thoroughly pleads their cause against the accusations of Satan. He defends their innocence from the calumnies of wicked men, and rights their wrongs, and redresses their grievances.
Christians are promised that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. God will plead on the side of David. David knows that he is helpless unless God takes his side. This is like an attorney who pleads your case for you. Christ your Savior works on your behalf, pleading to the Father for pardon, mercy and grace.
These words of comfort and hope mirror the last five words that He spoke to humans before He ascended into heaven. "I am with you always..." Jesus your Savior gives you His guarantee that He will not walk out on you. Never!
Jesus understands your station in life and He promises to do something about this sorry lot.
He promises us the Counselor. For your aid and comfort.
Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come and appears on your behalf to be a mediator, an intercessor, and a genuine helper for you.
Who is this counselor? He is the Spirit of truth, the One who can be known and revealed only by faith. He is the One who dwells and lives within you.
While so many live with the mistaken notion that perception is reality, the Savior confirms to you that He is your reality. Christ alone is the solution to any feelings of abandonment. So go ahead. Plead your cause to Him. He has promised to listen. And He will take action according to His gracious will.
Lord, you are just and your commandments are eternal. Teach us to love you with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves, for the sake of Jesus our Lord.  
Image copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
Prayer for Psalm 119.153-16, For All the Saints – A Prayer Book For and By the Church Year 1 © 1994 American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi NY 

Thursday, June 25, 2020

June 25 – Thursday prior to Proper 8




Matthew 10:34-42 –Jesus calls upon his disciples to love him above all others. Matthew continues in this lesson with the price of discipleship. In verses 34-36, Jesus declares that His coming will cause dissension in families because disciples will love Him more than any member of the family. In verses 37-39, Jesus calls upon His disciples to take up the cross and to lose themselves in His cause. To those who do this, Jesus promises rewards (verses 40-42). In this passage, we have the cost and reward of discipleship.

There are many rewards — reward of a prophet, or a righteous man, of a spokesperson and ambassador of Christ. “He who receives you receives me.” To accept a follower of Christ is to accept Jesus; to help a disciple is to help Christ. To reject a disciple is to reject Christ. What a high honor to be a surrogate of Christ!

The pattern of Christ’s suffering is the outline of ministry. Found in the words of John the Baptizer who said, “He must increase while I must decrease.”- John 3:30

In her book “Generation Me” author Jean Twenge put it this way, “In many ways, there’s no better time to be alive than right now. Think of all the advantages we have that earlier generations did not: television, cell phones, better medical care, computers, more education, less physical labor, the freedom to make our own choices, the ability to move to a more desirable city. These last two, however, begin to hint at the underlying problem. Our growing tendency to put the self-first leads to unparalleled freedom, but it also creates an enormous amount of pressure on us to stand alone.”

It really isn’t about you. It’s always about Jesus.  All too often, we forget that the invisible God is working things out according to His purpose. Not yours. God is free to do as He pleases. He owes no one anything. And yet… And yet, He chose to redeem you. He chose to send Jesus into your world. Into time and space. To become your substitute. To live a perfect life for you. To bear your sin. To die your death. To rise again. To make you His own. And place His Spirit inside of you. To endow you with gifts. So you can be a sermon in shoes. So you can be His witness in this generation.
  
This tells us that grace alone will make and keep you with Jesus. Your status in this life is not dependent on what you do. It is decided by whose you are. You are in Christ. Therefore, you can choose to do anything you want in this life. You are free. You are free to be anything you want. You can be a butcher, a baker, a candle maker. You are free to be cop a teacher or a farmer. You are free to be a line cook at a greasy spoon or a garbage man. You are free to be a truck driver, a plastic surgeon or stay at home mom.  Whatever your hand finds it to do…do it with all your might.” - Ecclesiastes 9:10 

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord.” - Colossians 3:17  

Remember the Service Master cleaning service. In all you do - you are rendering service to the Master. What you do is a reflection of who you are. 

Collect for Proper 8O Almighty God, by the working of Your Holy Spirit grant that we may gladly hear Your Word proclaimed among us and follow it’s directing; through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord who lives and rules with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

Heavenly Father, grant Your mercy and grace to Your people in their many and various callings. Give them patience, and strengthen them in their Christian vocation of witness to the world and of service to their neighbor in Christ’s name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Image ‘With all your heart,’ copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
Generation Me by Jean Twenge, PhD © 2006 Simon & Schuster
Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

June 24 - Wednesday prior to Proper 8




Romans 7:1-13 – Paul warns Christians not to back into our former way of living. As far as Christians are concerned, a life “controlled by the sinful nature” belongs to our past. The law not only reveals sin, it also stimulates it. The natural tendency in man is to desire the forbidden thing – death. Physical death and beyond that, eternal death - final separation from God – are the fruit of our “union” with the law.

Paul tells us what exactly happened to us. "Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God" (Romans 7:4). Remember, "we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him." (6:5–8)

This truth is so crucial to the believer's daily walk with Christ that Paul reminds us to "consider (reckon, count upon the fact) yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11). God's solution to our sin problem was to crucify us with Christ. As far as the Father is concerned we were there in the grave with Christ and we rose into newness of life with Him. This happened in Baptism. Now we are joined in an intimate union with our Lord and Savior.

Remember, in Baptism you died to sin. Christ bore the penalty of the law on our behalf, and rose from the dead. The moment you were born again in Baptism you were identified with Christ's death and resurrection. You are no longer under the law, but under grace.

Luther observed, "It is impossible for a man to be a Christian without having Christ; and if he has Christ, he has at the same time all that is in Christ. What gives peace to the conscience is, that by faith our sins are no more ours, but Christ's, upon whom God has laid them all; and that, on the other hand, all Christ's righteousness is ours, to whom God has given it. Christ lays His hand upon us, and we are healed. He lays His mantle upon us, and we are clothed; for He is the glorious Savior, blessed forever."

Merciful Father, through Holy Baptism  You called us to be Your own possession. Grant that our lives may evidence the working of Your Holy Spirit in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, according to the image of Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Baptism copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
History of the Great Reformation of the Sixteenth Century in Germany by Jean Henri Merle d'Aubigné

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

June 23 – Tuesday prior to Proper 8



Jeremiah 28:5-9 – A true prophet is one whose message is fulfilled. One day two preachers were speaking in the temple. They contradicted each other and yet both claimed to be prophets. Whom were the people to believe? One says God will send peace; the other promises trouble. Jeremiah gives the acid test: the true prophet is one whose preaching comes true. So, we have to wait and see who is right.

Here we find God’s bad news (verses 5-8).  Most think God has only good news for us. According to this lesson, God has both good and bad news. For the rebellious and disobedient there is bad news – judgment, war, famine, and death. King Ahab referred to Elijah as “you troubler of Israel,” and “my enemy.” 

Jeremiah’s response was marked by restraint. Nothing would have please him more than to affirm the prediction of an immediate deliverance of the people he loved so dearly.

Micah had bad news of defeat for the kings about to go to war. To say peace because people want to hear it is to be faithless to God who brings judgment upon a sinful people.

Which do you prefer, to be liked or respected?

The false prophets of Jeremiah's day prophesied by other gods such as Baal, the god of sex and success (Jeremiah 23:13). These prophets keep saying "Don't worry! Everything's going to be fine! (Jeremiah 23:17) But they have drummed up their own "prosperity preaching" and none of them has ever been in on the LORD's own council. (Jeremiah 23:18, 21-22) Their words are smooth, sweet, comforting. "But my word," says the prophet speaking in the name of the LORD, "is like fire, like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces!" (Jeremiah 23:29)

These are difficult words. They were difficult for Jeremiah. They challenge us today. May the Lord give us the strength to speak the truth of God’s word when the message is welcomed and courage even if it is not received.
  
Almighty and everlasting God, You would have all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. By Your almighty power and unsearchable wisdom break and hinder all the counsels of those who hate Your Word and who, by corrupt teaching, would destroy it. Enlighten them with the knowledge of Your glory that they may know the riches of Your heavenly grace and, in peace and righteousness, serve You the only true God; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Monday, June 22, 2020

June 22 – Monday prior to Proper 8



Psalm 89:15-18 - This is the Psalm portion from which the Introit for next Sunday is taken. The antiphon is taken from verse 1, “I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known You faithfulness to all generations.” 

The love and faithfulness that appear here will be repeated fourteen times throughout the course of this Psalm. We trust in the mercies of our Lord because of His love and faithfulness.

Psalm 89 speaks of the rise and fall of David’s kingdom, suggesting a date during the time of the Kings. Because David’s sons, the kings of Judah, did not remain faithful to God, the Lord visited judgment upon His people. Lamenting this harsh treatment, the psalmist call upon God to relent and to restore His people once again.

God is merciful. His wonders never cease. This is the focus of this Sunday’s introit.

Verses 15-18, is best read as a joyful enactment of the psalmist's promise from v. 1 to sing of God's steadfast love and faithfulness. Verse 15 proclaims that "blessed" are the people who know the "festal shout"; who walk in God's light.

This expression, "festal shout" might sound strange.  The Hebrew word, can be used to convey such things as trumpets blowing and war cries. Here in the Psalms it usually denotes a shout of acclamation or joy towards God.

To "know the festal shout" is thus to express the joy that comes from experiencing God's steadfast love and faithfulness. It is significant that it is "the people" who is said to know this--a singular noun in Hebrew. This "festal shout" is something that can only be known collectively, as the gathered people of God. However loud one might yell, one cannot produce a "festal shout" on one's own!

Slowly our churches are opening. It is a good thing for us to gather. Yet we proceed with caution. We are given to serve both faithfully and responsibly in loving service and care for souls and the health and safety of our members and our neighbors in the world. If you are ill or unable to gather due to health concerns I would be more than happy to serve you. As we care for each other we express the joy not only knowing the Lord but serving our sisters and brothers according to their need.

Mighty God, in fulfillment of the promise made to David’s descendants you established a lasting covenant through your Son Jesus. You anointed your servant Jesus with holy oil and raised him higher than all kings on earth. Remember your covenant, so that we who are signed with the blood of your Son may sing of your mercies forever; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.    

Te Deum copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
Lutheran Study Bible © 2009 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
Prayer for Psalm 89, For All the Saints – A Prayer Book For and By the Church Year 1 © 1994American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi NY 

June 22 – Monday prior to Proper 8




Psalm 89:15-18 - This is the Psalm portion from which the Introit for next Sunday is taken. The antiphon is taken from verse 1, “I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known You faithfulness to all generations.” 

The love and faithfulness that appear here will be repeated fourteen times throughout the course of this Psalm. We trust in the mercies of our Lord because of His love and faithfulness.

Psalm 89 speaks of the rise and fall of David’s kingdom, suggesting a date during the time of the Kings. Because David’s sons, the kings of Judah, did not remain faithful to God, the Lord visited judgment upon His people. Lamenting this harsh treatment, the psalmist call upon God to relent and to restore His people once again.

God is merciful. His wonders never cease. This is the focus of this Sunday’s introit.

Verses 15-18, is best read as a joyful enactment of the psalmist's promise from v. 1 to sing of God's steadfast love and faithfulness. Verse 15 proclaims that "blessed" are the people who know the "festal shout"; who walk in God's light.

This expression, "festal shout" might sound strange.  The Hebrew word, can be used to convey such things as trumpets blowing and war cries. Here in the Psalms it usually denotes a shout of acclamation or joy towards God.

To "know the festal shout" is thus to express the joy that comes from experiencing God's steadfast love and faithfulness. It is significant that it is "the people" who is said to know this--a singular noun in Hebrew. This "festal shout" is something that can only be known collectively, as the gathered people of God. However loud one might yell, one cannot produce a "festal shout" on one's own!

Slowly our churches are opening. It is a good thing for us to gather. Yet we proceed with caution. We are given to serve both faithfully and responsibly in loving service and care for souls and the health and safety of our members and our neighbors in the world. If you are ill or unable to gather due to health concerns I would be more than happy to serve you. As we care for each other we express the joy not only knowing the Lord but serving our sisters and brothers according to their need.

Mighty God, in fulfillment of the promise made to David’s descendants you established a lasting covenant through your Son Jesus. You anointed your servant Jesus with holy oil and raised him higher than all kings on earth. Remember your covenant, so that we who are signed with the blood of your Son may sing of your mercies forever; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.    

Te Deum copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
Lutheran Study Bible © 2009 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
Prayer for Psalm 89, For All the Saints – A Prayer Book For and By the Church Year 1 © 1994American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi NY 

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Proper 8 - Series A




Proper 8
(28 June 2020)  
Series A 

Jeremiah 28:5–9
Romans 7:1–13
Matthew 10:34–42

The Lord Jesus Brings Division on Earth for the Sake of Peace with God in Heaven

False prophets preach what their hearers want to hear, promising peace even when the Lord has spoken “war, famine, and pestilence” (Jer. 28:8). But if “the Lord has truly sent the prophet,” he speaks what the Lord has spoken, and “the word of that prophet comes to pass” (Jer. 28:9). The preaching of God’s Law is hard, because it confronts sin, brings it to light and makes it worse, “sinful beyond measure,” thereby “producing death” in the sinner (Rom. 7:13). But through our Baptism into Christ, “we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive” (Rom. 7:6). Now we belong “to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God” (Rom. 7:4). Belonging to Him puts us at odds with the world and divides us from all earthly ties, not only from our human family, but each person from his own life. For Christ does not come “to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). Yet, whoever takes up his cross to follow Christ, and “loses his life” for Christ’s sake, finds new life in Him (Matt. 10:38–39).

Taking Up the Cross
Rev. Dr. Daniel J Brege

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:38)

When Jesus says that we must take up our cross and follow him, he is for the first time identifying how he will die. He here predicts He must be crucified, for as was often the way of the Romans He must bear His own instrument of torture to the place of crucifixion.  If we must follow Him bearing our cross, to follow Him means He will have done it first—carrying His cross to be crucified.

For many years I thought the cross was the instrument of death exclusive to Jesus and to those crucified on either side of Him.  It was for me uniquely the symbol of our salvation. Though it is no less such a symbol of our salvation, I later came to realize that the Romans had employed this means of capital punishment tens of thousands of times before Jesus, and they reserved crucifixion for their most hated enemies and for lowlife criminals.  Thus when Jesus speaks of following Him to crucifixion, He conveys something both familiar and repulsive in the minds of His hearers.

After His crucifixion His followers came to understand the appropriateness of this repulsive death.  Jesus would be marked for torturous death because the god of this world schemes murder and lies among all, and now gleefully he can perpetrate such against God, for God had become flesh.  Thus God-hating mankind, the offspring of Satan, says of the One by whom all things were made, “Let’s make Him squirm even as He makes us squirm under the condemnation of His holy law!”  Considering His human nature mankind also gladly wants this sinless man to squirm because His perfect godliness exposes their ungodliness.  But additionally God Himself would make Jesus squirm like worm on a hook, for this man had become sin, and on that tree He carried the curse which God had justly decreed for all humanity.  And then as we see and experience some of the ghastly pains, tortures, and horrific miseries of this fallen world, we realize that to walk beside those in such misery, Jesus had to undergo a most dreadful death. The more one realizes the hideousness of mankind’s fallen condition, the more one realizes the appropriateness of Jesus’ death on the hideous Roman instrument of torture.

How eerily cross-related is Isaiah’s profound prophecy of the Savior’s death!  In his 53rd chapter Isaiah describes this suffering servant as the one despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (v. 3).  It seems strangely fitting that this prediction of mankind’s rejection of the Christ would find its climax at the place of the torturous Roman cross.  The prophet also sees that God makes this man suffer, for Isaiah predicts:  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted (v. 4).  Indeed believers esteem Jesus to have been stricken, smitten and afflicted by God, and when God thus strikes it must be a hellish event, and so again we recognize the appropriateness of the Roman cross.  Not only is crucifixion appropriate for Christ’s absorption of the curse of sin and death, but the very next line of Isaiah’s prophecy apparently predicts this very method of torture:  But he was pierced for our transgressions.  And he was literally pierced—hands, feet and side—in this vicarious, squirming death.

Now the cross of Jesus, transcending its reputation as the repugnant place of Roman torture, has become the Christian’s boast: But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal 6:10).  At Christ’s cross full redemption, atonement, salvation and victory are won for the world.  In our baptism we are then perfectly united with Christ in His death (Ro 6:3).  But now we are called upon to take up our cross; not to earn our salvation, for that is complete in every way.  Rather we take up our cross and bear similar miseries and rejection experienced by the Christ, only now our crosses are sanctified by His cross.

Not Peace, but a Sword

Matthew 10.34 
Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν• οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 

Matthew 10.35 
ἦλθον γὰρ διχάσαι ἄνθρωπον κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ θυγατέρα κατὰ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτῆς καὶ νύμφην κατὰ τῆς πενθερᾶς αὐτῆς
For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 

Matthew 10.36 
καὶ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἱ οἰκιακοὶ αὐτοῦ
And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. 

Matthew 10.37 
ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος• καὶ ὁ φιλῶν υἱὸν ἢ θυγατέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος• 
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Matthew 10.38 
καὶ ὃς οὐ λαμβάνει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ ὀπίσω μου, οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος
And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 

Matthew 10.39 
ὁ εὑρὼν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσει αὐτήν, καὶ ὁ ἀπολέσας τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

Matthew 10.40
 Ὁ δεχόμενος ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ δέχεται, καὶ ὁ ἐμὲ δεχόμενος δέχεται τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με
Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.

Matthew 10.41 
ὁ δεχόμενος προφήτην εἰς ὄνομα προφήτου μισθὸν προφήτου λήμψεται, καὶ ὁ δεχόμενος δίκαιον εἰς ὄνομα δικαίου μισθὸν δικαίου λήμψεται
 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.

Matthew 10.42 
καὶ ὃς ἂν ποτίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων ποτήριον ψυχροῦ μόνον εἰς ὄνομα μαθητοῦ, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ.
And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software
ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.