Friday prior to Proper 17

 

Matthew 16:21–28—In Sunday’s Gospel account, Jesus tells the disciples very clearly what must become of Him: ‘suffer many things ,be killed, and on the third day be raised.’ This is the plan of God for our salvation, which is why Jesus speaks so harshly to Peter when he contradicts Him. The theology of the cross—that salvation entails suffering—is difficult for the natural man to accept. This is why so many Christians in our world are theologians of glory—looking away from the cross and focusing on temporal blessings, rather than seeing the blessings we have by the cross and by suffering; hence the focus on self.

After St. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, our Lord “began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Matthew 16:21. Upon hearing this “theology of the Cross,” Simon Peter stumbled into a self-centered “theology of glory.” But the glory of God is revealed in the Passion and Cross of His incarnate Son.

Jesus begins to show His disciples what He must endure to win salvation. ”From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things.”(v.21) Suffering is a part of the Christian life. It’s focus is not on self rather it’s focus is on Christ and Him crucified.  S9 keep your eyes focused upon Jesus.

Prayer for humility: O God, You resist the proud and give grace to the humble. Grant us true humility after the likeness of Your only Son that we may never be arrogant and prideful and thus provoke Your wrath but in all lowliness be made partakers of the gifts of Your grace; [1]

---

[1] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Thursday prior to Proper 17

 

Romans 12:9–21—St Paul has spent much of his letter to the Romans showing how we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. But faith always manifests itself in love, especially toward our neighbor.

By His Cross Jesus has redeemed the world, and in His Resurrection He has vindicated all who trust in Him. Thus the Christian life is a discipleship of self-sacrificing love. Since Christ Jesus has reconciled us to God, we “live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). By the certainty of His Cross and Resurrection, we “rejoice in hope,” and we are “patient in tribulation” and “constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Luther, commenting on this section of Scripture reminds us, “Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God's grace. It is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it. This kind of trust in and knowledge of God's grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures.

This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith. Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily.  He will serve everyone; suffer everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown him such grace.

It is as impossible to separate works from faith as burning and shining from fire. Therefore be on guard against your own false ideas and against the chatterers who think they are clever enough to make judgments about faith and good works but who are in reality the biggest fools. Ask God to work faith in you; otherwise you will remain eternally without faith, no matter what you try to do or fabricate.” [1]

Prayer in times of affliction and distress: Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we endure sufferings and death before we enter into eternal glory. Grant us grace at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and to continue steadfast in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and of the glory of the world to come;[2]

 

---

[1] Luther's Commentary on Romans 12
[2] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
³ Woodcut by Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, The Crucifixion copyright © WELS

Wednesday prior to Proper 17

 

Jeremiah 15:15–20 - The faithful prophets, such as Jeremiah, suffered persecution and rejection in anticipation of Jesus’ Cross. Yet the Lord did not abandon them; He remembered them, and He was with them to deliver them.

Jeremiah calls upon the Lord to deliver him from the assaults and slander of his enemies. On what basis—his own righteousness? No; like David in the psalm for Sunday (above), Jeremiah pleads on the basis of his trust in the Lord: ‘I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.’ We can call upon the Lord in our times of trouble for the same reason: we belong to Him. Though the proclamation and preaching of His Word, and through the holy Sacraments, God makes us His own and delivers us from the tyranny of sin.

In Jeremiah 15:19-21 God offers a response to the prophet’s complaint. As is often the case in Scripture, God answers the prayers of the people not with the response they want to hear. We are offered this reminder, “The hazard of such honest prayer, as we shall see, is that Yahweh can be equally honest and therefore abrasive in response to prayer.” [1]

Jeremiah 15:20 is nearly a verbatim quote of 1:18-19, “And I for my part have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall, against the whole land -- against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you.”

A Prayer for patience: O God, by the patient endurance of Your only-begotten Son You beat down the pride of the old enemy. Help us to treasure rightly in our hearts what our Lord has borne for our sakes that, after His example, we may bear with patience those things that are adverse to us; [2]

---

[1] Walter Brueggemann, A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 114.

[2] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St, Louis

³ https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2189

⁴ Woodcut “The Crucifixion:  by Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, copyright © WELS for personal and congregational use

 

Tuesday prior to Proper 17

 

Psalm 26— Psalm 26 is simply titled A Psalm of David. Attempts to place it at a specific time in David’s life are unsure. It shares themes with many psalms, but notice that despite the danger of evil associates, David remained confident that he would not slip, and that he would securely stand in an even place.

The psalmist, David, asks the LORD to vindicate him—clear his name—of false accusations. For what reason? Because David has ‘trusted in the LORD without wavering’—he belongs to the LORD by faith.

Though Christ has died to forgive every one of our sins, the devil will try to throw our transgressions in our face, and make us despair of salvation. In such situations, we must call upon the LORD to vindicate us—not because we are without sin, but because Christ has redeemed us from sin and its eternal consequence and, by faith, we belong to Him. Says St. Paul, ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ - Romans 8:1

C.S. Lewis has been mention to say, “Many people have a very strong desire to meet celebrated or ‘important’ people, including those whom they disapprove…. But I am inclined to think a Christian would be wise to avoid, where he decently can, any meeting with people who are bullies, or lascivious, cruel, dishonest, spiteful and so forth. Not because we are ‘too good’ for them. In a sense we are not good enough. We are not good enough to cope with all the temptations, nor clever enough to cope with all the problems, which an evening spent in such society produces.”[1]

Prayer in times of affliction and distress: Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we endure sufferings and death before we enter into eternal glory. Grant us grace at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and to continue steadfast in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and of the glory of the world to come;[2]

Collect for Psalm 26 – Lord Jesus, Lamb without stain, image of the Father’s glory; Give us the strength to avoid sin and be faithful to you always. Lead us to the place where God dwells in his glory, that we may praise him with joy among his saints now and forever.[3]

 

---

[1] Reflections on the Psalms, in a chapter titled “Connivance” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, © 1958
[2] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
[3] For All the Saints, A Prayer Book for and by the Church, © 1995 Vol. II American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY

Monday prior to Proper 17

 

—Psalm 37:5–7; Antiphon, Psalm 37:4—Those who trust in the Lord and in His promises may sometimes be frustrated and tempted to question the goodness and righteousness of God when they suffer trials, tribulations, and afflictions in this life.

David exhorts us here to ‘trust in the LORD . . . delight in the LORD . . . commit your way to the LORD . . . be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him.’ We Christians should remind ourselves that the Lord has demonstrated His goodness and righteousness in many ways, but especially by sending His only-begotten Son to be our Savior. Through Christ, He has already ‘brought forth our righteousness and . . . justice.’ He has given us ‘the desires of our heart’ in the person of our Savior, Jesus, and will, at the Last Day, deliver us out of this vale of tears and take us to himself in heaven.

What does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord (Psalm 37:4)?  “To delight myself in the Lord” means to exalt Him so highly that we pursue Him over and above any other person, thing, thought, or action in our lives, especially those things that would knock Him out of first place.

Taking delight in the Lord means that our hearts truly find peace and fulfillment in Him, if we truly find satisfaction and worth in Christ. Jesus reminds us, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [the necessities of life] will be given to you as well.”  Mathew 6:33

Collect for Psalm 37 – Lord Jesus, you bless the poor with the kingdom of heaven. Trust us to put our trust in the Father and to seek his kingdom rather than to imitate the powerful or envy the rich; so may we serve you now and forever.[1]

Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever [2]

---

[1] Collect for Psalm 37, For All the Saints A Prayer Book For and By the Church Vol. II © American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY

[2] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Proper 17 - Series A notes

Proper 17

3 September 2023

 Series A

Jeremiah 15:15–21

Romans 12:9–21

Matthew 16:21–28

The Glory of God Is the Passion and Cross of Christ Jesus

After Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, our Lord, “began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Matthew 16:21). Upon hearing this “theology of the cross,” Simon Peter stumbled into a satanic “theology of glory.” But the glory of God is revealed in the Passion and cross of His incarnate Son.

The faithful prophets, such as Jeremiah, suffered persecution and rejection in anticipation of Jesus’ cross. Yet the Lord did not abandon them; He remembered them, and He was with them to deliver them (Jeremiah 15:15–20). By His cross Jesus has redeemed the world, and in His resurrection He has vindicated all who trust in Him. Thus, the Christian life is a discipleship of self-sacrificing love. Since Christ Jesus has reconciled us to God, we “live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). By the certainty of His cross and resurrection, we “rejoice in hope,” and we are “patient in tribulation” and “constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Not mere prescriptions which would be Law.

We are marked in baptism any suffering we endure will be vindicated by the Lord.

We share Christ to the world.

Consider Peter's confession from last Sunday's Gospel compared to today...

BEFORE	AFTER
From God	From Satan
Rock	Stumbling block
Confession	Denial
God’s will	Man’s will
Faith	Lack of faith
Jesus on God’s terms	Jesus on man’s terms
“Follow Me”	“Get behind Me!”
Mind of God	Mind of man

He Must
Re. Dr. Daniel J Brege

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.(Matthew 16:21)

There was no option.  It was absolutely necessary.  He had to do it.  This is what Jesus set forth when He declared that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things…and be killed, and on the third day be raised (16:21). Simply put, there was no other way to create and bring salvation to mankind.

This is likely also the reason why, immediately before stating this necessary goal, the Lord Jesus would warn the Apostles to tell no one that He was the Christ.  For when we proclaim Jesus to be the Christ, we must realize this is the work of the Christ, this is the reason the Son of God became flesh—to die our death and to rise from the dead.  The Apostles up to this point did not understand what it meant for Jesus to be the Christ. The Apostle Peter, often the representative of the Apostles, shows this failure to recognize the necessity of Jesus’ death and resurrection: And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”   (v 22).  The necessity of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection is further sharpened by His rebuke of Peter:  Get behind me Satan! (v 23).  It is satanic to believe that the Christ had a goal other than to die and rise again!

The Christ did not come to be a great military deliverer or the ultimate social reformer, nor did He come to be a “bread king” by miraculously providing a continual flow of earthly food, healings and exorcisms. Though Jesus did indeed perform such miracles—thus identifying His person as the Son of God and demonstrating His loving mercy—yet He would not continue walking this earth for this purpose.  His purpose and calling was infinitely higher.  He came to bring man back into God’s presence, to ultimately make all things new and take away all hunger, sickness, satanic influence and death—forever.  To accomplish this He had to take away the root of all evil: He had to bear our sins in His body on the cross.  Then He had to rise from the dead to prove that His crucifixion was the valid payment for sin and that He was guaranteeing righteousness as a gift, ultimately creating the resurrection of the righteous.

We mentioned last week that believing Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is the foundational creed.  Now the creed expands, for to believe Jesus is the Christ it is necessary to believe that He must die and rise again, and that He would do this for mankind’s eternal salvation.   As the church would advance with the proclamation of the Gospel, this would be the foundational message.  Consider a couple of excerpts from the book of Acts, identifying the foundational message of Christ’s necessary death and resurrection: …this Jesus…you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up… (2:23,24).  …and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. (3:15).  Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. (4:10).   The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. (5:30).

Christ’s saving death and resurrection are the central proclamation and thus the heart of the Christian’s faith and hope.  Baptism, always part of the Gospel proclamation, uniquely unites us with Jesus death and resurrection (Rom 6:3ff; Col 2:12). Consider the Apostle Paul’s encouragement:  But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thess 4:13-14).  Indeed, as a result of faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection not only do we realize that we shall awaken from the sleep of death, but we are also comforted when loved ones fall asleep with this faith.

See John Pless article "Liturgy after the Liturgy" in Logia

This is what you are given to do. The focus must be on Christ to avoid going back to the Law. This is the death we experience in baptism. Anything else is simply  fascination with self. 

We live in humility and faith before God as well as in love for our neighbor. It is the Gospel which drives us.

NB watch the verbs used in preaching. Instead of this is what you need to do, this is who you are. This is how you now look. 

The new man still needs guidance. Thus the 3rd use of the law.

Good works are always ambiguous but not arbitrary.

1. This is shown by “serving the Lord.” V. 11

A. Rejoice in hope. ἐλπίδι

1. Rejoice with patient perseverance with those who rejoice. V. 15a

2. Weep with those who weep. V. 15b

B. Be patient in tribulation.

1. “Bless those who persecute you.” V. 14a

2. “Bless and do not curse them.” V. 14b

C. Be constant in prayer.

1. ​Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. V. 17

2.​If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. V. 18

2. In the reverent fear of God. We do no harm to our neighbor.

A. “Let love ἀγάπη be genuine. V. 9 This love. Typically refers to divine love. What God prefers. A description of who we are in Christ not perscription.

1. This love. Abhors. Detests. Hates. ἀποστυγοῦντες What is evil.

2. This love. Holds fast to what is good.

B. Love φιλαδελφίᾳ one another. V.10

1. With brotherly affection. Give preference. “For you have been taught by God how to love one another.” This love. Is self evident. Constant. It simply exists.

                            2. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Time in the Word - Proper 17

The Glory of God is the Passion and Cross of Christ Jesus

After St. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, our Lord “began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Matthew 16:21). Upon hearing this “theology of the Cross,” Simon Peter stumbled into a satanic “theology of glory.” But the glory of God is revealed in the Passion and Cross of His incarnate Son. The faithful prophets, such as Jeremiah, suffered persecution and rejection in anticipation of Jesus’ Cross. Yet the Lord did not abandon them; He remembered them, and He was with them to deliver them (Jeremiah 15:15–20). By His Cross Jesus has redeemed the world, and in His Resurrection He has vindicated all who trust in Him. Thus the Christian life is a discipleship of self-sacrificing love. Since Christ Jesus has reconciled us to God, we “live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). By the certainty of His Cross and Resurrection, we “rejoice in hope,” and we are “patient in tribulation” and “constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Time in the Word
28 August – September 2, 2023
Proper 17

Monday, 28 August 2023—Psalm 37:5–7; Antiphon, Psalm 37:4—Those who trust in the Lord and in His promises may sometimes be frustrated and tempted to question the goodness and righteousness of God when they suffer trials, tribulations, and afflictions in this life. David exhorts us here to ‘trust in the Lord . . . delight in the Lord . . . commit your way to the Lord . . . be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.’ We Christians should remind ourselves that the Lord has demonstrated His goodness and righteousness in many ways, but especially by sending His only-begotten Son to be our Savior. Through Christ, He has already ‘brought forth our righteousness and . . . justice.’ He has given us ‘the desires of our heart’ in the person of our Savior, Jesus, and will, at the Last Day, deliver us out of this vale of tears and take us to himself in heaven.

Tuesday, 29 August 2023—Psalm 26—The psalmist, David, asks the Lord to vindicate him—clear his name—of false accusations. For what reason? Because David has ‘trusted in the Lord without wavering’—he belongs to the Lord by faith. Though Christ has died to forgive every one of our sins, the devil will try to throw our transgressions in our face, and make us despair of salvation. In such situations, we must call upon the Lord to vindicate us—not because we are without sin, but because Christ has redeemed us from sin and its eternal consequence and, by faith, we belong to Him. ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ (Rom 8:1)

Wednesday, 30 August 2023—Jeremiah 15:15–21—Jeremiah calls upon the Lord to deliver him from the assaults and slander of his enemies. On what basis—his own righteousness? No; like David in the psalm for Sunday (above), Jeremiah pleads on the basis of his trust in the Lord: ‘I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.’ We can call upon the Lord in our times of trouble for the same reason: we belong to Him. Though the proclamation and preaching of His Word, and through the holy Sacraments, God makes us His own and delivers us from the tyranny of sin.

Thursday, 31 August 2023—Romans 12:9–21—St Paul has spent much of his letter to the Romans showing how we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. But faith always manifests itself in love, especially toward our neighbor.

Here, Paul illustrates what Christian love, borne of faith, looks like. This is a description of the Christian—not in order to earn our salvation, but because our salvation has been earned for us by Christ.

Friday, 1 September 2023—Matthew 16:21–28—In Sunday’s Gospel account, Jesus tells the disciples very clearly what must become of Him: ‘suffer many things . . . be killed, and on the third day be raised.’ This is the plan of God for our salvation, which is why Jesus speaks so harshly to Peter when he contradicts Him. The theology of the cross—that salvation entails suffering—is difficult for the natural man to accept. This is why so many Christians in our world are theologians of glory—looking away from the cross and focusing on temporal blessings, rather than seeing the blessings we have by the cross and by suffering.

Jesus begins to show His disciples what He must endure to win salvation. ”From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things.”(v.21) Suffering is a part of the Christian life. What is the sacrifice God demands?

1.       Consider Christ’s sacrifice.

A.      Denied self.

B.      Took up the cross.

C.      Followed the will of the Father.

2.       Consider the Christian, a little Christ.

A.      Deny self.

B.      Take upon yourself your own suffering.

C.      Follow Christ.

3.       Consider the stakes in terms of winners and losers.

A.      Losers – Gains the world, loses his soul.

B.      Winners –loses life for Christ’s sake and finds his life.

Saturday, 2 September 2023—The hymn of the day, Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus (LSB #531), connects the suffering of Jesus with our salvation and shows that the glory of God is revealed in the suffering and death of His Son. ‘Worship, honor, power, and blessing / Thou art worthy to receive’ because ‘Thou didst suffer to release us…Thou universal Savior, Bearer of our sin and shame.’

Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Prayer for patience: O God, by the patient endurance of Your only-begotten Son You beat down the pride of the old enemy. Help us to treasure rightly in our hearts what our Lord has borne for our sakes that, after His example, we may bear with patience those things that are adverse to us;

Prayer in times of affliction and distress: Almighty and most merciful God, in this earthly life we endure sufferings and death before we enter into eternal glory. Grant us grace at all times to subject ourselves to Your holy will and to continue steadfast in the true faith to the end of our lives that we may know the peace and joy of the blessed hope of the resurrection of the dead and of the glory of the world to come;

Prayer for humility: O God, You resist the proud and give grace to the humble. Grant us true humility after the likeness of Your only Son that we may never be arrogant and prideful and thus provoke Your wrath but in all lowliness be made partakers of the gifts of Your grace;

Lectionary summary on front page from LCMS Commission on Worship

Woodcut by Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, © WELS

Prayers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006Concordia Publishing House

Saturday prior to Proper 16

 

Sunday’s hymn of the day is Built on the Rock (LSB #645). It is based on the Gospel reading, the confession of St Peter which is the Rock on which Christ’s Church is founded. The last stanza confesses the same truth which is confessed in the Augsburg Confession: The Church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly administered.

This hymn has long been a favorite among Scandinavians and Lutherans and included seven stanzas in the 1941 Lutheran Hymnal (Concordia), reduced to five in the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. The Scandinavian hymn's original seven stanzas were first published in 1837 in Sang-Värk til den Danske Kirke. The adaptation in Worship & Song is of the 1958 Service Book and Hymnal translation by Carl Doving done in 1909.

Author Nikolai Grundtvig was ordained in 1811. He wrote many works, including some on Norse mythology and more than 1,000 hymns. He became a bishop in 1861. Composer Ludwig Lindeman was the son of a concert pianist, an organist in Oslo, and one of Norway's leading musicians of the nineteenth century. He collected and published almost 2,000 Norwegian folk tunes.[1]

 Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, grant us to know Your Son, Jesus Christ to be the way the truth and the life that we may boldly confess Him to be the Christ and steadfastly walk in the way that leads to life eternal; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen[2]

---

[1] https://hymnary.org/text/built_on_the_rock_the_church_doth_stand
[2] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
The illustration above carries the title of our Lord: the Anointed One, or, in Greek, ὁΧριστός, the Christ. Copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Friday prior to Proper 16

 

Matthew 16:13–20—The Holy Christian Church is founded upon the confession of Peter—that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Finally! The disciples get it! At least for this Sunday! It came at a crucial time in our Lord’s public ministry.  His focus was set on Jerusalem. Where He would complete His work of redemption. He was set to suffer many things. For your salvation.

Our Lord is at a critical location in His ministry. Caesarea Philippi was a Gentile city. Built by Herod’s son, Philip. In honor of Caesar. Jesus stood in a pagan region. Where false deities and their supporters abound. Critical also were His companions. The disciples were personally selected and taught by Jesus. They had witnessed every aspect of His public ministry.

The Lord asked two important questions. At this moment. In this location.  Of His disciples. The answers to the questions were important. For them. And for His followers today; the first question was addressed to the disciples, “who do men say the Son of Man is?” (V.13)  The second question was addressed once again to the disciples. “But you, who do you, say I am?” (V.15)

And now, the critical question is addressed to each of us, “You, who do you, say that I am?”

We can answer the question only through the intervention of the Holy Spirit in your life. The Spirit’s means are Word and Sacrament.  They come to the troubled heart of the sinner. The saving faith freely given by God leads each one of us to confess: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

The source of our confession and our actions is the faith the Spirit gives us.  Because Jesus is the Christ. Your sins are forgiven. Because Jesus is the Christ. You are empowered to live a new life. Because Jesus is the Christ. You have the sure certainty of eternal life.

So.  What do you think of Jesus? Who is He? The answer to this question defines your identity. It determines your destiny.

The illustration above carries the title of our Lord: the Anointed One, or, in Greek, ὁΧριστός, the Christ. Copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things

Thursday prior to Proper 16

 

Romans 11:33—12:8—St Paul’s splendid hymn of praise at the end of chapter 11 follows several chapters of his teaching about the salvation of all people—

God does not declare us righteous and free from guilt in a vacuum, as if He just ignores our sin. No, we have a great debt we owe God due to our sin, a debt that must be paid. God’s justice demands it. Yet this is a debt none of us can pay.

So, God in His great grace planned for your salvation. For God’s grace is more than a character in God. God’s grace is also active—active in Christ. In His grace God sent forth His Son to become flesh and pay the debt we owe Him.

The Father sent Christ Jesus to offer His righteous life in exchange for our sinful lives upon the cross and to take upon Himself the guilt of our sin, our debt. Jesus Christ paid for the sin of the world “with His holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” Through God’s grace alone we sinners are forgiven and justified because of Christ.

His being is all in all – For from him and through him and to him are all things. - V. 36 The end of all things is God. All things were created for Him. What happened before, now and what is to come finds its root in God.   Everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by His power. And everything for His glory.  God is the creator. The sustainer. The ruler. And the goal of everything. Paul concludes with a simple yet profound doxology - A statement of praise to God. “To him be glory (δόξα) forever Amen.”

Prayer for the Church: Almighty God, grant to Your Church Your Holy Spirit and the wisdom that comes down from above, that Your Word may not be bound but have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people, that in steadfast faith we may serve You and, in the confession of Your name, abide unto the end;[1]

 

 

---

[1] Collect for the Church, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
The illustration above carries the title of our Lord: the Anointed One, or, in Greek, ὁΧριστός, the Christ. Copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things