“If now I seek the forgiveness of sins, I
do not run to the cross, for I will not find it given there… But I will find in
the sacrament or Gospel the word which distributes, presents, offers, and gives
to me that forgiveness which was won on the Cross.” (AE 40, 214)
St. Mark Lutheran Church - August 29, 2010
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In the name of Jesus. Amen. So who was neighbor to the guy who fell amongst the thieves? Who had compassion on Him? Who went to Him, bound up His wounds, pouring oil and wine on them? Who set Him on His own animal and took him to an inn for rest? Who paid the innkeeper two days-worth of wages with promises for more, if necessary. Who is that guy’s neighbor?
It wasn’t the Priest. You’d think he’d have been neighbor to that man who fell amongst the thieves, but he passed by on the other side of the road.
It wasn’t the Levite either. The man charged with the care of the Temple should have stopped to care for this man jumped by thieves, but he passed by on the other side too.
And it certainly wasn’t the lawyer! He’s the reason Jesus tells the parable in the first place. His question starts the whole thing! “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life.”
Did you catch that? What “must I do?” Give me a law, and I’ll do it. I’ll earn that inheritance of eternal life.
Jesus told him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love God fully. Love your neighbor like you love yourself. Do those, and you will live. Don’t, and you will die.
In the name of Jesus. Amen. Dear Parents, I know you love your children. I can see by the clothes they wear, the iPods and phones they have, and how much time you give to them. They go from school to band to football to soccer. You take them everywhere and give them everything they need. Sometimes it seems that you have given up your lives for them, doesn't it?
Christ. He literally gave up his life for you, me, our children, for all. He died for our sins and was raised so that we would stand before God, forever forgiven. That is the Christian Faith into which you and your children were baptized.
Holy Baptism. You were baptized into the faith of Jesus. Your whole life was washed, made clean, and forgiven by the Blood of Christ. Your children too.
In the name of Jesus. Amen. Messed up priorities. Messed up ideas. Messed up thoughts. Messed up.
That’s us. Twisted. Jacked up. Running to and fro after what we want. Doing what we wanna do. How we wanna do it.
Jesus wants to save us. He wants to save Jerusalem. That’s what Jesus is all about - He’s about saving people from their sins.
But Jerusalem would have none of it. They are like we are - we have what we think is important, the way we want to go, what we think is right and wrong, what we feel, and we do that...
And it just eats God up inside. He mourns. It’s unbelievable, but Almighty God weeps - especially when we don’t have a clue enough to care.
We do our own thing. If we don’t get caught, it must not be a sin. If others do it, it must be ok. Who is righteous? Who is living right? I’m just taking what’s mine. Who cares anyway?
He does. He knows. He weeps. Jesus weeps - for Jerusalem, for His church, for you and me.
St. Luke 16:1-13 - Trinity 9 - 2010
St. Mark Lutheran Church - August 1, 2010
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In the name of Jesus. Amen. After midnight on Thursday, I was awoken by my youngest son, “Dad.... Dad, they took ‘our’ Sprite.”
The boys and I were at this Higher Things Retreat on the Frio River. And everything was perfectly wonderful - good Lutheran worship, Gospel, and hymns.. then.. some kids from another cabin helped themselves to the boy’s Sprite our fridge.
And when I didn’t react with the indignation that I was supposed to react with, my sons pushed the argument up a notch. “Well.... They also took your.... Diet Coke.”
And before that comment ignited an “They took Diet Coke? Oh-it’s on now..” reaction from their Dad, it hit me like a rock right there at the Frio in the middle of the night - this is why we don’t get the parable of the Unjust Steward.
How much are we like children when we come to our mammon, our stuff. It’s my stuff, my things, mine... Mine.. Mine.. Mine.. Mine. My... not yours... It’s mine and you can’t have what’s mine.
St. Luke 6:41-42 - Trinity 4 - 2010
St. Mark Lutheran Church - June 27, 2010
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In the name of Jesus. Amen. So let me get this straight. We are walking around with these big giant planks in our eyes. All the while, our brothers in Christ, have these itty-bitty specs in their eyes.
Big plank. Little speck. The example requires a visual. If your optometrist came out with this in front of their eyes, would you let them do surgery on you? Its simple eye surgery, you see. I'll just take my tweezers here and help you out. Hold on... Gimme a sec... Almost .. Talk about the blind leading the blind!
Now you'd think with this in front your eyes you couldn't see a thing... but we claim to have 20-20 vision! Talk about slap stick!
Now, even with the planks in our eyes, we look for our neighbor’s mistakes, their faults, their blemishes. We magnify them. We investigate for their sins, their gossip, their deep dark iniquity.
We don’t always rejoice in their failures, but sometimes we push ourselves up with them. They are so bad, so at fault, so icky. We’re not so bad, at least not as bad as them.
Chief of sinners though I be, we sing, but we know them to be cheifer. I’m bad, I know I’m bad, but they are bader. You see what that person did, if you only knew, you’d understand.
St. Luke 16:31 - Trinity 1 - 2010
June 6, 2010 - St. Mark Lutheran Church, Conroe, TX
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In the Name of Jesus. Amen. If there was one thing that beggar Lazarus knew was true.... no matter what happened to him, no matter what befell him, He knew that one thing was certain. He knew that the Lord would save Him.
The rich man may pass him without even acknowledging his existence, sores may cover his body, the dog licking the sores may be the only comfort that the world had for him - eww - but Lazarus knew that God would help him.
And when his life got really bad, when his stomach got really rumbly and there was nothing to fill it, when all seemed lost, all he had to do was to remember his name. Lazarus means “One who God helps.”
And help Lazarus, Jesus did. He was Jesus’ friend. His good friend. At his death, the Lord wept. He was the friend that Jesus raised from the dead. And when Jesus needed a person to use as an example, it would stand to reason that he would pick His buddy Lazarus.
Beggar. We’re all beggars before God. This much is true. So said Dr. Luther on his death bed. You and I, before God, have nothing on our own - nothing but sores and other things that we just wish we could hide or make go away. Nothing to hold up before God, nothing but sins that just show how terribly poor we truly are, lacking any righteousness that we could call our own.
In the name of Jesus. Amen. Dear Parents, I know you love your children. I can see by the clothes they wear, the iPods and phones they have, and how much time you give to them. They go from school to band to football to soccer. You take them everywhere and give them everything they need. Sometimes it seems that you have given up your lives for them, doesn't it? 
St. Luke 19:29-48 - Trinity 10 - 2010
St. Luke 16:1-13 - Trinity 9 - 2010
St. Luke 6:41-42 - Trinity 4 - 2010
St. Luke 16:31 - Trinity 1 - 2010 
