All Saints Day (Pentecost 23 year A)- November 1- Matthew 5:1-12

 For over a thousand years, the Western Church has observed the festival of All Saints in November, and in spite of some medieval abuses concerning the saints, Lutherans have continued to view the saints and All Saints Day as worthy of commemoration.  In numerous New Testament passages, the term “saints” refers to any faithful member of Christ's Church (for example, Acts ch. 9, Romans chs. 1,8, 12, 15, 16, Hebrews chs. 6, 13, Jude v. 3; Revelation chs. 5, 8, 11,13, etc.). All Christians are saints or “holy ones” because they have been made holy by faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. They have Holy Baptism and the Holy Spirit. They belong to Christ’s holy universal Church. 

The saints are the kind of believers that our Lord calls "blessed" in the traditional reading from Matthew 5. They are not all saintly or holy in the sense of being perfect examples, but they are holy in the sense that they belong to God and have been set apart for His purposes. They are ordinary people who believe in Jesus as Savior and who remain loyal to Christ and His Gospel through the varied circumstances of this earthly life. These blessed people hunger and thirst for righteousness and continue faithful, even through persecution and death.

There have been many blessed saints, famous and unknown, in the past, and there are still saints in the present. We give thanks for the examples and influence of past and present saints. Even more importantly, we hope and pray that we are also saints. May God's grace strengthen us in our Christian faith and keep us saints in thought, word, and deed- graciously forgiven and made holy through living faith in the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reformation Sunday (Pentecost 22)- Romans 3:19–28; Matthew 11:12–19

Many Protestants commemorate the beginnings of the 16th-century Reformation on the last Sunday in October. The Epistle from Romans 3:19–28 is an obvious choice. While this passage shows respect for the purposes of divine Law, it emphasizes that no one can be set right with God or justified by works of the Law. All humans are sinners and can be justified only by divine grace received through faith in Jesus Christ. This teaching lies at the heart of the Reformation. It teaches the distinction between Law and Gospel and human dependence on divine grace.

One Gospel reading suggested for this Sunday is Matthew 11:12–19. At first glance, this passage may not seem like an obvious choice. It notes the different approaches of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. John had a very simple way of life. He proclaimed judgment, repentance, and preparation for the Kingdom on the edge of society. In contrast, Jesus is more involved with people. He is present at various occasions, eating and drinking with all kinds. Those who wished to find fault criticized both teachers and their approaches.

However, both criticisms missed the mark. For the messages of John and Jesus were basically the same. Despite differing approaches, both proclaimed repentance and faith, judgment and promise, Law and Gospel. Both taught divine wisdom, and as Jesus concludes in Matthew 11:19 (KJV), "...wisdom is justified of her children." In other word, for those with open ears and hearts, the message of Scripture is the same regardless of the external accompaniments: Repent and believe the good news!

Pentecost 21 (year A proper 24)- Matthew 22:15-22

The Gospel from St. Matthew 22:15-22 is a famous passage concerning paying taxes. Here two groups of Jesus' opponents join together and try to trap Jesus. They ask whether it is lawful (according to the Jewish Torah) to pay the tribute demanded by the Romans. Jesus knows their true designs. He knows that these hypocrites simply want to cause problems. Almost any answer He gives will upset someone. Outwitting His opponents, He requests to see a coin and asks about the image- Caesar's. Since it has Caesar's image, it must be his, and any person willing to use the coin must acknowledge Caesar's claims to tax. 

Christ avoids their trap, and His answer suits the immediate context. Yet, Christ's answer is more than just clever debate. He enunciates an important general principle: Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's (St. Matthew 22:21b). Government, even that of an oppressive conqueror, serves certain purposes such as preventing anarchy and insuring a rough justice and stable economic exchange. Believers like other people benefit from whatever degree of stability a government provides, and so believers are not anarchists. As seen throughout Scripture, especially as developed in the New Testament epistles, Christians pray for rulers and acknowledge that worldly power has certain legitimate purposes. 

However, the claims of Caesar are limited. Money may bear Caesar's image, but every human being bears the divine image. Therefore, the highest human loyalty is to God, not to any political and economic leader or system. It turns out that true faith is both collaborative and subversive at the same time. To the extent that a government restrains human evil and promotes the common good under God's Law, it deserves Christian support.

Nevertheless. Christians must always put God's requirements first. When any government (even a democratically elected one) claims too much for itself, it must either be ignored or opposed in some way. Caesar, for example, can claim taxes, but he has no right to claim to be worshipped as a god. In modern democracies, a government can justly ask many things of us, but it has no rights when it asks Christians to agree with practices that are against Scripture (for example, idolatry, abortion, euthanasia, or sexual immorality).

Pentecost 20 (year A proper 23)- Matthew 22:1-14

  The Gospel from Matthew 22:1-14, like several parables, compares the kingdom of heaven to a feast. In this example, a king prepares a wedding feast for his son and invites guests, but those invited despise the invitation. Some simply ignore it, while others attack and even kill the messengers sent to them. The king responds to such ingratitude and evil with strong justice. He destroys the evildoers and seeks new guests for his feast. According to the customs of those days, the royal host even has appropriate garments provided for them. Yet, one guest refuses to be grateful and to cooperate. He does not bother to put on the garment, and so he is cast out.

This parable stresses two points about the heavenly kingdom.  First,  the kingdom has its origin in the graciousness of the divine King. God always has the initiative. He invites people to share in fellowship with Him. He provides all that is needed. Secondly, however, the invited guests are expected to respond in gratitude. People must accept the divine invitation and prepare in appropriate ways. The divine host provides all that is needed to join the celebration, but He will judge those who despise or reject His grace.

As Christians, we must notice both points about the heavenly kingdom. We are dependent upon the graciousness of God. He invites us; He calls us. And He provides all that we need to enjoy His company. Nevertheless, He also expects us to respond appropriately. If we reject His call and ignore His gifts, we bring judgment and exclusion from His presence. So let us be open to God's call and accept  the invitation with gratitude!

Pentecost 19 (year A, proper 22)- Matthew 21:33--46)

 The Gospel for this Sunday. Matthew 21:33-46 is known variously as the parable of the wicked husbandmen, or tenants, or vine dressers. In Jesus' story, a landowner plants a vineyard, rents it out, and goes to a distant place. At harvest time, the owner sends representatives to collect his portion of the produce, but the tenants resist, mistreat, and even kill the owner's employees. Finally, the owner gives the tenants a last chance and sends his son. However, the wicked tenants even kill the owner's son. The natural result of such actions will be the just destruction of such evil people.

Of course, the parable about the vineyard and the tenants concerns religion. It is about God's people and the kingdom of God. In the first century, it applies to religious leaders at Jerusalem. They have repeatedly rejected and mistreated messengers sent by the Lord God. Rather than submit to divine authority, these tenants eventually kill God's Son, Jesus Christ. And in doing so, they assure their own destruction.

Unfortunately, this pattern has been repeated and is still being repeated among professing Christians. Many who belong to the Church often start viewing it as their property rather than God's vineyard. They want to use it for their personal benefit, and they reject and abuse those who call on them to be responsible and loyal to God. Again and again, religious people have been disloyal to God and rejected His Son. Often they face worldly consequences in the decline of their organizations, but even more seriously, apart from repentance and acceptance of divine rule, they will face spiritual consequences as well. 

As Christians, we should recognize that we are all God's tenants in this world. We owe God all that we are and all that we have. We should gratefully offer Him loyalty and service in all areas of life. We should respect the messengers He sends to us, most especially His Son Jesus Christ.