As aliens in the world, we live to serve God.

 

Sermon for Trinity 21, October 18, 2026

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

1 Peter 2:11-17  ¹¹Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and temporary residents in the world, to abstain from the desires of the sinful flesh, which war against your soul.  ¹²Live an honorable life among the Gentiles so that even though they slander you as evildoers, when they observe your noble deeds, they may glorify God on the day he visits us.  ¹³Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the king as the supreme authority ¹⁴or to governors as those who have been sent by him to punish those who do what is wrong and to praise those who do what is right.  ¹⁵For this is God’s will: that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.  ¹⁶Do this as free people, and do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but use it as servants of God.  ¹⁷Honor everyone.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king. (EHV)

As aliens in the world, we live to serve God.

Dear fellow redeemed

            Aliens!  That word has more than a few negative connotations in our country today.  Truth be told, though, it always has.  Most cultures around the world have had a distrust of the foreigner, the person who looks or acts differently than the native peoples.  Of course, some of that negativity comes from a history of foreign populations invading a country either to spy on them or to conquer as the case may be.  Still, international trade would never have happened without someone foreign coming into a nation, so from an earthly standpoint, it is usually a mixed blessing.

Of course, as we read Peter’s message this morning, we need to understand that his words have nothing to do with politics or protecting our home turf.  Rather, Peter is recognizing that when Jesus made us His disciples, He made us citizens of His heavenly Kingdom which makes us aliens to the world.  We are no longer the same as we were.  No longer do sin and Satan rule over us.  No longer does the devil have a claim to our souls.  Furthermore, because Jesus lived and died for every sinner of every time and place, His Father in heaven “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:4-5)

Peter wrote, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and temporary residents in the world, to abstain from the desires of the sinful flesh, which war against your soul.”  The people to whom Peter wrote lived in a world that was awash in immorality.  Between the idol worship of the pagan culture, the devaluation of human life, widespread slavery, and the rampant and readily available prostitution, most of the world those early Christians lived in was very unlike the pure life God commands.  So, how was a Christian to live in such a place and how are we to live is a similarly immoral world?  Peter’s words tell us that for Christians in such a place, consider yourselves aliens, then As aliens in the world, we live to serve God.

Once again, I must admit that the idea of people as aliens carries a lot of baggage in our times.  The question is why?  Israel had long been taught to respect the alien and sojourner for they had lived as such for four hundred years of slavery in Egypt.  Again, for the very same reason Peter tells us to live as aliens.  The corruption of our sinful nature makes us eager to continue in the immoral ways of the world.  We have a natural attraction to sin which is enhanced when we dwell among the disobedient and rebellious against God.  Satan has a hay day in tempting a sinner to continue to sin, but Christ has delivered us from slavery to sin and death.

You see, everything changed when the Lord purchased our souls from the devil’s control.  Our allegiance therefore must change.  In our new citizenship, we need to realize that we are precious to the Lord, so much so that He was willing to give His life to set us free.  Right along with that, having set us free from the tormentor’s grip, it is God’s will that we be free from evil.  Therefore, being immersed in the evil world, we need to make some choices.  Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit on our side, moving believers to live for the Lord Jesus who gave us holiness through His sacrifice on the cross.

As we observe cultures in the world, we might ask how aliens live in the various places.  Do they try to blend in so well that they go unrecognized as aliens?  Is it possible this is what Peter meant?  Or, do they keep themselves so separate from the general populace that they can be completely ignored?  Well, it is obvious that neither of those would be what our Lord desires.  In fact, Jesus said, “Let your light shine in people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)  Likewise, here, Peter writes, “Live an honorable life among the Gentiles so that even though they slander you as evildoers, when they observe your noble deeds, they may glorify God on the day he visits us.”  In His high priestly prayer, Jesus describes those who follow Him; “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” (John 17:16)

In Peter’s time, Christians were slandered, hated, persecuted, and condemned for refusing to honor the pagan gods or worship in emperor cults.  Therefore, the instruction given here by the Holy Spirit through Peter is that As aliens in the world, we live to serve God.  It is God’s will that sinners learn of His love and Jesus’ sacrifice to save sinners.  It is God’s will that we be in the world as His shining lights drawing others to His Light, which is Christ.

Consequently, if we live as the heathen and wicked do, they may welcome us with open arms, but it does absolutely nothing to lead them to Jesus.  And if we so immerse ourselves in wickedness that the wicked view us as one of them, when we try to lead them to the Good News, they will find us to be the hypocrites we would actually be.

Likewise, if we present ourselves as self-righteous judges looking for faults and sinners to condemn, we will receive only animosity at best.  Sometimes, it might feel like we are between a rock and a hard place.  Yet Peter confirms for us, there is a way.  Remember the story of the Good Samaritan, he didn’t ask whether the injured man was a fellow countryman, he simply stopped and gave his time and money to rescue the injured one.  We, of course, recognize that this represents Jesus who did everything to rescue us from the robber who injured our souls.  At the same time, it does show us that we can and should be concerned for the welfare of those around us, yet humbly and generously so.

Therefore, considering our text, we realize that we are to live in the world but as servants of the Lord who purchased us from the kidnapper, the old evil foe.  Christ Jesus has covered us with His righteousness, so we don’t serve Him to earn our place in His home.  Still, it is through our connection with Jesus that we live.  Therefore, when we live humbly according to the law and with concern for our fellow man and obedience to all our God has instructed us, even the wicked world begins to notice. 

Remember the great commission, “Gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)  We draw others to ourselves through relationships made here on earth, but only with sharing the Word of our God through these relationships.  We likewise instruct in all things not only by telling but also in how we live.

Sometimes, we would like to have exact instructions in how to respond in every situation, but a lengthy list of commands will help us little.  Rather, the Lord says, “Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the king as the supreme authority or to governors as those who have been sent by him to punish those who do what is wrong and to praise those who do what is right.  For this is God’s will: that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.”  Remember, Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)  Jesus, the King of all creation submitted Himself to every earthly authority as He lived for us on earth.  Therefore, as we live respecting the authorities God places over us while also obeying God’s law, what will be seen by the people around us is Jesus’ righteousness reflected in us.

Peter wrote, “Do this as free people, and do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but use it as servants of God.  Honor everyone.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king.”  As redeemed Christians, we are free from the law, free from condemnation, free from terror of judgment.  But the sinners and unbelievers around us do not yet enjoy that freedom.  They need to see humble submission to God as a good thing.  Therefore, as we live in this broken world, we will live, not as rabble rousers, nor as terrorists seeking to destroy those we dislike, neither will we hide ourselves away, nor will we pretend to a self-righteousness that we have never possessed.  Instead, we are to live our lives in such a way that people see Jesus and His perfect love reflected in our love for others and our humility before authority while maintaining allegiance and obedience to God.

Dear friends, as I write this, and as I speak it to you this morning, it all sounds rather complicated.  Still, we can sum up the instructions with a few simple ideas.  We are to dwell in this world without participating in its evils.  We live here as ambassadors for Jesus who truly has paid the penalty of death for the whole world and who dearly desires that the whole world would believe in Him for forgiveness and salvation.  We will let our lights shine in the darkness, not as arrogant searchlights seeking evil, but beacons of hope pointing to Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer. 

Then, having been set apart from the world by the life and faith worked in us by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament, we will live for Jesus, for As aliens in the world, we live to serve God.  Amen.

God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.  Amen.

She waited for the Lord, and He saved her.

 

Funeral sermon for Eunice Boerner, October 16, 2026

O Lord, we are gathered in sorrow, yet not as those who have no hope.  We thank You for all the blessings bestowed on our sister in faith now fallen asleep and for all the blessings given through her.  But most of all, we thank You for making her Your dear child by faith in Jesus Christ.  Give us to have that same trust in Jesus always.  We ask this all in His holy name.  Amen.

Dear friends in Christ: Curtis, Jill, Derek and Amy, Daniel and Michelle, relatives and friends: grace to you and abiding peace from the living God and His only-begotten Son who lived, died, and rose again for you and for all.  Amen.

For our words of comfort, we read of God’s love and plan to rescue His people:

Isaiah 25:6-9  ⁶On this mountain the Lord of Armies will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of aged wines, with the best cuts of meat, and with the finest wines.  ⁷On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that covers all peoples, the burial cloth stretched over all nations.  ⁸He has swallowed up death forever!  The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face.  He will take away the shame of his people throughout the earth.  For the Lord has spoken.  ⁹On that day it will be said, “Look, here is our God!  We waited for him, and he saved us!  This is the Lord!  We waited for him.  Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation!” (EHV)

No one likes to be accused of sin, and especially on days like today, none of us like to have a loved one accused of sin, but here we are, staring death in the face, being reminded again that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  The curse of sin on the world forces each of us to face the reality that we deserve to die for our sins against God and against His righteousness.  Every death is a reminder of our own guilt.

My friends, I am not telling you this to shame your mother or grandmother.  Not at all, for she rightly, willingly, and often confessed her sins before God, right here in this church for many decades, and these last years whenever I met with her with the Word of our God and His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.  Eunice regularly confessed her sin.  To the outside world, I am sure those faults seemed minor, hardly worth mentioning, but she knew the holiness of God and that she didn’t measure up.  Yet, the point of our text today, and Eunice’s confession, likewise, is that our God has taken away her guilt, my guilt, and all of your guilt as well.

At the death of a faithful Christian, there is sorrow and pain among those left behind.  We mourn our loss just as anyone else might.  At the same time, we gather this afternoon to rejoice and to celebrate the life Eunice is now enjoying.  Our text gives us a picture of the glory of heaven she now enjoys, because She waited for the Lord, and He saved her.

A message came to the prophet Isaiah to declare to a people mourning the life and freedom they had lost on account of their rebellion against God, in other words, because of their sin.  He announced to the people, “On this mountain the Lord of Armies will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of aged wines, with the best cuts of meat, and with the finest wines.”  In our Gospel lesson a few moments ago, we heard Jesus tell His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s mansions.  Jesus was going to the cross to suffer death for the sins of the world on that mountain on which Jerusalem was built, just as Isaiah had prophesied. 

Several times in the Gospels of our Lord, heaven is pictured as a wedding feast.  Isaiah described it as the most magnificent banquet a great king could provide.  Through the life and death of Jesus Christ, the banquet of heaven is now prepared for all who will believe.  It is prepared for all people, for you and me, and for Eunice.  Have no doubt that she is enjoying that new life right now in the presence of her King, her God and Savior.  Now, Isaiah was painting a picture of the richest foods they knew.  I can’t help but imagine there were great, big tubs of ice cream just waiting for Eunice to enjoy.

Of course, I can’t say exactly what heaven will be like, but the pictures Scripture gives tell us that it will be marvelous and it will be forever.  Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)  In this world, we have many troubles and eventually our bodies break down.  We have an unending list of sorrows and pains because of the curse of sin on the world.  However, for those who believe in Jesus as their Savior, those troubles are taken away forever as He welcomes us into heaven, where we will never again experience any suffering, sorrow, trouble, or pain. 

Therefore, I envision Eunice now walking, maybe dancing, enjoying the Paradise she now lives in, always singing praise to her Lord and Savior.  These are things she loved here.  In heaven, she is already enjoying the life that never ends, where the Lord promised, “God himself will be with them, and he will be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain, because the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

In our text, we have the work of Christ Jesus explicitly foretold: “On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that covers all peoples, the burial cloth stretched over all nations.  He has swallowed up death forever! … He will take away the shame of his people throughout the earth.  For the Lord has spoken.”  This is God’s sworn testimony: On that mountain called Calvary, or Golgotha-the place of the skull, Jesus gave His holy, innocent in life in the place of all sinners ever.  The Son of God, who lived perfect obedience to His Father in heaven and to every law down to the very last dot and tittle, carried the sins of the whole world and suffered the death we all deserved.  Even the pains of hell, which is complete separation from God were laid on Jesus, God’s Son, as He testified by His exclamation, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

On that hill, Jesus took away “the shame of his people throughout the earth.”  There, “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Because of the life Jesus lived, and the death His suffered on our behalf, God has counted Eunice as perfectly holy and innocent of any accusation that could be lobbed against her, and in her baptism almost ninety-five years ago, God adopted her as His own beloved daughter, and through the portal of physical death, just like Jesus suffered, He has welcomed her into the everlasting home Jesus prepared for her.  Throughout her life here on earth, She waited for the Lord, and He saved her.

Remember the rest of the prophecy: “He will destroy the shroud that covers all peoples, the burial cloth stretched over all nations.  He has swallowed up death forever!  The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face.”  Whenever we have to place a loved one’s remains in the ground, the reality of Christ’s victory over sin and death reminds us that this is not the end, because Jesus didn’t stay dead and buried in that tomb.  As we celebrate every Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, conquering death forever.  The wicked foe that thought he was killing God’s Son, was now crushed when the Son took up His life again.  On top of that, even, Jesus promises that we too will be raised.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus promised to return and take us to be with Him in the mansions of heaven.  In the epistle lesson, we are promised that nothing can separate God’s people from His love, and in the reading from Job, we are assured that we will see Jesus with our own eyes in the resurrection from the dead.  The Holy Spirit moved St. Paul to write, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.  For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Romans 6:3-5)

Dear friends, today, as you mourn Eunice’s passing from this life, be comforted by these truths: she trusted in Jesus as her Savior and Redeemer, and for her faith in Jesus, God has counted her as His own dear child, has forgiven all her sins, dressed her in the perfect righteousness of Christ Jesus, and has taken her soul to dwell with the Lord in the glory and peace of heaven forevermore.  Then, on the day Jesus returns to judge the world, her body also will be raised from the dead, glorified in the perfection of her Savior, as the Scriptures promise.  Therefore, we will be able to see her again and to rejoice along with her for all eternity to come, for She waited for the Lord, and He saved her.  Amen.

The one who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints.  Amen.

Let your joy in Christ be evident in your life.

 

Sermon for Trinity 20, October 11, 2026

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.

Philippians 2:19-30  ¹⁹I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered when I receive news about you.  ²⁰To be sure, I have no one else like him, who will be genuinely concerned about your welfare.  ²¹For, the others all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.  ²²But you know Timothy’s proven character, that as a child for his father, he served with me in the gospel.  ²³So he is the one I hope to send just as soon as I see how things go with me.  ²⁴But I have confidence in the Lord that I myself will be coming soon too.  ²⁵I also considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as the one you sent to serve me in my need.  ²⁶I sent him because he was longing for all of you and was distressed, because you had heard that he was sick.  ²⁷As a matter of fact, he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.  ²⁸Now I am especially eager to send him, so that you may rejoice when you see him again, and I may be relieved.  ²⁹Therefore, receive him in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard, ³⁰because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life in order to fill in what was lacking in your service to me. (EHV)

Let your joy in Christ be evident in your life.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            On old adage tells us that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach the man to fish, you feed him for life.  That saying may well serve as an analogy of the Christian life.  As Christians, if we tell others how to live and pass laws to direct good behavior, we might well influence life for the short time we are in the world.  On the other hand, when we devote ourselves to teaching the full counsel of God including both law and Gospel then devote ourselves faithfully to serving others, we give them so much more, as we bring to them a life that never ends.  We are not just feeding them for a day but giving them the bread of eternal life which is Christ Jesus.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is sometimes called his “letter of joy,” for in it he repeatedly expresses his joy in Christ Jesus and his encouragement to rejoice in what Jesus has done for us.  In other words, he would say, Let your joy in Christ be evident in your life.

This Church year, our sermons have been taking us through a review of the Small Catechism.  Today’s sermon brings us into the midst of what Luther called our Table of Duties.  It lists the service Christians provide in the home, church, and community with our focus this morning on congregational life.  This portion of Paul’s letter demonstrates the concern Christians have for each other.  The people of Philippi had shown their concern for Paul by sending Epaphroditus to aid Paul in his ministry.  Paul was likewise concerned about the congregation he had started in Philippi.  The concern and care was obvious in both directions when they Let their joy in Christ be evident.

Now, Paul was eager to learn about the conditions in that congregation, and the congregation at Philippi was eager for news about the servant they had sent to Paul after learning how close that man had come to death while helping Paul who was at that time under house arrest in Rome.  So, what does this all mean for you and me?

This morning, we have an excellent example of parents caring for their children.  Not under compulsion, but because of their love and care for their newborn sons, we have two boys brought into the Lord’s family through the washing and Word of Baptism.  Therefore, with this baptism of two dearly loved children, God demonstrated His love, for we know that in Baptism, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)

Now, to all parents out here, I will say, being a parent gives you an awesome, essential, rewarding, and yes, sometimes thankless job.  As in our analogy, you might assume that your job is to raise your children to be law abiding citizens, and that would be a good thing in a world that is so often troubled by lawlessness.  Yet, that serves your children for just the present day. 

For those parents who truly love their children, teaching law leaves a gap.  No matter how well anyone ever obeys the law, death still comes calling in the end.  Paul wrote to the Roman congregation, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  Yes, a person might live to a ripe old age, but the end is the same.  However, Christ Jesus did not give up His life on the cross just so that we might look like good people.  He suffered and died so that we would be holy, righteous, and acceptable to His Father in heaven, and thus, that we would live with Him forever in heaven.  But how?

That is where the Christian community comes into play.  Starting right here at home, we have the duty to teach the world about Jesus, who explained, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6)  Furthermore, our duty is not burdensome but a true joy to be able to do those things that lead other sinners to the cross of Jesus where they will find peace with God, forgiveness of sin, and life everlasting, because the Gospel declares that “the undeserved gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

How could anyone consider this joyous task a burden?  Yet, as Paul pointed out, “the others all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.”  Many around Paul thought first about themselves.  Indeed, that is our human nature, our old sinful Adam, coming to the forefront.  However, as the Holy Spirit works faith in us and motivates us to share the gift of salvation with those we love, that sharing no longer feels like work, but rather, a blessing that encourages both us and them.

In that new Christian Church all those centuries ago, there was a far different character than is evident in so much of the world, both then and now.  In the world, the self always tries to rule.  Yet, here in Paul’s letter, we see how the Christians demonstrated their care and concern for each other.  The Philippians sent help to Paul, and when that help suffered grievously, they expressed their love and concern for him.  Paul, likewise, showed his concern, both in regard to the conditions under which the Philippians had to endure much struggle in a pagan world, and in his care for his fellow minister.  He said, “I also considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as the one you sent to serve me in my need.  I sent him because he was longing for all of you and was distressed, because you had heard that he was sick.”

Do any of you ever wonder if anyone cares about you?  That feeling is exceedingly common among the youth of our day, but it isn’t unusual in older generations.  The truth is, the world and the devil who controls so many souls in it, not only doesn’t care about you, but Satan is actively seeking to destroy you.  Thus, we battle every day to Let your joy in Christ be evident in your life.

In contrast to the world and the devil’s malicious hoard, the Lord our God has sworn, “I will never forget you.  Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16)  Therefore, being connected with the Lord Jesus by faith, your Christian friends are deeply concerned for your eternal welfare.  That is why they give offerings so that the Gospel continues to be preached.  It is why our prayer list grows longer seemingly every week.  It is also why sometimes, we must go to a fellow believer and point out sin and neglect of faith, not because we are trying to lord it over anyone, but because our love for others in Christ Jesus compels us. 

It is a great joy to us and to God above when we get to see the burden of guilt lifted from a fellow believer, because Jesus said, “I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)  Therefore, we say, come in, come in and receive the forgiveness of our Lord and the everlasting life He gives through faith.

Why do we want to show our concern for our friends and neighbors?  For the Christian, it isn’t because the law commands it.  Rather, we feel the grace of God at work within us.  We rejoice at the opportunity to serve the Lord who brought us forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)  We gladly offer prayers to our God on behalf of others, because He promises through His apostle, James, “The prayer of a righteous person is able to do much because it is effective.” (James 5:16)  We rejoice that Jesus boldly stated, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)

God calls us to pray, praise, and give thanks, because He loves rewarding faithful people.  He tells us to go out into the highways and byways of life in order to invite more and more lost souls into the glorious wedding banquet of heaven, and as we saw pictured in the Gospel lesson this morning, our Savior provides the perfect wedding clothes by covering us with His righteousness given to those who believe in Him.  Furthermore, when teaching against worry, Jesus declared, “Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

Dear friends, most of us would have to admit that there are many times we feel the burden of our guilt.  Even worse, we know there is much more sin on our resume than we could ever know.  Indeed, the psalmist pleaded with the Lord, “Who can recognize his own errors?  Declare me innocent of hidden sins.” (Psalm 19:12)  And again we read, “If you, Lord, kept a record of guilt, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is pardon, so you are feared.” (Psalm 130:3-4)  I tell you, come and hear the glory of God for He gave His Son, Jesus, into life and death to rescue us from everlasting torment and darkness.  Jesus lived to give you His perfect holiness, He died so that your sins would be washed away and forgotten.  He has risen from the dead and now lives in glory in heaven with all things in heaven and earth under His authority, so that you may Let your joy in Christ be evident in your life.  Amen.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.  Amen.

Clothe yourselves in the peace Christ won for you.

 

Sermon for Trinity 19, October 4, 2026

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.  Amen.

Colossians 3:12-21  ¹²Therefore, as God’s elect, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  ¹³Bear with one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against anyone else.  Forgive, just as Christ forgave you.  ¹⁴And, in addition to all these things, put on love, which ties things together in perfect unity.  ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, to which you were also called, in one body.  And be thankful.  ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.  ¹⁷And everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  ¹⁸Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.  ¹⁹Husbands, love your wives and do not treat them harshly.  ²⁰Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord.  ²¹Fathers, do not embitter your children, so that they do not become discouraged. (EHV)

Clothe yourselves in the peace Christ won for you.

Dear beloved children of the Lord,

            It is quite common in families for parents to expect their children to hold themselves to certain standards when out in public.  This is perhaps especially true among the wealthy, the politically elite, and royalty.  For example, the British Royal Family has very strict protocols that every member of the family is expected to uphold at all times.

Of course, in those cases, the family expectations are primarily focused on preventing embarrassment to the family.  In contrast, our Lord is not concerned with embarrassment.  Rather, out of love for us and for all people God gives instruction for living to those He has made His own children, so that we live in the gentleness and humble nature of His Son, Who, “Though he was by nature God, … humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)  Thus, it is to express His tender love for us that the Spirit says, Clothe yourselves in the peace Christ won for you.

The first thing we must realize is that these instructions are for Christians, for those whom God has already made His own.  Notice with joy that Paul wrote this to “God’s elect, holy and loved.”  Out of all the teaming hordes of humanity afflicted with the sinful nature inherited from Adam, and deserving nothing but His rejection, God chose us to be His own “dearly loved” children.  We are so dearly loved that God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, into suffering and death on our behalf.  By Christ’s righteous living and perfect obedience to His Father in heaven, holiness was established for those who would believe in Jesus. 

Then, through the faith worked in us by His Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament, God has counted us forgiven and cleansed of all sin.  By the powerful washing of Baptism, God washed away the stench of all our guilt then dressed us in the perfect righteousness that Jesus lived for us.  Furthermore, Jesus promised, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23)  So, to faithful Christians, with Jesus and the Father dwelling in us, the Spirit says, Clothe yourselves in the peace Christ won for you.

Now, we know that no one is able to make himself a Christian by following these commands, for as long as we walk the troubled soil of earth, we remain in the condition of sin, so our works can never earn God’s mercy.  Consequently, those who try to use instructions like this to gain, by their own works, a place in God’s heaven earn only condemnation for their faults. 

Instead of telling the troubled soul how to please God and be saved, Paul’s instructions, here, tell us how to live as part of Jesus’ sanctified bride, His holy Church.  Consequently with the Holy Spirit working in us, we do not want to dress in the shameful rags of our own efforts, but we put on the pure white clothes that Christ has woven for us in Himself.  It is Jesus put on us that leads to pleasing God.  We thereby become His representatives here on earth.  We do this by confessing our unworthiness and guilt, and trusting in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, and in that state of grace striving to live as He would live. 

Paul wrote, “Clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”  What greater heartfelt compassion could be shown than what Jesus showed as He entered our world to live with the rabble of humanity?  Not willing to sentence the whole human race to hell, Jesus entered our world—this world so troubled by our sinful ways—just so that He could eliminate our rift with God and heal our souls to live with Him forever.

Jesus demonstrated kindness to those who needed His help, who indeed had nothing to offer Him but more sin, when He healed the sick, the lame, and the blind while He forgave the sins of all who came to Him for help and healing.  Jesus lived humility in not demanding our obeisance before saving us but taking on complete servitude to rescue the unworthy from eternal death.  The very Son of God, and true King of heaven and earth, was willing to live as one of us in order to rescue the wretched refuse of humanity from sin, death, and the devil’s control. 

Jesus’ gentleness was evident to all in that rather than demand obedience to more and more laws, He declared, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)

In consideration of all that Jesus has done for us, Paul writes, “Bear with one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against anyone else.  Forgive, just as Christ forgave you.  And, in addition to all these things, put on love, which ties things together in perfect unity.”  Remember that through the adoption of Baptism, we each have God dwelling with us and empowering us to live as Jesus lived for us with unconditional love devoted to bringing forgiveness to others.  Jesus said, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17)

If we pause for a moment and remember all the times we have been unwilling to forgive someone else, or even those times when perhaps we punished one of our own children for their misdeeds but then forgot to tell them that they are truly forgiven for Jesus’ sake, it is easy to be stricken in the heart for our unloving, unforgiving attitudes.  It is for just such times that the Spirit caused Paul to write, “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, to which you were also called, in one body.  And be thankful.”  Be thankful that Jesus has already forgiven you.  Be thankful that He has won complete and everlasting peace between you and God.  No, we don’t deserve that mercy and kindness.  No one does for we all fall short of the glory of God, but that is the richness of God’s love for us and for all—that Jesus came to save sinners.  Be thankful, for He came into this world to make us right with His Father in heaven so that we may Clothe ourselves in the peace Christ won for you.

Sometimes, we find it hard to forgive, and even harder to forget; we want the offending party to make up to us for whatever the fault, but is that how Jesus forgave us?  Did He not rather suffer and die for all the sinners of the world regardless of whether we believed?  Therefore, put on love.  Put on that determination to do for the other person what he, like us, doesn’t deserve and cannot earn. 

At the same time, we dare not pretend that any sin is something good.  We are often surrounded by unbelievers who demand that Christians condone what God calls sin.  To condone sin is not love but pure hatred driven by the evil one.  Instead, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.”  God’s Word does not change, nor should we want it to, for it is life and hope and salvation to the believer.  So, we are to teach it faithfully, and use it wisely in all we do, and our response to God’s Word should always be praise and thanksgiving.  We, of course, do this in our weekly church services, yet it is for the good of our neighbor that the Lord encourages this to be evident in every part of daily living. 

When feelings of worthlessness come upon us, we can look to the love God demonstrated for us on the cross, where because He loves us, Jesus sacrificed Himself so that we would be rich in righteousness and dearly loved by His Father in heaven.  If we ever feel gloomy or worried, we can take heart in the fact that God has redeemed us from evil and condemnation—that He has opened the gates of heaven for all who believe in His Son.  Living with gratitude to God can be contagious.  It is hard to stay focused on gloom when your associates are singing praise to God even in the hard times.

It is perhaps in our own families that we have the greatest difficulty staying true to God’s directives.  Husbands and wives struggle to balance power, needs, and desires.  It is easy to let the sinful nature control our reactions to the little hurts of life.  Children may sometimes rebel against parents’ authority even while needing that guidance to have happy, contented lives.  Therefore, we again are reminded to focus on what Jesus has done for us; “And everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

In the day-to-day struggle of life in this sin-broken world, there is much that causes hurt and consternation even among people who love each other.  It is therefore wise to keep our eyes looking always toward the One Savior who never stops loving us.  So, the Spirit reminds us that our salvation and forgiveness comes only through Christ, and our sanctified service is the same.  Through faith, Christ puts Himself on us, around us, and in us.  Through the gift of Baptism and the life-giving food of His Holy Supper, Jesus works in us, making the Spirit’s witness come true when He caused Paul to write: “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) 

Dear friends, may God’s workmanship, and the merciful love of Christ Jesus shine on and around you continually, as you Clothe yourselves in the peace Christ won for you.  Amen.

May the LORD our God be with us, just as he was with our fathers.  May he never leave us or abandon us.  May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways.  Amen.