READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:
Micah 7:18-20
1 Peter 5:6-11
- St. Luke 15:1-10
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Savior. (Titus 1:4)
Who speaks to you today, saying:
“In the same way,
I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who
repents”
I am sick to death of being afraid. Come quickly, Lord
Jesus. Not only am I supposed to be afraid of who will be governor of Los
Angeles, but also of a country, half-way across the planet, who allegedly
possesses nuclear weapons which may or may not be aimed at my living room.
Not to mention who is in what seat of authority in our own
country. And on top of that, now having to go through our own election of synod
president in the LCMS and really getting to see how afraid people want me to be
if the wrong person gets elected.
So now, what I’m supposed to fear in the world has
infiltrated my church. The Church that is the Mighty Fortress. The Church that
is the Lord’s own Bride. Earlier in St. Peter’s first epistle, which we heard
from today, he preaches, “For it is time for judgment to begin at the
household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those
who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet 4:17).
Dear Children, we are in this time of judgement. Things not
being “the way they used to” or “the times are a-changin” are just excuses to
quit. The things we are face within our country, our church, and our homes are
all tests, for the faithful.
Job has said, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall
we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10).
For the unfaithful, things are just getting better. If we
just back and elect the right person, everything will go back to normal. But
normal what?
When we look out into the world we see Original Sin. Yes,
Original Sin. That highly unpopular doctrine that not very many teach or preach
about. Why? Because it removes alleged free will, your so-called ability to act
without corruption, and your front of changing your life around. In Jesus’s
Name, of course.
Our Confessions state:
“We have not only used the word concupiscence, but we have
also said that "the fear of God and faith are lacking." We added this
comment because the scholastic teachers do not understand the definition of
original sin well enough. They take what they received from the Fathers and
extend the definition of original sin. They argue that the evil inclination is
a quality on the body, like a blemish. With their usual folly, they ask whether
this quality is caused from the contagiousness of the apple or from the breath
of the serpent, and whether medicines [or elections!] can cure the condition.
They suppress the main point with such questions.” (Ap II(I):7)
We think the Gospel today is all about losing stuff. Stuff
that can be found. Stuff that can be replaced. Stuff that is of little
consequence: animals, money. Easy to deal with.
No. That’s not why Jesus is saying these things. The real
focus is that these things get lost and destroyed in the first place.
Either we caused it or are responsible for it. And it is
there where we take our first step towards understanding Original Sin and
concupiscence, as our Confessions stated.
Why did the sheep get lost in the first place? What made the
coin go to a place not made for it? Why can I not perfectly keep and maintain
all I have or remember it half the time? If you secure a fence, it should stay
secure. If you domesticate a sheep, it should stay domesticated. If you keep
your coins, they should stay kept. If you were there when you put something
away, it should be there when you go back to it.
Repent. Removing sin is not just doing better or obeying
God. The first sin was not simple disobedience, as in, if we would just obey
today, we could undo our sinfulness. Adam and Eve didn’t just disobey. The
first sin was doubt. It was “I can be God and be better than God”.
You can go back to Genesis 3 and listen in on the conversion
of Eve. God lets us do that when only He was there. Eve was persuaded to make a
plan. First, she heard the Word and confessed it, but then it didn’t sound
right, because the tree was good, and beautiful, and pleasant. How could a
loving God, maker of all things beautiful, good, and pleasant NOT want me to
commune with this?!
The concupiscence was first conceived in her heart and,
after maturing, gave birth to sin and active disobedience. As St. James says, “…every
man is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and allured. Then,
when concupiscence has conceived, it brings forth sin. And sin, fully
perfected, brings forth death.” (1:14-15)
Well did Jesus say and St. James interpret, “Truly,
truly, I say to you that everyone practicing sin, is a slave to sin.” And, “Whoever
breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all” (Jn 8:34, James 2:10).
So, the talk about sin is major and more in-depth than we
usually think. Real sin is serious and it is “…ignorance of God, contempt for
God, total lack of fear of God and confidence in God, hatred of God's judgment,
fleeing from God when He judges us, anger toward God, despairing of God's
grace, putting trust in things of this world, and so forth” (Ap II(I):7-8),
says Augsburg.
And Jesus has come to seek and save the lost in every and
all ways. Teachers who misunderstand Original Sin believe that Jesus just came
to help you find lost stuff. Hopes, dreams, a carefree life. They never dream
that Jesus actually handles real sin in suffering and blood. And they never
imagine that they do not fear, love, and trust in Him as He’s doing it.
Indeed, the rebirth and regeneration Jesus comes to purchase
and win for sinners is not your choice, but His. And it is rebirth and
regeneration, not buck up and make better choices. You are lost and you get
lost, continually. And lost means death.
You in your sin are dead in your sin, which is why Jesus had
to die to redeem you. But guess what? Your sin remains and you chose to die
again. Daily. Jesus must make a redemption so complete that you can be renewed
each and every second of the day. And this is what His Word, His Body and
Blood, does.
Jesus can go after the one sheep who is lost, dead, because
Jesus became lost, became the curse for us, and died. He has travelled the road
of the dead and defeated death. Though sin, death, and the devil will still
try, death has no more dominion over the lost.
Jesus can go after the coin, because He willingly and
joyfully jumped into the darkness of sin and death to remove it. Now, only
light is where Jesus is. “In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun.
Like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run
his course, it rises at one end of the heavens and runs its circuit to the
other; nothing is deprived of its warmth” (Psalm 19:4-6)
So He finds us dead and makes us alive in Word and
Sacrament, given to His Church. This is the other end of complete redemption.
Jesus not only accomplishes His Salvation on the cross, but He brings it
forward, to us, today.
And that’s the only way to salvation. Grace alone. It must
be given. And it must be given to you in the way that Jesus promises, not any
way that you think He wants. His salvation. Your Original Sin. His Church. Your
passivity.
What does this mean? This means the Church is not our
creation. It is not ours to tinker with and change and mold to fit our
preferences, the modern age, or any temporal fad. The Church was here before
us, it is with us now, and it will remain long after our pride-filled hearts
pass on.
What does this mean? Love your church. It’s our only
recourse in the face of Original Sin because it is the only place Jesus has
promised to be. Become a fan of your church. Ask the deep questions. Why do you
go to this church? Why do you follow Jesus? Is your answer like Charlie Kirk,
that Jesus changed your life and that’s why? That’s kid’s stuff. A seven year
old can change his life and give credit to Jesus.
An adult can find where Jesus is handing out the free
forgiveness of sins. An adult can place himself in the path of the Light of the
World. An adult can hear of and chase down the Body and Blood of the Lord
Jesus, in order that his body be found and made alive again.
Made alive. Dead men do not come back to life, unless you’re
Jesus. Dead lambs do not find themselves and lost coins to not return on their
own. What is lost cannot be found again. Except that One returns from the
dead.
And Jesus has. This is why we sing in Church. This is why we
listen to the Word. This is why we chant. This is why we challenge ourselves
with hard things in His Church, because there is so much joy to be uncovered
here. We have repented! We are a congregation that repents! Much more than just
one.
How many angels have we triggered today? This year? Our
lifetimes? And at Jesus’s invitation to daily repent, there will be no end to
this joy. It will be eternal.
So we go on sinning to create that much more joy, right?
No. The Holy Spirit reveals that we have enough sin for 3 or
4 lifetimes and we only live once. Jesus has enough righteousness for a
thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His Church.
Amen.
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