THE WEEK OF TRINITY XVI - MONDAY

LESSON: PSALM 100

“Your Father who is in heaven … makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45

If I only duly considered what God has done for me in giving me my eyes, truly, a very great treasure, it would not be very surprising if I died of shame for my thanklessness in never having thanked God for this great blessing. We do not recognize the blessing and the noble treasure because it is common. But when a child has been born blind, we realize what a painful affliction of the absence of sight can be and what a precious thing even a single eye is.

A fresh, healthy countenance is certainly one of God’s good gifts to us. It serves us throughout our whole life. Without it, we would prefer to be dead. But how few there are who ever think of thanking God for something like this! Take a closer look at your body and you will find indications of God’s grace and goodness everywhere. The psalmist does not overstate the case when he says, “The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord” (Psalm 33:5). He had clear eyes and depth of vision so that he could see that the whole earth was full of God’s goodness and blessings.

What moves God to bestow His goodness upon us? Have we deserved such treatment? Not at all! It is simply God’s good pleasure to cast forth His gifts and blessings upon the world in this manner. They embrace the thankless and the thankful without distinction. It annoys us when we have to part with one or two florins, or perhaps even less, and even if it is given to the poor. But how many blessings does not God shed abroad on this world daily, even when no one ever thanks Him for one of them? For that matter, who still acknowledges God’s goodness at all?

SL 11:1648 (5)

PRAYER: Your bounteous goodness and mercy towards us, heavenly Father, is altogether wonderful. Grant us at all times the ability to evaluate Your goodness correctly, in and through Christ our Savior. Amen.

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 5:127-139.