"You are the light of the world."

As a baptized Christian, you have the true Light of the world living inside you. Jesus also says, "I am the Light of the world" (John 8:12). "The true Light, which gives light to everyone, ... gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:9-12).

As you join Christ's body in Baptism, Jesus' Light comes into you. You shine as a light bulb to those around you. This is why people look to you as a Christian. You have the true Light within you. They want to see what you do with it. So Jesus tells you, "Let your light so shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus' Light gives you the ability to shine in God's great glory. All of the great virtues of the Christian faith are given through this Light. All the great things Christians strive to show in their lives come from Jesus' Light: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). All these gifts come through Jesus' Light.

Celebrate your enlightenment by Him and let your light shine for your neighbors today. Amen.

"If salt has lost its taste,

"You are the salt of the earth," Jesus told us last time. But what if you have lost your saltiness? How can it be restored? Jesus tells us that this cannot be done by us: "It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."

What do we do about those Christians who have lost their saltiness? Who refuse to be in worship with their brothers and sisters? There's very little we can do of ourselves. We can remind them of the great blessings and benefits of being in worship. We can encourage them to hear God's Word as it is read and proclaimed.

But it is not up to us. We can come with God's salty Word and let the Holy Spirit do His work. But each of us have the inborn ability to resist the Holy Spirit. Our natural hard-heartedness causes us to lose our saltiness. We cannot create the saltiness because it is given to us by God.

Once strong Christians can lose their saltiness and be considered as good for nothing. Only through the Holy Spirit and prayer can the saltiness be restored. If you know someone who needs their saltiness restored, talk with them. But also pray for them that they may be brought back to the benefits of their Savior. Amen.

"You are the salt of the earth."

Salt is one of the most important commodities in the ancient world. Before the invention of refrigeration, packing meat in salt was the only way to preserve it.

Although salt is now used more for flavoring than as a preservative, it still has that preserving characteristic. Jesus wants His followers to have that preserving power. Luther teaches us in the Small Catechism that this preservation comes through the power of the Holy Spirit: "The Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith."

The Holy Spirit's preservation comes through the great means of the Church: the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins and the life everlasting. By these means, the Holy Spirit grants us faith and keeps us together with the whole Christian Church on earth in the one true faith in Jesus Christ.

"You are the salt of the earth," Jesus says. Be salt and use your God-given gifts to preserve the faith of those around you. Amen.

We quickly summarize Exodus 27-30 by looking at the Bronze Basin and the Altar of Burnt Offerings before going into the Consecration of the Priesthood and the clothing particular to that role.

Blessed are you when others revile you

Being hated for your faith is nothing new. All the prophets of the Old Testament were reviled for their message. All but one of the Apostles were martyred for their faith. St. Paul has to defend his own honor to his congregations because others have come along and reviled and slandered him. "There is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

Persecution comes because of steadfast faith. No one is persecuted for mediocre faith. Think that God must have forsaken you because you're being persecuted? Think again! The persecution is the proof of God's presence. Who would say that God wasn't with the prophets? That He wasn't with the Apostles? No one.

Just as the prophets and Apostles, your reward will be great in Heaven. Your reward will be Heaven. What's some name-calling or injuries or even death compared to everlasting life? Not much if you ask me. Amen.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

Persecution is not fun. It isn't enjoyable to be ridiculed for your beliefs. In America, we have probably the worst persecution in the world. No. It's not typically physical persecution. It's mental, emotional and psychological persecution.

As with abuse, physical persecution isn't the worst. The physical pain will fade away. The bones will mend. But the mental, emotional and psychological scars never go away. They influence the victim much more deeply than bruises and disfigurements. They go straight to the core of our being.

As the hurt goes to the core, so does God's forgiveness. In fact, it goes so deep that it removes the hurt completely. The persecuted are blessed because they have faith not in this life but in the life to come. A life with no pain. A life with no struggles. A life where all of God's righteousness is praised forever.

The Kingdom of Heaven is yours in Christ. Nothing that happens in this life can shake you from that foundation. Amen.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

Peacemakers are simply those who work to make peace. In several places around the world, peacemakers and peacekeepers are synonymous. That's because these areas have been under the influence of UN security forces who have made and kept peace there.

These peacemakers do it with machine guns. But this is not the peacemaking that Jesus commends. Jesus seeks peacemakers who imitate Him. He made peace by laying down His life and taking it back up again (John 10:18).

He doesn't make peace between neighbors. He doesn't make peace between countries. Jesus makes peace between God and man. He reconciles the sinner in the hand of the angry God. God is no longer angry.

All Christians are peacemakers because they tell out the great news of this reconciliation--this peace--to those around them. They don't hold it tight to their chest, being stingy. They give as freely as the Lord gives to them. Give someone this peace today. Amen.

Liturgical Date: 20th Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 24A]

Calendar Date: October 18, 2020

Location: Glory of Christ, Plymouth, MN

Order of Service: Divine Service 4

Hymns:

#940, "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name"

#734, "I Trust, O LORD, Your Holy Name"

#719, "I Leave All Things to God's Direction"

#781, "We Give Thee but Thine Own"

Sermon Theme: Chosen by God

Sermon Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our Gospel came to you not only in Word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

Other Lectionary Readings: 

Psalm 96:1-9

Isaiah 45:1-7

Matthew 22:15-22

Liturgical Date: 20th Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 24A]

Calendar Date: October 22, 2017

Location: Trinity, Slayton, MN

Order of Service: Hymn Sing

Hymns:

#940, "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name"

#398, "Hail to the Lord's Anointed"

#704, "Renew Me, O Eternal Light"

#740, "I Am Jesus' Little Lamb"

#953, "We All Believe in One True God"

#918, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer"

Sermon Theme: Cyrus the Christ

Sermon Text: Isaiah 45:1

Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed.

Other Lectionary Readings: 

Psalm 96:1-9

1 Thessalonians 1:1-9

Matthew 22:15-22 

Blessed are the pure in heart,

Moses is one of the most pure in heart people we have in the Bible. Not perfectly pure. Maybe not even Ivory soap pure. But he was called by God to be His spokesman to the children of Israel.

Moses asked to see God. "I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:23). Why? "Man shall not see Me and live" (Exodus 33:20). Man is not pure in heart. Man is very impure in heart. "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander" (Matthew 15:19).

To be pure in heart Jesus must cleanse your heart. He must drive out sin's dirt and filth. He must replace it with His Light and Life. Once His Light and Life inhabit your heart, you will be able to see God in the glories of Heaven. No veiling. No looking at His back. You will see Him face to face. Amen.