October 25, 2020 – Reformation                                               Text:  Romans 3:19-28

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Well, we’ve been at this for seven months now.  What fashion accessory have you added to your wardrobe?  If you said “mask” you just earned a reservation on the patio of your favorite restaurant in December – congratulations.  How many masks do you own?  I started with a hospital mask after a visit and now my collection numbers four.  Two work masks – crosses on cloth and two others for shopping and a night on the town.  The mask has become part of who we are.

            Have you enjoyed hiding behind your mask?  Head down, get what you need and get on with life.  Or has the “law” coming down on you and requiring the aforementioned face covering annoyed you?  Let’s take what we are experiencing and put it into our Reformation message.

“FREE TO LIVE UNMASKED”

            I am not making any kind of political statement with our sermon title, I am just thankful for the Holy Spirit’s leading which should help us understand these passages from Romans. 

            The Jews hid behind masks of their own making.  They needed to do the right things to merit the favor of a holy God, or so they thought.  Paul unmasks the Jews when he writes, “so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world held accountable to God.  For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (v. 19b-20)

            We too are unmasked.  Have you gone places without your mask and you get the disparaging look?  That is what the law does, it leaves us exposed.  We are naked before the judgment seat of God “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

            We wear masks for our protection and the protection of others.  That is why we have the Law.  But if we think the mask can keep us safe with no chance for infection, then it has become our god.  In the same way, if we think our own righteousness and good behavior can save us right into the safe arms of Jesus, we have let our sinful thoughts get the best of us.  The Law uncovers who we are as less than perfect human beings.  It cannot mask our need for the Gospel of Christ.

            God has revealed a new righteousness.  The proclamation is in the Law and the Prophets but it was “fleshed” out in Christ Jesus.  Christ has covered our sin.  We can stand bold and mask free before a gracious God.

            We can do this through the Lord’s grace.  It has always been about grace.  God’s Old Testament people looked forward to the final Sacrifice that was better than any that took place on their altars.  When Christ obediently gave his life on Good Friday, a literal mask was taken down when the temple curtain was torn in two and man and woman could come into the presence of a holy God.  Up to this point the temple curtain had masked them from the mercy seat of their Creator. 

            It is still grace, the means of grace, the Word and the Sacrament that allow us to take away our masks and come into the Lord’s presence.  He feeds us forgiveness and love and mercy and grace.  He welcomes us with open arms and we don’t need to follow an arrow on the floor but we walk confidently into a gracious hug that gives us a glimpse of the eternal hug that awaits us as His children.

            We are free to live unmasked before God.  We have no need of fear or uncertainty.  He even knows when the mask will no longer be part of our wardrobe.  He sees us only in the righteousness of Jesus.

            We are free to live unmasked before our neighbor.  We don’t need to pretend to be somebody we are not.  We simply boast in being God’s redeemed who know that the Lord is in control.  We confidently maintain this to all – our children, our spouse, our co-workers, our fellow students, our neighbor, our brothers and sisters in Christ here at Good Shepherd Lutheran.  It comes through in the way we worship and speak and serve.  “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (v. 28)

            Free to live unmasked . . . through Christ Jesus.

                                                                                                Amen.   

October 18, 2020                                                                  Text:  Matthew 22:15-22

Dear Friends in Christ,

            I’d like you to meet Jake Olson, a young man I read about.  Shortly after Jake was born, it was discovered he had cancer in one eye.  The doctors did everything they could to save the eye, but eventually they had to remove it so it would not spread to the other eye.

            As Jake grew, the Lord blessed him with athletic talent.  However, several years later, cancer was found in Jake’s other eye.  He went through numerous treatments, it went into remission, but it would always resurface.  The decision was made to remove Jake’s other eye.

            As a senior in high school, Jake wrote a book entitled, Open Your Eyes:  10 Uncommon Lessons To Discover A Happier Life.  Jake talked about his years as a high school student.  He was a straight A student, long snapper on the football team, he golfed, went skiing, surfing, and played guitar.  In golf, he learned to read the greens with his feet and he would shoot in the high 70’s or low 80’s.  For you non-golfers, us duffers would love to shoot that score.

            In the book, as Jake tells the story of what happened in his life, he said he has come to believe that God can use certain setbacks in our lives to create setups for what He is going to do next.  Isn’t that quite an insight from someone who lost both eyes and hadn’t even graduated high school when the book was written?

            In our text for today, the Herodians and the Pharisees come to Jesus hoping to lead him to a setback in His ministry.  It didn’t quite work that way.  The setback they tried to create became a setup for Jesus to advance His message.

“A SETBACK FOR A SETUP”

            Today’s Gospel lesson takes place right after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  As holy Week begins Jesus is being hailed and revered.  But as we know the scene will soon change and it does. 

            The Pharisees and Herodians are trying to trick Jesus so they can discredit Him.  But this is nothing new.  It happened numerous times in Jesus’ ministry.  They had asked Him about healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3).  His message was rejected in his hometown of Nazareth and they tried to toss Him off a cliff (Luke 4).  The Pharisees thought he was teaching blasphemy when He forgave sins (Luke 5).  The Jews plotted the death of Jesus (John 11).

            Now they are going to entrap Jesus.  They are setting Him up for a setback.  They “mask” their plans with their phony baloney flattery.  The Pharisees had to pay the tax because they were not free people.  They were God’s chosen ones, but were still under a pagan ruler.  If Jesus agreed that it was legal to pay taxes to Caesar, he would be discredited for not being the saving Messiah people expected.

            On the Herodian side of things, they didn’t have a problem with the tax because they enjoyed Rome’s services.  So if Jesus said they shouldn’t pay the tax to Caesar, they would discredit Him as disloyal to Rome and they would report Him.

            This perceived setback was just a setup for Jesus.  He saw through their flattery and pointed out their hypocrisy.  He honored the government God had established – “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” 

            However, the ultimate issue is the rule and authority God has over spiritual matters.  Therefore, Jesus also instructs, “render…to God the things that are God’s.” God’s authority in spiritual matters is not administered by emperors and laws, or even Law, but through the Gospel.

            What looked like it was going to be a terrible setback for Jesus turned into a setup.  A few days later Jesus would end up on a cross – that has to be a setback, right?  Wrong.  God was setting us free from death and sin through the sacrificial death of Jesus – Easter proved that our Lord was setting us up for an eternity with Him.  What looks like darkness to us, God can use to shine His Gospel light into our lives.  You have examples of setbacks that turned into setups, don’t you?

            Most of you know my biggest one.  A girlfriend after college broke up with me.  I was devastated at the time.  God turned that setback into a setup when I met Toni.  We have been blessed ever since with similar thoughts, values, two faithful sons and numerous blessings from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Did you ever suffer a job loss that God turned into a better job?  Have you suffered a health setback that God used to setup a blessing?  Ever been down in the dumps but the Lord rescued you and set you on a better path?  Have you experienced the greatest setback – loss of faith or no faith at all and the Creator of your Life through the Holy Spirit has shown You His love, His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness, and now you see this has you setup for His salvation in Heaven forever?

            God’s authority sets us up for a gospel response.  We love the Lord our God and our neighbor.  We properly manage the resources He has given us.  We praise and thank the Lord Jesus for the freedom and forgiveness that Good Friday and Easter offer.  Be spiritually aware for the setback that could be a setup for Jesus to advance the Gospel.                   Amen.