Isaiah 12:1-6; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Lost and found. There’s always that little bin that accumulates forgotten things over the year, things people left on accident and never realized it was gone. Going through a lost and found bin is also an interesting endeavor to see what kinds of things people no longer want. For in truth, the important things are always retrieved. They may not even make it into a lost and found bin before they’re recovered. Car keys, wallets, cell phones, important papers and so on. Even if they’re left, they will instantly be sought.

What happens, though, when it’s a son who is lost? For now, we have someone who not only is lost, but doesn’t want to be found. The younger of the two sons demands his inheritance from his father, and by doing so, is saying it would be better for his father to be dead. Against all reasonable expectations, though, the father gives it to him! And off the younger son goes. Into a far country, the son spends everything with reckless abandon. 

Like the prodigal son, we too end up lost at times. How often we stray from the path God sets out for us. We wander off into sin and reckless living with no desire to be found. It even seems well and good for a while. It might not even seem like we’re lost. But lost we are. We’ve squandered God’s good gifts with our sinful ways. We spend them on our own pleasure… gluttony, greed, lust, and so on. We’ve run away from his house with little desire to return. Until… we hit rock bottom. Until we feel like those items left in the lost and found bin, wondering if anyone is searching for us.

Lost. Yes, that’s a good way to describe this younger son… and us. And when we come to realize this, there’s only one response left. “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son,” Luke 15:21. Notice the difference between the son’s rehearsal and his actual confession. When he comes home, he is surprised, amazed, even overwhelmed to learn… his father was still looking for him. He wasn’t one of those forgotten things as he believed, having to work his way back into the family. No, the Father has mercy and forgives his son and welcomes him back with open arms! Just as God does with you. No matter how much we sin, no matter how far away we run, God is always waiting, searching, seeking you to welcome you back with open arms!

But that’s not the end of the story, now is it. There’s still the older brother. The older brother is severely scandalized by his father’s forgiveness. The brother wishes there would be a stricter punishment for such an “immoral” brother. When there is a feast going on, celebrating the return of a “lost” son, this brother shows he’s also lost. He may not have run away, but he’s lost himself in his own self-righteousness. And the amazing thing is, the Father forgives him too. He goes out to him and speaks with him. The father seeks out both his sons that they may join in the feast. Soo too, God does with you, whether you find yourself more as a prodigal or an older brother, God seeks you out to bring you into the feast of Christ’s body and blood, where God rejoices over you!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Ezekiel 33:7-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Should it stay or should it go? This is what I’m often asking myself when it comes to gardening. Now, the whole gardening thing is new to me as I only recently have a yard in which to garden. But already, I have three plants that I stare at and wonder, “Should I dig them up and replace them (because they’re dead) or do I wait to see if they revive over the coming weeks?”

Perhaps, it’s because I just don’t want to spend money right now that I leave them be and give them time. But I also understand, I need not condemn the plant already to being thrown away if it will yet grow back. Indeed, we know this well when it comes to plants, but the same is true for us with God. 

In our Gospel lesson this week, Jesus speaks this parable of a tree that fails to produce fruit. It’s pretty much as good as dead. Thus, the master of the vineyard wants to cut it down and throw it away because it’s good for nothing. However, the vinedresser responds to the master, “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down,” Luke 13:8-9. The tree receives mercy from vinedresser who allows it to have more time to produce fruit. However, the fate of the tree is never specified. Will it bear fruit or not?

This is how we know that every day is a gift to us. We are the answer to that question because we’re the tree to which Jesus refers. Are we going to bear fruit or not? We know that to believe in Christ means we will also bear fruit. The fruits of faith naturally flow from our belief in Jesus. God gives us time that our faith may bear fruit as he desires. Yet, we also know that no day is guaranteed. Disasters, tragedies, and other such events are all too common in our world. We never know when one might befall us and our time be cut short.

Jesus was asked about such things also. When disasters befall our world, such as tornadoes, school shootings, wars, and so on, they’re not because those affected deserved such a tragedy. Rather, Jesus tells us, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish,” Luke 13:2-3. Disasters are a sign of our general sinfulness. We all have sinned and fall short of God’s holiness. We all deserve death and condemnation. However, God has forestalled his judgment for our sake. It’s only because of God’s mercy that he doesn’t bring the world to an end already. Rather, God punishes our sins by sending Jesus to the cross. He draws us to repentance, turning us toward himself, that we may avoid perishing eternally. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we’re given the time to come to repentance; and by repentance, to find eternal salvation! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Jeremiah 26:8-15; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Sometimes I dream about what it would be like to live in a mansion. Having more space than you know what to do with. I’ve heard others joke that they would switch which room they slept in each night, or which wing of the house they “lived” in for the day, week, or month (depending how large it is). Yes, the American dream has long been getting a bigger house than you have use for, just to say you can. But, knowing for many people, it’s a dream too far out of reach.

Think, though about that large house of your dreams. What’s in it? Do you have your own pool? A movie theater, a bowling alley, your own personal library? If it had everything you wanted, how long would you be happy? But you see, a house is only a house. If you got that mansion of your dreams but were left alone in it, you might start to wonder if it was worth it. No matter how nice the house, the most important part are the people inside it. 

For this brings us to our Gospel reading this week. Jesus is warned by some Pharisees that Herod wants to kill him. Jesus laments about the “house” of Jerusalem. He laments that they would not be gathered into God’s “house”. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken,” Luke 13:34-35. Jesus came, seeking to gather Jerusalem together. Yet, Israel and Jerusalem would reject Jesus. 

A forsaken house is an empty house. That was the curse, Jesus spoke. Because of man’s rebellion, his stubbornness, his refusal to be gathered to God, Jesus tells Jerusalem that she is forsaken. The city that used to bear the name of God does so no longer. God has left Jerusalem to herself so that she is all alone in her own house. She is abandoned by God because she abandoned God. Thus, her house is forsaken.

In Lent, this becomes our cry: “Do not abandon us, O Lord.” Do not leave us forsaken… alone, isolated, cut off from Your grace and mercy. Forgive us, O Lord… for all the times we run away and are not gathered to you. Even so, we see. Jesus continues on his course. He was not deterred by Herod. Rather, he goes to Jerusalem to finish his course. Yes, God is still at work in gathering together his children, “as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.” For Jesus goes to perish in Jerusalem. He goes to the cross so that your house may not be forsaken, but forgiven! See even today how God’s work of gathering his children continues as He gathers his children before the cross of Christ and nourishes them in Word and Sacrament! In this house, we shall indeed say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“Monkey see, monkey do.” If you’ve ever been around a child before, you know this expression well. Kids are known for copying whatever they see, be it good or bad. If someone throws a pillow, the kid will pick up the closest item to him and throw it too. If you start jumping up and down, most likely the kid will do it too. This is only natural to us and doesn’t escape us even as adults. One of the primary ways we learn is by example, that is, by watching others do something first and copying their actions.

Examples are a great way to learn something new until it’s an example you can’t follow. Take for instance the convoluted instructions you find with building furniture. Or there are those times where our parents tell us “Do as I say and not as I do.” Examples aren’t perfect. Even if it is a perfect example, sometimes the issue is with us following it. We struggle to copy exactly what we saw.

As we enter Lent, we begin by observing Jesus being tempted by Satan. Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Consider the first temptation, “The devil said to [Jesus], ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” Luke 4:3-4. The following two temptations are answered in the same fashion. Satan tempts Jesus and Jesus responds with Scripture, “It is written...”. From this, we often say, “See, you just need to know God’s word and you can resist Satan too!” In this way, we treat Jesus like our example to follow.

The only issue is we aren’t capable of following Jesus’ example. When we treat Jesus’ temptation like a five-step plan on how to beat temptations and Satan, we get stuck on step one. For when Jesus becomes only an example to us, his perfection condemns our imperfection. We regularly mess up when temptations rise, and where Jesus stood strong, we often fall. It’s not because we didn’t watch Jesus’ example. It’s because we’re wholly and completely sinful. The power and strength don’t reside within us.

Thus, when temptations arise for us, it’s not on us to follow Jesus’ example perfectly. On the contrary, Jesus came to be tempted so that he may overcome temptations for us. Jesus is our substitute! He takes our place in the wilderness with Satan so that his strength can become our strength. His victory can become our victory. This is why we’re meant to look to Jesus, not to copy his every deed, but to see that he has already done it for us! We must continue to watch Jesus because he doesn’t stop in the wilderness. Jesus continues his fight by going all the way to the cross. Jesus dies for you, that is, in your place, so that you may live in his place! In this way, our strength to overcome temptations and sin doesn’t rely on us following Jesus’ example, but in faith, that is, looking to Jesus and trusting in His victory for us!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Deuteronomy 34; Hebrews 3:1-6; Luke 9:28-36

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

No one wants to leave a party they enjoy. Imagine telling a child to put their toys away because it’s time to go to bed. Or how often do we wish that the weekend was one day longer? We revel in the moments when we can forget, even just for a moment, the struggles and challenges of life. This is why reading books and playing video games has such wide appeal. It’s the escapism that lets us leave the world and its trials behind and lets us enjoy life. 

However, whether it is reality smacking us in the face or the knowledge that our escape is only temporary, we know we must eventually return to the challenges before us. We can’t ignore our problem forever. We have to return to school, to work, to the responsibilities of life. And yes, life can feel a little mundane which makes our escapism take on a different emphasis.

This Sunday, we journey with Jesus and his inner circle up to the top of the mountain of Transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with him on this trip where they will be surprised by what they see. “And as [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,” Luke 9:29-30. This brilliant sight took the disciple’s breath away. They are amazed and in awe of Jesus and his appearance. For so Peter says, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah,” Luke 9:33. Peter wanted so badly to freeze time and stay right here for the rest of his life.

Of course, that’s the problem. They couldn’t stay even as much as they wanted to. It’s all too easy to want to forget our problems, ignore them, leave them behind when we have one of these moments. What escapism does is make us act like nothing is wrong even if our whole world was falling apart. And as nice as it is on those few occasions, the reality is, we can’t stay. We have to return and face our challenges. We have to return to the problems of sin that plague us, even the problem of death. 

The transfiguration of Jesus shows us just a glimpse of Jesus’ heavenly glory, his divine majesty. And for that moment, it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. However, as quickly as the glory appeared, it fled away. For we find out from the Transfiguration an important lesson about life. Jesus doesn’t let Peter or the others stay there. We can’t stay in our “escape”. We must travel back down the mountain, back to the normal, the mundane, the problems and challenges of life. And as we do, we should see... Jesus comes with us too! Jesus doesn’t let us sidestep our challenges, but rather, he leads us through them! Jesus leaves the mountain behind to face his challenge... the cross. For by the cross, Jesus joins us so that he may lead us through every challenge and trial of life, even death and bring us to life everlasting!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O God, in the glorious transfiguration of Your beloved Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of Moses and Elijah. In the voice that came from the bright cloud You wonderfully foreshowed our adoption by grace. Mercifully make us co-heirs with the King in His glory and bring us to the fullness of our inheritance in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Genesis 45:3-15; 1 Corinthians 15:21-26, 30-42; Luke 6:27-38

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Is it too late to reflect on Valentine’s day? For many people, I know a day passed is a day already put out of our mind. But it’s a funny coincidence that our texts for this week deal in large part with love. Valentine’s day is a day devoted to love. It’s a day where we make sure to do something special to remind a spouse, or significant other about our love for them. Even beyond this, we extend the day to those we love in general, namely, friends and family. 

Valentine’s day is a day where we are reminded that relationships take work… lots and lots of work. Relationships don’t just happen on their own. They’re based in large part on the effort and time we put into them. In this way, relationships are like investments. You invest yourself into a relationship with someone, so that you may receive a return or reward on that investment. For so, the other person puts in their time and effort too.

It's no surprise then that we’re timid to make “risky” investments. We don’t want to spend valuable resources (time, money, creativity) on a relationship that we’re not sure we’d get a return on. But hear what Jesus has to say, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them,” Luke 6:32. Love your enemies? Be merciful to all people? Give of your valuable resources and expect nothing in return? What Jesus asks of us is an even more difficult task.

If all we do is love people we get along with, people we know will return love to us, indeed, we are no different than anyone else. To say it simply, we’ve embraced the ways of our world, the ways of sin when we look only for “selfish” love, the “what’s in it for me?” love. And that’s the problem. When we act, love, live no differently from everyone else; when we treat our faith as nothing different, when we cheapen the love of God to only those we find it easy to love.

Valentine’s day is indeed about love. But it was first and foremost about God’s love. It was about the way that God loved us so much that he “invested” of himself when we were enemies. It was about the difference God’s love made in our lives. For God gave us His own Son, Jesus Christ, that we may experience a love unknown in our world. So, Christ displayed that love by going to the cross. He poured out all of himself into his relationship with you, never expecting anything in return. “We love because He first loved us,” (1 John 4:19). For God still pours all of himself into his relationship with you. He is merciful to us, forgiving us our sins, and “measuring” to us eternal life! So, by God’s love for us, may we live, love, and act differently that others may know God’s love for them!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayers:

O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You, mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Jeremiah 17:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-20; Luke 6:17-26

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It would be nice if choices in life were clearer. We wouldn’t have to question whether we made the right decision or if we messed up horribly. Yet, we know that life is just filled with this “gray” in-between choices. There’s both right and wrong in all options given to us. This is why we must simply “do our best” and struggle through the gray.

However, when we read Scripture, we don’t often see this gray mindset. God always talks in black and white. It’s the clear distinctions between right and wrong that stand out for us. God, in many ways, doesn’t care about our rationale for all the evil we do, even if it was meant with the best of intentions. Vice versa, God rejoices when we do good no matter how we eventually got there.

In our Gospel lesson, we find these black and white distinctions as Jesus teaches the crowd. And we’re left here wondering, which side is for us? Jesus says things, like, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God... Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation,” Luke 6:20, 24. If I’m poor one day, but rich the next... which one is for me? Or what about these words, “Blessed are you who are hungry now... woe to you who are full now,” Luke 6:21, 25. I was hungry yesterday, but I’m full today. So, do I receive woes or blessings? It’s not very clear, is it?

In these beatitudes, we begin to see a description of the Christian life. Blessings are for the poor (v.20), the hungry (v.21), those who weep (v.21b), and those who are hated for Jesus’ sake (v.22). All of these point us to a reality that extends beyond material blessings to eternal blessings. That is, woes are for those who look only for the good things in this life. Woe to the rich, the full, the happy, and famous. For we see that a Christian doesn’t stop being a Christian if they aren’t poor, or hungry, or always weeping. On the contrary, a Christian is one who knows in these situations that they have a reward far greater than any material blessing.

What moves us then from woes to blessings? Is it not Christ? Indeed, woe to us who are sinners, who rely on our flesh, our wealth, and the blessings of this life as our god. But blessed are sinners who turn to Christ and are forgiven their sins! We find that all the woes that Jesus pronounces here are meant to drive us away from ourselves and to Jesus, to put our trust and faith in him! “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord,” Jeremiah 17:7. Jesus takes our “woes” upon himself. Jesus goes to the cross so that all the woes he speaks to us may turn into blessings. For by the cross, Jesus shows us that life isn’t about material blessings, but about the riches and mercy and grace of God given for all eternity! So, let us look beyond our present afflictions or blessings that we may trust in Christ for the blessings that are eternal! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, graciously hear the prayers of Your people that we who justly suffer the consequence of our sin may be mercifully delivered by Your goodness to the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.