​3rd Sunday after Pentecost – C (Proper 8)                                                    LSB #’s 913, 579, 848
Text – Galatians 5:1
 
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
 
STANDING FIRM IN FREEDOM
 
 
If you watch television,  you’ve likely seen the commercials where dogs are locked up in cages or chained to trees, while looking as if they haven’t eaten in more than a week.  If you like animals,  that sort of cruelty  is infuriating,  but the commercials are also irritating.   They lay a massive guilt trip on us  in order to raise money for their cause. 
In the days of Martin Luther, the Catholic church was laying massive guilt trips on people in order to sell indulgences.  The indulgences were said to forgive sins & shorten the amount of time a person would spend in purgatory.  The money raised in that coercive manner  paid for the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica  & the artistry it contained  by Michelangelo. 
It’s a common tactic – using coercion – to pressure people into doing something  they otherwise  might not do.   Whether it’s for a good cause,  or not,  pressuring people into contributing   or conforming  is quite the opposite of how God is at work in our world.   
Most Christians understand that Jesus died  for our sins  so we can live forever in heaven.  What is infinitely more difficult to navigate is how we should live  our lives  before we get there.   Sin  has completely corrupted  our heart, mind & soul.    You & I  cannot make a single decision without being pressured by temptations  to put our own interests  first. 
After all,  we instinctively think of freedom  as the unlimited opportunity  to do whatever we want to do.   In other words,  we get to put our desires  first.   School is out for summer  is a classic example.  The students have been set free.   An example that more closely resembles the life struggles of Christians  is getting a driver’s license.   Having a license  gives you freedom to drive a car,  but it is not legal  to drive that car in any manner you choose.   The driver’s license also places you under obligation  to drive safely & in a manner that is respectful of others.   For example,  a license does not give you the freedom to run a red light.  It does not give you the freedom to run into pedestrians  who are walking on the road. 
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”  (Galatians 5:1 ESV)   Standing firm in the freedom Christ has given  does not mean lawlessness.  That’s why our American freedom of speech  does not include the right   to riot & set things on fire.  Christian freedom  is not about my desires.   It’s about the desires of God. 
“For you were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh,  but through love serve one another.”  (Galatians 5:13 ESV)   The freedom we have in Christ  was earned on the cross  where Jesus died,  not for Himself,  but for others.  The freedom we have in Christ has limits – we are to love our neighbor  as we love ourselves. 
Standing firm in freedom  means that we are free  of having to earn our way to heaven.   What Paul is teaching is this: Christians enjoy true freedom as we walk responsibly in virtue.  What does Paul mean by virtue?  He gives examples: “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,  faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”  (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV) 
It is those attitudes  or attributes  which reflect the work of the Holy Spirit in us.  Those attitudes or attributes reveal  that we are standing firm in the freedom Jesus won for us.   They mark us as children of God.  They make known  that we are living,  not in our own power,  but in the power of the Spirit as opposed to living in lawlessness. 
And, living by the Spirit is not simply doing good things rather than bad things; it is being transformed, by the Holy Spirit, to exhibit what Holy Scripture calls the fruit of the Spirit.   Paul also gave us a list of attitudes & attributes that are of our sinful nature.  “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality,  impurity,  sensuality,   idolatry,  sorcery,  enmity,   strife, jealousy, fits of anger,  rivalries, dissensions, divisions,   envy, drunkenness, orgies,  & things like these.”  (Galatians 5:19-21a ESV)   Those reveal a lawless heart,  one that is not centered in Christ,  but in self  & in the works of the devil. 
Our sinful nature views that  as freedom,  but it is a freedom which destroys rather than builds up.  It is a freedom that is actually slavery  to Satan.  It is our sinful nature that makes it so difficult to navigate  how to live our lives  before Jesus takes us to heaven.   It is our sinful nature that makes it difficult to stand firm  in the freedom that Christ earned for you & me. 
Sin has corrupted how we function & what we choose.  That is what makes our lives such a struggle.  We cannot prevail in that struggle  except by the work & the power  of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus made our salvation possible.  His Spirit accomplishes that salvation in us.   As we attempt to earn righteousness by our own efforts we are submitting again  to slavery to the Law. 
That path leads to hell  in every case.   That is the path Satan encourages us to choose.  He paints a picture of that path  as one of ultimate freedom.  By the grace of God,  Jesus has made our rescue possible & He sent His Spirit to accomplish that in each & every one of us. 
In all the struggles of life,  the work of Jesus is where we find rest.  That is where we find hope.  That is where we find peace.  That is where true freedom exists,  in the grace & mercy of the works of God.    For now, our sinful nature still corrupts our heart, mind & soul, but it does not control our eternal future.  It can only misguide us in this life. 
That is not to minimize the threat of Satan nor the threat of our sinful nature.   This life will always be a struggle between freedom to sin  & freedom in Christ.  That’s why Christ came to overcome the world & the struggle we endure while living here on this old earth.   The new heavens & the new earth are still in the future,  where there will be no more struggle,  no more tears,  & no more brokenness.  Until then, all we really have is Jesus to lean upon.  Whenever we try to lean upon ourselves,  or something we’ve contrived for our protection,  then we are in danger.   Then, we are submitting ourselves again to a yoke of slavery.  Our freedom comes entirely from the call of the heavenly Father  to find rest & peace  in His love for us. 
That freedom exists nowhere else,  & in that freedom our Creator calls us to focus our energy upon others.  Whatever thoughts hold us back from serving others  also hold us back from fully experiencing the freedom that our Lord intends for us.  In the OT reading, when Elijah became totally focused upon himself, he surrendered to despair. 
God searched for Elijah & came to him to rescue him.  In V. 18, God informed Elijah that there were still 7000 others like himself, who had not bowed to Baal.  God could have beat Elijah silly with commands about what Elijah needed to do  to be strong.  Instead, God sent help. 
The Law is not meant to guilt us into serving our Lord or our neighbor.   It is love for our Lord that enables us to serve Him & our neighbor.  Without love for Christ, nothing that we do is pleasing to Him.  What motivates sinners to turn from sin?  The answer is ever, always, & only: Turn them into saints.  It is the only way.  It is God’s way,  & it is God’s work. 
The fruit of the Spirit is the stuff that spills out from all who have the Spirit of God delivered to them by God’s Word & Sacraments.  Fruit is not a precondition.  It is a byproduct.  It reflects the overflowing measure of grace that has been poured out on you in Christ.  In this life it is only in that grace  that any of us have freedom from sin.  Amen. 
 
 
 
The Law of God is good & wise & sets His will before our eyes, shows us the way of righteousness,  & dooms to death when we transgress.  Its light of holiness imparts the knowledge of our sinful hearts  that we may see our lost estate  & turn from sin before too late.   To Jesus we for refuge flee,  Who from the curse has set us free,  & humbly worship at His throne,  saved by His grace through faith alone.  Amen.  LSB 579:1-2, 6. 

  2nd Sunday after Pentecost – C (Proper 7)                                                   LSB #’s 562, 744, 570
Text – Isaiah 65:5b
 
These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.
 
SMOKE IN THE NOSTRILS
 
 
“…we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  For He says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you,  & in a day of salvation I have helped you.’  Behold,  now is the favorable time; behold,  now  is the day  of salvation.”  (2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV)    As Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he perfectly summarized the reading from the OT.   Now  is the day of salvation! 
The people in Isaiah’s day  were very much like our people in the United States.   God had blessed them tremendously,  but in that blessing   His people felt  like they no longer needed Him.  They had taken Yahweh’s blessings so  for granted   that they just assumed  those gifts would always be there.   They lost sight of the Giver  because of the gift. 
 It’s just the nature of the beast.   Sin has corrupted the human race  beyond all human comprehension.   As a result,  our sinful nature constantly turns a blind eye  to the blessings the heavenly Father bestows upon us.   And not only do we forget the true God,  we also worship things  that are no god at all.   Isaiah records  the Lord’s complaint:
“A people who provoke me to my face continually,  sacrificing in gardens & making offerings on bricks; who sit in tombs, & spend the night in secret places; who eat pig’s flesh,  & broth of tainted meat is in their vessels.”  (65:3-4 ESV)   Those verses describe practices associated with trying to speak to the dead.  
Rather, we should be submitting ourselves in prayer to the Creator of all things – our heavenly Father.  Everything that human beings do,  of their own accord,  leads them away from salvation,  & we are oblivious to the danger of it.   The root of the human problem  is that we are incapable of recognizing  that we have a problem.  The sinful human heart  is incurably sick  & is a smoke in the nostrils of God.   Sinful creatures cannot help  but take the blessings of God for granted  & also  twist them into use for evil.   Topping it off,  people enmeshed in idolatry of the most vile sort  will promote themselves as holy people of the highest order, as Isaiah describes, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me,  for I am too holy for you.”  (65:5a ESV) 
Sinful creatures  cannot recognize how sinful they are.   As a result,  they also cannot recognize the danger they are in,  but our Lord & Savior sees that  all too well.  With heat index predictions over 100 degrees,  today  some human beings will recognize that danger  even while totally discounting  the spiritual danger they are in.    Now  is the day of salvation! 
Our unbelief  creates a stench  that is like smoke in the nostrils of God.   Only one thing is able to cover that stench  & it is the blood of Jesus Christ.   Our Creator  wants us to be saved from the fires of hell,  but until our hearts are changed  we cannot see the danger.  Once God has changed your heart,  in this life  you are still in constant danger from your sinful nature. 
It’s because of that,  that every Sunday we turn to our Lord in confession,  as we did earlier with the words, “…let us first consider our unworthiness  & confess before God & one another  that we have sinned in thought, word & deed,  & that we cannot free ourselves from our sinful condition.”  (Lutheran Service Book, page 203) 
Repenting of our sins,  & receiving the forgiveness of them,   is a constant practice for anyone whose heart has been changed by the Holy Trinity.   As we recognize the gravity of our sins,  God’s forgiveness of them  is the only way  we can experience true peace  of heart & mind. 
Now is the day of salvation,  & confession & absolution is one way  in which you & I receive that salvation.   God’s perfect law reveals our sin to us.   Then,  the Good News of Christ’s death as payment for our sins  enables us to repent of them,  & it also enables us to believe that Yahweh truly has forgiven & erased them. 
In the OT reading, there is an intense Law-Gospel interaction at work, between a God who has “held out my hands all day long” (v. 2) & a people whom God “will indeed repay into their laps their iniquities” (vs. 6–7).   Fortunately, God’s loving kindness has the final word:
“…As the new wine is found in the cluster, & they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,’ so I will do for my servants’ sake,  & not destroy them all.”  (Isaiah 65:8 ESV)  Though the people of God had become a stench to Him,  under His discipline,  some would repent  & He would save them.   He is still at work in our day  trying to save some of us. 
What can appear to be hopeless & dead,  the heavenly Father is able to save.  To make this very point, Jesus raised Lazarus back to life after he’d been physically dead & buried.  God is able to do miraculous things,  nevertheless,  now  is the day of salvation.   There is no reason for any of us to continue being a smoke in the nostrils of God,  or to fuel His wrath. 
None of us know which day  will bring our end.  During Isaiah’s time, the great mass of God’s people scornfully & obstinately resisted the grace which had been so long & incessantly offered to them.  We see,  & at times feel,  the same thing in our day.   Now  is the day of salvation  because there is no guarantee of a tomorrow  for any of us. 
This message of the urgency of God’s love  is just as important as the message of the forgiveness for our sins.  These last two chapters of Isaiah are the Lord’s response to Isaiah’s cry out of the depths in the two previous chapters.  For example:
“There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us,  & have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.”  (64:7)   God’s answer forms the grand finale of the book of Isaiah, a finale that anticipates the everlasting future of God’s reign  that we call heaven.  (65:17, 66:22–23) 
The ultimate answer, a few verses later in chapter 65, informs us of “the new heavens &
the new earth” that are to come.  Heaven will not be just someplace where we float around on the clouds.  It will be a real life, real in a way we can’t begin to imagine with our current mind which is corrupted by sin.  It is our current nature to take all God’s blessings for granted,  yet,  now is the day of salvation.  You or I  may never have another day to receive or share God’s love. 
What an eternal waste it would be  to miss that opportunity because we were preoccupied with the vastly inferior things & experiences of this life.  In Isaiah, God warns us that He will not abide by the smoke in His nostrils forever.  The text shows a side of Yahweh that does make our sinful nature  nervous.   That’s why the chapter begins with the Good News:
“I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.  I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name.”  (Isaiah 65:1 ESV)  This provides a picture of how the Lord seeks us out even when we are helplessly lost, with no ability to seek Him on our own,  or even know that He exists. 
In the last two chapters of Isaiah, unbelievers are banished from the holy city to rot forever (66:24), while believers enjoy the new Heaven & new Earth  forever.  (65:17-25; 66:22) What joy we can know because of the Good News that heaven awaits us.  Leaning upon Jesus’ righteousness  is how we fend off Satan  as he constantly tries to steal that joy from us.  Amen.
 
 
 
Amazing grace – how sweet the sound – that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost  but now am found,  was blind  but now I see!       The Lord has promised good to me,  His Word  my hope secures;  He will my shield & portion be  as long as life endures.        Through many dangers, toils & snares   I have already come;  He grace has brought me safe thus far,  His grace will lead me home.  Amen.  LSB 744:1-3.  

Holy Trinity – C                                                                                  LSB #’s 507, 578:1-3, 5; 506
Text – Proverbs 8:30-31
 
Then I was beside Him, like a master workman, & I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always, rejoicing in His inhabited world & delighting in the children of man.
 
DELIGHTING IN THE CHILDREN OF MAN
 
 
How many of you have seen  a turtle?  I expect  most of you have.   Have you ever seen a turtle  sitting on top of a fence post  in between two fields?   If not,  maybe you have heard of Alex Haley.  He was the author of Roots, a bestselling book made into a TV miniseries.  It began with his ancestor taken from The Gambia who was sold as a slave & transported to the US. 
Alex Haley kept a picture in his office  of a turtle  sitting on a fence post.   He said it reminded him of a lesson he learned long ago: If you see a turtle on a fence post,  you know he had some help getting there.  Haley said, “Any time I start to think, ‘Look how good I am,’   I look at the turtle – me – & realize I did not get here by myself.”  
What Alex Haley had learned about achievement,  applies above all  to our relationship with God.   No matter where,  or what,  you are  in this broken world,  you did not get there by yourself.   All of us  are like turtles sitting on fence posts.   We’ve had help  getting here. 
You probably don’t think of that  as a very glamorous thing,  or place,  to be.   But, over history, the human race has distinguished itself as being ignorant, foolish  & yet proud  in so many ways.  The 4th verse of the reading from Proverbs leads us to that point at verse 5: “To you, O men, I call,  & my cry is to the children of man.  You gullible people,  obtain prudence.” 
The leaders of our nation are divided & hurling insults at each other on a daily basis.  The war in Ukraine seems like it will never end.  The war between Iran & Israel is heating up to a fever pitch.  The major news outlets have lied to us so often, they’ve lost credibility.   It’s difficult to know what to believe  whenever sinful human beings are speaking.  Proverbs 8 rings true because it reminds the reader that all humans are inclined to foolishness because all of us are conceived & born with a sinful nature.  As part of that sinful human race,  for our benefit, we must acknowledge that Wisdom’s call to the gullible & foolish is the call to everyone & anyone to repent  & to believe the Good News of Holy Scripture. 
For better  or for worse,  not a one of us  got here by ourselves.   Evolutionary theory insists that we did.  If you just wait long enough   somehow  a turtle can end up on a fence post  all by itself.   Evolutionary theory offers the hope  that if the human race just survives long enough  then everything will get better.  And if you’re dead before then,  “Oh well.” 
Take an honest look at the world,  & at the people you know personally.  Are you seeing anything,  or anyone,   truly getting better?   The White House & the major news networks all said that Joe Biden was running circles around everyone.   Donald Trump said he’d end the war in Ukraine in weeks,  if not days. 
Electric vehicles were going to save the planet  until Elon Musk went to work at DOGE.  Then,  they said burn those EV’s to the ground.    “To you, O men, I call,  & my cry is to the children of man.  You gullible people,  obtain prudence.”  (Proverbs 8:4-5a)   
That is Wisdom speaking,  & Wisdom, in this text from Proverbs,  is Christ,  the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity.  He is offering a far better hope than merely waiting long enough, millions or billions of years, until everything gets better.   The Triune God sent us His Word in order to help us get somewhere  that you or I  could never arrive at  on our own. 
As Jesus said to one of the criminals being crucified with Him, “…today  you will be with me in paradise.”  (Luke 23:43 ESV)   There’s no if  &  maybe.  There was nothing the man had to accomplish before he died,  no long prayers to be made  or offerings to give.  The man simply turned to Jesus  & the Wisdom of the universe welcomed him  into heaven.   The man had admitted  he was being crucified justly, receiving the due reward of his deeds.  (Luke 23:41)  Nevertheless, it delighted Jesus to welcome the man to a place where the effects of sin  would never follow him.   Jesus has also invited you as Proverbs 8 declares:
“Does not wisdom call?  Does not understanding raise her voice?   On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;   beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: ‘To you, O men, I call,   & my cry is to the children of man.’”  (8:1-4 ESV)   In other words,  from everywhere,  & from here,  Wisdom is calling to you. 
Putting aside  your pride,  you may ask, “Why?”   Many people today recognize that it’s good  to save our planet.   It is, after all, our current home.  Trying to reduce our pollution of it  is a good thing,  yet Wisdom,  with a capital “W,”  delights not simply in the planet Earth,   but especially  in the people whom Yahweh created  to inhabit the Earth. 
The point of Proverbs 8 is that Wisdom was rejoicing during all the process of creation,  especially in human beingss as the ‘crown’  of His creation: “Then I was beside Him, like a master workman,  & I was daily His delight,  rejoicing before Him always,  rejoicing in His inhabited world  & delighting in the children  of man.”   (8:30-31 ESV) 
So much so, that Wisdom was pleased to take on human flesh, to unite humanity to His very being,  all for the sake of redeeming the entire human race.   Therefore, in heaven, humans will be without sin once again,  as Wisdom created them to be. 
Wisdom was the master workman in whom the heavenly Father took delight.   In turn, Wisdom rejoiced before the Father & in the world He created,  taking particular delight in the children of man.  All that was before The Fall into sin.  Adam & Eve destroyed the perfect harmony by disobeying the voice of their loving Father. 
Christ is the Wisdom of God, the originator of Creation & also the goal of history.  He is
the purpose for which this creation continues – up to the end of this world & into the new creation of everlasting life.  All that is part of what Jesus means when He declares, “I am the Alpha & the Omega, the first & the last,  the beginning & the end.”  (Revelation 22:13 ESV) 
The upshot,  is that contrary to what you & I see of humanity, God delights in the children of man as the crowning achievement of His creation!  That is certainly not what the evening news, or all-day cable channels broadcast, let alone celebrate.  And all of us certainly continue to experience all the negative & even horrific effects of sin. 
Proverbs 8:31 expresses the love of the Father & the Son that would be revealed fully in the redemption of humanity through the unblemished life, vicarious suffering, atoning death & glorious resurrection of Jesus.  As much as this chapter says about Wisdom, the high point is the presentation of the Good News of God’s favor in Christ, whose delight is in human beings. 
From there, the reader can see & be drawn to Wisdom as Christ, God the Son, who shaped creation & who, in the fullness of time, assumed the human flesh of those in whom He had delighted – Adam & Eve before their fall into sin.  Through His Word, the Holy Spirit guides us into that mystery of our salvation
Through Baptism, Holy Communion, & faith in the 2nd Adam,  descendants of the 1st Adam become fully  the children of God in whom He delights.  We certainly did not get here by ourselves.  The triune God put you & me here  because He delights in us  even while we are still sinners.  Neither will we get to heaven by ourselves.  God promises to bring us there.  Amen. 
 
 
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness;  at Thy speaking it was done.  For created light we thank Thee,  while Thine ordered seasons run.     Lo,  on those who dwelt in darkness,  dark as night & deep as death,  broke the light of Thy salvation,  breathed Thine own life-breathing breath.     Thy strong word bespeaks us righteous;  bright with Thine own holiness,  glorious now, we press toward glory,  & our lives our hopes confess.    Alleluia, alleluia!  Praise to Thee who light dost send!  Alleluia, alleluia!  Alleluia without end!  Amen.  LSB 578:1-3.  

​Pentecost Sunday                                                                                    LSB #’s 498:1-6, 497, 906
Text – Acts 2:12-13
 
And all were amazed & perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”  But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
 
THE MEANING IS CLEAR
 
 
One of your neighbors, whom you know casually,  calls after dinner to say that he or she is going in for surgery tomorrow morning.  They’re feeling uneasy & need to talk to someone.  You  can almost feel  God tapping you on the shoulder to say, “It’s your turn!  It’s time for you to offer peace & comfort  through the power of God’s word!”    How  would you respond? 
The details of what you would say  are not so important  as the big picture.  Would you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit,  or  would you shy away?     That’s really the issue.   Until the day of Pentecost,  the Apostles had been shying away  from any  public proclamation about the mighty works of God.  On Pentecost,  Jesus unleashed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples. 
Everyone who was there,  everyone who heard & saw this event,  was amazed & perplexed.  They’d never seen or heard of such a thing  & had no idea what to make of it.  Those of a more faithful posture wondered, “What does this mean?”   Those of a more cynical nature turned to mocking the followers of Jesus, “Ha!  They are filled with new wine.” 
I can see myself in either group,  on some occasions wondering what God is doing,  but on others  mocking such a far-fetched event.   How  would you respond?    In the course of life, there are a vast multitude of events  to react to  & to discern the meaning of.   Our sinful nature responds in very different ways  than does our saintly nature. 
The book of Hebrews gives this advice: “…solid food is for the mature,  for those who have their powers of discernment trained  by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”  (5:14 ESV)   Living in a sinful world  gives plenty of opportunity to practice distinguishing good from evil.  The question is  whether we’ve risen to the level of solid spiritual food,  or whether we are still feeding on milk.   That’s what we see at play in the sermon text: “And all were amazed & perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’  But others  mocking  said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’”  (Acts 2:12-13 ESV) 
That verse is so true to life,  it rings to the core of my being.   People see  the exact same event,  & arrive at completely  opposite conclusions.   The politics of our day is a perfect illustration.   Our presidents  have been the source of many examples.   Any one executive order today  will reveal people  who draw totally opposite conclusions.  
Both of those opposite reactions cannot be correct,  although both of them can be wrong.  All the presidents in our nation’s history  have been sinners,  therefore  none of their words or actions can be discerned as perfect.   That doesn’t stop Republicans, Independents  or Democrats  from acting as if their completely opposite reaction is perfect. 
Life in this world is complicated by sin.  As a result, people like to say there are two sides to every story; the point being  there are valid conclusions on both sides.   While that applies to sinners like us,  is that a legitimate claim when the Word of God is involved?   Some religious denominations  say that it is.  Martin Luther would have said, “Auf keinen Fall!” or “No way!” 
One of Luther’s rallying cries  was Sola Scriptura.   It positions the Bible as the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith & practice.  The Roman Catholic Church has declared Sola Scriptura to be heresy.   In other words,  even when it comes to the Word of God, Roman Catholic teaching would agree, “There are two sides to every story.” 
In the reading from the book of Acts, it’s clear that there were very different responses to the work of the Holy Spirit.  One response was amazed, yet perplexed confusion, “What does this mean?”   The other response was ridicule, “They are filled with new wine.”   While the confused response wasn’t exactly faith, it revealed an openness to learning.  The response of ridicule was obviously the work of the sinful nature.   As children of God who are saints & sinners, we exhibit all three on a daily basis – faith, confusion & ridicule. 
If you’re not so sure about the ridicule,  consider that every time you sin  you are rebelling  against Yahweh.   Every sin is,  in essence,  ridiculing the words & promises of our Lord & Savior.  It’s easy to consider ourselves, at the very least,  as better than politicians, but the truth is not nearly so flattering.  The meaning is clear. 
On a more pleasant note, even with our sinful nature, the Holy Spirit is able to work through His children as we speak the words of God to ourselves & to others.  He may not do so through us as dramatically as He did on Pentecost,  but our Creator promises that the Holy Spirit is working through us.  Even when we are confused about the meaning, God works through us. 
The Holy Spirit works within us to expose our sins,  but also reassures the penitent of God’s gift of forgiveness.  He always works to expose our sin with the goal  of reassuring us of God’s gift of forgiveness.  Come Judgment Day,  sin will be exposed for a different purpose,  so it’s better to expose our sin now while forgiveness is the purpose  instead of judgment. 
What does the miracle of Pentecost mean?  As Peter preaches, he points the people,  & us, to the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel.  The pouring out of God’s Spirit upon His children is the meaning of the miracle.  As broken & dysfunctional as The Church,  & as our church,  often appear,  the Spirit of Christ has been poured out upon it, & upon us. 
The Pentecost scene in Acts 2, is far more than a day; far more than flipping the calendar to a new page.  This Pentecost scene ushers in a new era in time.  In Joel, he was speaking to the people of his day, that God would restore the “grain & wine & oil” (Joel 2:19) that drought & locust had destroyed.  Now, however, under the influence of the poured-out Spirit, Peter perceives the promise in the historical perspective of all salvation history.  Yahweh is now working to restore our lives as holy & for all eternity.  God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh to signify that Yahweh has come to His people in an even greater way  than through His Son Jesus.  No one is out of range of the Spirit’s work; He targets every human heart.  
We may encounter “closed doors,” our testimony may be rejected, but the Spirit of the LORD, the Holy Spirit, keeps going about His work & will continue to do so, unceasingly, until the very last day. 
The Spirit with whom the Father anointed Jesus at the Jordan River “to bring glad tidings to the poor… to proclaim liberty to captives... (Luke 4:18-19) is now given through the risen Christ to the church, so that “repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name to all nations.”  (Luke 24:47)   
The One anointed with the Spirit of the Father at the Jordan to proclaim glad tidings now becomes the One who baptizes the disciples with the Spirit on Pentecost to preach the name of Jesus.  You also have been anointed by Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to offer peace & comfort through the power of God’s word! 
One day,  it may be your turn,  to speak words of peace & comfort to someone who’s feeling uneasy & needs to talk.  If so,  God’s Spirit will be with you,  as you respond.  Amen. 
 
 
 
Come, Holy Ghost,  God & Lord,  with all Your graces now outpoured  on each believer’s mind & heart;  Your fervent love to them impart.  Lord, by the brightness of Your light  in holy faith Your Church unite;  from every land & every tongue  this to Your praise,  O Lord, our God, be sung: Alleluia, alleluia!         Come, holy Fire,  comfort true,  grant us the will Your work to do  & in Your service to abide;  let trials turn us not aside.   Lord, by Your power prepare each heart,  & to our weakness strength impart  that bravely here  we may contend,  through life & death  to You,  our Lord,  ascend.  Alleluia, alleluia!   Amen.  LSB 497:1, 3.

​7th Sunday of Easter                                                                                      LSB #’s 496, 703, 851
Text – Ezekiel 36:26
 
And I will give you a new heart, & a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh & give you a heart of flesh. 
 
Cardiac Arrest
 
 
Imagine  you are in cardiac arrest.   You’re unconscious & have only minutes to live.  Would you be able to do anything  that could save yourself from death?     If you were listening carefully,  the obvious answer is “No.”   If you are unconscious,  you are not capable of acting.  As your brain uses its last remaining supply of oxygen  it will completely  stop functioning. 
As uncomfortable  as it may be  to seriously consider that,  at the final resurrection,  life will be restored  to your brain  & to your body.   At that moment,  a far more serious reality will become starkly clear  to you.  You will know,  with all certainty,  that you are either spiritually alive  or spiritually  dead.   And you will be on the doorstep of eternity  one way  or the other! 
In this life,  it’s not always clear to us  what our spiritual condition is.   Satan isn’t called the Great Deceiver  for nothing.   Jesus warns us in Matthew 24, “And many false prophets will arise & lead many astray.  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”  (24:11-12 ESV) 
The classic verse, describing how effective Satan is, appears in Matthew 7, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,  & cast out demons in your name, & do many mighty works  in your name?’   And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you;  depart from me,  you workers of lawlessness.’”  (7:22-23 ESV) 
Jesus warns us that people living in this broken world  can be very confused about the state of their spiritual life.  In fact, many who are unbelievers  will be convinced even at the Last Day  that they had been hard at work  following Jesus.  They will think  their love for others was alive & well,  even when it had,  in fact,  grown cold.   As uncomfortable as it may be to consider what happens  if you go into cardiac arrest,  it is more uncomfortable to consider  that many will end up in hell  when they thought  they were serving Jesus, “…did we not prophesy in your name, & cast out demons in your name, & do many mighty works  in your name?”  (Matthew 7:22) 
With that kind of deception at work in this life,  where can we find peace of mind,  & comfort for our soul,  if our sins  are weighing heavily on us?   It’s not uncommon to wonder if the Great Deceiver has gotten a hold of you,  or me,  or your children.  If you are in cardiac arrest you cannot save yourself,  & people in a lost spiritual condition  cannot save themselves either. 
That  is exactly what Ezekiel is writing about on this last Sunday in this season of Easter.  The day when Jesus rose from the dead  is a tremendously joyful blessing for all who trust in Him as Lord & Savior.    However,   you might have noticed  it also has its downside.  It can be twisted, by Satan & by sinful human beings,  into overconfidence.  
In Jesus’ day, the Jews weren’t all sure about a resurrection from the dead,  but they did trust in Abraham as their father.  And if Abraham was their father  they were saved.  If Abraham was their father,  it didn’t matter what they did,  they were going to  one day  rule the world.   In Ezekiel’s day, things were a little different.  God’s people had no such overconfidence. 
They were in exile in Babylon,  enslaved & about to lose their national identity.  Spiritually,  they were in cardiac arrest with zero hope of saving themselves.  God had designed this exile because His people had defiled the Promised Land with idolatry & child sacrifice.  In making them leave His land, however, their defeat & humiliation, caused other nations to gossip. 
Those who were victorious over God’s people attributed Judah’s disgrace  to Yahweh’s inability to protect His people.  This blasphemy had to stop because it defeated the purpose for which God called the people of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob.  Yahweh had to discipline them,  but if this went on too long, they’d completely disappear as His people.  Although His people had been very confused about their spiritual condition,  God knew their predicament, & rescued them from exile, sending a remnant back to Jerusalem.  This continued the line of David down to Messiah, & it vindicated the holiness of Yahweh’s name  so the nations would know  He is Lord. 
God’s Spirit inspired Ezekiel to write, “Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came…  And the nations will know that I am the Lord, …when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.”  (36:22, 23b ESV) 
Nevertheless, having fallen prey to all manner of idolatry, God’s people needed far more than physical rescue.  As the Lord declares, “…from all your idols I will cleanse you.  And I will give you a new heart, & a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh & give you a heart of flesh.”  (Ezekiel 36:25-26 ESV) 
God knew the condition of His people then,  & He knows the condition of His people now.  If, spiritually speaking, you are in cardiac arrest & need a transplant, is that something you can do yourself?  No!  It must be done for you.   Have you twisted Jesus’ resurrection to mean there is nothing for you to do in God’s Church?   He wants to give you a heart transplant. 
 The Lord of heaven & earth seeks to cleanse us from our idols.  He longs to give us a new heart & a new spirit.  His greatest desire is to remove our heart of stone, the one that’s in cardiac arrest, so He can give us a heart of flesh.   Do you know where God performs that surgery?   His Spirit offers that right here  through His Word & Sacraments. 
In this life,  it’s not always clear to us  what our spiritual condition is.   Satan isn’t called the Great Deceiver  for nothing.   A heart of flesh is one that responds in God-given faith  to the working of the Holy Spirit.  If you are unable to see signs of life in yourself,  then God’s house is the place to be.  A day is coming when you will know,  with all certainty,  that you are either spiritually alive  or spiritually  dead.   When that day arrives,  your eternal future will have been set in stone.  There will be no going back.  “Behold,  now is the favorable time;  behold,  now is the day of salvation.”  (2 Corinthians 6:2b ESV)   
All of us  need  that heart transplant.  As we heard in the reading from 1 Peter, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled & sober-minded  for the sake of your prayers.”  (4:7 ESV)  Self control is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  You can’t get that on your own,  & it is not part of your sinful nature.  It comes with the heart of flesh that God gives us. 
Satan easily deceives us into thinking that spirituality can be a do-it-yourself kind of practice.  And he is not our friend.  On Judgment Day, he will be overjoyed as Jesus pronounces judgment on those who chose to follow their own spirituality:
“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,  & cast out demons in your name,  & do many mighty works  in your name?’   And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you;  depart from me,  you workers of lawlessness.’”  (7:22-23 ESV)   In John’s Gospel, Jesus warns the disciples how far astray do it yourself spiritually goes:
“Indeed, the hour is coming  when whoever kills you  will think he is offering service to God.”  (John 16:2b ESV)   Don’t try to do a spiritual heart transplant on yourself.   Allow God to change your heart & lead you on a new path,  one that leads to everlasting life.  Follow the lead of king David once he returned to God after committing adultery & murder:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, & renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, & take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, & uphold me with a willing spirit.”  (Psalm 51:10-12 ESV)   Amen. 
 
How can I thank you, Lord, for all Your loving kindness,  that You have patiently  borne with me in my blindness!  When dead in many sins  & trespasses I lay,  I kindled, holy God,  Your anger every day.     It is Your work alone  that I am now converted;  over Satan’s work in me  You have Your power asserted.   Your mercy & Your grace  that rise afresh each morn  have turned my stony heart  into a heart newborn.  Amen.  LSB 703:1-2.