Last Sunday of the Church Year – A (Proper 29)                            LSB #’s 621, 508:1-4; 508:5-7
Text – Matthew 25:46
 
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
 
A GOLDILOCKS’ WORLD
  
Once upon a time there were three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood.  One of them was a Little Wee Bear,   & one was a Middle-sized Bear,   & the other was a Great Big Bear.  They had each   a bowl for their porridge;  a little bowl for the Little Wee Bear;  & a middle-sized bowl for the Middle-sized Bear;   & a great bowl for the Great Big Bear.  
And they had each  a chair to sit in;   a little chair for the Little Wee Bear;   & a middle-sized chair for the Middle-sized Bear;  & a great chair for the Great Big Bear.     And they had each a bed to sleep in;  a little bed for the Little Wee Bear;  & a middle-sized bed for the Middle-sized Bear;   & a great bed for the Great Big Bear. 
One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast,  & poured it into their bowls, they walked out into the wood while the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths by beginning too soon,  for they were polite, well-brought-up Bears.  
And while they were away a little girl called Goldilocks,  who lived at the other side of the wood & had been sent on an errand by her mother,  passed by the house, & looked in at the window.  And then she peeped in at the keyhole,  for she was not at all  a well-brought-up little girl.   Then  seeing nobody in the house she lifted the latch.  
The door was not fastened, because the Bears were good Bears,  who did nobody any harm,  & never suspected that anybody  would harm them.   So Goldilocks opened the door & went in; & well pleased was she   when she saw the porridge on the table.  
If she had been a well-brought-up little girl  she would have waited till the Bears came home, & then, perhaps, they would have asked her  to breakfast; for they were good Bears – a little rough or so,  as the manner of Bears is,  but for all that   very good-natured & hospitable.  But she was an impudent, rude little girl,  & so she set about helping herself.   First  she tasted the porridge of the Great Big Bear, & that was too hot for her.   Next  she tasted the porridge of the Middle-sized Bear,  but that was too cold for her.  
And then she went to the porridge of the Little Wee Bear, & tasted it,  & that was neither too hot   nor too cold,   but just right,  & she liked it so well that she ate it all up,   every bit!   Then Goldilocks, who was tired, for she had been catching butterflies instead of running on her errand, sat down in the chair of the Great Big Bear,  but that was too hard for her.  
Then she sat down in the chair of the Middle-sized Bear, & that was too soft for her.  But when she sat in the chair of the Little Wee Bear,   that was neither too hard  nor too soft,  but just right.  She seated herself in it,  & there she sat  till the bottom of the chair came out,  & down she came, plump upon the ground; & that made her very cross, for she was a bad-tempered little girl. 
Now,  being determined to rest,  Goldilocks went upstairs into the bedchamber in which the Three Bears slept.  And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great Big Bear, but that was too high at the head for her.  And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle-sized Bear,  & that was too high at the foot  for her.  
And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little Wee Bear,  & that was neither too high at the head   nor at the foot,   but just right.   So she covered herself up comfortably,  & lay there till she fell fast asleep.      On a cold winter day like we have this morning,  covering up in a bed that is just right  could make a few of us fall asleep for sure. 
All people – believers & unbelievers – are searching & longing for things to be  just right in our lives.  The heavenly Creator is well aware of that & He longs for things to be just right in our lives  as well.  Goldilocks goes about that search in ways that are improper & disrespectful while the three bears  hold up the ideals & mores of a polite society.  As you & I search for things to be just right,  evidence is everywhere  that we are not very good at it.   Like Goldilocks, we have left a long trail of it. 
When the Little Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the bolster in its place!  And the pillow was in its place  upon the bolster!  And upon the pillow—–?   There was Goldilocks’s yellow head – which was not in its place,  for she had no business there.    “Somebody has been lying in my bed – & here she is still!” said the Little Wee Bear  in his little wee voice. 
But when she heard the little wee voice of the Little Wee Bear, it was so sharp,  & so shrill,  that it awakened her at once.  Up she started, & when she saw the Three Bears on one side of the bed,  she tumbled herself out at the other,   & ran to the window. 
Naughty, frightened little Goldilocks jumped;  & whether she broke her neck in the fall, or ran into the wood & was lost there,  or found her way out of the wood & got whipped for being a bad girl & playing truant,  no one can say.   To an otherwise cute little fairy tale, that’s a rather jarring end.  For unbelievers, the gospel reading from Matthew has a jarring end  as well:
“And these will go away into eternal punishment…”   This Last Sunday of the Church Year, like the two Sundays prior, has judgment as its theme.  It’s meant to make your sinful nature uncomfortable,  yet the goal   is to reassure your saintly nature at the same time.   God is not interested in providing us with some fairy tale  salvation. 
Because you & I are so corrupted by sin, only the truth about our total depravity can give us the proper context  to accurately appreciate the salvation Jesus won  for you & for me on the cross.   Like Goldilocks, the 1st impulse of our sinful nature is to run away from God rather than to repent & run to Him.  For that reason, our rescue needs to be rock solid. 
Someone had to come in from outside of ourselves, someone who could see the problem
& be willing to do what was necessary to save us.  Since Jesus has accomplished His work on earth, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory,  & all the angels with Him,  then He will sit on His glorious throne.  Before Him will be gathered all the nations,  & He will separate people one from another  as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”  (Matthew 25:31-32 ESV) 
For those who have not placed their trust in Jesus, that day will be terrible.  All their sin will be exposed  for everyone to see.    Those who do trust Jesus to rescue them,  are no better than those who do not.  However,  the faith God gave to us in His salvation plan  shelters us in the Father’s almighty arms.  Christ’s robe of righteousness covers up our sin  completely. 
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”  (Matthew 25:34 ESV)  All the effects of sin will be gone.  Those who believe Jesus will have a new body created in righteousness & holiness that will never again  suffer or be degraded  or insufficient  in any way. 
Everything will be  just right!  All creation is looking for a time & place where every-thing is just right.   If we’re looking for that here on earth  we are searching for a fairytale world.  No matter how we work at it, our heavenly Creator knows that cannot last.  The harsh reality of sin has forever broken the 1st creation.  The evidence of mankind’s failures should be clear. 
The almighty Father  wants us to have so much more  than a Goldilocks’ world.   Even after the fall into sin, He continued to create human beings,  you & me included,  for the express purpose of placing us into paradise with Him,  for all eternity.    There,  the talents & abilities given to each of us by God,  will be developed & used  to their fullest & most glorious extant. 
Porridge will never be too hot  or too cold.   Chairs will never be too hard  or too soft.  Doctors,  lawyers  & police officers  will be out of business.  As this church year draws to a close,  we know not when the end will come,  but turning back to the One who will bring that end, next Sunday we begin a new church year.   The season of Advent is also one of repentance  but without the focus on Judgment Day.  Now we lock our eyes  upon Christ,  the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world.  Everything that’s going on in Ukraine & the Middle East will be paid for.  All the corruption of governments everywhere  will be paid for. 
All of our failures, bitterness & sin  will be wiped clean.  Our illnesses & limitations will be gone.  In heaven,  we’ll be perfectly  what our Lord created us to be.   No more longing for a better time & place where everything will be just right.   In the meantime, Jesus is working through sinners like us,  in His church,  to rescue other sinners from this broken world. 
About this sermon,  people may say, “Fairy tales are for children.”   However, a key to our salvation is the recognition that all of us,  young & old,  are still children of God,  stubborn & selfish children  at that.  Only the truth about our total depravity can give us the proper context  to accurately appreciate the price Jesus paid  for you & for me  on the cross. 
Like Goldilocks, the 1st impulse of our sinful nature is to run away from God rather than to repent  & run to Him.  For that reason, our rescue needs to be rock solid.  For that reason, God had to accomplish every bit of our salvation by Himself.  For that reason  He sent His only Son to take on human flesh  so that He could live the life we did not,  & pay for the life we did live. 
Our sinful nature is so strong, so corrupt,  that there is no other way for us to be righteous than for God to declare us so.   And He makes that declaration based upon the righteousness of His Son that He places upon you & me as a gift, free & clear.  Yahweh has promised us a Goldilocks world  if we only trust & wait for Jesus to return.  Amen. 
 
The final trumpet then shall sound  & all the earth be shaken,  & all who rest beneath the ground  shall from their sleep awaken.   But all who live will in that hour,  by God’s almighty, boundless power,   be changed at His commanding.     O Jesus Christ, do not delay,  but hasten our salvation;  we often tremble on our way  in fear & tribulation O hear & grant our fervent plea:  Come, mighty judge,  & set us free  from death & every evil.  Amen.  LSB 508:2, 7.

​25th Sunday after Pentecost – A (Proper 28) LSB #’s 514 (tune 672), 511 (tune 621), 513 + (v. 5 of TLH 605)
Text – Zephaniah 1:8
 
And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice – I will punish the officials & the king’s sons & all who array themselves in foreign attire.
 
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING TODAY?
 
 
  In the last years of my dad’s life,  it occurred several times that mom would wake up in the middle of the night  & find her husband sitting on the edge of the bed,  dressed in the suit that he normally wore to church.   When she asked what he was doing, he’d say, “I’m going to die tonight & I want to be dressed for when the funeral home comes to take me.” 
My dad had the stereotypical engineer personality, yet, wearing a suit for when the funeral home comes to take you is not very practical.   They have a lot of work to do before you can be ‘dressed’ for your showing.  However, my dad had it right, that it matters what clothes you are wearing when you die.  It’s not true in a practical sense,   but it is in a spiritual sense. 
“And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice – I will punish the officials & the king’s sons   & all who array themselves in foreign attire.”   As Zephaniah writes that, he’s not actually saying that wearing lederhosen is a sin.        The point he is making is that wearing foreign attire was, in that context, a symptom of the sin underlying that choice. 
In daily living, it’s important to recognize the difference between symptoms   & underlying disease.  If your heart & lungs are in poor condition, your skin may take on a blue tone.  Covering the color of the skin with makeup will not address the problem.  Blue skin is not the disease, but it is an accurate indicator that the heart & the lungs need to change. 
The people of Judah wearing foreign attire was not the disease, but it was an accurate indicator of the underlying spiritual problem.   In verses right before Zephaniah’s OT reading, God said, “I will stretch out my hand against… those who have turned back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of Him.”  (1:4 & 6 ESV)     In verses after the sermon text, God says He will punish, “…those who fill their master’s house with violence & fraud… & men who are complacent…”  (1:9 & 12 ESV)   Disobeying God is the underlying spiritual problem.  The men of Judah wearing foreign attire indicated their severe lack of devotion to the true God.  
After the prophet Micah finished his work, there’s a long silence in recorded prophecy.  Around 630 BC, the voice of God is heard again through Jeremiah, Nahum, Habakkuk    & Zephaniah.   The 70 years of silence corresponds roughly with the reign of Manasseh, who is known in Judah’s history as the worst of her kings. 
His reign was marked by the introduction of idolatry on a grand scale, along with the emphasis of injustice & cruelty.  Idolatry became so bad that during his reign a book of the law was either lost or destroyed.   Around 20 years after the death of Manasseh,   the high priest, Hilkiah, finds the book of the law (2 Kings 22:8) while repairs were being made to the temple. 
Scholars today propose that it was the book of Deuteronomy that was found.  Then, the good king, Josiah, gathered all the elders of Judah & Jerusalem.  He gathered all the inhabitants of Jerusalem & the priests & the prophets,   all the people, both small & great.  He read to them that book.   Zephaniah began his work early in the reign of Josiah. 
The rebellious legacy of Manasseh still weighed heavily on the nation of Judah, poisoning the life its people, such that they wore the foreign clothing of pagan nations.  Zephaniah confronted them with an uncompromising threat of judgment.   Yet,   that time is also marked by the rule of Josiah whose heart was penitent & who humbled himself before the Lord. 
Zephaniah had words of comfort & hope for the repentant people of the land.   He proclaimed radical words of judgment but also radical words of deliverance.  He was given a vision that looked beyond the guilt of Manasseh, beyond the ineffective reforms of Josiah, to the coming King Jesus who would endure & accomplish all that Yahweh had prophesied.  Once & for all, God would bring judgment & salvation in the one act of the cross.   Zephaniah wrote to awaken both the holy fear & the complete trust which is the mark of all who wait for the day of which Zephaniah spoke – the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
As a precursor to that judgment, God was going to punish “…the officials & the king’s sons & all who array themselves in foreign” clothing because those clothes were part & parcel of worshipping false gods.   This idol worship disease swept through the king’s court & country under Manasseh, & persisted in the early reign of Josiah. 
When the book of the law was found, king Josiah realized how wicked God’s chosen people had become.  He tore his royal clothing & wept for his guilt & for the guilt of his people.  What are you wearing today?   Is your heart wearing the foreign robes of pride & arrogance, or is it wearing sackcloth & ashes? 
The OT reading is not about joy & happiness.  It’s about the coming destruction of Judah when Nebuchadnezzar conquers it & also destroys its capital city – Jerusalem.   The line of David would no longer sit on an earthly throne.  Not everyone with blue skin tone is dying of heart & lung disease.  Not everyone wearing foreign clothing has rebelled against the Creator. 
However, it is wise, even for God’s children, to take inventory of the spiritual clothing we are wearing.   None of us know what day or what hour the funeral home will be coming   to take us away.  The writing of Zephaniah is meant to shatter all of our complacent security.  It is meant to purify our hope by purging away all of our self-centered dreams. 
Zephaniah’s proclamation of the Day of the Lord is a powerful & moving call to repentance.  The NT takes up that thought with great vigor & centers it in Jesus Christ.  The Day of the Lord is the Day of Jesus Christ on the cross of Golgotha.   Whatever sorrows & suffering you endure, they officially became temporary on that day.   Whatever heartache & pain is suffocating your ability to persevere, it officially became temporary on the Day of the Lord.  God chose to take on all of mankind’s sorrows & suffering, heartache & pain, in the flesh of His Son, in order to make it temporary for the sheep who hear His voice & follow Him. 
For anyone who rejects the voice of the Savior, their sorrows & suffering, heartaches & pain will become permanent.   That message is difficult to hear, whether it confronts you personally, or whether it confronts someone that you love.   However, taking sin & judgment seriously, helps us to understand forgiveness & eternal life in profoundly new ways. 
The Scripture readings for these last Sundays of the church year take sin & judgment very seriously.   And yet, they are not a cry to shape up or ship out.  We read them in order that we recognize the inevitability of the Day of the Lord against all fallen creation, but especially focused on His special creature, the human race. 
Jesus took on human flesh that He might take our place before the judgment throne.   He would receive the punishment that you & I deserve.  Yet, central to His role is that He would rise from the death of judgment to establish the new creation & the eternal life that is ours in Christ.  That good news is what enables us to honestly confront the bad news of our personal sin. 
When Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath on the cross, besides receiving the punishment for our sin, He was also purifying everyone who puts their trust in Him.  He was making us pure & clean & holy in God’s sight.  As Isaiah wrote:
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness…”  (61:10 ESV)  Rumor is that some members took Austin shopping yesterday to buy new clothes for his baptism, but those are clothes that will eventually wear out.  They are only temporary & as Holy Scripture says, things like moth & rust will eventually destroy all of our earthly possessions.  The Holy Spirit also made sure that Austin has some new clothing to wear, & that is the robe of righteousness that Jesus Christ has placed upon him.  That robe covers all of his sins so God only sees, in Austin, the holiness of Jesus Christ. 
Each morning, as we awaken to a new day, it is wise to remember our baptism; to remember exactly what we are wearing as we go through the daily interactions we have with everyone around us.  In the spiritual sense, it absolutely does matter, for all of eternity, what you are wearing when you die. 
Thanks be to Jesus; He has given us that robe of righteousness.  Amen.  
 
 
 
Herald, sound the note of judgment, warning us of right & wrong, turning us from sin & sadness till once more we sing the song.    Herald, sound the note of pardon – those repenting are forgiven;   God receives His wayward children, & to them new life is given.    Herald, sound the note of triumph; Christ has come to share our life, bringing God’s own love & power, granting victory in the strife.   Sound the trumpet!   Tell the message: Christ, the Savior king, is come!  Amen.  LSB 511:1, 3-4.

​24th Sunday after Pentecost – A (Proper 27)                                                 LSB #’s 331, 525, 554
Text – Matthew 25:1
 
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps & went to meet the bridegroom.
 
IS JESUS REALLY YOUR KING?
 
 
A Sunday school teacher was attempting to explain a word that theologians throw around even in lessons with small children.   It’s the word omnipotent.   The teacher defined it as ‘all-powerful,’ & continued by saying, “It means that God can do anything.”    As usual,   little Johnny immediately responded, “I know something that God can’t do!” 
Wanting to continue without embarrassing the child, the teacher said, “Now think really hard about this, & remember God can do absolutely anything.”    But Johnny insisted, “No, I mean it.”    “Well then, what is it?” the exasperated teacher asked.   Johnny said, “Even God can’t please everyone.” 
Yes, God cannot please unbelievers because they reject Him as their Lord & Savior.  Sin has twisted our hearts & minds as well such that even God cannot please you or me   all the time.  As followers of Jesus, our sinful nature still rebels against, not only the will of God, but against the very goodness of the great I Am. 
So I ask, in all seriousness, “Is Jesus really your King?”    When the sermon title first appeared on the wall, did you say to yourself, “Well, yeah!”?     In that case, the follow up question is, “Why   is Jesus your King?   How did He end up that way?   Was there a moment in time when you claimed Jesus as your king?” 
If it’s up to you, to claim Jesus as your king, what happens if you are struggling with doubt when you die?   If it’s up to you to make Jesus your Lord, what happens if you slack off; what happens if you get preoccupied with all the things to do in your life?   I’ve prayed with people who were in a coma before they died.  Did they still know that Jesus is their king?  What if you end up with dementia & can’t remember your own name,   let alone who is your king?   How would these words from the Gospel reading apply to you? 
“And while they were going to buy [oil], the bridegroom came, & those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, & the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’  But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’  Watch therefore,   for you know   neither the day   nor the hour.”  (Matthew 25:10-13 ESV) 
I think all of us have at least seen a new puppy in action.  They have a great desire to please their master & to obey her word.  Once taught to lie down they may do so on command, but a new puppy can only do it for a moment.  Then, it’s back on its feet running & jumping around.  They are easily distracted.  They forget what they’re supposed to be concentrating on. 
Even Christians who love Jesus are like that puppy.  No matter how much you or I want to please our Savior, we easily get distracted.  No matter how much we love Jesus for rescuing us from the bitterness of this world’s lack of forgiveness, our attention span lasts only so long.  Then, we’re off   to find new challenges or to chase down the blessings we value of this world. 
And our heavenly Father does certainly bless us in this life, but no matter how much we love those earthly blessings every single one of them will come to an end.   When that happens, what will you be focused upon?  What will be drawing your attention?      As you consider that, listen to this Word of God from the book of Job:
“Now there was a day when his sons & daughters were eating & drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, & there came a messenger to Job & said, ‘The oxen were plowing  & the donkeys feeding beside them,  & the Sabeans fell upon them & took them & struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, & I alone have escaped to tell you.’”  (Job 1:13-15 ESV)  Three additional messengers arrived with similar results for Job’s sheep, camels & children – all of those blessings were now taken away from him.    How did Job respond?  He worshipped God & said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, & naked shall I return.    The Lord gave,   & the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”  (Job 1:21 ESV) 
As Lutherans, when we hear this parable, we tend to think of ourselves as the wise virgins.   After all, we have been baptized, therefore Jesus is our king.   So, it’s easy to become complacent & distracted by all the blessings Jesus has given to us.   Without the slightest comprehension, we gradually allow those blessings to take the place of the King. 
The ten virgins represent the visible church, those who claim to follow Jesus.  Matthew’s Gospel often features the theme that among the visible company of Jesus’ disciples, not all will be found to be true followers when the Master returns.   Judas becomes the epitome of that falling away as he hangs himself when he realizes the horror of his betrayal of God’s Son.  
The five foolish virgins represent those who claim to follow Jesus, but when push comes to shove, they aren’t truly focused on Jesus.  The bridegroom is late in arriving & they’re tired, so they fall asleep without making sure they are prepared for His return.  There are many people today claiming to be Christians who are likewise not ready for Judgment Day. 
It is certainly uncomfortable, yet Jesus tells this parable in order to confront you & me with that very real possibility.  He does so because He does not want us to discover, on the Last Day, that we are lost.   Then it will be too late. 
So, at the end of Jesus’ ministry, His parables turn dark.    His death is approaching & there’s a clear division between those who are disciples & those who are not, between those who are wise & those who are not, between those who are plotting His death & those who are not.  Whereas earlier parables have proclaimed the gracious favor of God, these parables proclaim God’s judgment.  They are the last effort of Jesus to call people to repentance & to prepare them for the reign of God’s Kingdom.  When chapter 25 of Matthew’s gospel comes to an end, the public teaching of Jesus will, in a very real sense, be over.    This parable can be frightening because Jesus is no longer seeking the lost.  He’s now shutting the door on them. 
The reign of heaven can easily be missed in the brokenness of this life & many people are missing God’s reign today!  The five foolish virgins fell comfortably asleep because they were not   truly concerned about the arrival of the bridegroom.  They’d seen this sort of delay many times & there were no real consequences before. 
However, there will come a time when you celebrate your last Thanksgiving, your last Christmas, your last birthday,   & it’s likely that you will not be aware that it is your last celebration of them here on earth.  The sermon last Sunday was titled, “The King is Coming!”  It leads nicely into the question for this morning, “Is Jesus Really   Your   King?” 
It’s a troubling question, that springs from a troubling parable that has a lot to fear.  The bridegroom comes unexpectedly, after all the bridesmaids have fallen asleep.  The foolish ones find themselves without oil & their fellow bridesmaids will not share.  They find that even buying oil from the dealer is not sufficient.  Coming to the door, they say:
“Lord, lord, open to us.”  But the bridegroom replies, “I do not know you.”  (25:12)   Such a stark elimination from the Kingdom of heaven is terrifying.   Today, as the Christian church in many places is rejecting the clear teaching of Jesus, you & I should stand in holy fear & plead for God to save us from apostasy, for only He can preserve our faith in Him. 
And because we can only be saved by the direct action of Jesus, should the primary focus of our lives be on Jesus?    The answer should be obvious, & that is the main point of this text.  Jesus tells this frightening parable not to scare us, but to wake us up to the dangers of life in this world.  Hell is real & it is well on its way, but you need not be afraid because the Bridegroom is also on His way.  We simply need to be ready.  Jesus is our King,  not by our actions, not by our watching,  not by our decision,  but through the waters of Holy Baptism that are connected to the all-powerful,  life creating Word of the heavenly Bridegroom. 
Yet Satan is at work too.  He’s capable of deceiving our sinful hearts & minds.  So one of the most troubling aspects of the parable is also key to understanding the grace of God.  We hear these words in verses 8 & 9:
“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us & for you, go rather to the dealers & buy for yourselves.’”    To our sinful mind, the wise virgins sound heartless & cruel.  In that Satan is deceiving us even through the very words of Jesus. 
However, the saintly nature will recognize, in the words of the wise virgins, a whole-hearted dedication to the Bridegroom.  Unlike a new puppy, they know to concentrate on Jesus.   As He said earlier in Matthew’s gospel, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind.”  (Matthew 22:37 ESV) 
The Bridegroom, Jesus, should be the overarching focus of every aspect of our lives.  If our understanding of the parable is preoccupied with the foolish bridesmaids, we’re left to fearfully wonder whether or not we have enough oil.  Rather, the wise virgins help us to focus on the Bridegroom who is the focal point of the parable.  Jesus is our King.  Concentrate on Him! 
The central function of the parable is that you be prepared for Christ’s return.   Do not listen to the world & it’s siren song.   Listen to Jesus.   As He says, “Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour!”  (25:13 ESV)   Jesus speaks these words to His disciples, encouraging them to be prepared, to await His 2nd coming with longing rather than dread.  Instead of asking what bridesmaid we are, Jesus invites us to see what a bridegroom He is.   His love never grows weary.  His promise will always hold true.  He loves us & is coming to meet us.  Jesus is coming with unquenchable love.  The Bridegroom has been delayed, but He has not forgotten His bride. 
The Bridegroom has a steadfast love, & He will come with joy to gather His people into an eternal celebration in His Kingdom where there will be no more waiting.   As discipleship makes you feel weary, lift your eyes to Jesus.   He took the initiative to call you by name & to welcome you into His kingdom through the waters of Baptism & the power of His Word. 
That’s how you can be certain that Jesus is your King.  He never rescinds His call to you.  Though following Jesus is a tiring task in this sinful world, God never backs out of the covenant He made with you when He called you to be His child.  The blessings He gives in this life are but a foretaste of the blessings to come.  Moth & rust will never destroy them in heaven.  
As saint & sinner, with our sinful nature being the stronger, the challenge of this parable is to wait for Christ with joy, rather than with fear.   Yes, each of us will on many occasions become preoccupied with all the things to do in this life.   Out of love, Jesus will provide opportunities for us to turn back to Him.   For that we can & we should rejoice. 
If the day comes when you can’t remember your own name, Jesus will never forget you.  When the days come, that you lose some of the blessings of this life, focus on the Bridegroom Jesus.  He will never lose you.  Amen. 
 
 
Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed o’er the grave & rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.   His glories now we sing, Who died & rose on high, Who died eternal life to bring & lives that death may die.      Crown Him the Lord of heaven, enthroned in worlds above, crown Him the king to whom is given the wondrous name of Love.  Crown Him with many crowns as thrones before Him fall; crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, for He is king of all.  Amen.  LSB 525:4-5.  

​SERMON
2023 Lutheran Women in Mission Sunday
LSB #’s 644, 575, 653
 
 
God promised to Adam & Eve  a Son who would redeem them & all humanity, from the curse of sin.  Their disobedience & lawlessness plunged the human race into original sin  & actual sin.    Our world today would ask, “What is sin?”  And our world,  as the world always has,  does not like God’s answer: “Sin is every thought,  desire,  word  & deed  which is contrary to our Lord’s teaching.”  
Throughout human history, God pictured the coming redemptive King  through various images of His promise, providence, provision & protection.  David saw God’s redemptive glory in the return of the Ark of the Covenant from Obed-Edom to Jerusalem.  The glory of the Lord returned to His people.
This redemption, proclaimed in the name of the Lord for God’s people, crushed the evil head of sin, Satan & our sinful flesh.  This redemption returns us to our Father in the reconciling Word, worship & witness of His Son Jesus – the name which means Savior from sin.  
In Psalm 24, King David proclaimed: “Lift up your heads, O gates!  And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The LORD, strong & mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!  Lift up your heads, O gates!  And lift them up, O ancient doors,  that the King of glory may come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory!” 
That King of glory,  God’s only begotten Son,  comes to the world in three ways;  1st, in the promised Son,  David’s Lord,  the world’s Savior,  the incarnate Son of the virgin Mary.  2nd, He comes personally in our hearts, by grace through faith, not of ourselves but as the ultimate gift of God;  & 3rd, in His great Parousia on the Last Day  of time.  
Isn’t it obvious  that the world needs to be rescued from itself?   The onslaught of brokenness, destruction, & war is all around.   We make it worse with our selfish ambition,  hatred of others,  & self-centered greed.  Genesis 6:6 tells us, “And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, & it grieved Him to His heart.”   In 2 Timothy 4, the Apostle Paul spoke of the days of lawlessness.    “Man’s Inhumanity to Man,” a poem by Robert Burns,  refers to human cruelty, barbarity,  lack of pity & compassion  toward other humans.   Through the eyes of sin, we can easily become downcast & heart-broken because of the evil & the hopeless appearance of our world.  
After the Fall, mankind has the ability to see & treat other people as less than human.  Constant bad news pushes us to give up.    Opposing that is the promise of our God  for His people.   God’s hope,  peace,  joy  & love  are what we proclaim in the coming of our Advent King of glory.  That is the Good News in a bad news world.  Christ is the King of glory,  & that King is coming!  Paul reminds us:
“…in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, & entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.  We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  For our sake He made Him  to be sin  who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.  (2 Corinthians 5:19–21) 
 
This Women in Mission Sunday, let’s remember the mission work of God’s people – Christ’s church is to proclaim the Good News  to all.  Jesus reminded the Emmaus disciples of this promise:
“Then [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, & said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer & on the 3rd day rise from the dead, & that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name  to all nations,  beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.  But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’”  (Luke 24:45–49)  
 
Through the ‘Gospel’ (Romans 1:14–17), those who follow Jesus have received the power of God’s salvation.  We are obligated to proclaim that Good News to all people,  to Greeks & to barbarians,  to the wise & to the foolish.  The Gospel is our only hope.  As the King of glory comes in, with & through the Gospel,  we are buried with Him in Baptism  & raised with Him to a new life.  (Romans 6) 
“Therefore,  if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)   In this new life creation,  God provides us with every means of grace we need to fight off  every kind of evil.  Through Word & Sacrament,  God provides temporal & eternal means for receiving the King of glory right now   & throughout eternity.   The Gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first & also to the Greek.  For in it   the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”  (Romans 1:16-17)   That is the verse, through which the Holy Spirit brought the Gospel to Martin Luther, who then brought the Good News back to the Church. 
It is easy to believe that our times are the worst of times.  We’ve seen horrific & horrible atrocities in our day: wars,  the senseless killings of babies, children & adults;  racism,  homelessness,  sex trafficing,  every kind of evil one can imagine.  We’d surely give up, but for the grace of God,  yet, the world has been in the throes of sin, & has needed the Good News,  ever since the ‘Fall.’ 
As Noah found favor in the eyes of God, we too find favor & grace in our King, Jesus.   The Gospel is the life-changing message of God for the world.  It changed Martin Luther’s life from seeking to appease the wrath of God,  by doing good works,  to receiving the good grace of God in Christ Jesus. 
We look beyond the brokenness of our humanity to the blessed hope of His coming in glory.  Like King David, we look to a heavenly King.  David knew a thing or two about a dark, inhospitable world in his own life & family.  But David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22),  found hope from the darkness  in the light of God’s grace.  In Psalm 24, he wrote:
“Lift up your heads, O gates!  And be lifted up, O ancient doors,   that the King of glory may come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The Lord, strong & mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!”  (24:9-10) 
And Paul, the apostle to the gentiles, reminds us that the mission of the church,  not just the Lutheran Women in Mission,  is to pray for all people:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, & thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings & all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful & quiet life, godly & dignified in every way.  This is good, & it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved & to come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God,   & there is one mediator between God & men, the man Christ Jesus,  who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”  (1 Timothy 2:1–6) 
 
A fearful child, sleeping alone in the darkness of her room, cried out to mom & dad as a storm rolled across her Midwest-town: “Mom, dad, come in here,” she cried in the dark of night, as the storm rolled & roared  as if it was in the room with her.  Mom & dad consoled her, reminding her that they were in the next room & God is in the room with her so she need not be afraid.  They encouraged her to go back to sleep, but awakened again & again by the rolling & roaring storm,   she said to her parents the last time they entered her room:
“I know you said God is here with me,  but I need someone with skin on them.”   Our heavenly Father sent His only Son into our world with skin on Him.  Looking at the darkness of our sinful world,  through the heavenly eyes  of the King of glory,  by faith we see the promise,  providence,  & protection of God  for His people  in Christ.   Jesus is God with skin on Him  for us.  
He is a God, who took on the sin of His creation  in His flesh & blood,  made His way down the road of agony, pain & suffering, was nailed to a tree, & died for the sins of you & me   & the world.  May this Lutheran Women in Mission Sunday remind us to be missionaries & share the Gospel throughout our communities so that all people will know of Christ’s  immeasurable love for them. 
God’s coming King of glory will deliver all who believe in Him from the corruption, the sorrow & the anxiety of this world that we might have everlasting life now  & in eternity.    It is in that King, Jesus Christ,  alone  that anyone in this world will be rescued from the chaos of sin.  And we can trust in that King because throughout all of human history,  He has always kept His promises.  Amen. 
 
 
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood & righteousness;  no merit of my own I claim  but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.    When He shall come in trumpet sound,  Oh, may I then in Him be found,  clothed in His righteousness alone,   redeemed to stand before His throne!   On Christ, the solid rock,  I stand;  all other ground is sinking sand.  Amen.  LSB 575:1, 4.