Trinity II- Luke 14:16-23

In this week's Gospel from St. Luke 14:16-23, our Lord tells a parable about a feast. He uses the comparison of a feast to illustrate God's gracious invitation into His presence and the human tendency to resist and reject divine grace. Many of those invited to the feast despise the gracious host's hospitality and offer plausible-sounding excuses. The host knows that there are others who will gladly accept, and he promises that the ungrateful will not benefit from his hospitality.

Of course, the parable of the ungrateful guests is about redemption and the kingdom of heaven. Throughout history, and especially in our time, many people have rejected the offer of divine grace. They make all sorts of excuses, great and small. They always seem to have extenuating circumstances for every avoidance or rejection of God's invitation to fellowship with Him. However, by their excuses, they really harm themselves, not the divine host. 

God is the gracious host who takes the initiative. He invites us into fellowship with Him. If we refuse His grace, we may offend Him, but He can always find other guests who will be grateful. Every day and every week, God invites us to spend time with Him. He asks us to read and hear His Word and pray, both privately and publicly. He also invites us to the Lord's Supper. God wants us to accept His hospitality and fellowship with other guests, but we human beings are often ungrateful. We look for excuses to refuse divine grace and deprive ourselves of great blessings. So, let us examine ourselves and re-order our priorities while there is time. Let us accept the grace that God offers and respond in gratitude.

Lent 1- Matthew 4:1-11

 The Gospel this Sunday is the familiar story of Christ’s great fast and temptation from St. Mathew 4:1-11. After Jesus’ Baptism, He withdrew to the wilderness for a period of devotion. At the close of His days of prayer and fasting, the Tempter sought to catch him in a moment of weakness. Satan used appealing lures, and even though the Tempter’s aims were contrary to Scripture, he tried to confuse matters by quoting Scripture.

Of course, Jesus of Nazareth rejected the three great temptations of the devil. He knew that it was wrong to serve Satan for any reason. Jesus chose to live on the earth in the ways His heavenly Father wished. He would not turn away from those principles despite attacks, misunderstandings, and objections. He would remain steadfast even when it meant rejection by the crowds and an agonizing death on the Cross.

In certain respects, the Temptations of Christ were unique. No one else has ever been so innocent. No one else has ever had to make such important spiritual choices. No one else has ever resisted temptation so completely.

Yet, although Christ's person is unique, in some other ways, His temptations were similar to those faced by other human beings. So His basic temptations apply to all of us. These temptations are rooted in three basic needs in human life. All of us need to care for our bodies, and this leads us to seek some degree of physical or material comfort. All human beings are made for interaction with others. So, there is a natural desire for approval from at least some other people. All of us humans need some control over our surroundings, and so we desire some power over people and things.

The problem is that the Tempter, the Evil One, uses all these natural needs and desires to draw us away from God and His intentions for human life. Even Jesus, in His human nature, was tempted, but we are fallen descendants of Adam and Eve. And we do not have the purity and spiritual strength of Christ. We are still sinners.

Thus, we must be vigilant, and we need more moral and spiritual discipline. We must continue to struggle to remain loyal to divine principles in all areas of life.  Above all, we need to look to the grace and assistance of Jesus Christ each day.

Trinity III- Resisting the Adversary- I Peter 5: 5-11

The Epistle for the Third Sunday after Trinity is a famous and striking passage from 1 St. Peter 5:5-11. This short selection from near the end of the letter contains important themes such as grace, humility, faith, confidence, perseverance, suffering, and temptation. In particular, let us notice 1 Peter 5:8-9, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist stedfast in the faith...."

As Christians seek to grow in grace, we should always be aware that we do not merely struggle against natural conditions or only against our personal weaknesses. We are involved in the cosmic struggle between God and evil. We know that God in Christ has triumphed and will return in final victory. In the meantime, earthly struggles continue, and by divine grace, we must resist evil through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. He is our only real hope and strength in a fallen world and a corrupt age!

Lent I- Temptations of the Flesh, the World, and the Devil- Matthew 4

The Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent is from St. Matthew 4:1-11, the story of Christ's Temptation. There are several ways to approach our Lord's Temptation, but one way to see this Gospel is in terms of the three temptations of the flesh, the world, and the devil. Of course, the devil is at work in all the temptations to sin, but the directness of evil varies. 

Christ's first temptation to turn stones into bread is primarily a temptation of the flesh. That is, this temptation appeals to the natural physical needs of the earthly condition. Our Lord resists this first level of temptation, but many times, human beings are overwhelmed by such basic temptations. The second temptation is to impress people by jumping from the Temple. This is a temptation of the world. Again our Lord rejects evil, but many human beings do not resist the temptations for human admiration or approval. The third temptation is more directly about serving the devil in order to accomplish high goals. In other words, this third level of temptation involves using evil means for apparently good goals. Christ is not misled. He refuses to cooperate with evil, but human beings often do not share His resolve.

Our Lord's Temptation and triumph over evil applies to His followers in two respects. First, Jesus shares our human condition and provides us with a holy example for resisting the temptations of the flesh, the world, and the devil. He trusts His heavenly Father and relies on the commands and promises of the divine Word. We should do likewise. Secondly, Jesus Christ is more than an example. He has resisted evil for the sake of those who have faith in Him. He has overcome the flesh, the world, and the devil for us. Besides being an example, He offers us His grace in Word and Sacrament. Despite our weakness, through His grace, we can grow in our resistance to temptations. During this season of Lent, may His grace increase our awareness and improve our discipline in resisting temptation!