Wednesday of the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost


Video of Divine Service  


Wednesday of the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Collect of the Day: Grant to us, Lord, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot do anything that is good without You, may be enabled by You to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 


The Epistle for Wednesday of the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost is from Romans, the 8th chapter.            Romans 8:12-17

 

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. This is the Word of the Lord

 

Alleluia Verse: Alleluia. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. Alleluia.

 

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the seventh chapter.  Matthew 7:15-23

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ This is the Gospel of the Lord

 Sermon: Deception is an age-old problem. Deception is certainly one we know about. Nearly every day, we hear new stories of identity theft, criminals using our modern communication systems to trick the lonely, the anxious, the innocent, and the elderly, into giving them their hard-earned money. But it is a sad fact that the very first Bible story after the recounting of the creation of the world, that already in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve were swindled out of their innocent faith in the Lord God. Money is one thing, but faith lies at the heart of who we are. By sweet sounding questions and lies, the deceiver says, “Did God really say don’t eat of that fruit? You will not die, but you will see more clearly than you do now. This fruit will give you knowledge like God has. What could possibly be wrong with that? Trust yourself.” 

In following the deceiver, Adam and Eve affected us all. They lost paradise and gained the challenges of life of which we are familiar. The changed living conditions and the shortness of life are bad enough, but to live without the easy presence and communication with the Lord is the worst part of the punishment. The separation from our creator and Lord is what kills us. 

In the fullness of God’s time, Jesus, God incarnate, is born among us. He comes to save us by his cross. Through his cross, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father transform us. The Sermon on the Mount presents us with a vision of what this transformation will look like. Christ brings blessings that the world does not recognize as such. Christ brings forgiveness so that we are not consumed by our sin. God’s forgiveness releases us from anger and the thirst for vengeance as we are filled with love. In the love of Christ, we look at our neighbors as Christ Jesus looks at us. Christ Jesus intends to change us. He intends to insert God’s values, God’s doctrine, God’s desires, into us. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, we are given a glimpse of how God intends to prepare us to return to paradise. Ultimately, living the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ other teachings is only possible through faith. What Jesus gives us is his righteousness. In his righteousness conferred upon us, we learn God’s truth. It is precious and life giving. 

The Deceiver does not want us to dwell in God’s truth. He does not want us to have faith. Nor does he want us to be practiced in receiving and sharing Christ’s forgiveness. He most certainly does not want us to dwell serenely in this trouble world with God’s love. 

So, Jesus warns us. Beware of false prophets. Beware of any who twist His words. Beware of lies from liars. Keep the precious gift of faith in Christ’s cross and resurrection safe from the evil one.    

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

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