Grace, mercy, and peace to you from
God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
How
was your 4th of July celebration?
Did you BBQ? Did you go watch
some fireworks or even shoot a few off yourself? Independence Day, the day the Declaration of
Independence was signed by 56 men, declaring America to be a free and sovereign
country and no longer under British rule.
The keywords of the day, and still rings out today, were freedom and
liberty. “No longer would men live under
an oppressive monarchy, “ they said, “Men were created to be free.” They boldly signed the document and published
it.
I
did a bit of looking into it. Do you
know how King George III got the news that his subjects over in America had
just renounced their English citizenship and him as their king? I don’t either. He never kept a journal, so the exact moment
and way he received the news is unrecorded, at least as far as I can tell. But can you imagine it, though? Several of the King George’s men talking in
the back room, “You tell him.” “No, you
tell him.” “I’m not going to tell
him.” Finally, one man loses in a game of
paper-rock-scissors, and meekly approaches the king and delivers the news.
In
today’s Gospel text, Jesus sends out 72 men to deliver some news and news that
didn’t always go over so well. They’re
not sent of their own authority, but with the very authority of Jesus. Jesus sends them out as sheep among wolves. They don’t go out with their own message but
only with the message Jesus had given them dripping from their lips.
And what’s the message the Jesus sends them
out with? Well, it’s all over today’s
propers. It’s in all the readings. It’s in the collect and Gradual. Peace. And in the Bible, when Jesus or others
speak of peace, it’s synonymous with the forgiveness of sins. “Behold,
I extend peace to her like a river…” God says in our Old Testament
text. “Peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God…” Paul
writes in the Epistle. We prayed in the
Collect, “Continue to send Your messengers to preserve Your people in true
peace…” We responded in the Gradual, “How beautiful are the feet of those who
preach the good news, who publish peace and bring good news of salvation.” As these 72 go about their calls they’re to
proclaim the message they’ve been sent to give, “Peace be to this house.” “Peace,
you’re been set free. The Messiah has
come.”
Sounds
like great news, doesn’t it? But not to
all. The signing of the Declaration of
Independence was heralded as great news in some parts of the world but not in
England. Neither is the message of God’s
peace and forgiveness always received with joy.
“I am sending you out as lambs in the midst
of wolves.” Jesus tells them, “Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals,
and greet no one on the road. Whatever
house you ender, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is
there, your peace will rest upon him.
But if not, it will return to you.”
Why wasn’t this
message of peace and forgiveness not always received? Well, because it means that they need it. It means that they’re sinners in need of
forgiveness and peace from God. There’s
no need of forgiveness if the person doesn’t think that they’re a sinner. Who wants to be told that they’re sinners? It’s like telling someone, “Your breath
smells. Here, have a Tic-Tac. It’s yours, I’m giving it to you.”
To
first tell someone of the Good News of peace and forgiveness through Jesus
Christ on the cross, they first have to be shown that they need it; that they
can’t accomplish the salvation job on their own. In other words, preach the Law. But people
don’t always like to have their sins pointed out. But it’s what these 72 are sent to do: preach
Law and Gospel.
So,
why do you need forgiveness? What sins
have you committed in your thoughts, with your mouths, or with your hands? What sin is it that you’d rather keep back in
the deepest recesses of your conscience that you don’t want anyone to know
about? Have you been “hot tempered, rude,
or quarrelsome?” As Luther writes in the Small Catechism? Have your thoughts been pure or have they
been the source of much evil? Have you
spoken well of and defended others, or have you told lies about them, betrayed
him, or slandered others? And believe
me, I’m preaching to my self here, too.
We wall have need to repent.
And
so that the people wouldn’t die in their sin, Jesus sends the 72, like He sends
pastors today. He sends them to preach
the good news, to proclaim God’s Word, to forgive sins. Isn’t that great! We don’t have to wait like a child on the
street curb, hoping the ice cream man would happen by man to happen by, but God
sends a man right into your midst so that His gifts would be given to you! If I need to hear God’s Word, in whatever
situation that I find myself, I can go to my pastor, and receive God’s gifts. God has sent him to me, with orders to preach
His Word, the entire counsel of God. And
that’s why I’m here, and why every other pastor has been here. They’ve been sent, by God, that the Word of
God would be proclaimed in this place.
So,
here it is. You’ve heard the Law. You’ve been shown your sin, so here’s the
answer to every rotten thought you’ve had, every vi
le utterance you’ve said, every
sinful thing you’ve ever done: You’re forgiven.
Jesus loves you. He died for you
on the cross, so that your sins are forgiven.
Do you feel guilt because of your sin?
Jesus has taken that too. He does
the salvation job on the cross for you; so you’re free. Free to live in the forgiveness and salvation
that Christ has won and delivers to you.
It’s yours. The sins of thought,
word, and deed that you commit each and every day are done away with. The evil thoughts of your mind, the sinful
things that you’ve said (or didn’t say), and the sins that you’ve
committed. Fear not, God is pleased with
you for Jesus’ sake. He sends to you,
through the mouth of a fellow sinner, His balm and peace of forgiveness that He
gives to you through His Son.
What’s
more, God sends you too. He doesn’t make
everyone pastors, but He sends you into your own vocations, your own stations
in life, where you can proclaim God’s Word and serve your neighbor. The mechanic, the teacher, and the
carpenter. The farmer, the store clerk,
and the retired. The sister, brother,
son, or daughter. The grandmother and
grandfather, wife and husband, mother and father. God has
placed you into vocations, or roles, in life that you can proclaim God’s Word
as you go about your life and to serve those around you. You receive God’s salvation gifts for
yourself, and go out into the place where Jesus has called you and work in his
kingdom. And when you fulfill the
vocation into which God has placed you, this is a God-pleasing thing.
Will
everyone be receptive to the God’s Word?
No. That’s the parable of the
sower. We just sow God’s Word, and let
Him worry about the results. Jesus just
sends and promises that He will be with us.
We
go with a message of peace and forgiveness.
We’re sent with Christ on on our hearts and lips, and let the Word fall
where it may and do what God intends for it to do. We’re sent to our stations in life to help
and serve our neighbors and give glory to God each day. You’re baptized into Christ to do the works
that He has prepared for you to do right here and now, in fact, that’s the
theme for the synodical convention coming up in a couple of weeks: “Baptized
for this Moment.”
If
you take nothing else from this sermon, take this: the Lord who sends the 72 as
sheep amongst wolves, continues to send laborers into His harvest. The Lord who sends is the Jesus who has died
for you. His blood was shed for you, for
your forgiveness. You’re at peace with
Him. This message is received by the
sinner as the best news that could ever be spoken, and this news is for you,
dear sinner. Jesus sends the messenger
to proclaim. May the Lord continue to
send these labors and may we continue to receive this news with the utmost joy
and thanksgiving. Amen.
