Good morning Children of God!As a reminder, in-person worship will be offered at St Paul beginning Sunday, August 2nd at 10:00 AM. Worshipers will spread out in the sanctuary and the multipurpose room will be available for overflow where the service will be live-streamed. The Council has asked me to continue to provide written messages for those who are unable to attend. The worship service will also be available for viewing after the fact. Leave a message on the church office phone or email Ryan Kennedy at rkennedy.stpaul@gmail.com to receive the link to watch the recording of the service.
Here is your Sunday Message:
July 19, 2020
7th Sunday after Pentecost
Prayer of the Day
Faithful God, most merciful judge, you care for your children with firmness and compassion. By your Spirit nurture us who live in your kingdom, that we may be rooted in the way of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
First Reading Isaiah 44:6-8
Psalm 86:11-17
Second Reading Romans 8:12-25
Gospel Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
Today’s readings scream of cause and effect. In the Bible, the principle of causation is established in the beginning when God speaks and something good happens; creation comes into existence. From that time, God has not ceased in causing good to spring forth in the world.
In the parable of The Weeds and the Wheat, Jesus teaches that he causes the children of God to exist. Think of yourself as the effect of his labors. The children of God walk in the Lord’s truth because they have been taught his ways. (Psalm 86:13) They cry out to God saying “Father!” because the Spirit bears witness to them and leads them. (Romans 8:14-16) They possess an undivided heart and revere the Lord’s name because he has helped them and comforted them. (Psalm 86:11, 17) They witness without fear because he has revealed himself to be almighty God. (Isaiah 44:8)
The children of God. We do not come to that designation by our own power any more than wheat can plant itself. Jesus has graced us with our standing as God’s children. He is the cause and we are the effect. John 1:12-13 states: “To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” You are the product and pride of Jesus the planter. You are a people who are born of God for the purpose of belonging to God.
In the parable of the Weeds and the Wheat, Jesus makes clear that the children of God do not exist in a vacuum. We live in a world where weeds seem to thrive. There are many causes of sin and evildoing. There is a terrible, maleficent power standing in opposition to God. Jesus calls this power “the evil one” and “the devil.” (Matthew 13:38-39)
God is love. (1 John 4:8) This means that the power that opposes God is hate. God is gracious. The devil is selfish. God is merciful. The evil one is mean-spirited. God is slow to anger. The devil stokes the embers of resentment into the flames of fury.
Jesus has taught us that the effects of sin and evil will be with us all of our earthly days until the sweet angels enforce God’s will. “Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 13:40-43) The oppression caused by the evil one, though menacing in the present day, will not survive. The effect of the death and resurrection of Jesus is the eventual downfall of sin, death, and the devil.
While it is true that the evil one’s weeds are powerful, it is also true that “Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) The children of God will prevail in the face of sin and evildoing because Jesus is in us. His greatness has been revealed to us through his faithful and sacrificial death on the cross. His power is made manifest through his resurrection from the dead. He reigns victorious over all the powers that stand in opposition to God. He has become the solid rock on which we stand; securing and protecting us from the devil and his empty promises that lead to death in the sinking sand.
Jesus is given to the children of God as a cause intended to produce an effect. His love for us cultivates within us the “undivided heart” God desires us to have. His love inspires us to revere his name to the point where Jesus, the cause of all good, becomes our cause and our calling, for he declares: “You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one. (Isaiah 44:8b)
“On Christ, the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” Dear children of God, when you stand on the rock of Christ, you walk in his ways of love and glorify the God you have been taught to call Father. This is your witness. You are a light that shines in a dark world. You are wheat in a field which is also home to weeds. You will not sink in the mire of selfishness and hate. God causes good to spring forth in the world. That is why Jesus planted you.
When Jesus is your cause there will most certainly be an effect. Faith, hope, and love will prosper. The wheat will be empowered to repel the encroachment of the weeds. The world will be a better place.
When all is said and done, the last word belongs to Jesus. “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6) The first word brought forth a good creation. The last word “will collect out of his kingdom” everything that is not good. The weeds will be no more. Jesus has announced the final effect of his efforts: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen.” (Matthew 13:43) Amen.
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (Edward Mote)
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; no merit of my own I claim, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. Refrain
His oath, his covenant, his blood sustain me in the raging flood; when all supports are washed away, he then is all my hope and stay. Refrain
When he shall come with trumpet sound, oh, may I then in him be found, clothed in his righteousness alone, redeemed to stand before the throne! Refrain