Trinity 4
Dear friends in Christ. Today’s Gospel brings us to the very practical way that we live out our holy Christian faith. Our faith is not just some little part of our life that we live out only on Sunday mornings for an hour or so while it has no importance on the rest of our life. Instead, our faith influences and forms our whole life and who and what we are.
One very practical way our Christian faith influences us is what Jesus talks about in today’s Gospel: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Our lives are marked by mercy toward others because we ourselves have received mercy from God. One of the great teachers of the Church who lived in the 4th century, St. Ambrose, wrote: How great is the mercy we receive by God’s benevolence! Walk in the way of mercy since you receive this divine blessing. The kindness of God spreads far and wide. It rains upon the unthankful; and the fruitful earth does not deny its yield even to the wicked… The point is this: all that we have and are, is because God was first merciful toward us; and that we are Christians is because God was first merciful toward us. Luther comments: [God] sees that we are captives of death, but He mercifully gives us life. He sees that we are children of hell, but mercifully gives us heaven. He sees that we are poor, naked and exposed, hungry and thirsty but He mercifully clothes, feeds, gives us drink and satisfies us with all good things. So whatever we have for the body or spirit our Lord gives us out of mercy. How can we, who receive and continue to receive the Lord’s mercy, be unmerciful to others and harsh in judging others, judging them according to our own strict standards while we pass over and excuse our own sin? We need mercy and the Lord has shown us mercy. We need much and frequent forgiveness and the Lord is rich in forgiveness. And as we receive mercy and forgiveness from the Lord, how can we not show that same forgiveness and mercy to others—to those who sin against us? This is one way our holy faith forms and influences our every day, day in day out life.
1. Certainly it will not be easy, because like St. David prayed in the psalm we prayed in today’s Introit: When the wicked came against me, my enemies and foes... We live in a world far from perfect. We live in the midst of sinners—we ourselves being part of that host; by our own sins we add greatly to the sinfulness of the world. We need others to show us mercy and forgiveness for our sins, just as we show them mercy and forgiveness. Daily, and often, we need to pray: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. What a far cry the world is now from what it was when God originally created it and the first two people, Adam and Eve and [Gn. 1.31] God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.
This is where today’s epistle from St. Paul comes in as he talks about our present situation/ condition and contrasts that with our future glory come the Last Day: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. And then he moves on—not only are we people suffering but the whole creation is as well: the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope, because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. So long story short, we’re all in this together. Now we, together with all creation, endure the sufferings of living in a world contaminated by sin, but together we wait and long for our future glory, forever rid of sin and its effects.
St. Paul first talks of the sufferings of this present time. Notice that St. Paul talks of it as a matter of fact: that’s just how it is and it will not change. Isn’t this a dismal or pessimistic view of our lives? After all, shouldn’t we be striving for the better and aren’t things getting better? To be sure, some things, some ways are better for some. Who would want to give up all the advances in technology and in medical care made over the past century? But at the same time, don’t many advances come with their own problems and sufferings? And when it comes down to it, isn’t most of what we suffer, the sufferings of this present time, not the result of lack of some sort of advance but the result of sin—either ourselves or of others. Think of all the sufferings down through the ages that Christians have endured, even to our present times and even in our own country, because of persecution. Think of all the sufferings to millions of people at one time because a handful of leaders, in pride or hatred, decide on war. Think of all the suffering caused by the sin of greed. Think of all the hurt and suffering in homes caused by the sin of selfishness. Think even in your life, personally, about how much you suffered because of a sin you committed against another. The list is endless. Long story short, life in this world is a life of suffering: the sufferings of this present time.
Even as Christians we are not immune from the sufferings of this present time. In fact, we will have added suffering as we fight against sin and are all the more sensitive in conscience toward sin. Add to that the extra attacks of the devil and his allies against us to try to get us to reject and turn away from Jesus and faith in Him.
But our patient suffering in the sufferings of this present time is part of our lives as Christians, our lives of sanctification. That means that the more we suffer, the more we turn to the Lord seeking His help, His comfort, His relief. It’s not that we necessarily are relieved from suffering, unless it is the Lord’s will, but we wait on the Lord for His help and His deliverance. As we do suffer and do so in faith and confidence in Jesus, we are giving witness to our faith. And by that witness, often a silent witness, the Lord can spark/ begin His saving work in those around us or strengthen and encourage others in their suffering. Here, if this suffering leads to death, there is true dignity. This is not the world’s definition of “death with dignity” which is nothing but sinful arrogance: “I determine my death.” The Christian says in the words of the hymn [#409]: Let us suffer here with Jesus, To His image e’er conform. Our oneness with Christ is now hidden under suffering, Who Himself suffered while here on earth.
But let us not forget: our sufferings, the sufferings of this present time, are all the result of the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, into sin. Because of that first sin, sin and every kind of suffering came into the world. And not only were we, but also the whole creation was corrupted by that sin; and now the whole creation suffers. We’re all in this together: you, me, all people and all creation.
Our text: For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope… The creation—the sun, moon, stars, trees, animals, rocks, etc. –all suffer because of sin. How are they suffering? The creation was subjected to futility. That came as the curse of God on Adam for sin, as God said [Gn. 3.17,18]: “Cursed is the ground for your sake…both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you…” The creation was made by God to serve man, the crown jewel of the creation, created holy and perfect in the image of God. Now the creation is unable fully to fulfill its God given purpose. Yes, the sun still shines—but there are droughts; the rain still comes—but there are floods; the ground still provides crops—but there are famines. Now nature still serves but often is the enemy. Even a lovely lake for swimming, fishing or kayaking can swallow someone up. Even the nice warm sun can bring on a melanoma. Now the rain doesn’t just serve the righteous but also the wicked. The sun shines on both the godly and the blasphemer alike. The cow nourishes both the one who loves the Lord and the one who only loves and serves self. Animals complain about God’s enemies who are not worthy to make use of them; the sun would rather be dark and the earth unfruitful and the sheep would rather have spines than wool so the ungodly couldn’t benefit.
So what does the creation do? The whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. It wants rescue/ relief and God hears the groaning of the creation. Remind yourself of creation’s groaning—each time you step on a stick and hear it snap; each time you hear a stone grinding on the road or driveway, each time you hear an animal scream, think to yourself of the creation’s groaning and wanting rescue from the present situation.
The creation was not meant to serve the scoundrel/ the servant of sin and Satan but the beloved of the Lord; but it now has to serve the scoundrel even though it doesn’t want to. Why? For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Here is the grace of God toward us sinners. The creation didn’t rebel against God, people did—Adam and Eve. The creation doesn’t have any guilt. But God, in grace, wanted to give people time to repent and be saved so He subjected the creation to serve sinful humankind. Yes, now creation bears the disgrace and curse with sinful man: For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly. But there’s those glorious words [God] subjected it in hope.
2. There would be a change. There would be hope—both for sinful humanity and creation. For us, as sinners living in a world full of and contaminated by sin enduring the sufferings of this present time, we realize and rejoice that they have an end—the Last Day—when the Lord will raise our bodies from the tomb, make them fit and glorious for an eternity in His presence and reunite them with our soul that has been in heaven with Him since the moment of death and we will be with Him eternally soul and glorified body. That’s the glory we look forward to and as we keep that front and center in the midst of all our sufferings and all that we have to endure for being Christians, how, then we will patiently endure and remain faithful to our Lord because the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. How our sufferings are then put into the proper perspective! And in fact, we even long all the more for the Last Day, as St. Paul writes at the end of our text: we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. We look forward to the Last Day, the resurrection of the body, when we will have and enjoy complete deliverance from all the consequences of sin. Yes, we are now God’s children, but its glorious fullness first comes later. The Lord has given us the Holy Spirit and He is the guarantee of future heavenly blessings, that the best is yet to come. In the midst of the woes, miseries and sufferings now that deeply affect us, He implants a longing in us for heaven and strengthens us to patiently endure.
Not only do we long for the Last Day and our glorification, but so does the creation! St. Paul tells us: For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. And why? The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Come Judgment Day, the creation will finally be free from the tyranny of sinners using it for vanity and sin and it will finally no longer be misused and will all the more serve the glory and honor of its Creator. St. Peter tells us, come the Last Day the creation will be cleansed and renewed [2 Pt. 3.13]: According to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Today’s readings remind us of our need to show mercy and forgiveness to others—just as God has shown us. We need mercy and forgiveness because we are sinners; and we show mercy and forgiveness because we live in the midst of sinners. Luther comments: Now unrighteousness and infidelity dwell on earth; from this we should realize what we have lost through Adam’s fall and our sin and learn to long and yearn for the restoration and renewal of the creation and for the liberty of the children of God [AE 12.121]. INJ Amen