Proper 22

Let’s say you own some choice land. You put all of your time, effort, and money into making it produce a perfect crop. When the time comes to harvest the crop, your tenants who you entrusted with this prized land refuse to respond to your communications with them. You send some of your hired hands. Some return beaten and bloodied, others don’t return at all. You know they are dead. Surely they will respect your son. Yet those tenants have delusions of grandeur. They think that if they kill your son, then they will inherit this prized land all for themselves.

And so we have delusions of grandeur whenever we think we can take the eternal life that isn’t ours on our own merit and kill the very Son of God with our sin.

These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.

Proper 21

And being found in human form, [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2.

What does it mean for God in human flesh Jesus to be exalted? Simply this: He did what no one else could do, that is die for the world’s sin. And this is the very same exalted name placed on you in your baptism. Your name is with His. You are forgiven all your sins. So we boldly confess with our lips and our lives all that Jesus has done for us!

These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.

Proper 20

It seems unfair that if someone puts in more work on a project that they would get paid the same as someone who does less work. At some point in time many have felt that way over those who lead such a scandalous life, yet as the scandal’s life draws to a close, he confesses with his lips that Jesus Christ died for his scandalous life as well.

We can relate to the parable that Jesus tells in Matthew 20 when those who had labored long and hard get the same wage as those who had just been hired.

Yet we must rejoice that Jesus has indeed chosen to reward all who do the good work of believing in the one God has sent, even Jesus Christ our Lord, receive the same gift, forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.

Proper 19

It is easy to get fed up isn’t it, especially when they keep doing it to you over and over and over again? Enough is enough. If they do it one more time, I’m never speaking to them again. Peter thought he was being pretty generous when he asked Jesus if he should forgive a brother in the faith seven times.

How it is that we so continuously sin against our holy God. Not seven times in a life or seven times a year or even seven times a day. So great is the debt that we owe our heavenly Father that we could never repay it.

So great is God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. He has forgiven us in Christ that which we could never repay, not seven times or 70 times. For everyone in Christ he forgives us each and every one of our sins, now and into eternity.

These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.

Proper 18

It is impossible to forget that it is an election year. Once again we will put the next few years of our lives into the hands of our newly elected officials. It is easy to think that we are in control. Paul’s letter to the Romans gives a different image of our election year.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Romans 13:1

Those whom are elected to office are there under God’s authority. They are to act on His behalf. Whether they make good decisions or bad, our ever faithful God will work His glory.

May our elected officials always know that they too are to ever seek God’s will and that Christ died for them so that they may have His eternal home.

These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.