Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Over the past several weeks,
the Gospel readings have been marching us along the path with Christ that will ultimately end with His death and ours.
And all along the way,
people have been popping up with various questions and comments that show us a big difference between the way we would do things and the way Christ does them:
our Law way against His Gospel way;
our way of glory against His way of the cross;
our way of life that leads to death vs. His death as the way to life;
in other words, all the ways that we strive to make a place for ourselves against the One Way, the Truth and the Life that is nothing but given to.

Therefore we find ourselves surprised from time to time along the way as our itchy ears hear one thing
only to have the Holy Spirit turn it into something completely different:
a great reversal, or a cosmic plot twist…
Example after example where “those who are last will be first, and the first will be last.”

And of course, today is no different,
which is why we should proceed very carefully down this strange path where
“everyone who exalts himself with be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Because I’ll tell you right now,
Jesus hasn’t suddenly decided to start offering inside tips on how to make your own way into heaven,
and He’s certainly interested in more than just seeing you shine at your next dinner party.

So what’s today’s Gospel all about?

Well, we’ve been plodding along this dusty, uphill road toward Jerusalem for quite a while.
But today there’s a difference:
Because today is a day of rest.
Look at your text: It’s the Sabbath: the day God had set aside so that you could be nothing but given to.
And of course, then, as now, the Sabbath rest no longer remotely resembled what God had intended by way of the Gospel.
And by now, men and their silly Laws had distorted it beyond all recognition.
It was no longer a matter of receiving the gracious gifts of God for life and salvation,
But had become a matter of rules and regulations, what you could eat,
who could be open for business, blue laws,
all the things you had to do to be right with God.
And as a result, the day that God had given for rejoicing in His goodness and for receiving His gifts had been turned into a mere performance,
a means of showing off what a great job you were doing of your own holiness and righteousness.

And now, Jesus has been invited to enjoy this splendid day of Sabbath rest in the midst of these men who had completely enslaved themselves to their pride and their self-righteousness.
Obviously, these guys were NOT on the same path with Jesus, and it showed!
It showed in their competitive clamoring for the best seats in the house, (which of course were the seats that would show off their righteous superiority…)
And it showed in their treatment of Jesus as they “watched Him carefully…”

So when Jesus had seen and heard enough,
He told a little story and said,
“You know, when you’re invited to a feast, you shouldn’t take the place of honor, because you may have to give it up, and you’ll look like a total looser.
It’s a better idea to take the lowest seat so that you can only be moved up to a better place.
Mark my words:
Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

So what’s the deal with that?
Is Jesus suddenly tipping you off that the way to score points with the Boss is to sit in the back of the room?
Is this some kind of advice for how to make yourself a winner in the Kingdom by mustering up a little humility and practicing some convincing groveling?
Of course not!
Jesus is not another Lawgiver; He’s a life giver,
and even in this room full of enemies,
He’s simply reaching out with compassion to show them just how much they’ve lost and just how ridiculous they’ve become.
You see, the whole point of the parable is to show you your sin,
and to get you to recognize how broken and helpless you are so that Christ can save you!
He simply holds up the mirror, and guess what?
Everyone gets confused…
Some folks just nod along and hear this as another piece of good advice;
others hear it as a new recipe for self righteousness that just calls for an extra dash of humble pie.

But think about it…
If life in the Kingdom of God requires you to be humble,
then humility simply becomes another work to inch you closer to salvation by your own merits.
And the next thing you know,
you have a stampede for the seats in the back of the room near the janitors closet!
The point is, Jesus doesn’t want you to humble your way into heaven.
He simply wants you to see how powerless you are to save yourself,
and He’s reaching out to everybody who’s trying to be more religious than He is to show them their need for a savior.

But now you’re thinking, “that can’t be all there is to it…
After all, didn’t Peter write:
“Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand… (1 Peter 5:6)?”
And James says “Humble yourselves before the Lord (James 4:10).”
OK! You’re right! [throw up hands in resignation]
And Jesus says, “Take the lowest place,”
“and while we’re on the subject, no more inviting you friends, relatives, and neighbors to the feast!
From now on, only invite the poor, the lame, and the blind.
So Chop chop; what are you all waiting for?
There’s a world full of dinner guests out there, so you’d better remember to pick up some bread on your way home!”

Do you see the problem?
If this advice to humble yourself is simply Law courtesy of the New Lawgiver,
then you’re in a world of deep trouble!
But the good news is, this ISN’T Law.
It’s Gospel! Remember?
This is the Sabbath!
This day isn’t about what you do or don’t do;
this day is about being nothing but given to!
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27)
and Jesus is simply reaching out to all of us who are constantly trying to find more ways to make it about what we do.

So listen carefully:
today and every Sabbath day is NOT about what YOU do;
it’s all about what Christ has done for you!
And now, this humility that Jesus speaks of isn’t about something YOU do;
it’s about something God has already done for you in your Baptism when He drowned your pride and all your sins and
made you a new creation in Christ.
You see? The humility you possess isn’t your own;
it’s Christ’s humility that has been poured into you by your Baptism,
and it’s only by the Holy Spirit that you now come humbly to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
You come by faith in Jesus who
“made himself nothing,
who took the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Who being found in appearance as a man, humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:7-9).”
Jesus took the lowest seat there was so that
you could have the best seat in the house for all eternity.

When James says “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up…”
that’s not Law…
That’s promise!
That’s not a piece of “proverbial” etiquette not to exalt yourself in the kings presence;
it’s the promise of life and salvation that’s yours already because of what God has done for you in Christ.

So come for the Sabbath rest that God gives you as a gift,
not the Sabbath where you choose from a menu of works
and clamor to get the best seat on your own.
Come as you are, lame and crippled;
beaten and lifted out of the ditch where you were left for dead by Satan;
Come and receive the gifts of life and salvation that Christ gives you here.
Come to the table,
to the best seats in the house,
where you receive His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins.

And don’t worry about whether you’re humble enough; you’re not!
But you ARE nothing but given to,
and you’ve already received Christ’s humble submission to death by which He has made all things new, including you.
And as you come on the Sabbath to receive His gifts,
rest assured that you have been exalted to eternal life and salvation by the One who went before you to the throne of glory.
Rest assured that in the same way that you have been united with Him in His humiliation and death through Baptism, you will also be united with Him in the resurrection (Rom 6:5) of the righteous (Luke 14:14).
And rest assured; to all of you who find your rest in Him, He will give the right to sit with Him on His throne (Revelation 3:21),”
the best seat in the house.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

One would think that Jesus could have come up with a better marketing scheme for the church...
something to set the people Ablaze or fire ‘em up with passion for life in the Kingdom.
But when you listen to this morning’s Gospel,
you begin to wonder if Jesus really wanted any disciples at all!
What’s He trying to do here, telling people
“If you don’t hate your mom and dad and family, you can’t be His disciple.”
“If you don’t hate yourself, you can’t be His disciple.”
“If you aren’t willing to suffer and carry a cross, you can’t be His disciple.”
“If you aren’t willing to get yourself out of the way and give up everything you have, you can’t be His disciple.”
If He keeps this up, He’s going to end up with about 12 people in His church…

So what are we supposed to take from this, anyway?
Why is Jesus suddenly dishing out such harsh words about hatred,
self-denial, high costs, absurd expectations, and the possibility of failure?
Well, you know why…
It’s because “the crowds” had some things wrong with their understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus.
And I dare say that the crowds in the church today are still getting it wrong…
And that’s why we must hear these Words.

Up to this point, Jesus was doing pretty well building the church –
He was a big hit,
and people were coming to Him in droves.
The church was busting at the seams as thousands upon thousands came to witness His charismatic teaching,
His healing, His feeding,
and everyone wanted to follow Him to what looked like the glorious restoration of Israel,
the beginning of heaven on earth, the Kingdom to end all kingdoms.
And you know what?
He could have pulled it off if only He had been a little more loving…
you know,
just a little more willing to compromise and work with people.
You see, all folks wanted was a little input about how things should be done.
And these were good people,
people with energy and enthusiasm who only wanted to please God and go to heaven.
They were devoted to doing everything for the Lord,
and they were models of morality and piety in a society run amok.
These folks were even ready to get on board with Jesus;
ready to stand up for good and to stamp out sin and evil in the world.
They were dedicated and confident in their ability to live in obedience to God’s will,
and they were ready and willing to work with Jesus to rebuild God’s Kingdom on earth.
Sounds like a good congregation to me…

So why, then, does Jesus suddenly turn on these folks and blow them away with tales of failed building projects and lost wars?
Well, the answer is that they did not in fact have the right understanding of discipleship, the church, and the Kingdom of heaven:

“Suppose you want to build a tower,” Jesus says.
“Shouldn’t you have some idea of what it’s going to take to finish the project?
It seems like a shame to have such a great foundation, only to fail in the end…”

What Jesus is saying is, He isn’t impressed by our great goals and plans for the church,
and He’s definitely not impressed by any confidence you may have in yourself or your own religious convictions.
In fact, He tells this crowd,
“if you insist on going the way you’re going, you can’t be My disciples.
And what’s more, you’re going to fail,
because you don’t have what it takes to be the church on your own, and you can’t make your own way into heaven.
Let’s face it: You can’t build your way into heaven,
and you can’t fight your way into the Kingdom of God,
and if you don’t surrender to the Way I’m showing
you, you’re going to loose the battle…”

Pretty harsh stuff, but you know what?
Those people should have understood what He was saying.
After all, they were God’s chosen people,
and they already had that great foundation of the Law and the Prophets and all the promises and blessings of God throughout their history.
And when the Messiah came,
they should have been the first to recognize Him and follow Him…
But guess what?
They didn’t like what they heard.
Jesus came offering peace, but they wouldn’t accept His terms.
They refused to surrender their expectations for life to His way of death and resurrection.
And that’s because their sights were set on a visibly successful kingdom in this world.
They loved their church and their laws,
and they had great confidence in themselves and their works of obedience to bring heaven to earth.
And as far as they were concerned,
Jesus could keep His talk about humility and death,
because they had work to do;
they were building a tower toward heaven.

It’s really unfortunate that they had no idea what the Kingdom of Heaven would cost;
that they refused to recognize the wages of sin,
and failed understand that they could never pay the price on their own.
So when they refused to surrender their plans and their expectations,
they failed to make peace with the very King who paid the price for them;
the only One who could finish on the cross what they could never finish by their own works and good intentions.
And as long as their hope for heaven remained within themselves,
they could never be disciples of Jesus.
As long as they refused to surrender and receive the peace He offered,
they would be lost.
And until they could get themselves out of the way and be nothing but given to, they would fight a loosing battle.

We’re in the same boat.
We’re God’s chosen people too, and we not only have the foundation of the Law and the Prophets,
but also of the Apostles and of Christ Himself.
Yet, because of our desire to be like God,
to call the shots and demand peace on our terms,
many in the church have gone their own way apart from Jesus.
And that’s why we need this same stern wake-up call today.

If you no longer hear the voice of Christ in the scriptures because
you refuse to believe they are the inerrant Word of God,
then you aren’t a disciple of Jesus.
If bread remains bread and Baptism is only symbolic because nothing else makes sense,
then you aren’t a disciple of Jesus.
If you’re OK with ordaining women or homosexuals to be shepherds over God’s flock,
then you’re not a disciple of Jesus.
And here’s the tough one:
if it’s more important to love your brothers and sisters in neighboring churches and “combine forces” by “agreeing to disagree” on these matters,
then you aren’t a disciple of Jesus.
Because when you follow the crowd,
when you go with your heart or your reason or good intentions,
then you aren’t a disciple of Jesus.
And anybody who demands compromise with the Word of God and
refuses to come to the table empty handed, bankrupt, and totally dependent on Christ for salvation
can not be a disciple of Jesus.

Hate your mother and father? Hate your brother?
Of course not;
Jesus already explained that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer,
“and no murderer has eternal life in him (1 John 3:15)” according to 1st John.
So the way to heaven is not paved by your hate…
and it’s not paved by your suffering, your serving,
your giving everything away, or by anything else YOU do…
It’s already been paved by your Savior who did it all for you,
Who paid the price in full,
and who finished the tower and made all things new.
He “hated” His family when He asked,
“Who is My mother and who are My brothers,”
He carried His cross, suffered, and died so that you could have life;
He surrendered everything He had so that you could be nothing but given to.

Counting the costs of discipleship can never be a matter of adding up your spiritual assets;
of making sure you have enough righteousness credited to your account to complete your way to the goal.
It’s a matter of getting yourself out of the way,
of recognizing your total bankruptcy,
of surrendering your will and your pride and of coming to the terms of peace that God offers in Christ.
Discipleship is a matter of drowning in Baptism so that you can be raised to newness of life.
It’s a matter of surrendering your sins so that you can be forgiven.
It’s a matter of giving up your life so that you can receive the life of your King who comes to you in His Body and Blood.

Discipleship means surrender…
So surrender to peace,
to eternal life and salvation – the peace of God that remains with you to life everlasting.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

On the road with Jesus, talk about sheep and shepherds is nothing new. In fact, the OT prophets had used this metaphor several times to show the relationship between God and man,
and I guess we should just be thankful that the HS wasn’t a little more creative and a little less flattering when He at least chose to identify us as sheep.
But at least you get the point:
being called sheep shows your vulnerability;
it shows you your helplessness,
and implies your complete dependence on a shepherd for everything you have.
And, of course, sheep are stubborn and stupid,
and we know enough about ourselves to nod along and smile sheepishly whenever these things are pointed out for us.

But in today’s parable, the sheep is in even worse shape than you may realize,
because today the sheep is lost,
and that’s a far more “grave” situation (if you catch my meaning) than you may have thought.
And that’s why the Shepherd today is even better news -
Because He not only finds His lost sheep,
but He raises it up, carries it home, then throws a huge party to celebrate.
And that’s good news,
because as you know, you’re the sheep.
Isaiah nailed it when he said,
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray (Is 53:6),” and without this Shepherd who seeks the lost and brings us home (Ez 34:16),
we’d all be dead meat.

But you know what?
This is only part of the good news today, because it gets better…
In fact, it’s ironic that the real Gospel today comes from the LAW-guys,
You know… those self-proclaimed winners who grumbled,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them…”
Because THAT’S Gospel.
Even though it’s pretty great to see yourself as a sheep with a shepherd who leaves everything behind to rescue you,
what we have here is even better,
because this isn’t just a metaphor.
This literal, historically true observation made by Christ’s enemies is more than just a pretty picture;
It’s an eyewitness account that in Christ God was reconciling sinners to Himself.
In Christ, our Holy and Righteous God whose wrath burns against sin actually “welcomes sinners and eats with them…”

As you know, Jesus was on the road heading toward His death,
and He had stopped for dinner.
Unfortunately, the Pharisees along the way weren’t very keen on the company He was keeping,
and they decided it was time to put the riff-raff in their place.
What’s more, they thought this Messiah fellow should show a little more discretion,
And that’s why they made this snide remark that not only nails Jesus,
but also judges the losers who are with Him that have simply gathered to hear His Word.
Now, what you may not realize is that these men, the Pharisees,
were supposed to be the shepherds of God’s people.
Yet as far as they were concerned,
“sinners” and “tax collectors” should be tossed back into the street where they belonged.
And what’s more,
any “real” Messiah should know better,
and this Jesus fellow was starting to show some serious problems with His judgment.
Really, the only thing the Pharisees didn’t question were their own qualifications,
their own credentials in the Kingdom.
They had what it took to be leaders in the church…
they read the scriptures, they prayed regularly,
they served on all the committees, followed all the rules, and basically did everything they needed to make themselves right with God.
They were good, sinners were bad… what’s for dinner!

And that’s when Jesus decided it was time for these “shepherds” to hear a story…
So He said,
Luke 15:4-7 [paraphrase] "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one.
Isn’t that sheep valuable?
Wouldn’t a good shepherd leave the ninety-nine and go looking for it?
Of course he would,
and when he finds it,
he’d carry it home on his shoulders,
call his friends and neighbors together and say, '
Rejoice with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!
[pause]
And “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over [point behind] one sinner who repents
than over [point straight] ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

Well, by telling this parable, Jesus nailed these guys.
Because here they were,
the very shepherds God had trusted to care for His people,
trying to throw everybody overboard who didn’t act according to their standards,
or dress according to their code,
or contribute enough money,
or otherwise meet their approval.
In fact, these were the “hired hands” that Jesus would later accuse of running away and abandoning the sheep;
these were the guys who cared nothing for the flock (John 10:11-17).
the shepherds like those that Jeremiah had accused of leading the flock astray…
In other words, these self-righteous men were bad shepherds,
and they now stood accused of this great sin against God and against His people.
They were the ones who needed to repent!

And the point is, everybody sins and has need of repentance.
St. Paul pointed out, "There is no one righteous, not even one…
All have turned away… (Romans 3:10-12),"
the “sinners” and tax collectors, the Pharisees,
child molesters and serial killers,
you, me, everyone…
and here Jesus was simply showing these shepherds that they were as lost as the sheep…
And if they would only repent, He would be their Shepherd.

But the Pharisees couldn’t see it…
They could no longer recognized their own sin because they had become so comfortable in the church!
They were convinced that they had somehow rescued themselves because they had “dedicated themselves to God.”
They had no idea they were lost…

And that mistake is so easy to make!
If you think your life is pleasing God and that everything is good between you and Him because of what you’ve done,
then you’ve forgotten how lost you are…
If you think you’re in pretty good shape because you’re not as bad as the child molesters or wife beaters or drug addicts,
then you’ve forgotten how lost you are…
In fact,
If you’ve got any confidence at all in your own ability to please God apart from Christ,
then you don’t know your real condition,
because the simple fact is,
you’re a “lost” sheep…
and that’s worse than you think.
The Greek word translated here as “lost” can also be translated “ruined, destroyed, and perished.,”
In other words,
you’ve been destroyed by sin,
utterly ruined, left for dead in the ditch by Satan,
robbed of your inheritance and stripped of everything you have.
And if you don’t recognize your sinful dead and lifeless condition and repent,
then there will be no rejoicing for you in heaven.

But thank God He shows you your sin and gives you repentance.
And He gave you a Shepherd Who valued you so highly that He left everything He had to come and rescue you.
He left His home in heaven,
His honor, His glory, even His own life so that He could bring you home to live with Him.
He sought you among the lost, picked you up,
and bore the dead weight of your sin over His own shoulders to make you whole again.
And you know what?
He couldn’t be happier.
Doing this filled Him with joy,
and ever since He saved you,
it’s been nothing but one big party in heaven.
And you’re there,
because even though you were lost, now you’ve been found!

Now… you can still wander off again if you want.
You can wander off [indicate windows] looking for greener grass or other treasures in the world.
You can wander off looking for comfort somewhere else when a crisis comes.
You can wander off for no good reason;
sheep are pretty pitiful that way.
But you won’t wander far,
because your Shepherd loves you.
He’s patient with you;
and He doesn’t want anyone to perish,
but wants everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9),
and that’s why He remains with you.
As long as you hear the voice of your Shepherd, you won’t get lost,
Because He remains with you in His Word to show you your sin and to give you the repentance that leads to salvation (2 Cor 7:10).
He remains with you in your Baptism and brings you to newness of life through daily repentance.
And He gives Himself to you in His Body and Blood,
“welcoming sinners and eating with you” so that your sins can be forgiven and you can have life in His Kingdom.

And that’s cause for great celebration!
That’s why we join in the unending feast of heaven, adding our own voices to the hymn that never ends:

“We praise you, O God; we acknowledge You to be the Lord.
For you took upon Yourself to deliver man,
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Therefore we pray you to help your servants, whom you have redeemed with your precious blood,
Carry us home in your arms…
And make us to be numbered with your saints, in glory everlasting.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.