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Twentieth Sunday after Trinity – October 13^th, 2024 Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas Rev. Joshua Woelmer Text: Isaiah 55:1–9 “Come, Everyone Who Thirsts” Theme: God is good and merciful and compassionate, even when his ways seem unknowable. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. It can be fun getting an invitation to various events. Sometimes they are public invitations—we as a church do a lot of these, inviting anyone to come to the special events that we put on. Some invitations are private—they’re for dinner parties for special friends, and you’re not going to have room for party crashers. Lots of invitations are flexible, such as for weddings: you get to invite a plus-one or family along. There may be some room for some party crashing too, in case you weren’t invited. Most of these invitations you can accept or decline as you have time in your schedule. But there are some invitations that you clear your schedule for and make sure that you will definitely attend. I remember getting an invitation through and with Brianna to attend a social gathering with Governor Brownback. I was caught off guard when he actually came up and talked with us for some time. An invitation from the President would probably be something similar. No matter how often you normally meet with the President, if he invites you to something, you go. So, what about the Ruler of the universe? If He invites you to a feast, you would think that everyone would be hopping at the chance to go. If only that were the case. The gospel is an invitation. It goes out to those in need. Our reading from Isaiah puts it this way: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!” (1). This is not merely a physical thirst or hunger. God is using this language of hunger to speak to our spiritual hunger. You are hungry, whether you know it or not. St. Augustine puts it this way: “Lord, you have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you” (Confessions 1.1.1). Blaise Pascal, the scientist, put it this way: “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and unchangeable object; in other words by God himself” (Pensees 10.148). Another way of putting it is that we have a “God-shaped hole” in our heart that is empty without God filling it. God invites you to fill it with him. “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (1), Isaiah says. He’s saying that it’s free to be filled with God. In Lutheran terms, it’s by grace. He goes on: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” (2). The immediate answer to this question from a worldly point of view could be that we need houses and clothes and things that are more than bread. There’s truth to that, of course, and God gives us what we need for this life. But that’s not what God is getting at. He contrasts the emptiness of earthly bread with the satisfaction of spiritual bread. If you eat earthly bread, no matter how filling the meal was, you will get hungry again. Maybe not in a few hours, maybe not for a day after a Thanksgiving meal, but you will get hungry again. God’s bread of life can satisfy your soul even when your body is hungry. God’s bread of life will satisfy your soul into eternity, which bread cannot do. God’s feast is a feast of words. Take these for example: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps 27:1) “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1–2) “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38–39) “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). By the way, our youth will be writing some of these Bible verses on notes that will be going out with our hygiene kits to help those who have suffered from the recent hurricanes. This is rich food compared to the words on TV or any words that spoken to fill an earthly need. Here is the problem: we can easily get complacent with this feast. We don’t call upon God in times of trouble like we should. We don’t read God’s Word as often as we should. We think that confirmation class was sufficient to teach us all we need to know. Or, we fill our lives with so much stuff and busy-ness that we don’t stop to just think and meditate on our life and what God is doing for us. We’re not the only ones to have these problems. The Israelites had these problems too. Jesus told a parable in our Gospel lesson about the Jews who had been invited to believe Jesus as the Messiah. Many didn’t, and were destroyed when they tried to hold onto the earthly temple. God went to the Gentiles instead, by sending the message of Jesus out to the nations. This is what Isaiah foretells when he says: “Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you” (5). The Gentiles, many of whom had not even heard of Israel, believed nonetheless in the Messiah who came first to the Jewish people, whom God had glorified by being born as one of them. So Isaiah rounds off this section with more invitations that we should heed: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (6). Our God is near to us now, both in proximity and in time. Paul says, “Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Rom 13:11). He says in 2 Corinthians, “For [God] says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (6:2). Now is the time to pay attention to the invitation that God is offering. It is not something to put off to retirement. Do not wait for bad things to happen before you crack open your Bible, as if it’s an instruction manual that you only get out when the engine is falling apart. God makes this invitation to you here and now and every single day. God also calls to us to repent of our sins of thought and deed: “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (7). God has compassion on those who repent of their ways and thoughts, and he removes your transgression “as far as the east is from the west” (Ps 103:12). This is also described as “pardon”—rich imagery in the Bible. Imagine if you were being summoned before the President because you had done something wrong. Imagine instead he pardons you of great crimes that you had committed. Your slate is wiped clean. You are free to go. This does not make sense to our natural mind. This is why God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (8–9). This is a good passage to remember in any setting. Ultimately it is good news for us. Sometimes it is hard to hear, especially in a disaster. You could think of those millions of Americans who have suffered from two hurricanes within three weeks. Or perhaps you’re going through more personal turmoil, temptations, or sufferings that no one else knows about. We may never get firm answers in our lives for any of these things. God can bring good out of suffering. That good may include learning to trust him despite the suffering. God is good and merciful and compassionate, even when his ways seem unknowable. He invites us to believe this. He invites us to believe him. We should avoid complacency in our faith, as if we know everything already and don’t need to attend the feast that God has prepared for us and invited us to. Rather, God is calling out today to you to receive his Word and to receive his grace into your hearts. Only He can fill the God-shaped hole in your hearts. Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

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Twentieth Sunday after Trinity – October 13^th, 2024

Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas

Rev. Joshua Woelmer

Text: Isaiah 55:1–9

“Come, Everyone Who Thirsts”

Theme: God is good and merciful and compassionate, even when his ways seem unknowable.

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

It can be fun getting an invitation to various events. Sometimes they are public invitations—we as a church do a lot of these, inviting anyone to come to the special events that we put on. Some invitations are private—they’re for dinner parties for special friends, and you’re not going to have room for party crashers. Lots of invitations are flexible, such as for weddings: you get to invite a plus-one or family along. There may be some room for some party crashing too, in case you weren’t invited.

Most of these invitations you can accept or decline as you have time in your schedule. But there are some invitations that you clear your schedule for and make sure that you will definitely attend. I remember getting an invitation through and with Brianna to attend a social gathering with Governor Brownback. I was caught off guard when he actually came up and talked with us for some time. An invitation from the President would probably be something similar. No matter how often you normally meet with the President, if he invites you to something, you go.

So, what about the Ruler of the universe? If He invites you to a feast, you would think that everyone would be hopping at the chance to go. If only that were the case.

The gospel is an invitation. It goes out to those in need. Our reading from Isaiah puts it this way: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!” (1). This is not merely a physical thirst or hunger. God is using this language of hunger to speak to our spiritual hunger. You are hungry, whether you know it or not.

St. Augustine puts it this way: “Lord, you have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you” (Confessions 1.1.1). Blaise Pascal, the scientist, put it this way: “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and unchangeable object; in other words by God himself” (Pensees 10.148). Another way of putting it is that we have a “God-shaped hole” in our heart that is empty without God filling it.

God invites you to fill it with him. “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (1), Isaiah says. He’s saying that it’s free to be filled with God. In Lutheran terms, it’s by grace.

He goes on: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” (2). The immediate answer to this question from a worldly point of view could be that we need houses and clothes and things that are more than bread. There’s truth to that, of course, and God gives us what we need for this life. But that’s not what God is getting at. He contrasts the emptiness of earthly bread with the satisfaction of spiritual bread. If you eat earthly bread, no matter how filling the meal was, you will get hungry again. Maybe not in a few hours, maybe not for a day after a Thanksgiving meal, but you will get hungry again. God’s bread of life can satisfy your soul even when your body is hungry. God’s bread of life will satisfy your soul into eternity, which bread cannot do.

God’s feast is a feast of words. Take these for example:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps 27:1)

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1–2)

“I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38–39)

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8).

By the way, our youth will be writing some of these Bible verses on notes that will be going out with our hygiene kits to help those who have suffered from the recent hurricanes. This is rich food compared to the words on TV or any words that spoken to fill an earthly need.

Here is the problem: we can easily get complacent with this feast. We don’t call upon God in times of trouble like we should. We don’t read God’s Word as often as we should. We think that confirmation class was sufficient to teach us all we need to know.

Or, we fill our lives with so much stuff and busy-ness that we don’t stop to just think and meditate on our life and what God is doing for us.

We’re not the only ones to have these problems. The Israelites had these problems too. Jesus told a parable in our Gospel lesson about the Jews who had been invited to believe Jesus as the Messiah. Many didn’t, and were destroyed when they tried to hold onto the earthly temple. God went to the Gentiles instead, by sending the message of Jesus out to the nations. This is what Isaiah foretells when he says: “Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you” (5). The Gentiles, many of whom had not even heard of Israel, believed nonetheless in the Messiah who came first to the Jewish people, whom God had glorified by being born as one of them.

So Isaiah rounds off this section with more invitations that we should heed: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (6). Our God is near to us now, both in proximity and in time. Paul says, “Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Rom 13:11). He says in 2 Corinthians, “For [God] says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (6:2).

Now is the time to pay attention to the invitation that God is offering. It is not something to put off to retirement. Do not wait for bad things to happen before you crack open your Bible, as if it’s an instruction manual that you only get out when the engine is falling apart. God makes this invitation to you here and now and every single day.

God also calls to us to repent of our sins of thought and deed: “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (7). God has compassion on those who repent of their ways and thoughts, and he removes your transgression “as far as the east is from the west” (Ps 103:12). This is also described as “pardon”—rich imagery in the Bible. Imagine if you were being summoned before the President because you had done something wrong. Imagine instead he pardons you of great crimes that you had committed. Your slate is wiped clean. You are free to go.

This does not make sense to our natural mind. This is why God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (8–9). This is a good passage to remember in any setting. Ultimately it is good news for us. Sometimes it is hard to hear, especially in a disaster. You could think of those millions of Americans who have suffered from two hurricanes within three weeks.

Or perhaps you’re going through more personal turmoil, temptations, or sufferings that no one else knows about. We may never get firm answers in our lives for any of these things. God can bring good out of suffering. That good may include learning to trust him despite the suffering.

God is good and merciful and compassionate, even when his ways seem unknowable. He invites us to believe this. He invites us to believe him. We should avoid complacency in our faith, as if we know everything already and don’t need to attend the feast that God has prepared for us and invited us to. Rather, God is calling out today to you to receive his Word and to receive his grace into your hearts. Only He can fill the God-shaped hole in your hearts.

Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.

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