Luther for the Busy Man

ASCENSION - SATURDAYLESSON: PSALM 47Thou didst ascend the high mount, leading captives in thy train, and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there. Psalm 68:18All the prophets were very careful to describe the ascension of Christ and His kingdom. As His dying and death are deeply embedded in Scripture, so also is His kingdom, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. One must understand Christ’s ascension into heaven correctly; otherwise, it is powerless and sapless.Of what use is it to preach only that He has ascended and now sits up there in idleness? The prophet wants to tell us more here in the psalm. Christ ascended into heaven, he declares, leading captivity in His train. This means that He is not only sitting up there on high but that He is also down here on earth. He ascended on high to be present here on earth, so that He might be able to fill all things and be present in all places. This He could not do during His earthly sojourn, for all eyes could not then see Him.He sat down where everyone can see Him and where He can deal with everyone, fill every creature, be present everywhere. All things are not filled by Him, and there is nothing so great in heaven and earth that He does not exercise authority over it. Everything must do what He wills and no more. He not only rules and governs all creatures (for thereby my faith would not necessarily be helped or my sins taken away) but He has also led captivity captive.SL 11:942 (30)PRAYER: Help us to realize the wonderful blessings and assurances which are ours, Lord Jesus, as a direct result of Your ascension into heaven. You are indeed Lord of lords and King of kings, present with us everywhere. In us sinners, however, dear Lord, let Your ascension be a guarantee that You are sin’s conqueror, having led captivity captive. Grant us the full realization of all this, in Your name. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:180-194.

ASCENSION – FRIDAYLESSON: COLOSSIANS 3:1-4When he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. Ephesians 4:8Christ’s ascension is a mighty act which should bring us real comfort and assurance. Those who believe in the ascended Lord should be joyful and courageous, take confidence from this act and say, “My Lord Jesus Christ is Lord over death, the devil, sin, righteousness, body, life, enemies, and friends. Of what shall I still be afraid?”If my enemies beset me with intentions of slaying me, my faith declares, “Christ has ascended into heaven and become the Lord of all creatures. Hence, my enemies must also be subject to Him. So, it is beyond their power to harm me. I defy them to raise a finger against me and disturb one hair on my head without Christ’s will.”If this is how faith looks at this matter and rests on this article of Christ’s ascension, all is well. Then faith will also become bold and certain and declare, “If my Lord’s will is that my enemies should put me to death, I willingly depart.”You see, then, that Christ ascended into heaven not just to sit up there in His own interests but to rule there, to work out all things for our good, that we may derived comfort and joy from His ascension.SL 11:941 (27)PRAYER: We thank you, Lord Jesus for the assurance of abiding help and blessing, which we derive from Your glorious ascension into heaven, and its significance for our faith and lives as Christians at all times. Continue to be with us and bless us as our ascended Lord, for Your name’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:180-194.

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD - THURSDAYLESSON: MARK 16:14-20Then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. Mark 16:19We must regard the ascension of Christ as an efficacious, powerful act which is in continuous and ceaseless operation. We must not just imagine that Christ has ascended into heaven and left us here on earth to be ruled in other ways. On the contrary, He has ascended into heaven because He can achieve most and rule most effectively by that act.If He had remained visibly here on earth among men, He could never have achieved as much. Not all people would then have been able to be with Him to hear Him. He had to make a start on having to deal with all men, ruling all men, preaching to all men, so that all might hear Him and that He might be with all men.Take care, therefore, that you do not form the idea that Christ is now far away from you. The contrary is true. When He was on earth, He was far away from us; since His ascension, He is very close to us.Reason, of course, cannot understand this, so the ascension is an article of faith. Here one must close the eyes to reason and grasp matters by faith. God’s Word tells us that the man Christ Jesus ascended visibly into heaven where He now sits at God’s right hand and governs all things.SL 11:940 (24-25)PRAYER: Christ our Savior ascended visibly into heaven from where He now rules and governs all things. Make us aware of the full import of this mighty act of our Savior, heavenly Father, so that we look more confidently to Jesus as Lord of lords and King of kings. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:180-194.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 7:7-12“If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14:14An important factor in our prayers is that we must pray to our heavenly Father in the name of Jesus. This is nothing else but to come to God with faith in Christ and to console ourselves with the confidence that He is our Mediator through whom all things are given to us.Without such faith and confidence in Christ and His work of salvation, we would merit nothing but wrath and displeasure. St. Paul reminds us of all this when he declares in Romans, “Through Christ we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).We are really asking in the name of Jesus when we rely on Jesus and believe that we shall be accepted and heard for His sake and not for our sakes.Those who ask in their own name—with the presumptuous idea that God will hear them and regard them because of their many great, devotional, and holy prayers—will merit and receive nothing but God’s wrath and disfavor. They do not regard a mediator as necessary. For them, Christ has no significance and is of no use.SL 11:922 (10)AE 77:255PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, never let us forget how much we need the work of our Savior and Mediator. On this basis, may our prayers be always pleasing and acceptable to You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - TUESDAYLESSON: LUKE 19:1-6Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. Romans 8:26In our prayers, we must earnestly desire or wish that what we pray for should come to pass. This is what is meant by the word “ask” which Jesus uses in the Gospel. Some have described this as “the ascent of the soul to God.” The heart lifts itself up and soars up to God with a burning desire, and on this basis, it sighs and says, “O that I had this or that!”According to St. Paul, prayer can be a yearning that cannot always be put into actual words. The mouth cannot always express what the heart feels; the yearning of the heart can surpass all our speaking and even thinking (Romans 8:26).When Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, the possibility of Jesus speaking to him and coming to his house was beyond all his powers of conception. But after this joyful event, he was more than satisfied. His efforts had succeeded beyond his fondest desires.On one occasion, Moses cried out to God, and God said to him, “Why do you cry to me?” (Exodus 14:15). Actually, Moses on this occasion did not utter a word, but deep sighs came from his heart in the hour of need. Such sighs God calls cries.St. Paul also declares that God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Trials, fear, and distress serve to bring out these sighs. They teach us how to sigh to God in prayer.SL 11:922 (9)AE 77:255PRAYER: You know the meaning of our sighs, heavenly Father, and Your Holy Spirit can also interpret them for us at Your throne of grace. Hear us, accordingly, when we sigh to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - MONDAYLESSON: JAMES 1:5-8“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24In our prayers, we should firmly believe that God’s promise to us is always sure and certain and have no doubt that He will give us what He promises. Words of promise from God always call for faith on our part. Faith is a firm, undoubted confidence in the truth of God’s promise. He who prays to God with doubts in his heart is tempting God. He has his doubts about God’s will and grace. His prayer must be meaningless. He gropes after God like a blind man for a wall.St. John writes: “This is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him” (1 John 5:14-15). In these words, St. John describes how a truly believing heart prays. It is quite sure and certain that prayer is heard and that it will be answered.The Holy Spirit must give this faith and absolute certainty. Without the Holy Spirit, there can be no real Christian prayer. Try it out now and pray in this way! Then you will also experience the wonderful sweetness of this promise of God. You will also gain courage and the comfort of heart to make a variety of prayers, no matter how great or high the petitions may be.SL 11:920 (5-6)AE 77:253-54PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your promises to us are sure and certain. Therefore, we take You at Your Word and bring all our requests and needs before You in prayer in the confidence that You will hear and answer them, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 5 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 16:23-30“Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name.” John 16:23The Gospel for Rogate speaks to us about Christian prayer and what makes a prayer truly Christian.The first thing of importance here is God’s promise. This is the real basis of Christian prayer and the source from which it derives its power. Christ here assures us that what we ask will be given to us, and He does this with a solemn pledge when He declares, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, He will give it to you in my name.”Christ gives us this assurance to make us quite certain that our prayers will be heard. He chides the disciples for having been sluggish in prayer. “Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name,” He says to them. He wants them to understand that God is always prepared to give to them much earlier than they ask and much more than they ask. He offers His blessings to His disciples; they are available whenever they deign to receive them.It is truly a great disgrace and a severe punishment upon us Christians that Christ can still reproach us with sluggishness in asking and that such a rich and excellent promise does not incite us to exercise the privilege of prayer.Here is a great treasure untapped before us, and we make so little effort to exercise the privilege of prayer and to utilize its power in Christian faith and life. God Himself bases prayer on His promise, and on this basis, He also urges us to pray.SL 11:918 (2-3)AE 77:252-53PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You have invited us to bring all our needs before You in prayer in the name of our Savior. Hear our prayer, which we offer in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - SATURDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 1:11-14It is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22If I am to be accounted righteous before God, it is not enough for me to do good works externally; I must do them from the bottom of my heart with delight and in love, so that I stand unafraid before sin, death, and the devil, free and joyful, with a good conscience and all confidence before God, knowing how I stand with Him.No work and no creature can give me any assurance here. When it comes to righteousness before God, I must look to Christ alone, to Him who has gone to the Father in heaven where I cannot see Him but must believe that He is up above and will help me. This faith makes me acceptable to God, for Christ gives me the Holy Spirit in my heart. It is He who makes me ready and glad to perform all good works. In this way, I am accounted righteous before God and in no other way.As long as you operate with works, you will become more and more wretched and disconsolate the more that you devote yourself to them. The more you rest your faith on Christ alone as your one and only hope and source of righteousness and salvation, the more you will experience the real joy of salvation in Christ. Where Christ is really acknowledged for what He is, the Holy Spirit cannot remain absent.SL 11:871 (17-18)PRAYER: Thanks be to You, heavenly Father, for the riches of Your grace and mercy in Christ Jesus and also for the seal and guarantee that you have given us in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, that we are your beloved children in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - FRIDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31“[The Holy Spirit] will convince the world … of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.” John 16:8-10Righteousness means piety, a good and honest life before God. Jesus says here that He will convince the world of righteousness, “because I go to the Father.”We have often stated that Christ’s resurrection did not take place for His benefit but for our sakes; hence, we should make it our very own possession. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to establish a spiritual kingdom in which He reigns in us by means of righteousness and truth. He is not just sleeping and resting in heaven or amusing Himself there in idleness, but, as Paul reminds us, He is continually active and busy here on earth in His Church, ruling consciences and souls by the Gospel (cf. Ephesians 1:22).Wherever Christ is preached and acknowledged, He now rules in us from God’s right hand, and He Himself is present with us here in our hearts. He rules in His kingdom here on earth in such a way that he exercises power, might, and authority over us and all our foes and helps to free us from sin, death, the devil, and hell. His resurrection and ascension are our consolation, life, salvation, and righteousness.This is what Christ means here when He states that men become righteous before God because He goes to His Father and we see Him no more. This the world cannot understand. The Holy Spirit must come to convince the world of its ignorance in this respect.SL 11:870 (15-16)PRAYER: Continue to abide with us, Lord Jesus, as our consolation, life, salvation, and righteousness in Your kingdom of truth and salvation, for Your love’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - THURSDAYLESSON: PSALM 32[Christ] is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25God makes it quite clear to us that, if we want to get rid of our sins, we must be able to pay the price with quite different works from those which we perform for ourselves. For even our very best works are still marred by sin, even the works by which we imagine that we are reconciling ourselves to God and atoning for our sins.Is it not foolish to try to blot out sins with sins? Even in the very best works that you can perform you are sinning, for the simple reason that you cannot perform these works gladly and readily with all your heart. If you were not motivated by fear of some sort of punishment, you would probably prefer to postpone these works.With these works of yours, you actually try to atone for little sins with big sins, or you commit sins just as great as the ones of which you are trying to rid yourselves. It is really great blindness for a man not to see what sin is, or to know what good works are, and to confuse sins with good works. The Holy Spirit, therefore, comes and convinces the world of sin by showing men that it is sin to reject Christ and not to believe in Him.What is the solution? Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken your sin away and your sins will be gone. If you do not get rid of your sins in this way, you will fall deeper and deeper into sin and its clutches.SL 11:869 (12-13)PRAYER: Lord Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, may our faith in the sufficiency of Your work of salvation never weaken but ever increase in and through the consolation of Your Gospel of grace and love. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-25What no eyes have seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him, God has revealed to us through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10Putting it in other words, Christ says, “If they had believed in me, everything would have been bestowed upon them as a free gift; for I know that there is no other alternative available to them by nature. But that they refuse to accept me or believe that I cannot help them will mean condemnation for them.”On judgement day, God’s judgement upon them will run something like this: “You found yourselves in sins and were unable to rescue yourselves. But for all that, it was not my will that you should be condemned. I sent my only Son to you and wanted to give Him to you as a gift so that He might take away your sins. But you refused to accept Him. And so, you are now being condemned solely and only because you do not have Christ as your Savior.”The words of the Gospel are spoken in honor and praise of the high grace that has been given to us in our Lord Jesus Christ. The conception of such a plan of salvation is absolutely above man’s reason.Reason can only think as follows, “I sinned in works, and so, I must make restitution with works, blot out my sins, and pay for them with works, so that I may obtain the assurance of a gracious God.” This is the highest point that reason can reach. In actual fact, it is nothing but folly and blindness.SL 11:868 (10-11)PRAYER: Honor and praise be to You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for the wonderful grace and mercy bestowed on us in Christ. Your love for us is beyond all powers of reason and understanding. Thanks be to You for Your inexpressible love! Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - TUESDAYLESSON: HEBREWS 10:26-31Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12Christ has come and proclaimed the truth that everything we do apart from the Holy Spirit, no matter how great it is and how lovely it appears to be, is sin. We cannot do anything good gladly and willingly without the Holy Spirit. Christ came on earth to take our place. He has taken away all our sins. As a result of this, we have received the Holy Spirit through whom we have also obtained love and the desire to do what God wants us to do.This entire work of Christ is God’s free gift to us, so that we should never presume to come before God with our own works, but solely and only through Christ and His merits. Through the work of Christ, it also comes to pass that sin for us is no longer what we have done contrary to God’s Law. The Law played no part at all in making us righteous and acceptable before God, because by nature we cannot do this.What then is “sin” in view of the work of Christ? It is nothing else but the rejection of the Savior and the refusal to accept Him who can remove our sins from us. Where Christ is present, there is no sin. He brings with Him the Holy Spirit, who enkindles faith in our hearts and the desire to do what is good.The world is no longer convicted or condemned because of any other sin, for Christ has destroyed all sin. In the New Covenant, however, the only thing that is sin is failure to recognize Christ and to accept Him.SL 11:868 (8-9)PRAYER: Of Your mercy and grace, O God, imbue us with such knowledge and understanding of Your wonderful love in Christ that we never allow ourselves by any deception of self-love or the devil to be withdrawn from the circle of Your grace and mercy, in Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - MONDAYLESSON: JOHN 14:12-24“When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convince the world of sin … because they do not believe in me.” John 16:8-9The world is in a wretched plight. Not only is it ignorant of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement, but it cannot recognize this fact, not to mention the utter impossibility of getting rid of this ignorance.Here you see also how all credibility is taken from those who want to train others in the ways of godliness when they do not even know what sin is. It would be both interesting and instructive to examine our theological schools and learned theologians on the means of the one little word “sin.” Have you ever heard it said or taught that “sin” is not believing in Christ? They tell us that “sin” is to speak, desire, or do something contrary to God’s will and commandment.How does this agree with Christ’s statement here that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin “because they do not believe in me”? It is not so difficult to convict the world of being ignorant of sin, even though it is a very learned world. The world will not find it easy to explain this text.SL 11:866 (3)PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, keep us ever mindful of the seriousness of the sin of rejecting your salvation in Christ. Open our hearts by Your Holy Spirit so that we may cling firmly in true faith to Christ and all His blessings for us, for Your mercy’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 4 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 16:5-15When he comes, he will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement. John 16:8When the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, comes, He will convince the world of blindness and ignorance. All men who have not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, no matter how clever they may be thought to be by prevailing external circumstances, rules, or dealings, are fools and blind before God. They do not like being reminded of this. In fact, they become very cross and angry if you tell them that all their achievements count for nothing at all before God. They are quite sure that the reason and natural light that God has created in them must at least count for something.What can we reply?There stands the Scripture, the Word of God, plain and clear, telling us that the Holy Spirit will come and convince the world of ignorance in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgement.This is a fixed determination; it cannot be modified or changed. Let him who will, be angry; this is no concern of Christ here.SL 11:865 (2)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, pour Your Holy Spirit upon us in rich measure, so that we are not ignorant of Your Word and salvation like the world is in its blindness, but may at all times cling in firm faith to Your saving Word, the vehicle of Your enlightening Spirit. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - SATURDAYLESSON: PSALM 145:1-13“I go to the Father.” John 16:10Christ wanted His disciples to come to a clear understanding of His statement, “I go to the Father.” The meaning of this statement was hidden; not even the disciples knew what Jesus meant. Put into other words, Christ, instead of speaking about going to the Father, could simply have stated, “I must die, and you must also die.”According to his Old Adam, Peter wanted to die with the Lord; this was a kind of vision of grandeur for Peter. All of us, no doubt, would also volunteer to die with Christ as all the other disciples offered to do (Matthew 26:35). But all such ideas must disappear from our view of things; an hour must come for us when Christ is not at our side, not dying with us, when we know not where to look for help, like a woman in childbirth.When that hour arrives, you will come to the Father, that is, God fills you with power from on high, makes of you a new man who no longer has any fears, with a heavenly nature which raises itself in faith. Then you will become courageous and bold. Why? Because you have come to the Father.Who can ever overthrow the almighty power of God? No one! There is no one who can do anything to you that can really harm you.SL 11:840 (29)PRAYER: Bring us to the Father, Lord Jesus, that with the help of His almighty power we may overcome all our fears and difficulties and do our full duty as Your disciples, for Your love’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3- FRIDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 1:3-11There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12We can never form a correct estimate of persecutions, trials, and other troubles, or understand them correctly, unless Christ Himself awakens and enlightens us, and His resurrection becomes a power in us. All our own pretentious doings must be shattered and accounted as nothing.In the Gospel for this week (John 16:16-23), we are given a powerful reminder that man with all his own powers is nothing. Here we have a condemnation and refutation of all that was formerly proclaimed about good works and all that may be claimed for good works in a similar way in the future. This much is quite clear: where Christ is absent, there is nothing significant for any Christian.Ask St. Peter how he was minded when Christ was not with him and what kind of good works he performed? He denied Christ and confirmed his denial with cursing and swearing (Matthew 26:74). Those are the kind of good works we perform when Christ is not with us.All this should help us to build on Christ alone and to rely on no other creature in heaven or on earth. In His name alone and in no other, there is preservation and salvation for us (Acts 4:12; 10:43).SL 11:836 (18-19)PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, enlighten us in such a way by Your Holy Spirit that we learn to trust with our whole hearts in the salvation that You alone have provided for us as the beginning and the ending of our Christian faith. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - THURSDAYLESSON: PSALM 33:13-22“You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22These words are spoken to all Christians. A Christian must face temptation, fear, distress, opposition, and sorrow in whatever manner they may arise. Jesus makes no mention here of suffering on a cross; He simply mentions “sorrow,” and that they will have reason to “weep and lament.”In the world, Christians always experience persecutions of many kinds. Some suffer the loss of goods; others come under disgrace and contempt as the result of evil rumors. Some are drowned; others burnt. Some even lose their head. One meets his end in this way; another in that way. It is the invariable experience of the Christian to suffer misfortune and persecution. Only rarely is he quite free from distress and opposition. He is always being belabored and flogged in some way or other, and he can look for nothing better as long as he is here on earth. This is the badge by which he is known. He who is a Christian must not be ashamed of this badge.Why does God act in this way? Why does He allow His children to be persecuted and hounded in this manner? He does it to subdue and suppress man’s free will so that man does not seek help and assistance from his own efforts, but, as far as free will is concerned, he becomes a fool in regard to the works of God and learns to trust and rely on God alone and not on himself.SL 11:835 (16-17)PRAYER: It is Your will, heavenly Father, that we must experience trials and tribulations as Your children in the midst of a hostile world. Strengthen our faith and endue us with the grace to squarely meet all our commitments, for the love of our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-19If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14Like the disciples of old, we are not slow in choosing crosses and sufferings for ourselves in the belief that we shall endure them without much difficulty. Peter declared boldly that he would rather die than deny Christ, and all the other disciples concurred with him (Matthew 26:35). But when the particular hour arrives, contrary to your expectation, you will hardly stand your ground unless you have become a new man. The Old Adam gives up very quickly and cannot stand up to any great pressure. To do that is quite contrary to his inclinations, purposes, and aims.So, you must have your own little hour in which you suffer for a time. Christ withdraws Himself from you and allows you to become enmeshed in the power of sin, death, and hell. Your heart will become powerless to devise a way of bringing peace to your conscience, do whatever it may. Christ goes on His way and dies. Then you will hear the little refrain: “A little while, and you will see me no more.”Where will you turn? There is no consolation, no help anywhere. You are held fast in the midst of sin, in the midst of death, in the midst of hell. If Christ did not come to you in this situation, without any merit on your part, you would have to remain forever in such fear and terror. This would also have been the situation of the disciples had Christ not risen and become alive again. Therefore, it was necessary for Him to rise again from the dead.SL 11:834 (12) PRAYER: In the resurrection of Your Son, our Lord heavenly Father, you have given us sure and certain proof of the validity of His death for the forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation. Grant us the full joy of believing this with our whole hearts, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - TUESDAYLESSON: HABAKKUK 2:2-4You have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. “For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry.” Hebrews 10:36-37The first “little while” which Jesus mentioned when He said, “A little while, and you will see me no more,” the disciples understood very soon after this when they saw Him taken captive and put to death. But the second “little while” when He said, “Again, a little while, and you will see me,” they could not comprehend. We cannot comprehend this either. Moreover, the explanation He offered, “Because I go to the Father” (v.10), was even less intelligible to them.This is also our experience. Although we know and hear that trials, misfortune, and sorrow are to endure only for “a little while,” existing circumstances always present a different picture from what we believe. We begin to have doubts and waver and find it difficult to resign ourselves to our allotted obligations. We hear well enough, and we know quite well that it will be only “a little while”; but just how things will turn out we do not know, as was the case with the disciples.If they cannot comprehend this, why does Jesus mention it to them? He says it so that we should not lose heart, but cling firmly to the Word, as He says, believing that it is quite sure and certain. We should be sure that matters cannot be otherwise than set forth in the Word, however much appearances may be to the contrary. Even if a man cannot at once believe the Word, God comes to his assistance. God does this without assistance from human reason, man’s free will, or any contribution by man. SL 11:832 (7-8) PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, to You we look for mercy, grace, and faith, so that we may confidently accept the promises and assurances of Your Word, for the sake of Him who is the Word, Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - MONDAYLESSON: PSALM 30:1-5“A little while, and you will see me no more; again, a little while, and you will see me.” John 16:16“A little while,” Jesus says, “and you will see me no more.” He is about to be taken captive and put to death on the cross. But this will not be for long. During this “little while” they will certainly be sad. “But cling firmly to Me and follow me,” the Lord means to say to His disciples, “matters will soon take a turn for the better.” He would be in the grave for only three days, during which the world would rejoice as though it had triumphed over Him. And His disciples would mourn and weep.“Again, a little while, and you will see me,” says Jesus to His disciples, “because I go to the Father” (cf. John 16:10). He would rise again on the third day, and they would rejoice, and their joy no man would take from them. It would not be a joy just for three days like the joy of the world, but eternal joy. In these words, the evangelist John has set forth an excellent summary of the death and resurrection of Christ: “A little while, and you will see me no more; again, a little while, and you will see me.”The “little while” has special significance for us. Grief is but for a moment, a “little while,” as the Lord also reminds His children through Isaiah, “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath for a moment, I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:7-8).SL 11:831 (4-6)PRAYER: You have assured us, heavenly Father, that You will never lay a cross on us without supplying us with the strength to bear it and that joy will always follow our sorrows. Fix this firmly in our hearts by faith, so that we boldly endure unto the end, in and through Jesus and His love. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 3 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 16:16-23“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” John 16:20You see here how Christ announces to His disciples that they will become sad because He is about to leave them. They are still quite simple and unlearned, considerably disturbed by what Jesus said when He instituted His Holy Supper. They cannot understand what He is talking about. Indeed, the subject of Christ’s discussion here is too profound and incomprehensible for our weak, fallen nature. It was necessary for the disciples to be sorrowful before they experienced joy.Christ Himself is an example for us, to show us that we cannot enter glory without a cross. That is also why He said to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26).If the beloved disciples were about to experience great joy, it was necessary for them to have previously experienced great sadness. This joy, however, came to them from the Lord Jesus, for in the Gospel it is established that outside of Christ there is no joy. On the other hand, where Christ is, there is no sorrow, as we are clearly reminded in the text.SL 11:830 (2)PRAYER: In You alone, Lord Jesus, there is the true joy of salvation. Implant this in our hearts in full measure as our greatest treasure, for Your love’s sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:72-86.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - SATURDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 5:13-16I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16The source of all power in Christ’s kingdom rests in God’s Word of truth and salvation. Those who hear that Word and believe it are members of God’s kingdom.Among the members of God’s kingdom, the Word becomes so powerful that it provides them with all that they need and brings them all the blessings they desire. For it is the power of God which both can and does save all who believe it, as Paul reminds the Romans.If you believe that Christ died to rescue you from every misfortune and cling to the Word on this basis, it becomes so sure and firm that no creature can overturn it. Even as no one can overthrow this Word, no one can really harm you, inasmuch as you believe in it. With this Word, then, you overcome sin, death, the devil, and hell, and eventually you will also find your refuge with the Word in eternal peace, joy, and life. In short, you will become a partaker of all the power and might which the Word contains.God’s kingdom is really a wonderful kingdom. The Word is in this kingdom and is orally proclaimed before the whole world. But the power of the Word is quite hidden; none become aware of the activity and great importance of the Word except those who believe. This must be experienced and tasted in the heart.SL 11:781 (7)PRAYER: Open our hearts by Your Holy Spirit, Lord God, that we always receive Your saving Word for what it is, the source of all our knowledge and power as Your children. Help us through Your means of grace to grow and increase as Your children, in and through Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - FRIDAYLESSON: PSALM 23He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. Ephesians 4:10You have heard how our Lord Jesus Christ, after His suffering and death, was translated and entered an immortal existence. We must not understand this to mean that Christ is now sitting idly up in heaven and that He is nothing but an object of continual joy to Himself alone. He has taken over the full kingship of His kingdom and is exercising full rule over His kingdom. He is the King of whom all the prophets and the whole of Scripture has so much to tell us. St. Paul says that he now fills all things. And so, we must ever regard Christ as being continually present in His kingdom and exercising the government of His kingdom.We must not hold the view that He is sitting up in heaven in a state of idleness, but that from heaven above He now rules and fills all things, as St. Paul reminds us. He is especially concerned with His kingdom, which exists wherever the Christian faith exists. Therefore, His kingdom is present in our midst here on earth. In regard to this kingdom, matters have been so ordained that it should improve and become purer from day to day. This kingdom is not ruled by any forms of outward authority and might but by the oral preaching of the Word of God and, more especially, by the preaching of the Gospel.SL 11:780 (6)PRAYER: Your presence in our midst, Lord Jesus, is a source of great consolation and joy to us at all times. Continue to bless us, especially in the proclamation of Your Word of salvation. Let it always have free course in our midst, for Your mercy’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - THURSDAYLESSON: ROMANS 2:19-26The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17You have often heard how God sent a twofold proclamation into the world. The one is to proclaim God’s Word as Law and tell men: “You shall have no other gods before me.…You shall not kill, commit adultery, steal” (Exodus 20:3,13-15). In this proclamation, men also hear the threat that if they do not keep this Law they will die. This proclamation never succeeds in making a man truly righteous in his heart. For although a man is compelled by this proclamation to live a pious life outwardly before his fellow men, in his heart of hearts he is hostile to this Law and would prefer that it did not really exist.The other form in which God’s Word is proclaimed is the Gospel. This tells us where a man must look for the ability to do what the Law demands. The Gospel does not drive a man on with threats; it coaxes men in all friendliness. The Gospel does not say, “Do this; do that!” but, “Come, I will instruct you where you can receive and obtain the wherewithal to become truly acceptable to God. See, here is the Lord Jesus Christ. He will give you all this.”These two forms of proclamation are in opposition to each other, like taking and giving, demanding and donating, and one must get a good grasp of this distinction. This distinction has always played a very important role in God’s government of the world and still does. The Law must be preached to rough, uncouth men who have no knowledge at all of the Gospel. These men must come under the compulsion of the Law until they are mellowed and acknowledge their weaknesses. When they reach this stage, they are ready for the Gospel. SL 11:778 (2-3)PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, continue to show us by Your holy Law that we are poor, lost, and condemned sinners when judged by our works, but above all, continue to let the light of Your wonderful Gospel shine into our hearts with its message of salvation, for Christ’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2- WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 85The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 103:8In preaching Christ, it should be made quite clear that Christ rejects no one, no matter how weak he may be, but readily accepts everyone. He comforts and strengthens His sheep, like the good shepherd that He always is.If Christ is proclaimed in this way, as He really is, the hearts of men will incline to Him of their own accord. There will be no need to use compulsion or force in bringing men to Christ. The Gospel coaxes men and makes them willing so that they get real pleasure and satisfaction in serving Christ.A confident attitude also results from all this. Men begin to love Christ so that they gladly do all that He wants them to do. Confident obedience supplements all forces and compulsion. When we come under compulsion, we render obedience only with ill-will and reluctance. God does not want this. It is all wasted effort.When I begin to realize that the Lord is dealing with me in such a friendly manner, He takes hold of my heart so that I render Him ready obedience. Pleasure and real joy of heart follow.SL 11:786 (20)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are always ready to pardon and forgive us our sins rather than bring us to the judgement we so richly deserve. All this You have made very clear to us in the salvation which Your own Son, Jesus Christ our Savior, accomplished for us. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2- TUESDAYLESSON: 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-6A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench. Isaiah 42:3Matthew declares that these words of Isaiah were fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 12:20). A bruised reed is a reed very close to breaking point. One who has received a very serious injury or is carrying a very heavy wound—that is, a Christian who is not only weak and stumbling, but who is overwhelmed in temptation, actually breaking a leg, so to say. It may be that he has fallen so deeply that he denies the Gospel, as Peter did when he denied Christ.Even if such a man has stumbled, suffering a reverse and a complete upset, you should not reject him as though he never belonged to Christ’s kingdom. You must allow Christ to retain His peculiar characteristic, that in His kingdom there is nothing but grace and mercy, pure and abounding. He is ever ready to help those who realize their wretchedness and misery, and who would be glad to get rid of it.Christ’s kingdom is a kingdom where men find true comfort and consolation. He is a consoling, friendly shepherd, coaxing and encouraging every man to draw close to Him. Christ alone is the one true, good shepherd who heals all ills and helps the fallen to rise again. He who does not do that is no shepherd.SL 11:785 (16-17)PRAYER: It is Your declared will, heavenly Father, that all men should learn to know Your mercy, grace, and salvation. Grant that we, too, may become entrusted to help fallen sinners to find real help and consolation, for Christ, our Savior’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2 - MONDAYLESSON: LUKE 5:27-32“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Matthew 9:12Even though we are weak and sickly, we should still not lose heart and begin to think that we do not belong to the kingdom of Christ. The more we become aware of our infirmities, the closer we should walk with Christ. For it is His office to heal us and to make us well.If you are sick and a sinner and feel your need, you have all the more reason to come to Him and say, “I come to you just because I am a sinner so that you may help me and rescue me from my sins.” In this way, your need drives you to Christ. For the greater your weakness, the more necessary it is for you to seek help and healing. That is also what He desires, and hence He coaxes us so that we joyfully approach Him.Those who are not such shepherds suppose that they can lick people into a godly shape by shouting at them clamorously in hostile fashion and bringing force to bear on them. They succeed only in making matters worse.One sees the result of this on all sides in today’s conditions. Matters have reached such a pass through the activity of hirelings in the Church that utter confusion prevails everywhere. “He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them” (John 10:12).SL 11:784 (15) PRAYER: Lord God, our heavenly Father, give us shepherds who really care for Your sheep and protect them from all hirelings, for Christ’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 2- SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 10:11-16“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11Pastors can never become any more than the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ and the instruments whereby He continues to proclaim His Word visibly here on earth. He permits His Word to go out into public so that all may heart it, but the inward acceptance of the Word in the heart is a spiritual experience that takes place through faith. It is a hidden work of Christ. Christ accomplishes this work where He recognizes that it must be accomplished in accordance with His divine discernment and pleasure. That is why He also calls Himself “the good shepherd.”What is a “good shepherd”? “The good shepherd,” says Christ, “lays down his life for the sheep … And I lay down my life for the sheep.”This one great act really covers everything. To impress all this upon us, Christ uses a very pleasing illustration. A sheep is really a very foolish creature and usually regarded as a very simple creature. It is proverbial to say of a simple man, “He is a real sheep.” But the sheep possesses one very outstanding quality. It quickly learns to obey the voice of its shepherd, and normally follows no one but its shepherd. It is so constituted that it clings to its shepherd and looks to him for all help and assistance. It cannot help itself, provide pasture or any healing. It is powerless against wolves and is dependent entirely on the help of others.In this respect, the members of Christ’s kingdom are His sheep. In all their needs, they are dependent on Him and look to Him alone for needed help, support, protection, and their whole welfare.SL 11:781 (8-9) PRAYER: We know very well what rich blessedness is ours, Lord God, in being sheep of the Good Shepherd. Preserve us amidst all trials and difficulties here on earth by keeping us ever close to our Good Shepherd, Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:17-31.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - SATURDAYLESSON: COLOSSIANS 3:12-17“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:22-23This is a great and powerful authority which no one can adequately praise, bestowed upon poor mortal man and valid over sin, death, hell, and all things. The pope boasts that Christ has given him authority over all earthly and heavenly matters in the spiritual domain. This could be quite right, correctly understood. But he applies all this to the earthly sphere and government. This is not what Christ means.He is here conferring spiritual authority and government, and He means to say: “When you speak a word over a sinner, this word has also been spoken in heaven, and it avails as much as if God Himself had spoken it in heaven. For when you speak this word, God is in your mouth, and hence, this work is as powerful as a word spoken by God Himself.”It follows, therefore, that when Christ speaks a word because He is Lord over sin and death, and say to you, “Your sins are forgiven you,” then your sins must be gone, and nothing can gainsay it. On the other hand, if He declares, “Your sins are not forgiven you,” then they must remain unforgiven, and in this case not even an angel, or a saint, or any creature can forgive you those sins, even if you martyr yourself to death over them.It is this power to forgive sins that Christ confers on every individual Christian inasmuch as Christ has made all authority in heaven and on earth available to us (Matthew 28:18). Here Christ rules not in any material manner, but spiritually, and He also rules His Christians spiritually.SL 11:731 (15-16)PRAYER: Grant us Your Holy Spirit, heavenly Father, the Spirit of truth and understanding, so that we may fully appreciate the very great authority which we enjoy to proclaim forgiveness to our neighbor, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 -FRIDAYLESSON: EPHESIANS 4:9-16“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” John 20:21The most important work of love that any Christian can perform after coming to faith in Christ is to bring others to faith in the way he was brought to faith. In this connection, Christ lays an obligation upon every individual Christian and sets up the office of ministering the external Word. He Himself came to the disciples with this office and the external WordLet us grasp this clearly, for we must be told about it, and the Lord wants to tell us here, “You have enough from me: peace and joy, and all that you should have. For your own persons you need no more. Hence, get busy; take a close look at the picture and do as I have done to you! My father sent me into the world for your sakes alone, to help you, not to benefit myself. I have carried out His will, died for you, and given you all that I am and have. Think of this and do likewise. From now on, serve and help everyone else. Otherwise, there is nothing here on earth for you to do. Through faith, you already have enough of everything. And so, I send you out into the world as my Father has sent me. Every single Christian should instruct and teach his neighbor in order to bring him to faith.”This authority has not only been given to the pope and his bishops; it has been entrusted to all Christians. They should openly confess their faith to bring others to that faith as well.SL 11:730 (13)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, give us at all times a joyous faith and a ready tongue to confess You before men and to lead them to the joy of the salvation which is ours in and through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - THURSDAYLESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 2:14-17I can do all things in him [Christ] who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13If I really believe from the bottom of my heart that my Lord Jesus Christ, by His resurrection from the dead, has gained the victory over all that can distress me (sin, death, and all evil); that He wants to be close to me and with me so that there is nothing lacking to me in body and soul; that in Him I have enough of everything and that no misfortune can harm me; if I really believe all this, it becomes impossible for me to become faint-hearted and weak, no matter how heavily sin or even death press upon me.Faith is an ever-present reality telling me, “If sins oppress you and death terrifies you, fix your whole attention on Christ. He died and rose again for your sake; He has overcome all misfortune; what can really harm you?”If any other misfortune, such as sickness or poverty, presses heavily upon you, close your eyes to it and do not let your reason gain the upper hand. Cast yourself upon Christ and cling to Him; in this way, you will be strengthened and comforted. If you look to Christ and rest your faith in Him, no evil that you may encounter is so great that it can really harm you and make you despondent. Where true faith exists, peace must also follow. It cannot be otherwise.SL 11:728 (9) PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, heavenly Father, for the riches of all the blessings available to us in and through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially the wonderful peace of heart and mind which is ours even in the midst of trial and tribulation. Keep us ever in Your love and grace, in and through Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - WEDNESDAYLESSON: ACTS 14:19-22We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character. Romans 5:3-4True Christian peace, which calms the heart and brings contentment to the soul, is not necessarily the accompaniment of a time when no misfortune is at hand, but it can come to men in the midst of misfortune, when all without is anything but peace. This is the difference between earthly peace and the peace of Christ.Earthly peace arises from the removal of the external evils that have destroyed peace. When foes assemble before a city, there is no peace; but if the foes are removed, peace is restored. The same hold for poverty and sickness; when they press upon you, you are discontented. But when they are removed and you are rid of your misfortune, you once again enjoy external peace and quiet. Such an alteration of fortune does not necessarily change a man; after his troubles are gone, he can remain just as dejected as he was before their removal. The only difference is that he felt them and was disturbed by them when they were present.Christian or spiritual peace brings about a change. Outwardly, misfortunes in the shape of enemies, sickness, poverty, sin, the devil, and death can certainly continue to press upon you without intermission. In spite of all that, as a Christian you have peace, strength, and consolation inwardly in your heart. A Christian heart is never unduly disturbed by misfortune, and indeed, it is even more courageous and joyful in the face of misfortune than when the latter is absent. That is why it is called by St. Paul a peace which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).SL 11:726 (7-8)PRAYER: Grant us Your grace, heavenly Father, so that we may never waver in our faith but ever stand fast in the peace and hope secured for us and assigned to us in and through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - TUESDAYLESSON: PSALM 27The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7The fruit of Christian faith is peace, not merely the outward peace which we sometimes enjoy here on earth but the peace which Paul mentions in the Epistle to the Philippians, the peace “which passes all understanding.” Where this peace reigns, one should not and cannot apply the standards of human reason. This is also clear from the Gospel under consideration (John 20:19-21). At first, the disciples sit behind locked doors in great fear of the Jews. They cannot go abroad; death stares them in the face on all sides. There is external peace here. No one is really harming them. But inwardly their hearts are floundering and have no peace or rest.The Lord comes to them in the midst of their fear and terror, calms their hearts, and makes them joyful. He takes away their fear.He does not do this by removing the danger but by changing their hearts so that they cease fearing. This does not change or remove the animosity of the Jews, because they are angry and wrathful just as much as before. Outwardly, everything remains as it was. But the disciples are changed inwardly; they gain so much boldness and confidence that they joyfully declare, “We have seen the Lord.” Christ calms their hearts so that they become courageous and bold. They are no longer concerned how much the Jews may rage against them.SL 11:726 (5-6)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, fill our hearts at all times with such boldness and confidence that we never compromise our faith because of the fear of men, but speak out clearly, loudly, and joyfully, for Christ sake. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - MONDAYLESSON: ROMANS 10:14-17“He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Luke 10:16Christ enters our hearts and takes His stand there through the office of the ministry. Since God has given orders that His Word should be preached, we should never in any manner despise the mortal man in whose mouth that Word has been placed, so that we do not form the opinion that each individual must wait for a special sermon from heaven which God Himself preaches to him verbally.Therefore, if God grants faith to anyone, He employs the regular means which He has appointed for this purpose. He accomplishes His end through the preaching of men, through an external, human word.He enters through a closed door when He enters a human heart by means of the Word without smashing or disturbing anything. When God’s Word comes, it does not injure the conscience, disturb the understanding of the heart, or upset the external senses as those false teachers do who smash all doors and windows, break in like thieves and leave nothing whole and undisturbed, and bring it to pass that the whole of life, conscience, understanding, and the senses become completely unhinged and lose all rhyme or reason. Christ does not do this.God’s Word proclaimed by men converts sinners. There are two factors involved: preaching and faith. His coming to us is the preaching or proclamation. His standing in our hearts is faith. It is not enough for Him to stand simply before our eyes and ears; He must stand in our midst, in our hearts, with His gift of peace.SL 11:726 (4)PRAYER: Heavenly Father, awaken and increase in us a true reverence for Your saving Word proclaimed to us by the ministers of Your Word, so that, in this manner, Christ our Savior may take His stand in our hearts with His message of peace and joy as a result of His glorious resurrection from the dead. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

EASTER - WEEK 1 - SUNDAYLESSON: JOHN 20:19-31On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19As Christians, we must apply the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to ourselves individually. It is not enough simply to believe that He rose from the dead, for such a faith in itself will not mean peace and joy for us, nor power and might. You must also believe that He rose for your sake and for your benefit. He was not raised into glory for His own sake alone but that He might help you and all who believe in Him and that through His resurrection He might overcome sin, death, and hell.This is also indicated by the way in which Christ enters through the locked doors and steps forth and stands in the midst of His disciples. The manner in which He stood here in the midst of the disciples resembles that manner in which He also stands in our hearts. In this way, He is also in our midst, just as He was standing there among the disciples.When He stands in our hearts in this manner, we hear His loving voice speaking to our conscience, “Be at your ease: there is no need at all for any anxiety. Your sins are forgiven you and removed from you and nothing can henceforth harm you.”SL 11:725 (2-3)PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, in Your great love for us, You gave Your Son to suffer and die for our sins. By His glorious resurrection from the dead, You have demonstrated that the sacrifice of Your Son has been accepted and that now all is well with us in time and eternity, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:352-63.

THE WEEK OF EASTER - SATURDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 27:1-14In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10You must learn to look right through the sufferings of Christ and see His friendly heart, how it is filled with love for you, and how it moved Him to assume the heavy load which your conscience and sins laid on Him. In this way, your heart will be warmed towards Him, and your confidence and faith will be strengthened. Thereupon you should mount even higher through Christ’s heart to God’s heart and see that Christ would never have manifested His love for you if God in His eternal love had not willed it. Christ rendered obedience to God’s love in His love for you.In this way, you will discover the fatherly heart of God in its wonderful goodness, and, as Christ Himself declares, you will be drawn to the Father through Him. Then you will also understand Christ’s saying that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).To come to a true knowledge of God, we must not try to find Him simply in His power of wisdom, which can be bewildering, but we must grasp Him in His goodness and love. In this respect, faith and confidence have something to cling to, and man becomes truly born anew in God.SL 11:581 (14)AE 76:431PRAYER: Make it ever more clear and certain for us, heavenly Father, that in all that Christ our Savior bore and suffered for us sinners, love was operating and that in this manifestation of love You have clearly revealed our inner and true nature to us, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

THE WEEK OF EASTER - FRIDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 26:69-75Jesus our Lord … was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25You cast your sins from yourself on to Christ when you firmly believe that His wounds and sufferings are your sins, that He bore them and paid for them as Isaiah declared: “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Peter also says: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,” that is, the cross (1 Peter 2:24), and St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, AV).On this and similar passages you must stake everything in full reliance, and the more so if your conscience is giving you serious trouble. If you do not do this but presume to quieten your conscience by way of your own penitence and satisfaction, you will never find peace and end up in despair. It does not matter how much penitence and satisfaction we have to offer; our sins keep on piling up and gaining the upper hand. But when we see them borne by Christ and conquered by His glorious resurrection from the dead and we have boldness of faith, our sins are dead and blotted out. For they could not remain on Christ. They have been swallowed up by His resurrection. Now you see no wounds, no pains in Him, that is, no signs of sin.SL 11:580 (13)AE 76:430PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to You, Lord Jesus, for the complete victory over sin which You gained for us when You bore our sins on the cross and destroyed them in Your glorious resurrection from the dead. Amen.

THE WEEK OF EASTER - THURSDAYLESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 4:13-15Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” John 20:17In these words of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, as reported in John’s Gospel, Jesus sets forth a very clear explanation of the benefit and profit of His death and resurrection. “Go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”This is one of the great consolatory passages of the Gospel at which we can knock with all boldness and confidence. It is as though Christ is saying here, “Go, Mary, and tell my disciples, those deserters, who really merited punishment and eternal damnation, that my resurrection will redound to their great advantage. Through my resurrection I have brought it about that my Father is your Father and my God your God.”A few brief words! But they contain a very important truth, namely, that we have a trust and confidence in God which is the equal of that which Christ, the very Son of God, Himself has.Who can grasp such boundless joy? Who can explain how a poor, miserable sinner can call God his Father and God, even as Christ Himself does?SL 11:606 (9) PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, Your ways in Jesus Christ our Lord are beyond all our powers of understanding and telling. Grant us the faith to cling with all our hearts to the benefits and profits of our Lord’s resurrection, that with Him You are our Father and our God in and through Jesus our Savior. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

THE WEEK OF EASTER - WEDNESDAYLESSON: ISAIAH 55:6-9Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. 1 Corinthians 13:12We should always be very careful not only to hear the truth that we are Christ’s brethren with our bodily ears. We should feel and experience this truth in our very hearts. Then we shall never become over-weening and conceited, but this fact will fill our hearts with wonder.True, pious, and godly Christians are always deeply conscious of their very serious limitations. In humility and modesty, they will begin to wonder how such miserable sinners as they are, drowned in sins, could ever become worthy enough to have God’s Son as their brother. How does it come to pass that such a wretched creature as I am enjoys such a privilege?At the same time, such a Christian is amazed at this fact and meditates upon it. It certainly requires great effort to believe it. Indeed, if one actually experienced this fact for what it really is and involves, one would perforce have to die in that very instant. For man who is flesh and blood cannot comprehend this fact.As long as we live in this life, our heart is far too restricted to be able to grasp such a fact. After death, when our heart is enlarged, we shall be able to comprehend fully what we have heard through the Word.SL 11:606 (8) PRAYER: Your ways are not our ways, and Your thoughts are not our thoughts, heavenly Father. Enlighten us by Your Holy Spirit in such a way that we believe Your Word, even where we may not fully understand it, for Christ our Savior’s sake. Amen. Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

THE WEEK OF EASTER - TUESDAYLESSON: ROMANS 8:14-17[Let your adorning] … be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:4The title that we are Christ’s brethren is so exalted that no human heart can really comprehend it. Unless the Holy Spirit confers this grace, no one can say, “Christ is my brother.” No man’s reason would be bold enough to make such a claim, even though it may occasionally be made with the tongue, as in the case of our modern charismatics. Nor is it enough just to make such claims—this must be a matter of the heart—otherwise it is pure hypocrisy.If you really know this in your heart, it will become something so great and important for you, that you will keep quiet about it rather than chatter about it to all and sundry. To be sure, face to face with the magnitude of this blessing, you may even have your doubts and uncertainties whether it is really true or not. Those who are always crying, “Christ is my brother, Christ is my brother!” are not necessarily Christ’s true brethren.With a true Christian it is very different. For a true Christian it is a wonderful thing to hear that he is Christ’s brother. The flesh is dismayed at this, and not so very much will be said and openly acknowledged about it all.SL 11:605 (7)PRAYER: Give us at all times a quiet, confident faith, O Lord, not given to empty and foolish boasting, but fully trusting in your assurance that we are Your brethren in and through Your glorious resurrection from the dead. Amen.Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 2:215-221.

THE WEEK OF SEXAGESIMA - WEDNESDAYLESSON: MARK 10:17-27As for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. Luke 8:14The third group are those who hear the Word and understand it, but still fall out on the other side, namely, among the pleasures and comforts of this life so that they, too, achieve nothing with the Word. This is also a very large number.Although they do not introduce heresy like the first group, but always retain the Word unalloyed and pure and are not assailed on the left like the second group with opposition and persecution, they still fall away on the right. Their undoing is that they have peace and good times. They do not really give themselves to the Word in all earnestness but become lazy. They immerse themselves in cares, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.They resemble the seed that fell among the thorns. Although there is no rock there but good earth, no hard-packed path but land ploughed deep enough, the thorns still prevent the seed from coming up, or they choke it.These people have all that will serve them for salvation in the Word, but they do not make use of it; they rot away in this life, in the flesh. To this number belong those who hear the Word but never tame the flesh. They know what is right, but do not act accordingly. “Their fruit does not mature.”SL.XI.518,6AE 76,333PRAYER: Forgive us, O Lord, all the wasted opportunities that we miss amidst the many pressures and tensions of our daily lives. Grant us grace both to hear your Word with open hearts and, with a ready will, act in accordance with it. Amen.

THE WEEK OF SEXAGESIMA - TUESDAYLESSON: 1 PETER 1:3-9The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Luke 8:13This group receive the Word with joy, but they are not persistent. These also form a large number. They hear and accept the Word without sects, factions, or fanatics. They also rejoice in their knowledge of the unimpaired truth, that one is saved without works, through faith, and that they have been freed from the imprisonment of the law, conscience, and the doctrine of men.When a crisis comes, however, and they have to suffer injury, disgrace, loss of life or property, they fall away and deny the Word. They do not have sufficient root and do not stand deep enough. They resemble the seed on the rock, which grows up quickly and becomes green, so that it is a pleasure to behold and gives good promise, but when the sun shines hotly, it withers away because it lacks moisture.That is also what these hearers do. In time of persecution, they deny the Word or keep quiet and do, speak, and endure all that their persecutors order them or want them to do. Prior to this, when there was still peace and no heat, they spoke readily, and joyfully confessed the Word so that there was hope that they would bring forth much fruit and be very useful Christians.These fruits are not works alone but even more the confession, preaching, and spreading of the Word, so that many others are taught, and the kingdom of God is extended.SL.XI.517,5AE 76,332-33PRAYER: Strengthen us in the hour of trial and temptation, O Lord, so that by such chastenings we may always come forth stronger in faith, in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

SEXAGESIMA - MONDAYLESSON: 2 TIMOTHY 3:10-17Give no opportunity to the devil. Ephesians 4:27Heretics, factionaries, and fanatics understand the Gospel carnally and interpret it in whatever way they wish, according to the liking. All these people hear the Gospel but bring forth no fruit; they are ruled by the devil and are more under the domination of the ordinances of men than they were before they heard the Gospel.It is really a horrifying statement which Christ makes in the Gospel (Luke 8:4-15) that the devil takes the Word out of their hearts. He thereby testifies that the devil rules mightily over their hearts, despite the fact that they are called Christians and hear the Word.Likewise, it sounds pitiable that they should be trodden underfoot and be subjected to the doctrines of men, through which also, under the semblance and name of the Gospel, the devil cunningly takes the Word from them so that they never understand it to their salvation but are lost forever.This is how fanatics operate today in all countries. For where this Word does not remain, there is no salvation; not even great works and holy lives will help them here. When Jesus says that they will not be saved because the Word has been taken from them, He clearly demonstrates that not works, but faith, saves through the Word alone, as Paul also declares (Romans 1:16).SL.XI.517,4AE 76,332PRAYER: Grant us true steadfastness and firmness of faith, O Lord, that we both know what we believe and continue therein, walking as closely as possible to the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we also ask this. Amen.

THE WEEK OF SEXAGESIMA - SUNDAYLESSON: LUKE 8:4-15 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. Luke 8:12The first group are those who have heard the Word, but do not really understand it or pay attention to it. These are not the bad people on this earth but the greatest, cleverest, holiest, and also the largest group.Jesus is not speaking here of those who persecute the Word and do not hear it, but of those who hear it and are its pupils. They also want to be regarded among “the first,” live among us in the Christian congregation, and partake with us of Baptism and the Sacrament. But their hearts are carnal and remain so. They do not absorb the Word; it goes in one ear and out of the other. The seed on the path does not penetrate but lies on top of the path; for the path is beaten down hard by the feet of men and beasts.Jesus says that the devil comes and take the Word out of their hearts, so that they do not believe it for their salvation. The devil exerts his power here not only by hardening their hearts with worldly ideas and living, so that they lose the Word and let it go without really understanding it or recognizing it, but the devil also sends them false teachers in place of God’s Word who tread God’s Word underfoot with the doctrine of men.SL.XI.516,2-3AE 76,331PRAYER: Give us at all times a firm understanding of your Word, O God, that we may hold it fast in firm and steadfast faith and resist all the might of Satan in his efforts to rob us of your Word, in Jesus’ name. Amen

THE WEEK OF SEPTUAGESIMA - SATURDAYLESSON: 1 PETER 3:13-17As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:27,28Here Jesus meets the carnal devotion of these people and teaches all of us that we should not just gape like yokels at the works and superior worth of the saints but concentrate on God’s Word—we should hear and keep God’s Word. For the holiness and worthiness of the mother of this child (Mary) is of no great consequence to us and confers nothing at all upon us; nor does it matter how noble her children and the fruit of her womb is.The only thing that really matters here is what this child has done for us: that He has rescued us from the devil, without any contribution or merit from us. This is portrayed for us by God’s Word, which we should hear and keep in firm faith. Then we, too, will be saved like this mother and her child. Although this word and work will inevitably be blasphemed, we shall endure this and reply with “gentleness” (1 Peter 3:15) for the improvement of others.SL.XI.557,13AE 76,396-97PRAYER: Lord God, we thank and praise you for the clarity with which you have revealed your Gospel of salvation by grace alone without any works—even those of the holiest of men—solely and alone through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE WEEK OF SEPTUAGESIMA - FRIDAYLESSON: PSALM 25:1-10He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of low degree. Luke 1:52No one is so high, or will ever reach such a height, of whom it is not to be feared that he could become the lowliest. On the other hand, no one has ever fallen so deeply, or will fall so deeply, that he cannot entertain hopes of becoming the highest.The reason for these paradoxes is that all merits are set aside, and God’s goodness alone is praised. The first will be last, and the last first.When God declares that “the first will be last,” He takes away all your presumptions and forbids you to exalt yourself, even above a whore, even if you were Abraham, David, Peter, or Paul. But when He says, “The last will be first,” He bids you cast off all despair and not to regard yourself unfavorably even in comparison with the saints, even though you were Pilate, Herod, or Sodom and Gomorrah.For just as we have no reason at all for presumption, so also have we no reason for despair.SL.XI.515,14AE 76,319PRAYER: Heavenly Father, in your Son and His work of salvation, we have all that we need for our faith and life as your children. Keep far from us all presumption and pride, that we always trust in your mercy and grace alone, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE WEEK OF SEPTUAGESIMA - THURSDAYLESSON: MICAH 6:6-8A man’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. Proverbs 29:23It is very necessary that this Gospel (Matthew 20:1-16) should be preached to those in our time who know that Gospel, like me and others like me, who are teachers of the whole world and become its masters. We are very prone to develop the idea that we are closer to God than others, and that we have devoured God’s Spirit with feathers and legs.How does it come to pass that so many sects have arisen, the one undertaking this, the other that, in connection with the Gospel? Without a doubt, the reason is that more of these really think that the statement applies to them, “The first will be last,” or, if it does apply to them, they are secure and without fear and regard themselves as “the first.”Their experience will have to tally with this statement; they must become “the last.” They simply go ahead and set up much disgraceful doctrine and blasphemy against God and the Word.SL.XI.513,12AE 76,318-19PRAYER: Open our eyes, O God, that we always recognize that we are paupers in your sight, absolutely dependent on your grace for all that we need as your children, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

THE WEEK OF SEPTUAGESIMA - WEDNESDAYLESSON: PSALM 138:1-6God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5The Gospel (Matthew 20:1-16) does not simply speak of those who are “first” and “last” in an ordinary sense as, for example, the mighty ones of this world, who are heathen and know nothing of God, are nothing in God’s sight. It speaks of those who have persuaded themselves that they are the “first” or “last” before God.There it aims very high and hits some very important people; indeed, it is most disturbing for the greatest of the saints.This is why Jesus told this parable to His apostles. For it can happen that one who is quite poverty-stricken in the eyes of the world, weak and despised, who has even suffered something for God’s sake and gives no appearance at all of amounting to anything, still nurtures secret ideas of self-satisfaction and begins to think that he is the “first” before God when he is actually the “last.”On the other hand, even if anyone is so despondent and weak that he regards himself as the “last” before God, despite the fact that in the world he enjoys money, honor, and good things, he is the “first.”SL.XI.512,10AE 76,318PRAYER: Empty us, O Lord, of all false pride and self-righteousness that, firmly trusting in your grace and mercy, we may always rank as those who are “first” in your sight, in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE WEEK OF SEPTUAGESIMA - TUESDAYLESSON: ROMANS 11:33-36The last will be first, and the first last. Matthew 20:16We must understand the two words “last” and “first” in two respects: in respect to God and in respect to men.“The first” before men and those who consider and conduct themselves as those who are closest to God, as “the first” before God, quite paradoxically are regarded as “the last” before God and the farthest removed from Him.On the other hand, those who are “the last” in the eyes of men, who regard and conduct themselves as those farthest removed from God and “the last” before Him, are paradoxically the closest to God and “the first” before Him.He who wants to be secure should closely follow the saying, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled” (Matthew 23:12). For here in this Gospel, we are clearly reminded that “the first” before men is “the last” before God, and “the last” before me is “the first” before God. Similarly, “the first” before God is “the last” before men, and “the last” before God is “the first” before men.SL.XI.512,9AE 76, 317-18PRAYER: You have shown us, heavenly Father, that our salvation in Christ is beyond all human understanding and confronts man with much that seems absurd to human reason. Humble us by your grace, that we never presume to judge you and your ways with us by our own weak reasons and understanding. May we always remain firmly established in your Word of truth, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

THE WEEK OF SEPTUAGESIMA - MONDAYLESSON: MATTHEW 6:25-33Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Matthew 6:33The denarius represents the temporal welfare of men, and the favor of the household their eternal welfare. Both groups in the parable receive a denarius, an equal amount for their earthly sustenance.Those described in the parable as “the last” did not seek as much pay as the others; all this was an additional gift to them because they sought the kingdom of God first (Matthew 6:33). On top of all this, they also receive the grace which brought them eternal life, and they were happy and joyful.“The first,” however, seek what is temporal; they accept the engagement and work for this only. For this reason, they miss out on grace and earn hell with all their heavy toil. For the former, “the last,” do not suffer from the presumption that they have actually earned the denarius; yet they get everything. When “the first” see this, they delude themselves into thinking that they should obtain much more, and they miss out on everything.As we see clearly when we examine the hearts of those two groups, “the last” do not pay attention to their merits or deserts, but they partake of the Lord’s goodness. “The firsts,” however, pay no attention to the Lord’s goodness, but look only to their own deserts and regard the payment as due for their service and complain about the householder’s goodness.SL.XI.512,8AE 76,317PRAYER: Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus, for your undeserved and full salvation, which you bestow on us feely and without cost through the ministrations of your holy Church. Amen.