Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year C) 2022

Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year C) 2022

St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church Cornwall

2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Psalm 32, Luke 15:11-32

Blessed Sinners

So. If you’ve been following the texts and sermons throughout our Lenten journey together you MAY have noticed that the readings for this Sunday stand out. If you did notice that, then you were correct. Today is indeed different from the rest, and today is indeed special, today is not just the 4th Sunday in Lent, today is Laetere Sunday! Rejoice Sunday. Just like gaudete Sunday, on 3rdof Advent. Do you remember that? These are the two Sundays where many churches rejoice by having Pink (rose) vestments and paraments (and candles), and the churches which had required fasting (which does not include ours, relax their requirements). And do you know why?

Because today, the pattern of doom and gloom ends. Today, the calls to repent or perish, to turn away from yoursins, to be perfect as God is perfect have finally given way to the forgiveness of those who are notand cannot be anything more than sinners. Today, the Law gives way to the Gospel.

Let’s start with where we were in case you forgot (just briefly, I promise)

just like the son who ran away from his father, we too were at war with our heavenly Father. We had turned away from what was right and good, even from His own grace and we ran into our own destruction and disorder. He told us what we were created for, how to live, how to love, how to be loved, but we took our inheritance from Him, and squandered it on sins, and disgraceful vices.

We ended up as slaves to that which is unclean. Just like the younger son. Feeding the unclean things within us and around us, even eating the filth that we ourselves fed them.

But then (2 Cor 5)

just like that, God reconciled the whole world to Himself. IN THE MIDST OF ITS EVIL. While it was in the throws of its hatred towards Him, in its sinfulness and messiness and vile selfishness it was reconciled to God.

While we were turning away from God, He was moving closer toward us. While we were not only wanting Him dead but literally nailing Him to a cross – He was seeking our salvation.

The Father could have done many things other than give the inheritance anyway. He could have said no way, you want this inheritance without me? You can get lost and go empty handed. He could have had him beaten first. He could have struck him dead himself. He would have been within his rights to do any of the above. But He didn't. He gave it anyways. He gave him what he had already prepared for that son. And what was that? Half the farm? Likely. They didn’t exactly have bank accounts and savings stored up at this time. No-no. The inheritance was the Father’s estate, his very livelihood. Give me THAT dad. Give it to me now. Not to use. But to sell. To squander. To spend frivolously, to waste prodigally, unreasonablyand recklessly on partying, gambling, on the wild life, on prostitutes. Let me take what you have been given by your father. Let me take what you have worked your whole life to sustain and to grow. Let me take what you have raised me on. Let it be mine. Let me dishonour it. Let me abuse it. Let me disgrace it. You’renothing to me but a licence to sin, and an enabler for my own self-destruction.

And yet even then, not only does this father give the inheritance to him, but knowing how this will go, this father waits. He waits and he waits.

And isn’t lent the very same way?

Week after week, repent, turn form your sins, be better, do better, turn or burn.

Week after week you have been given the Law. But all the while the Father has been waiting. But not passively. NO. While you were busying yourself in rebellion against Him, and in waging wars upon Him, He has been reconciling you, and the whole world with you to Himself in Christ Jesus. He wasn’t waiting for you to make that move. He wasn’t waiting for you to come home to apologize. He wasn’t waiting for you to change your ways, to become a new creature, to walk in a new way, - He was going to do it all Himself. And that’s just what He did. 2 Cor 5: The old is gone, the new is Here. God hasreconciled the world to Himself through Christ! If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. If anyone is in Christ they are righteous, they are just, perfect, whole, complete, they are forgiven and they are loved. That is the ministry of reconciliation. That is the good news of Christ Jesus. That He who knew no sin BECAME sin for us, so that we who knew nothing BUT sin, would BE (because of what He had done) the very righteousness of GOD! Not so that we would have the righteousness of the older brother, the righteousness of what WE had done. Not as though the life, death, and resurrection of Christ was given to ENABLE us to become better people, but happened so that really and truly because of Christ all that is unworthy in you has been put to death on His cross, and it has been buried with Him by Baptism into death – SO THAT it might rise anew out of the ground NEW, PERFECT, WHOLE, and BLAMELESS.

Do you know what that means for your salvation? Let me give you an example;

Matthew 5:20 Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of God.

Well, does it? Does your righteousness exceed that of those who’s ever external actions wereblameless, who’s walk is completely pure? YES, because your righteousness is not your own, nor is it that of the most morally rigorous pharisees, IT IS THE VERY RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

And unless we first understand WHO WE ARE as sinners before a righteous God we cannot understand the goodness of the gospel of grace. And so too unless we understand

The older brother was confused because HE THOUGHT that he had earned his inheritance. He THOUGHT that he deserved his inheritance. But here comes his younger brother, the screw up, who never does anything right, who never served their father well, who abandoned him, wished him dead, took half of the estate, and then spent it in the most disgusting of ways, only to come back, and to be welcomed BACK into the family by the Father, and reinstated to son-ship, not as an employee, or a slave, but a son. Promised once again; half of the estate.

Just as the prodigal father recklessly gives of himself to his sons WITHOUT REASON and WITHOUT CAUSE all by grace, so too does your heavenly Father give you now all that He has, both in heaven and on earth as your inheritance, eternal life, forgiveness, and righteousness, not because of what you have done but because HE IS THE GOD who reconciles those at war with Him. He is the God who forgives. He is the GOD who calls you His blessed sinners, His chosen heirs. Loved apart from Labour. And saved entirely by divine favour. All by grace.

That is good news.

And therefore I can say to you this morning

That you are blessed. That YOU, regardless of who you are, andin-spite of what you have or have not done, are blessed. Why? How? Because you are forgiven. Blessed are those who’s trespasses are forgiven, who’s sins are covered. God bless you. God HAS blessed you. For in Christ, God has reconciled you to Himself. In Christ, God has called the dead to rise in Him by faith to NEW life.

So rejoice, I say. REJOICE.

Be glad, you have been reconciled to the Father through the life death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Rejoice.

Amen.