Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

LWML Sunday

My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is LWML Sunday and on this Sunday we wish to draw attention to and honor the LWML an organization that since their founding has worked diligently to spread the message of the Gospel around the world for they know the great treasure that we have in Jesus Christ our Savior and the hope that is found only in Him.

The theme for this years LWML Sunday is “Our Heart in HIS hand.” Now oftentimes when people think of the Heart, they think of love and kindness and charity and mercy, but the Scriptures paint for us a very different picture of the heart of man. All the way back to Gen 6:5 where it says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” That is pretty bleak, and then we hear from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Matt 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” Jesus says this is what defiles a person.

Now this is not at all how the world paints the picture of the heart, but it rather wants to hold it up as the source of all good and kindness. So why does the Bible say this? Because the world only applies love to those who you like, everyone can agree on that. But the corruption of the heart is shown in what else flows out of there, it isn’t just love is it, there is envy, and greed as we see people who have more than us. There are adulterous thoughts when we aren’t satisfied with our marital life whether you are married or unmarried. There’s murder and hate when we run into those that we don’t like. The world tries to ignore this part or excuse it, but evil is like yeast, it doesn’t just work in one part of the bread, but it affects the whole loaf.

This is the state of your heart and the state of every heart. Because no matter how good you think you are or how much you can hide, the state of your heart isn’t revealed by how you treat your friends or your family, but if we look at treat those who wrong you, who you dislike, and who you are when no one is watching. That shows what beats inside of your chest, and sin flows from your heart.

So what about our theme, what does it mean that our unclean hearts are in God’s hands. Now there are churches out there that focus on people giving their hearts to Jesus, but is that what you would give to God, a heart that covered in filth, infested with spiders, diseased, and unclean. No, we try to hide that like Adam and Eve tried to hide in the garden. The reason our hearts are in God’s hands isn’t because we gave our hearts to Him, but God bent down to pick up your heart. Now that can cause a fair amount of panic that God sees you for who you are, not as good or righteous, but as a sinner.

But God chose your heart, and in fact he bought your heart, that is what it means in our text that He ransomed or redeemed your heart. He made you His own, and He didn’t buy it with something that perishes like gold or silver, but with the holy precious blood of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Now that may sound strange to our ears, for we don’t think of precious metals perishing. But understand there at the world will one day end, so what God did is pay for you with something that is eternal, the blood of Jesus. God reached down and picked up your heart, and he cleansed your heart by sprinkling it with clean water to cleanse you from all your uncleanness to make you acceptable in His sight.

This is what God’s love looks like it is very different from our Love, His love takes that which is impure and unacceptable, filled with spiders, and disease and cleanses and heals it and brings us from death to life. Now this washing of our heart, this sprinkling that Ezekiel talks about is what happens in Baptism, for there you are buried with Christ in the Grave, and brought to life, and God purified your heart. That is why in the logo for this Sunday there is that little drop of water on the heart. It was God that did this, not you.

So with a heart that has been bought with the Blood of Christ, washed in the waters of Holy Baptism, and that you have now been brought to life. What does one now do with all of this since we are already saved, already acceptable in God’s sight? We love our neighbor in earnest for the first time and we do so in joy and a wonderful freedom that comes with the Gospel.

Many people think good works are done so that they can pay off their sins or try to cover up their sins. They are trying to cleanse their heart of sin by their own hand. This doesn’t work for the Law says to love your neighbor as yourself, as long as you are doing good works for your own personal gain, they aren’t good. You can do good works if your heart is already clean.

This is the joy that we have in the Gospel, that you do not clean your heart, indeed you do not have to prove your heart is worth, for God has already done that. For if God washed your heart, how can you make it cleaner than that? If Christ shed his blood for you, will you now offer up something perishable to complete Christ’s work? That’s foolishness.

See the wonderful blessing that God has given you. This is the first time you can actually love your neighbor, because you aren’t doing it for some reward, but because you see their need. You can love them from a pure heart that has been purified by Christ. Not worried but at peace for you have peace with God. This is what the LWML has shared with the world.

These ladies know the peace of God that comes from a heart that has been purified by God, a heart that has been purchased and won not with Gold or silver, but with His Jesus’ holy and precious blood. That all of their sins have been credited to Christ’s account and they know that it wasn’t just for them, but for the entire world. This wonderful gift has motivated them to help so many around the world. If you don’t know anything about their organization I would encourage you to visit with them, check out the website and see how they are serving around the world. How they come together to turn their mites from many congregations all around the States into some wonderful and amazing blessings for people in need.

We are blessed to have a chapter here at our church, and you should get to know this wonderful organization. Even the men, you might not be able to join, but you would be amazed at everything they do not only nationally but for our church as well.

For if there is a heart that beats inside of every man, woman, and child, a sinful heart, and they know where hearts can be cleansed, why not point people to Christ. which is what the LWML has done faithfully for decades, and it is what all Christians ought to do, for we know the joy that is found in forgiveness, when our hearts are cleansed from shame and guilt and all manner of sin. To get to see the world with new eyes and give thanks to God for the wonderful gifts that we have been given. Those gifts come by the Word of Christ.

That is why supporting missionary work is important, and not only missionary work to foreign countries, but within our state, and even within our local towns. Think about it, how many don’t know? How many think they are going to heaven because their decent people not realizing that their hearts have not been cleansed, that good works, and a good life will not get you there.

That number grows as the Church membership declines in the United States for many their idea of Christianity doesn’t come from the Scriptures or Christ, they have been watching what is on TV, but never opened the book to see what Jesus actually said. But we get that share with them that joy as they hear the Love of God for them made manifest in Christ as the who came to forgive their sins and save them from death.

To bring them to the baptismal font, where God will look down from heaven and call them his own child, and then when they have been taught the faith and examined they come to the altar and receive the Body and Blood of Christ alongside us in Holy Communion. This is a reason for great joy, and we want every one in the world to be saved.

That my brothers and sisters in Christ is what the LWML has been interested in pursuing, and in truth it is what all Christians are called to do. For what happens when the gospel is that God picks up our hearts, cleanses them from all sin, and iniquity and changes them from hearts of stone, to hearts of flesh, as they are healed by Him. May we share that gift that He has given to us with everyone. In Jesus name. Amen.