Pastor Sullivan's Blog

In the Name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. The birth of Christ the Lord is preached first not to princes or priests but to lowly shepherds. It matches the lowliness and humility of Christ’s birth. No room in the inn among civilized folk, only room among the animals. No crib for a bed, only the animals feeding trough. It makes sense that this good news would be preached first to shepherds who were generally poor and held a rather low station in life. But in spite of their lowliness they get quite a preacher. “ Behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ” Of course they were afraid. You would have been, too. When an angel of the Lord appears, shining in heavenly glory, fear is the only proper response. In the Old Testament when Balaam sees the angel of the Lord standing before him, “ he bowed his head and fell flat on his face ” ( Numbers 22:31). When Samson’s parents realize...

In the Name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. What makes a person a sheep? It’s tempting to look at Christ’s parable with a quick glance and answer, “Works!” And this is how many see it when Christ commends the good works of the sheep. “ I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. ” “Do this and inherit the kingdom.” But their works aren’t what makes these people into lambs of the Lord Jesus. They are sheep because during their earthly lives they heard the voice of the Good Shepherd and believed His word. In Joh n 10:26-28 Jesus tells the Jews, “ But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. ” The P...

In the Name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. This expression is different than what we are used to hearing about the Kingdom of God. Jesus isn’t saying that the kingdom suffers the violence of persecutions, crosses, and trials. Although that’s true, that isn’t what Christ speaks of in the Gospel lesson. Nor is Jesus saying that you can enter the kingdom by violence and physical force. That would go against the rest of Christ’s teaching. So what does He mean when He says the kingdom suffers violence and the violent take it by force? Perhaps a better way to translate Jesus’ words go like this: “ The Kingdom of Heaven advances forcefully and forceful men lay hold of it. ” That’s a bit better and it makes sense with how Jesus says it in Luke 16:16, “ The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. ” The ki...

In the Name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Christ compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who has prepared a marriage for his son. When everything is prepared, he sends his servants to call those who had been invited to the feast. It should have been a joyous occasion for the king’s subjects. But “ they were not willing to come. ” The people despise the king and this wedding so they simply refuse the invitation. The king shows patience and mercy by sending out other servants. They are to tell those invited about the benefits of the wedding. “ See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle are killed, and all things are ready. ” Many made light of this message and went their way. They had better things to do. One goes to his farm. Another goes off to his business. This first group is apathetic toward the wedding. They could care less. The rest though, they go much further than simply despising the king and His gracious invitation. They hat...

Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Jesus tells a parable of two men in today’s Gospel lesson. The first is a Pharisee. The Pharisee goes to the Temple, the house of the Lord, to pray. He approaches God purely out of thanksgiving, but not thanksgiving for what God has done for him. He thanks God that He is not like other men. He is not an extortioner. He’s not ravenous for other’s possessions or property. He hasn’t gotten his goods by threat or force. He thanks God that he is a hardworking and industrious fellow. And this is a good thing. He thanks God that he is not unjust. He is not an unrighteous person who wallows in the sins of the flesh like lust and covetousness. And this, too, is a good thing. His litany continues. He gives thanks that he is not an adulterer. He is faithful to his marriage vows and this, too, is a very good thing. Then he gives thanks to God that he is not like the man standing at the back of the Temple, head bo...

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Most everyone today thinks they are righteous. They wouldn’t use that word. They would use the word ‘good.’ And externally, many people are ‘good’ to a certain degree. They don’t murder or steal. They don’t commit adultery or perjure themselves in court. They don’t complain out loud. On top of all that they don’t do, they’re nice folk who work hard and for the most part mind their own business, at least in comparison to others. This is what passes for “good” and “righteous” in our day. The same mentality passed for righteousness in Jesus’ day. The scribes and the Pharisees thought they were righteous as long as they kept God’s Law externally. They didn’t murder or steal. They didn’t commit adultery or perjure themselves. They didn’t complain out loud. They were pious folk who stood on the street corners praying. They tithed a tenth of all their possessions. They went to the Temple as often as they cou...

Gaudete, the 3rd Sunday in Advent Matthew 11:2-10 December 17, 2017 Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 1)         John the Baptist sends two of his disciples to Jesus. They’re sent with one question, “ Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another? ” Perhaps John was riddled with doubt. He had, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, preached, “ One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.   His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire ” (Luke 3:16-17). None of that was happening. Jesus preached repentance, just as John had done. But there was no baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire, at least at that point. There was not sweeping out the threshing floor in judgment. Jesus h...

Populus Zion, the 2nd Sunday in Advent St. Luke 21:25-36 December 10, 2017 Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 1)         As Christmas gets closer Christians will, without a doubt, lament the commercialization of Christ’s Mass. The day the Church celebrates the birth of Christ with the service of Christ’s Word and Christ’s Sacrament, His Mass, has been overrun by the moneychangers. Christmas, for the vast majority of the population, means something entirely different than the celebration of birth of the Son of God according our flesh. The angels sang “ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! ” (Luke 2:14). The peace and goodwill which God promised to mankind was wrapped up in the baby wrapped up in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. God was making peace with the world through Jesus. “ God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing men’s tres...