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June 19, 2026

Broadcast

                        Rejecting God - Part 5
                              Luke 14:24
                              06/19/2026


        24   ``For I tell you, none of those men who were
             invited shall taste my banquet.''  (ESV)

        Our prayer this week recognizes the work of the Holy Spirit
   as He gives us faith to trust in God for our salvation from sin,
   death, and the power of the devil.
        O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those
        whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work
        in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name.


        Jesus finished His parable which He told in response to the
   exclamation, ``Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the
   kingdom of God!''  The master of the feast pronounced the
   judgment on all who rejected his invitation to the banquet.
   ``For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste
   my banquet.''

        The sign along the highway this week asks the question,
   ``Why don't you go to church?''  Why do you reject God's
   invitation to receive the blessing of the forgiveness of your
   sins?  Is it your pursuit of wealth, or that you are too busy at
   work, or you put family and leisure ahead of God's mercy?

        Remember, the message of the church is not a demand for good
   works or self denial or heroic acts of piety to show your faith.
   The message of the church is simple, you and I have sinned and
   deserve God's wrath and punishment.  However, because we cannot
   save ourselves, God, in His mercy, sent His Son, Jesus, to
   suffer, die, and rise from the dead to pay the price of our sin.
   He forgives us because Jesus paid our debt.

        You are invited by God to receive from Him the fullness of
   His love.  Where can you hear this message of grace?  Join us at
   Trinity Lutheran Church at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.  Please accept
   this invitation.  Come, the feast is ready.  God grant this for
   Jesus' sake.  Amen.

June 18, 2026

Broadcast

                        Rejecting God - Part 4
                             Luke 14:22-23
                              06/18/2026


        22   And the servant said, ``Sir, what you commanded
             has been done, and still there is room.''
        23   And the master said to the servant, ``Go out to
             the highways and hedges and compel people to come
             in, that my house may be filled.''  (ESV)

        Our prayer this week acknowledges the work of the Holy
   Spirit as He grants us wisdom and faith to trust in God for our
   redemption from sin, death, and the power of the devil.
        O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those
        whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work
        in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name.


        Jesus, in response to the exclamation, ``Blessed is everyone
   who will eat bread in the kingdom of God,'' told a parable of a
   great feast where those who were invited refused to attend.  When
   the honored guests excused themselves, the master of the house
   told his servant to gather the least important people in the
   city.  Many came to dine at the feast.

        And the servant said, ``Sir, what you commanded has
        been done, and still there is room.''  And the master
        said to the servant, ``Go out to the highways and
        hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may
        be filled.''


        The invitation to the feast was extended outside the city,
   outside the region.  Although the children of Israel are God's
   chosen people, the message of God's love is not exclusive to
   them.  Throughout the Old Testament we hear the call to all
   nations to come to the knowledge of the truth, to repent and
   accept God's grace.  No one is excluded from the invitation to
   hear of God's grace, love, and mercy.  God's house is filled with
   redeemed sinners from every nation, from every race, without
   exception.  His love extends to all people, for the death and
   resurrection of His Son, Jesus, paid the price of all sins.

        May our Lord grant His mercy to all people, that they hear
   of His love and accept His grace.  Amen.

June 17, 2026

Broadcast

                        Rejecting God - Part 3
                              Luke 14:21
                              06/17/2026


        21   So the servant came and reported these things to
             his master. Then the master of the house became
             angry and said to his servant, ``Go out quickly to
             the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in
             the poor and crippled and blind and lame.''  (ESV)

        Our prayer this week acknowledges the work of the Holy
   Spirit as He grants us wisdom and faith to trust in God for our
   redemption from sin, death, and the power of the devil.
        O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those
        whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work
        in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name.


        Jesus was at a banquet when one of the guests said,
   ``Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.''
   In response, Jesus told a parable about a man who prepared a
   feast.  Each of the invited guests had an excuse, a reason to
   reject the invitation.  The pursuit of wealth, the satisfaction
   of working, the joys of family and leisure were more important
   than the feast.  In the parable, the ones who rejected the
   invitation were the pillars of the community, the leaders, the
   ones who knew the invitation was coming.

        So the servant came and reported these things to his
        master. Then the master of the house became angry and
        said to his servant, ``Go out quickly to the streets
        and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and
        crippled and blind and lame.''


        Who were invited instead of the rich and famous, the
   paragons of virtue?  The master invited those who were not
   worthy, who knew they did not belong at the feast, the tax
   collectors, the prostitutes, and those who needed forgiveness.
   The church is not for the ones who claim to be religious, who
   make a show of their piety, but for the ones who stand in the
   shadows saying, ``God, be merciful to me, the sinner.''  The
   church is not filled with those who deserve to be honored, but by
   those who are invited by grace alone.

        May our Lord grant us faith to hear His invitation even if
   we are unworthy, Amen.

June 16, 2026

Broadcast

                        Rejecting God - Part 2
                             Luke 14:16-20
                              06/16/2026


        16   But he said to him, ``A man once gave a great
             banquet and invited many.
        17   And at the time for the banquet he sent his
             servant to say to those who had been invited,
             `Come, for everything is now ready.'
        18   But they all alike began to make excuses. The
             first said to him, `I have bought a field, and I
             must go out and see it. Please have me excused.'
        19   And another said, `I have bought five yoke of
             oxen, and I go to examine them.  Please have me
             excused.'
        20   And another said, `I have married a wife, and
             therefore I cannot come.'  (ESV)

        Our prayer this week acknowledges our selfish desires which
   pull us away from God's grace and love.  Only as the Holy Spirit
   grants us wisdom and faith can we accept His invitation to dine
   in the kingdom of God.
        O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those
        whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work
        in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name.


        Jesus was at a banquet when one of the guests said,
   ``Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.''
        But [Jesus] said to him, ``A man once gave a great
        banquet and invited many.  And at the time for the
        banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had
        been invited, `Come, for everything is now ready.'  But
        they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to
        him, `I have bought a field, and I must go out and see
        it. Please have me excused.'  And another said, `I have
        bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them.
        Please have me excused.'  And another said, `I have
        married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'


        Who were the men invited to the banquet in the parable?
   They were members of the religious establishment, the children of
   Israel, who turned their backs on God.  They are all who ignore
   the Church today, who ignore their own sin and their need for a
   Redeemer.  The men who rejected the invitation prized wealth, or
   work, or family and leisure above God.  Those are the same
   excuses we hear today.

        May our Lord grant us faith to fear, love, and trust in Him
   above all things.  Amen.

June 15, 2026

Broadcast

                        Rejecting God - Part 1
                              Luke 14:15
                              06/15/2026


        15   When one of those who reclined at table with him
             heard these things, he said to him, ``Blessed is
             everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of
             God!''  (ESV)

        This week the prayer of the Church is for God to grant us
   faith.  We pray for God to work in us fear and love of His name
   because we, in our sin, do not long for His blessings, but turn
   our backs on His great love.
        O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those
        whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work
        in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name;
        through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns
        with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.


        Everyone eventually ponders the question, ``What happens
   when we die?''  Each religion, except Christianity, seeks to
   bring the comfort of a great reward, either through hard work or
   human philosophy.  Christians, however, teach that our sins are
   forgiven for the sake of the suffering, death, and resurrection
   of Jesus.  We are assured of eternal life because faith trusts in
   Him, trusts in God's grace, love, and mercy.

        Jesus was at a banquet in the home of a ruler of the
   Pharisees speaking of the kingdom of heaven.  ``When one of those
   who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to
   him, `Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of
   God!'''

        This is most certainly true.  However, in the parable of the
   Great Banquet which we will review this week, we will consider
   why people do not desire to accept God's gift of salvation, why
   they reject the invitation to eat bread in the kingdom of God.

        May our Lord grant us faith to trust in Him, that we may
   know the joy of eternal life.  Amen.

June 12, 2026

Broadcast

                       Sins of Omission - Part 5
                             Luke 16:27-31
                              06/12/2026


        27   And he said, ``Then I beg you, father, to send him
             to my father's house --
        28   for I have five brothers -- that he may warn them,
             lest they also come into this place of torment.''
        29   But Abraham said, ``They have Moses and the
             Prophets; let them hear them.''
        30   And he said, ``No, father Abraham, but if someone
             goes to them from the dead, they will repent.''
        31   He said to him, ``If they do not hear Moses and
             the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if
             someone should rise from the dead.''  (ESV)

        This week we prayed:
        O God, the strength of all who trust in You, mercifully
        accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of
        our mortal nature we can do no good thing, grant us
        Your grace to keep Your commandments that we may please
        You in both will and deed.


        The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus ends in despair for
   the rich man, but in hope for you and me.
        And [the rich man] said, ``Then I beg you, father, to
        send him to my father's house -- for I have five
        brothers -- that he may warn them, lest they also come
        into this place of torment.''  But Abraham said, ``They
        have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.''  And
        he said, ``No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to
        them from the dead, they will repent.''  He said to
        him, ``If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets,
        neither will they be convinced if someone should rise
        from the dead.''


        The Church is the people of God gathered around His Word and
   the Sacraments in order to learn of His love, grace, and mercy.
   We are redeemed from sin, death, and the power of the devil
   because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Our wealth, our
   poverty, does not save us from condemnation, only God's
   undeserved love gives us hope.

        You can hear Moses and the Prophets each Sunday morning at
   9:00 a.m.  at Trinity Lutheran Church as we gather together at
   God's invitation to receive His gift of forgiveness.  Please
   accept this invitation to hear His Word for your eternal
   blessing.  God grant this for Jesus' sake Amen.

June 11, 2026

Broadcast

                       Sins of Omission - Part 4
                              Luke 16:24
                              06/11/2026


        24   And he called out, ``Father Abraham, have mercy on
             me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger
             in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish
             in this flame.''
        25   But Abraham said, ``Child, remember that you in
             your lifetime received your good things, and
             Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is
             comforted here, and you are in anguish.''  (ESV)

        In the prayer of the Church this week we confess that we can
   only keep God's commandments because of His love, grace, and
   mercy.
        O God, the strength of all who trust in You, mercifully
        accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of
        our mortal nature we can do no good thing, grant us
        Your grace to keep Your commandments that we may please
        You in both will and deed.


        We continue the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus.  We know
   both had died, Lazarus being taken by God's angels to Abraham's
   side while the rich man was condemned.
        And [the rich man] called out, ``Father Abraham, have
        mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his
        finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish
        in this flame.''  But Abraham said, ``Child, remember
        that you in your lifetime received your good things,
        and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is
        comforted here, and you are in anguish.''


        Even in the torment of hell, the rich man could not help but
   try to be in control.  He desired that Lazarus, who he had
   ignored, now leave heaven to serve him.  That could not be,
   however, because one cannot pass from heaven to hell.

        Our sinful nature demands that we are in control.  Even if
   we cannot be bothered to help others, we ask that others may go
   out of their way to serve us.  Even after we are judged, we are
   unable to admit our sin.

        May our Lord grant us faith to trust in Him, to confess our
   sins, and so to receive forgiveness.  Amen.

June 10, 2026

Broadcast

                       Sins of Omission - Part 3
                             Luke 16:22-23
                              06/10/2026


        22   The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
             Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was
             buried,
        23   and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his
             eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his
             side.  (ESV)

        O God, the strength of all who trust in You, mercifully
        accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of
        our mortal nature we can do no good thing, grant us
        Your grace to keep Your commandments that we may please
        You in both will and deed.


        This week's Collect, the prayer of the Church, confesses
   that we cannot, by our own abilities, love God with our whole
   heart or our neighbor as ourselves.  We are forgiven because of
   God's grace, and respond by doing His will by keeping His
   commandments.  Because we are forgiven, we love God with our
   whole heart and reflect His love to our neighbors.

        The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus continues:
        The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
        Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,
        and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes
        and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.


        Lazarus, whose name means ``Helped by God,'' was not saved
   because he was a poor, sick beggar who languished alone and
   neglected at the gate of the rich man.  Lazarus was saved because
   he trusted in God.  It is because of God's grace, love, and mercy
   that this child of Abraham was taken by God's angels to the
   everlasting feast in heaven.

        Being rich, being a prominent religious leader, did not save
   the Pharisee.  We know the rich man sinned against Lazarus by
   being indifferent, by neglecting him.  This shows the selfish
   nature of the rich man, poor towards those in need because he
   lacks faith in God.

        May our Lord grant us wisdom to trust in Him alone for our
   redemption from everlasting death.  Amen.

June 9, 2026

Broadcast

                       Sins of Omission - Part 2
                             Luke 16:19-21
                              06/09/2026


        19   There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and
             fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
        20   And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus,
             covered with sores,
        21   who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich
             man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and
             licked his sores.  (ESV)

        This week's Collect, the prayer of the day, asks God for
   mercy even though we sin against Him and our neighbors.
        O God, the strength of all who trust in You, mercifully
        accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of
        our mortal nature we can do no good thing, grant us
        Your grace to keep Your commandments that we may please
        You in both will and deed.


        There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine
        linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  And at
        his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered
        with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from
        the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and
        licked his sores.


        The rich man, a Pharisee, was a religious leader.  Everyone
   looked at him and marveled at the blessings he had received from
   God.  He stood at the front of the Temple when he prayed, and
   asked the most learned of teachers to dine with him on the
   Sabbath.  Yet, even in his wealth and power, even as a religious
   leader, he forgot the teaching of the Law.  ``You shall love the
   Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as
   yourself.''[1]

        Caring for Lazarus would have cost him nothing.  Lazarus
   desired the scraps, the leftovers, that which was surplus to the
   rich man's needs.  By being indifferent to Lazarus, the rich man
   also showed that he was actually indifferent to God.

        May our Lord grant that we may show love to our neighbor and
   help in times of need.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18

June 8, 2026

Broadcast

                       Sins of Omission - Part 1
                             Luke 16:19-21
                              06/08/2026


        19   There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and
             fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
        20   And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus,
             covered with sores,
        21   who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich
             man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and
             licked his sores.  (ESV)

        During the first several weeks of the second half of the
   Church Year, we look at the marks of the Church.  We believe,
   teach, and confess that the Church is the people of God gathered
   around God's Word and the Sacraments to receive from Him the
   blessing of the forgiveness of our sins and life everlasting for
   the sake of Christ Jesus.

        Our Collect, the prayer of the day, for Sunday clearly says
   that we are by nature sinful and trust only in God's grace, love,
   and mercy for our redemption from sin.
        O God, the strength of all who trust in You, mercifully
        accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of
        our mortal nature we can do no good thing, grant us
        Your grace to keep Your commandments that we may please
        You in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, our
        Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy
        Spirit, one God, now and forever.


        The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus shows us that we can
   sin against our neighbor by doing nothing.
        There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine
        linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  And at
        his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered
        with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from
        the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and
        licked his sores.


        In looking at this story which Jesus told, we will see the
   eternal effects of our sin and the source of hope, the clear Word
   of God which tells us of His mercy.

        May our Lord grant us faith to hear Him as He speaks to us
   through Moses and the Prophets.  Amen.