SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
February 23, 2025
Genesis 45:3–15
1 Corinthians 15:21–26, 30–42
Luke 6:27–38
As the Son of God Is Merciful and Forgives Your Sins, You Also Be Merciful and Forgive
Your inheritance as a child of Adam is sin and death, but in Christ you are made alive through His resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15:21–22). As you have died with Him in Holy Baptism, so are you raised with Him to newness of life. Therefore, “do not go on sinning” (1 Cor. 15:34). Instead of serving your desires and harming your neighbors, live as “sons of the Most High,” and “be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35–36). Deal with others as you would have others deal with you (Luke 6:31, 37–38). As Christ loved you when you were at enmity with Him, as He blessed and prayed for those who abused Him, and as He did good to those who hated Him and hurt Him, so also “love your enemies, do good” (Luke 6:27–29, 35). For God sent His Son to bear the cross and suffer death, not to condemn the guilty, but “to preserve life.” So does He provide a place for you within His Church, where He is near and deals kindly with “you and your children and your children’s children” (Gen. 45:5–10).
CONFESSION OF SINS LSB 184
P Almighty God, our maker and redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto You that we are by nature sinful and unclean and that we have sinned against You by thought, word, and deed. Wherefore we flee for refuge to Your infinite mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
C O most merciful God, who has given Your only-begotten Son to die for us, have mercy upon us and for His sake grant us remission of all our sins; and by Your Holy Spirit increase in us true knowledge of You and of Your will and true obedience to Your Word, to the end that by Your grace we may come to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
DECLARATION OF GRACE LSB 185
P Almighty God, our heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us and has given His only Son to die for us and for His sake forgives us all our sins. To those who believe on His name He gives power to become the children of God and has promised them His Holy Spirit. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Grant this, Lord, unto us all.
C Amen.
INTROIT Psalm 37:1-5, antiphon v. 7a
P Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
C fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way.
P Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
C be not envious of wrongdoers!
P For they will soon fade like the grass
C and wither like the green herb.
P Trust in the Lord, and do good;
C dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
P Delight yourself in the Lord,
C and he will give you the desires of your heart.
P Commit your way to the Lord;
C trust in him, and he will act.
C Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
P Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
C fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way.
COLLECT OF THE DAY** LSB 189
P Let us pray.
O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You, mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Genesis 45:3–15
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
4So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ 12And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” 14Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.
EPISTLE 1 Corinthians 15:21–26, 30–42
21For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. . . .
30Why am I in danger every hour? 31I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
35But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
VERSE OF THE DAY Luke 6:36
C Alleluia. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL** Luke 6:27–38
27[Jesus said:] “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
32“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
37“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Summary of Sermon given by Pastor David Matthews
Hear for the Gospel lesson: "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."
Read the Gospel lesson in Christ logical order. Describing the mercy of Jesus Christ and pointing to the persecution before He was crucified. Talks about mercy to others, like Christ does. Importance "Loving your enemies". It's a challenging statement to the ears. Who wants to do good to their enemies? Sinful nature does not, but Luke says, "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn you name as evil, on the account of the Son of Man." We are blessed when people hate us. "Love your enemies." Difficult command. World thrives on division and retaliation. Someone wrongs us, we want to fight back or revenge. Loving people who hate, curse, or abuse us is foreign to sinful flesh. Jesus calls us to love like God loves. Pause and reflect on what that love looks like. This love is on warm fuzzy feeling. This is not liking people who wrong us or pretend actions acceptable. Love Jesus is speaking if love seeks good of others even those who harm us. Love acts in kindness, reconciliation, bring the truth of Gospel to others.
"To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either."
Told to do something against sinful flesh and the world tells us. When offended or hurt want to protect ourselves. Jesus says no to vengeance. Rather do humility and self-sacrifice. Cheek struck and cloak taken symbols we might experience in fallen world. Instead retaliation, Jesus says respond with patience and grace. Jesus responded with Pontius Pilate ordered to crucified. Jesus not saying state of weakness but strength comes deep trust in God's justice. God says vengeance is mine. We free to love knowing vindication in His hands.
Gospel lesson: "Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back."
Honestly had for all of us. World values possessions and wealth. Jesus calls us to be generous to people who pay back and those that can't pay back. Love of God, in Christ, a giving love, love seeks to bless others with no return. Love transforms hearts, breaks barriers, opens to reconciliation.
Jesus remarkable teaching, "And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."
Would you die for others like Jesus did? None us would do this. "Golden Rule" - command from Jesus Christ. Christians should treat others like we want to be treated. Should no base on actions towards us but on how God treats us. God treats us well. Shows mercy, grace, unconditional love. He forgives us. We should forgive others. Received mercy when God send his Son to die on the cross for sins. Rose from grave to have eternal life and salvation on last day. We receive mercy, Christians should show mercy.
Challenges us: "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." Easy to love family but what about the one drives us nuts. Requires no sacrifice. Jesus telling us to love people who don't love us. Forgive who hurt us. Bless those curse us. Kind of love is love God has for world. Love we should have for society.
Jesus continues: "But love your enemies, and to good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."
Emphasis love your enemies. Why should I? Why do good to those who hate me? Jesus answer points to love of God, who is kind and ungrateful. Jesus talking about us being ungrateful and evil, yet still righteous and good. God does not show mercy because we deserve it. We deserve Hell and torment by Satan. God gave us Jesus for sins of world. Baptism we are redeemed. Made righteous and good, not our own merit, but grace and mercy of God. Love of God grants mercy. Called His Children.
Mercy of God: "Judge no, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven." Confession and Absolution forgiven all our sins. Should respond with forgiving ours as well. Christians receive mercy. Show mercy to others. Not judging or condemning but merciful. Does no mean allow people to sin and ruin bodies? Let people know if doing wrong against God Word. Galatians 6:1 - "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness." 1 Thessalonians 5:21 - "but test everything; hold fast what is good." It's not being judgmental to show others what they do wrong, it's being gentle. Help others trapped in sins to look to Scriptures for answers.
Jesus ends: "give and will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."
Judging people to hell is wrong. Be careful what we say can come back on us. Point people to the gospel. Love our enemies, forgive people, show mercy. God's mercy, grace, and blessings poured on us. Light in darkness, show love of Christ. Command to love others no in our sinful nature and we can't keep. Not be our strength. Jesus shows us love. Holy Spirit gives strength to live in strength. Christ poured love into our hearts to love our enemies.