SERMON FOR PENTECOST 3, JUNE 9, 2013
Vicar Kyle Backhaus

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, there are a number of amazing things in today's Gospel. The funeral was leaving the gates of the city of Nain, at the same time as Jesus was arriving with His disciples. He stopped the procession and touched the casket with His hand. This was out of the ordinary in this culture. Jesus' power to command the body to rise was amazing. The reaction of the crowd and the witnesses was amazing. But another significant thing is that Luke was inspired to write that Jesus felt Compassion.

I don't mean that compassion was unusual for Jesus. It wasn't.  The compassion of Jesus moved Him to do many great things. “Another time when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick. (Mt 14:14)”  It was compassion, that led Him to design this world in such a way that our modern medicine could discover and develop all of the great cures and treatments that we utilize today, which have saved so many from horrible diseases and afflictions.

The feeding of the five thousand was also motivated by compassion. Jesus said ‘I feel compassion for the multitude, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not wish to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.(Mt. 15:32)’” And So Jesus fed a great multitude with little more than a sack lunch. It is that same compassion which has blessed and guided the agricultural efforts of our modern farmers, causing a variety and overabundance of food for our enjoyment.

Compassion is defined as “Sorrow for the sufferings or trouble of another or others, accompanied by an urge to help; deep sympathy, pity.” Jesus looked on the woman of Nain with compassion. He was moved and felt great sorrow for her, as she has lost her husband and now her only son. He was moved by compassion to confront death and reclaim the boy from its grip, to give this widow back her son.

SERMON FOR THE HOLY TRINITY, May 26, 2013
Vicar Kyle Backhaus

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It may appear at first from our Gospel text that the Jews, whom Jesus encountered, were nothing but a bunch of over zealous bullies, calling Jesus names. First they call Him a Samaritan. This was the worst curse that they could heave in Jesus’ direction. This slur meant that Jesus was a religious half-breed at best, that His religious teachings and words could not and would not carry any authority in their presence. The Samaritan’s were a people who had inherited their Jewish heritage through marriage. Their practice of Judaism was an abomination in the sight of true Jews.  Then they said “He has a demon!”  His words were so heretical that they assumed that He must be possessed.  His own words justified the Jews labels in their minds and they dismissed all that Jesus had said.  

By this exchange the words of Jesus were fulfilled.  This defamation is preceded by some strong words from Jesus.  Just prior to our text Jesus said to the Jews, “Why do you not understand what I say?  It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.  You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.”  

The matter at hand was much more then just name calling and accusations. Jesus denies their charge and gets right to the heart of the matter. Jesus was glorifying His Heavenly Father, but they chose to dishonor Him. When faith is denied and human reason is left to its own desires, the only conclusion that can be made is similar to the conclusion of the Jews, Jesus is a madman. By denying Jesus’ words, the Jews were dishonoring the Father. Jesus was not making claims or saying things to bring Himself glory but He was seeking to glorify His Father in heaven.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity. It is often considered the one day of the year entirely devoted to a doctrine.  In the minds of some this may sound un-biblical. Or like the church has decided to take a day off from the Bible to observe a doctrine, a man made creed which manipulates the nature and essence of God into what we want. But nothing could be further from the truth. Things do not exist because we say so. In fact quite the opposite is true. More often than not, we coin terms in and around things that we know and understand.