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+ + + In Nomine Jesu + + +
Pastor Galler is on vacation, but, before he left, for our reflection this morning on today’s First Reading, Pastor Galler edited a sermon by The Rev. Kurt R. Ziemann, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Painesville, Ohio. Rev. Ziemann’s sermon was published in the current volume of Concordia Pulpit Resources (29:2, pp.39-41), to which publication Pilgrim subscribes primarily in order to supply sermons on occasions such as this, when our pastor is away and the congregation has not otherwise supplied the pulpit. The edited sermon reads as follows:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!)
You just do not do it! No way. You do not willingly allow a stray dog to crash your wedding. I mean, that dog would be dirty. Who knows where it came from? It may even be vicious and bite. No, I have never heard of a couple listing a stray dog on their wedding invitation list. Yet in October 20‑17, a stray dog did crash a wedding. A couple named Matheus and Marilia were getting married in Brazil. They had planned an outdoor ceremony, but a storm forced them under the shelter of a tent. Unfortunately for the guests, the storm brought a dog. Oh, they tried to shoo him away, but the dog was persistent. Each time he came right back. The last time that pup did the unthinkable. He plopped right down on the bride’s long veil as she was speaking her vow, and he went to sleep. And you know what? Surprisingly, the bride left him there. That dog was not the only “dog” that crashed a wedding. With that idea in mind, let us this morning consider today’s First Reading using the theme: “Salvation Extends to All People, Even Gentiles.”
So, who were the dogs? As far as the Jews of the day were concerned, the Gentiles were dogs. The Jews had other names for them, including the heathen, loathsome, abominations, and outsiders. You get the picture. There was not much love between these two peoples, which is why the word concerning Gentile Christians—the word that Peter had seen a vision, had gone to the home of the Roman centurion Cornelius, had preached Christ, and they, too, had believed the Word of God—was so shocking. Peter’s experience meant the Gentiles also could be part of the wedding of Jesus and his Bride, the Church!
The Gentiles’ inclusion in the Church shouldn’t have been so surprising, though. Remember what God said to Abram: “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:5). Already then all non-Jews were intended to be spiritual children of Abraham, just as they all had originally descended from Noah and Adam before him! Then there was the parable that Jesus taught about a wedding feast to which those invited (the Jews) would not come. What did the king do? Jesus explained:
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests” (Matthew 22:8-10).
The wedding was filled, even with Gentiles! Those stray, unclean dogs!
That is what the Jewish Christians might have been thinking. No wonder Peter was criticized: “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them”. We might imagine some of the Jewish Christians saying, “You ate with them, Peter. Do you not know that you do not do that? Do you not know that you might become like them? Do you not know that they are Gentiles, and we are Jews?” But, God did include them. The Gentiles were on the guest list. There was room in heaven for them! Peter had to do some explaining. First, he told them about his vision. Then he gave evidence of the word of Jesus, and you know what? They were convinced. They allowed for the dogs, as it were.
The First Reading explains: “They glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life’ ”. God’s granting repentance to Gentiles was news of epic proportions; it shook up the world back then and should shake up yours and mine. The Bible says this:
“You are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).
And the Bible says this:
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ ” (Romans 10:12-13).
Christ died for all! The sins of the whole world were nailed to the cross! There it is again—there is no distinction, no “us” and “them,” no exclusive club. Where the person is from, what they like or do not like, or who they are related to or are not related to—none of that matters. As far as God is concerned, salvation is open to all.
Salvation’s being open to all means we have to accept some things we might not otherwise like to accept. Dare I say the words? There could be Aggie and Longhorn fans in heaven. There could be oilfield roughnecks from Kilgore, middle-managers from Longview, and upper-managers from Tyler. When people repent and believe, the Gospel crosses every other kind of division among people. That is good to remember, especially when new folks walk into Pilgrim. Oh, they might not be dressed like us or related to us. They might not talk like us. They might even sit in our pew, and we might be tempted to tell them so. In some sense, there are lots of “Gentiles” around us. They are our neighbors, co-workers, and classmates. They might be those who attend a different church or maybe do not attend church at all. They are those you could never imagine within ten feet of heaven. What would God have us do with them? It is easy, really: God would have us love them. That’s it. Love them because they, too, could be fellow believers in Christ. And, if they are not believers in Christ? Love them anyway. They just might repent and come to believe.
I am not saying that we have to embrace what such “Gentiles” believe. We do not have to hold hands and sing “Kumbaya.” No, nothing like that. However, we can treat them like we would like to be treated. After all, does not the Bible make a promise about them too? It sure does! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The world includes us ethnic Gentiles by birth and religious Gentiles by nature. When we and anyone else repent and believe, then, for the sake of His crucified and resurrected Son Jesus Christ, God forgives us our sinful nature and all our sin.
And that leads us back to the wedding crasher I mentioned at the start. So how did the story of the dog at the Brazilian couple’s wedding end? As the story goes, the dog came and went. The reception went on as planned. The couple was a little sad to see the dog disappear. But days later, they found him, cleaned him up, adopted him, and named him Snoop. Who would have thought? Then again, who would have thought the Lord would find us, clean us up in Holy Baptism, and at the Baptismal Font adopt us into His family? Who would have thought that the Lord would give us a place at His table and feed us on Christ’s Body and Blood? Who would have thought He would have in His heart such love for us strays? Who would have thought? But He did, did He not? And you know what? There is plenty of room for more.
Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!)
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
+ + + Soli Deo Gloria + + +