Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Order of Worship

Download today's bulletin PDF for the entire order of worship and more. 

“Jesus on the Front Porch”

Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today’s Scripture readings present the Lutheran distinctive of Law and Gospel, using images that must not escape us. Beginning with the Old Testament and working our way into the gospel lesson, we witness a powerful depiction of our human condition, God’s displeasure with that spiritual disorder, but also his unfailing grace. 

Let us pray: Lord God, awaken us; give us an ear to hear like those who soak up knowledge. Give us determination to set our faces to follow you where you lead, to know your will and heed it. Help us, as your church, to stand together in reliance upon you alone. Speak to us, Lord, for we are listening. Amen. 

Isaiah begins by speaking of a servant who has been given the ability to sustain the weary. This is not merely about comforting words but about understanding human suffering and struggle. This servant’s experience is filled with agony and rejection. His back is bared to those who strike, his cheeks to those who pull out the beard, but he doesn’t hide his face from disgrace and spitting. 

This portrayal of suffering serves as a mirror to our own experiences of hardship and pain. The law, as we understand it, reveals our failings and our inability to meet God's perfect standards. When we recited the Ten Commandments this morning, they showed us the gravity of our sin, the consequences of our disobedience, and our need for redemption. Isaiah’s servant’s suffering underlines the depth of our own need — our struggles and the burdens of our own failures before God’s holy requirements.

The psalmist begins by recounting the desperate situation he found himself in: “The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish” (v3). This unsettling description reminds us of the law’s role in our lives. The law, in its essence, shows us our sin and exposes our inability to save ourselves. It is like a divine mirror reflecting our deepest flaws and failures. It shows us, not only how sin ruins us but, the condition that we are in, that we cannot escape, or as we confess in the liturgy, the condition to which we are bound. 

The psalmist’s distress is a wakeup call and a stark confrontation with our very human condition. Facing trials that reveal our own limitations and failures, we are compelled to admit that we are ensnared by sin and death. For the law is not just a set of rules but a powerful force that drives us to recognize our desperate need for something more — something we cannot provide on our own. The Apostle Paul states the obvious question in Romans 7:24: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

In today’s epistle, we encounter a powerful and sobering message about the words we speak. James, the brother of our Lord, writes in today’s New Testament reading about the immense power of the tongue. Let us listen carefully, for the words of James are not merely a moral lesson but a profound reflection on our need for both law and gospel.

James opens with a stern warning: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (v1). His admonishment underscores the gravity of our words, and the power of the tongue for good, yet also for great evil. How many people have been touched by the membership drive of our mouthes — driven right out the front doors of the church, never to return again? 

James describes the tongue as a small organ of the body but one that boasts great things. “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” (v5). The power of the tongue to set the course of our lives and the lives of others on fire is a stark reminder of how our words can either build up or destroy. God’s law demands that we use our words in a way that both honors God and serves our neighbor.

Consider how easily words can slip from our lips, revealing our hidden anger, frustration, or disdain. How often do we use our words to hurt, to gossip, or to deceive? Our language is a mirror reflecting either our sinful nature or the new person in Christ. Have you looked in the mirror lately? If you are honest and a fairly normal Christian, you will notice with James that, “With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (v9). 

Sometimes, it almost seems that we are possessed of an unclean spirit like the boy in today’s gospel reading. Our revulsion to such a suggestion may be proof enough of our condition. The story revolves around a desperate father whose son is possessed by an unclean spirit, and despite the disciples’ best efforts, they are unable to cast out the demon. The father turns to Jesus, exclaiming, “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” To this, Jesus responds, “If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.” 
 

All things are indeed possible for one who believes. All things are possible for one who believes on Christ for all things. 

In the struggle against supernatural powers and authorities, against cosmic influences over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12), the psalmist turns to God — as should we. He cries out, “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” (v4). When we realize our poverty of spirit, that of our own devices we cannot win the battle for our souls, the gospel comes into play. The message of God’s grace and mercy breaking into our lives with the promise of salvation is a tangible reality experienced by the psalmist. He acknowledges, “Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful” (v5). Here, we see the gospel’s promise fulfilled. It’s not just about the abstract idea of forgiveness, but about the real, lived experience of deliverance and grace. The psalmist recognizes that it is God’s grace that has preserved him and brought him back from the brink of despair. 

In our own lives too, the gospel assures us that despite our shortcomings, God’s grace is sufficient. It is through Jesus Christ that we find deliverance from the law’s condemnation. Just as the Psalmist was saved from his distress, we are saved from our sins and the eternal consequences of our failure through Christ’s sacrificial love. With the psalmist we may confidently assert, “I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living” (v9). 

This is not just an acknowledgment of God's past deliverance but a commitment to live in the light of that deliverance. This living in the light happens when the law drives us to recognize our need of God’s merciful grace, and the gospel meets that need with the assurance of his forgiveness and love. When we confess our sins and our need of his grace, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). That is the faithful God’s response, but our response to him should be to live in gratitude and faith, walking in the ways of the Lord as a reflection of the grace we have received. It is not a response of obligation but of heartfelt gratitude. We live in the light, walking in faith, not to earn God’s favor but precisely because we have already been granted it.

This merciful grace of God shows his righteousness, that he is just and the justifier of those who have faith” in his Son (Romans 3:26). Jesus, the Word made flesh, lived among us, speaking words of forgiveness, grace, and truth. His words brought healing to the sick, comfort to the brokenhearted, and salvation to the lost — just as they have for us. The central message of the gospel is that, despite our sins and failings, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross covers all our sins, including the sins of our tongues and our desperate determination to fix matters ourselves.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:29 to “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Just try to do that on your own! But the Holy Spirit is at work in us, enabling us and changing us from the inside out, renewing our hearts and minds so that our words might reflect the grace which we ourselves have received from him.

In other words, the gospel frees us from the burden of our failures, empowering us to speak and live in ways that build up rather than tear down. As forgiven people, we are called to use our words to reflect the love and grace of our Savior. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are equipped to use our tongues for good.

Some days we do better than others. That is when we must continue to cry out to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Left to ourselves, to our own abilities and piety, we would drive ourselves also right out the front doors of the church. 

May Jesus meet you on the front porch. May he step in with his gospel at such times of distress and despair, sustaining you with the good news of God’s grace and salvation. This happens every time you take Christ Jesus at his word because the gospel is what God does for us, what he gives us freely, despite our inability to meet his demands, to keep his law. 

“All things are possible for one who believes.” In Mark 9, Jesus did not turn away the father’s weak faith but instead demonstrated is divine power by healing the boy. Jesus will not turn you away either. Believe in Jesus and he will not leave you in your despair but will come to you, lifting you up in his strength and mercy.

Remember too, that in your weakness and doubt, God provides even the faith to believe. He increases the faith we lack and the power we need to believe. We come to church, we read the Scriptures, and we pray — often struggling with our own doubts and shortcomings. Yet, it is in these moments that Jesus speaks to us, offering his grace and reminding us of his power. He calls us to trust in him and assures us that he is working in our lives more powerfully than we can imagine, even when we cannot see it or feel it.

Every day, we live in this tension between the Law and the Gospel. The law shows us our need and our failure, while the gospel reveals that Christ Jesus is the solution and the grace that covers all of our inadequacies. The Christian life constantly moves between recognizing our sin and receiving God’s forgiveness through his all-sufficient grace. 

May you find comfort and strength in God’s promises, knowing that with him, all things are indeed possible. Let us embrace both the law that reveals our need and the gospel that provides our salvation. In this way, we are empowered to live in the fullness of faith, trusting in the One who moves mountains and heals hearts.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.