October 11, 2024
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (Matthew 11:25-26)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What a strange statement… “I thank you that You’ve kept things hidden.” Isn’t the ‘job’ of the Christian church and of Jesus’ ministry to reveal all the good stuff that Jesus does and accomplishes for us? Don’t we as Christians want to know that the church we’re a part of is ‘making a difference’ in the world around us?
What are the things that the Father has kept hidden? From whom has He kept them hidden? He’s kept hidden the reality that Jesus is the Messiah, come to save people from their sins… and He’s kept it hidden from the Galileans (specifically) who refuse to repent of their sins and hear that Jesus is the One who’s come to forgive them. It’s a case of the Father giving the ‘wise and understanding’ over to their own devices and their own sin. It’s not as if Jesus has hidden anything from the Galileans; John the Baptist had also proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ… it’s just that the Galileans had thoughts of their own… ways that they said and thought things should go.
But to the little children… that is, to the desperate, despairing, and penitent sinner who had seen their great lack, their great need of forgiveness– it’s to these that Jesus gave forgiveness.
We’ve been taught much about what being a Christian ought to look like, and unfortunately, it usually revolves around what we do to clean our acts up, do all the right things, and be seen as the shining light and example to those around us… but here in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells another story; it is to the penitent sinner… the one crushed by the law, the one who is sorrowful over their sin, the one who wonders just how they can be redeemed and saved… it’s to these little ones, these little children (babies, teenagers, moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas) who are little children not because of age… but because we are completely and fully dependent on Jesus, who forgives their sin and bestows life now and unto eternity. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, for my many sins I justly deserve eternal condemnation. In Your mercy, You sent Your dear Son, my Lord Jesus Christ, Who won for me forgiveness of sins and everlasting salvation. Grant me a true confession that, dead to sin, I may be raised up by Your life-giving Absolution. Grant me Your Holy Spirit that I may ever be watchful and live a true and godly life in Your service; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen
-Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.
In
Embracing Your Lutheran Identity, Author Gene Edward Veith Jr. will guide readers through that heritage, starting with the Early Church and moving through the Reformation to Lutheranism today. Readers will learn about key people in the history of Lutheranism, from two teenagers who were the first martyrs of the Reformation, through the Saxon immigrants who left everything behind so they could practice Lutheranism freely, to the Lutherans who have stood strong for the faith in our own day.