The sermon for Sunday, July 12, 2026 was based on Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, Jesus' Parable of the Sower and His explanation of it. The four categories of hearers discussed in the sermon are the Indifferent, the Shallow, the Cluttered, and the Fruitful.

The sermon for Sun, July 5, 2026 was based on Matthew 11:25-30 and is provided in written form:

Grace, Mercy & Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Like the National Day of Thanksgiving,  the holiday we’re celebrating this weekend gives us occasion to thank the Lord for the gift of our homeland, these United States of America, and to pray for the good of this land and for all who dwell in it, both now and for times to come.

We give thanks especially for the freedoms which have been protected in this country. God alone grants us the blessings of Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness, and so much more, and we give Him the glory for how these rights have been secured among us in ways that most people throughout history could not have even imagined.

Independence from England was asserted by the Declaration of Independence in 1776, but it was not until a few years after the Revolutionary War when liberty was secured in a more lasting way. That came with the US Constitution in 1787, followed by the Bill of Rights.

The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights stated that Congress shall not prohibit citizens from living out their faith and neither shall it establish a particular religion. This means that we have not had to belong to some sort of state-sanctioned church as has long been the case in Europe. Instead, the US government declared that it would recognize everyone’s religious freedom.

Far too often, we take this for granted! Most people around the world have never enjoyed freedom like this! We thank the Lord that we are blessed with the freedom just to do things like owning our own Bibles, choosing a church that aligns with our confession of faith, raising our families in the Christian faith, standing for our biblical beliefs about right and wrong, and much more.

We also know that these freedoms are not guaranteed in this sinful world. If allowed, freedom can slip away. But, if recognized for the gift that they are, we certainly hope that Americans will continue to champion these freedoms for generations to come. This is yet another reason for us to pray for our country and its leadership and for us to exercise responsible citizenship!

However, as we remember America’s 250th anniversary, our Lord through His Word calls us to look even higher than such important things like the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, or the Stars and Stripes of our nation’s flag, or our fireworks displays, and our other national celebrations.

Looking back at these last two Sundays, we’ve been reflecting on the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods,” which means, “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”

Our Gospel reading this Sunday falls at such a fitting time. Jesus reveals His loving heart toward us and His Father’s gracious will. And He clearly invites us to trust Him as He says, “Come to Me.”

In this world in which there are so many clamoring voices all around us – politicians, online “influencers,” so-called “spiritual” guides, media personalities, and even well-meaning friends or family offering up their advice – our Lord Jesus simply says, “Come to Me.”

Here is the Answer that everyone in our land and in every land needs. Jesus invites every human soul to find a freedom in Him that is far greater than any other form of freedom we may experience on a personal or even a national level. He says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

When Jesus says that we are to come to Him, He is inviting any and all people to trust Him for forgiveness, life, and salvation. Through Christ alone, God provides such great blessings, both for this life and for the life in the world to come.

Maybe you’ve seen or even participated in something called a “trust fall.” In a trust fall, you stand up straight, lean back on your heels, and fall over backward, trusting that someone standing behind you is going to break your fall and stand you back up.

When Jesus says, “Come to Me,” you could say He’s inviting us to “fall back upon Him.” So, come to Him, fallen sinner that you are, and trust Him completely for your life and salvation. You are in His nail-scarred hands. He will raise you up, and He will carry you forever, like the Good Shepherd that He is.

Who are those, then, “who labor and are heavy laden”? Jesus was originally speaking to first century Jews. They were heavy laden with legalism, with man-made rules heaped on top of God’s Law, that became a crushing burden to live under every day. The Jews had the scribes and the Pharisees going around “policing” their Sabbath-keeping, their tithes, their ritual cleanliness, their kosher diets, and so many other details of their lives.

When Jesus said, “Come to Me,” He was inviting people to be set free from the false religion of human labor as self-righteousness and to trust Him to work on our behalf. St. Paul says it so clearly in Galatians 3:11, “No one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

The heavy laden can also include those who are burdened with trying to keep up appearances. In their hearts they know their own hypocrisy, but outwardly they try their hardest to put on a good show for whoever’s looking. But Jesus invites real sinners with real guilt and real burdens to come to Him, because He really can forgive them, just as He forgives you and me all our sins.

Guilt is certainly something that weighs us down and leaves us feeling heavy laden. Even when we do our very best to resist the devil, and the allure of this fallen world, and the desires of our own sinful flesh, we continue to sin by both our thoughts, words, and deeds, by the wrongs we commit and the right things we fail to do. That’s why we are so thankful to God that it’s to guilty sinners like us Jesus calls out, “Come to Me. Rest in My forgiveness. Rest in My grace.”

Some of you may feel heavy laden in other ways. Maybe you’re dealing with all the stress or sickness in your life, and then on top of that, you’re troubled by all the divisiveness and other worrisome issues our country is facing, even in this time of national celebration. If that describes you, then hear Jesus again calling to you and promising you, “I will give you rest.”

Resting in Jesus means resting in what He has accomplished for you. He lived a completely righteous life in your place. He suffered all the punishment for your sin upon the cross. He rose from the dead to give you a new life now and resurrection life forever. He’s united you with His saving life and death in Holy Baptism. He holds your life in His hands, and He will carry you safely home to the Father’s house forever! Resting in Jesus is true freedom. 

He then goes on to use an illustration that sounds strange to modern ears. He says in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

Unless you go somewhere that still uses traditional farming practices, where a pair of oxen are yoked together to pull a plough or a wagon, you’re not likely to see literal yokes anymore. 

In Jesus’ time, the Jewish teachers would speak about the Law as a yoke. The Jews not only shouldered the yoke of God’s Law which He revealed in the Old Testament but also the many additional laws which the scribes and Pharisees inflicted on the people. It was a very heavy burden. It could lead some toward pride at having supposedly kept the Law, but it could also lead others to despair over their failure to live up to it.

But when Jesus speaks about His “yoke,” He isn’t talking about the Law. Instead, this is a picture of the Gospel! If you are yoked to Jesus, it means He’s walking side-by-side with you. His yoke is easy and His burden is light because He’s shouldering everything for you! He takes away your sin. He frees you from both guilt and shame. He carries your sorrows and your griefs. He pours out His Holy Spirit upon you, to not only lead you in faith, but to empower you to produce the fruits of this new life.

When you are yoked to Christ, by Baptism and by belief in Him, you are truly free!

St. Paul adds in Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” In other words, don’t listen anymore to the voice of legalism. Don’t take on the “yoke” that claims that you can work your way toward salvation. Don’t crumble again beneath the load of guilt over the sins you’ve committed, or the shame of the sins committed against you. In Christ, you are free and forgiven and graciously favored by the Father.

Jesus Himself spoke about freedom as He said to the Jews in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” In Christ, the Son of God, you are “free indeed” because you are free forever! You are free to stand in the presence of God Himself, clothed in Jesus’ blood and righteousness. 

You are set free from certain things, like the burdens of your sin and guilt, but you are also set free forcertain things. The Son has set you free, that as the Catechism says, “you may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”

This is freedom with a purpose. Christ has not set you free just to do as you please. St. Peter addresses this in 1 Peter 2:16, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil, but living as servants of God.” You are free, that you may abide in God’s Word. You are free, that you may thank and praise, serve and obey the Lord. You are free, that you may live a faithful life in Christ, not only pursuing your own happiness, but what is good and right and true in the sight of God the Father.

Not only is this something that the Christian Apostles understood in their time but also America’s Founding Fathers. The freedom they were envisioning 250 years ago was not a “free for all.” It was a freedom intended to be exercised by Godfearing and responsible citizens.

The phrase, “In God We Trust” was first printed on US currency in 1864 and then became the official motto of the United States in 1956. It’s a good motto, of course, but mottos can easily become empty words or clichés. The question is, are we living it out?

Psalm 56:10-11 says, “In God whose Word I praise, in the Lord, whose Word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  What an expression of wholehearted trust in the Lord! It’s much like Luther’s explanation of the First Commandment, that “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”

In God we trust, whose Word we praise, whose promises we treasure, and whose Son we worship. Christian freedom, then, comes not from independence but from dependence. We depend upon Jesus to shoulder our burdens, to free us from our sins by His blood, and to walk with us always, even to the end of the age.

By all means, thank the Lord and celebrate the temporal freedoms which have been handed down to us here in the United States. But let us not miss Jesus’ invitation, “Come to Me, and find lasting rest, and freedom in the cross, and living hope through the empty tomb.”

In Jesus’ name,  Amen.

The sermon for Sun, June 28, 2026 was based on Matthew 10:34-42 and focuses on Jesus' challenging words about loving Him more than family members and other loved ones.