1. Please pray with me. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer. Amen. The message from God’s Word on this 12th Sunday after Pentecost is taken from Isaiah 56:1, 6-8, it’s entitled, “No Favorites,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. In the summer of 2009, news around the state of Minnesota was focused on one thing: an enemy of the state was considering a move that would bring him into what had been for him in the past a very hostile situation. That enemy was Brett Favre, former quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. The man who had led the Minnesota Vikings’ greatest rival was poised to sign on to play for the Vikings. It seemed impossible, almost sacrilegious, that he could exchange his green and gold for the purple and white. Many Minnesotans were upset, threatening to give up their season tickets and burn their Vikings memorabilia in their front yards. He was a stranger from their greatest rival. How could they trust him? How could they welcome him?
3. In more serious matters, we may have trouble welcoming strangers—welcoming strangers into God’s kingdom. But in our text today, God equips us to do just that by reminding us that, Our God Is a God for All People, He Does Not Play Favorites.
4. Strangers were not welcome in Isaiah’s day either, especially in the temple and the festival gatherings. The people of Judah and Jerusalem took pride in being God’s chosen people. They were descendants of their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They were heirs to the land God had promised Abraham, the land Joshua conquered and David secured. They took a specific exclusion against welcoming Moabites and Ammonites at festivals and seem to have expanded it to ban everyone else. The only way for a foreigner to be welcomed was to become an Israelite first, through circumcision and obedience to the ceremonial law.
5. While we may not be willing to admit it, strangers often may not feel welcome in our congregations. No one wants our church to be unfriendly, and most people would probably say we are a very friendly congregation. After all, people stick around to visit with one another long after the service is over. This is true; we are very welcoming to our friends in the church, especially when we have so much in common.
6. But what about those who are not like us, who are on the outside looking in? How would they view our church? So often we are seen as being an exclusive club, not because of something we do or say, but because of what we don’t do and don’t say. Do we make every effort to welcome visitors, to speak to the “foreigners” in our church? Or do they see us being friendly to our friends, leaving them feeling ignored and rejected, not just by our church, but, so it appears, by God?
7.
Our Old Testament Reading for
today from Isaiah 56 clearly shows that our God is God for all people. The
foreigners did not simply wander in; the Lord brought them into his temple. In
Isaiah 56:7 the Lord God says, “these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their
sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.” The temple was more than a building; it was the place
where the Lord poured out his grace and forgiveness to his chosen people
through their sacrifices and offerings. This forgiveness and grace would not be
limited to a few, but would be opened up to all people, even those formerly not
part of his chosen people.
8. The response of the “foreigners” would be very noticeable. They would respond by faith, trusting in the Lord’s promises to them, and “join themselves to the Lord.” Isaiah 56:6 says, “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant.” They would respond by faith, obeying the Lord’s command and being his servants. The Lord would be a God for all people. Fast-forward about 700 years—and 2,700 years—and we see this prophecy being fulfilled.
9. In our Gospel lesson from Matthew 15, Jesus grants the request of a “foreigner,” a Canaanite woman who trusted in him. In John’s Gospel, we read about Jesus saying that whoever believes in the Son would not perish (Jn 3:16), but have eternal life. Not just those from his chosen people, but “whoever.” Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus states that he has other sheep who are not of this fold (Jn 10:16). There were others who were outside of being recognized as his people, those he would yet bring to himself.
10. Through Jesus, the Lord is Lord for all people. God brings us to his house to receive the forgiveness won for us by Christ on the cross. God gives us joy in knowing that Jesus has done it all, and we are his forgiven sons and daughters. God brings others into his house to receive the same forgiveness and grace won by Christ on the cross; it’s not just for us to be his new chosen people, but for all he calls.
11. It is God working through his Word and his people to bring people to his house, and he calls us to welcome them! He uses each of us to be his instrument to invite and encourage those around us who are not part of his new chosen people, the Church, to join us in learning about our Savior. He exhorts us to remember that we were once on the outside looking in—until he claimed us as his own, creating that trust in his promises that we have. He encourages us to be welcoming of others as they hear more about Jesus as well.
12. For those in Minnesota and elsewhere who call themselves Vikings fans, the 2009 season ended much better than they expected, due in large part to the “stranger” they brought in to lead the team. They finished with a 12-4 record and fell just short in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champions. Brett Favre, the one-time stranger, quickly became a fan favorite of the purple and white.
13. Likewise, through Jesus, God did the unexpected in our lives. He rescued us, strangers because of our sins, from eternal death caused by those very sins. He made us his own. Our God is not a God for those who think they are good enough or are trying hard. Our God is a God who loves even the worst sinners in his Son, Jesus. Our God is a God for all people, He plays no favorites. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.
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