THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
June 28, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
... View MoreTHE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
June 28, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
Old Testament – Jeremiah 28:5-9
Psalm 119:153-160
Epistle – Romans 7:1-13.
Gospel – Matthew 10:34–42
Our Hymn for the Day is LSB 656, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igH38WLuyC0&list=RDigH38WLuyC0&start_radio=1
Sermon: ‘The Peace That Divides and the Cross That Saves’
Grace, mercy, and peace be with you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
When we hear Jesus say, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword," it can leave us unsettled.
After all, isn't Jesus the Prince of Peace?
Didn't the angels announce His birth by singing, "Peace on earth"?
Doesn't our Lord repeatedly greet His disciples after the resurrection with the words, "Peace be with you"?
How then can the same Jesus now speak of bringing not peace, but a sword?
The answer lies in understanding the kind of peace Jesus came to bring.
The peace Christ gives is not the false peace of avoiding conflict.
It’s not peace purchased by compromise.
Nor the peace that comes from mere human consensus.
Rather, it’s peace with God through the forgiveness of sins.
And that peace often creates division in a world that rejects Christ.
Jesus warns His disciples that loyalty to Him will not always be welcomed.
Sometimes that opposition comes from governments.
Sometimes it comes from secular society.
Painfully, it even comes from one's own family.
The Lord is not encouraging division for its own sake.
Rather, He is preparing His people for the reality that the truth of God's Word exposes unbelief, and unbelief often responds with hostility.
The prophet Jeremiah experienced exactly that.
In today's Old Testament reading, the false prophet Hananiah promised the people exactly what they wanted to hear.
He declared that everything would soon be peaceful.
The exile would end quickly.
The Babylonian threat would disappear.
It all sounded hopeful, comforting.
But it was not God's Word.
Jeremiah, on the other hand, proclaimed the message God had actually given him.
It was a message of repentance.
A message of judgment before restoration.
Jeremiah even said, "Amen! May the Lord do so."
He would have loved for Hananiah's words to be true.
But wishing something to be true does not make it so.
The true prophet is known because he faithfully speaks the Word God has given him.
That remains true today.
The temptation is always present to soften God's Word.
There is constant pressure upon the Church to proclaim only what people find agreeable or ‘politically correct.’
Speak of God's love—but not His holiness.
Speak of grace—but not repentance.
Speak of acceptance—but not sin.
Yet Christ doesn’t authorize His Church to invent a more comfortable message.
He sends the Church to proclaim His Word faithfully, whether welcomed or rejected.
That is why Jesus speaks of carrying the cross.
"The one who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
The cross is not merely the ordinary hardships of life.
Everyone experiences suffering.
The cross Jesus describes is the suffering that comes because we belong to Him.
It is the ridicule of remaining faithful to God's Word.
It is the cost of confessing Christ when others would rather remain silent.
It is the loneliness that sometimes comes from refusing to compromise the truth.
It’s the burden borne by every disciple who follows the crucified Lord.
Yet Jesus also says something that seems equally puzzling.
"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Our sinful nature resists those words.
Everything within us seeks self-preservation.
We want to control our lives.
We want comfort, approval.
Many want success according to the world's standards.
But Christ calls us to something entirely different.
He calls us to die.
Not merely at the end of earthly life.
He calls us daily to die to ourselves.
That is exactly what Saint Paul describes in today's Epistle.
Paul explains that through our baptism into Christ, we have died to the Law's condemnation.
The Law is holy.
The Law is good.
The problem isn’t the Law, it is our sinful flesh.
The Law exposes our sin.
It reveals our rebellion and leaves us without excuse.
Like a bright light shining into a dark room, God's Commandments reveal everything we would rather hide.
That exposure is painful.
Yet it’s also necessary.
Only those who know they are sick seek the Great Physician.
Only those crushed by the Law long for the Gospel.
And there the wonderful good news appears.
Paul says that we have died with Christ so that we might belong to another—to Him who has been raised from the dead.
Our relationship with the condemning power of the Law has ended because Christ has fulfilled the Law for us.
He bore its curse and carried our guilt to the cross.
He suffered the judgment we deserved.
The sword of God's justice fell upon Him at Calvary.
Because it fell upon Him, it will never fall upon those who trust in Him.
Christian believers belong to Christ and bear fruit for God.
Now we live not to earn salvation, but because salvation has already been given as a gift.
That changes everything.
Even when faithfulness brings hardship, we know our standing before God does not depend upon human approval.
Even if family members reject us, Christ receives us.
Even if the world mocks us, heaven rejoices over us.
If we lose earthly comforts, we possess eternal riches that cannot be taken away.
The Psalm appointed for today beautifully captures the heart of every believer.
"Your promise gives me life."
Notice where the Psalmist finds hope.
Not in changing circumstances, nor in popular opinion.
Not in worldly success.
His confidence rests entirely in God's promises.
"All your commandments are true."
"The sum of your word is truth."
That is the confidence of Christ's Church in every generation.
Cultures change.
Governments rise and fall.
Public opinion shifts constantly.
But God's Word endures forever.
The same Gospel that saved the apostles still saves sinners today.
The same Christ who welcomed repentant tax collectors still receives repentant sinners gathered around His Word and Sacraments.
The same Lord who strengthened Jeremiah upholds His Church today.
The closing verses of today's Gospel may seem surprisingly simple after such difficult warnings.
Jesus speaks about receiving a prophet.
Receiving a righteous person.
Even giving a cup of cold water to one of His disciples.
These acts may appear small.
But Jesus says they matter.
Why?
Because they are acts done in faith toward those who belong to Christ.
Our Lord notices even the smallest acts of love flowing from faith.
No service offered in His name is forgotten.
Whether preaching the Gospel, supporting the Church's ministry, encouraging a fellow believer, or quietly serving a neighbour, Christ Himself receives these gifts as offered to Him.
That is remarkable.
The King of heaven counts even the smallest service done in faith as precious in His sight.
Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus never promised His followers an easy road.
He promised a cross.
He promised opposition.
He promised that faithfulness would sometimes bring painful divisions.
But He also promised something infinitely greater.
He promised Himself.
The One who carried His cross to Golgotha now walks with His people.
The Redeemer who died now lives forever.
The Saviour who calls us to lose our lives for His sake also promises that we shall truly find them.
So do not fear the sword of division when it comes because of Christ.
Fear instead the false peace that abandons His truth.
Cling to the Word that endures forever.
Receive with thanksgiving the forgiveness Christ freely gives.
Take up your cross.
Follow your Saviour.
For the One who calls you is faithful.
And the peace He gives—the peace purchased by His blood—is a peace that neither the world nor death itself can ever take away.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
June 21, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
-- A Confessional Lutheran Church
... View MoreTHE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
June 21, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
-- A Confessional Lutheran Church
Our Bible Study for this Sunday
Old Testament Reading & Commentary – Jeremiah 20:7–13
7 O Lord, you have deceived me,
and I was deceived;
you are stronger than I,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
everyone mocks me.
8 For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.
9 If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
10 For I hear many whispering.
Terror is on every side!
“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
say all my close friends,
watching for my fall.
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we can overcome him
and take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble;
they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.
12 O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous,
who sees the heart and the mind,[a]
let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you have I committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hand of evildoers.
Jeremiah’s lament in Chapter 20 reveals the inner cost of prophetic ministry.
The prophet speaks with raw honesty: he feels “enticed” and “overpowered” by the Lord, not because God deceives, but because the divine call has seized him so completely that he cannot escape it.
This is the burden of the true preacher of God’s Word—he does not choose the message; the message chooses him.
Jeremiah suffers mockery and reproach because he proclaims judgment upon Judah’s sin.
Yet whenever he tries to remain silent, the Word becomes like a “burning fire” in his bones.
This is a profound testimony to the nature of God’s Word: it is living, active, and cannot be suppressed.
From a Confessional Lutheran perspective, this text underscores the doctrine of the external Word—God works through His spoken and written Word, compelling faith and proclamation.
Jeremiah’s enemies seek his downfall, but he entrusts himself to the Lord, who “tests the righteous” and “sees the heart.”
The prophet’s lament turns to praise: “Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord!”
This movement from despair to confidence reflects the rhythm of the Christian life under the cross.
The believer suffers for righteousness’ sake, yet clings to God’s promises.
Jeremiah prefigures Christ, the faithful Suffering Servant.
His experience mirrors the Church’s calling today: to speak God’s truth boldly, endure opposition in ungodly times, and trust the Lord’s vindication.
Psalm 91:1–16
My Refuge and My Fortress
91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91 is a psalm of refuge, expressing deep confidence in God’s protection amid danger.
The psalmist describes the believer dwelling “in the shelter of the Most High” and resting “in the shadow of the Almighty.”
These titles—Most High, Almighty, Refuge, Fortress—proclaim God’s absolute sovereignty and fatherly care.
This psalm is not a promise of earthly ease, but of divine faithfulness.
The believer is not spared the terrors of night, pestilence, or battle; rather, he is preserved through them.
This aligns with the Lutheran theology of the cross: God’s protection is real, but it is often hidden beneath suffering.
Satan famously misused this psalm during Christ’s temptation, quoting verses 11–12.
Christ’s refusal to test the Father teaches us that God’s promises must be received in faith, not manipulated for self glory.
The psalm ultimately finds its fulfillment in Christ, who perfectly trusted the Father and whose victory over evil secures our safety.
The closing verses shift to God’s own voice: “Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him.”
These promises—deliverance, protection, answered prayer, salvation—are grounded not in human merit but in God’s steadfast love.
For Christians, Psalm 91 is a comfort in spiritual warfare, reminding us that our life is hidden with Christ in God.
Epistle Reading & Commentary – Romans 6:12–23
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,[a] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In Romans 6, Paul continues his teaching on the believer’s new identity in Christ.
Having been united with Christ in Baptism—buried with Him and raised with Him—the Christian is no longer under the dominion of sin.
Paul therefore exhorts: “Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies.” This is not moralistic advice but a call to live according to the new reality established by Baptism.
From a Confessional Lutheran standpoint, this passage beautifully expresses the daily significance of Baptism as taught in the Small Catechism: the Old Adam is to be drowned through contrition and repentance, and the New Man is to arise to live before God in righteousness.
Paul contrasts two slaveries: slavery to sin, which leads to death, and slavery to righteousness, which leads to sanctification and life.
Importantly, Paul does not suggest that Christians ever become sinless in this life. Rather, sin no longer rules.
The believer now belongs to Christ, and this new lordship produces the fruit of holiness through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 23—“the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”—summarizes the Gospel: sin earns death, but salvation is pure gift.
Paul grounds Christian ethics not in fear or coercion, but in Baptismal identity.
In Lutheran theology, "the new obedience" refers to the good works and righteous living that naturally flow from a person who has been justified by faith in Christ.
It means that while good works do not earn salvation, a true, saving faith cannot help but produce good fruits.
Gospel Reading & Commentary – Matthew 10:5a, 21–33
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,
21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
Have No Fear
26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
1. Setting the Stage
In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out the Twelve with instructions that prepare them for the reality of mission in a hostile world.
The verses appointed for this Sunday focus on the cost of discipleship, the inevitability of persecution, and the comfort of the Father’s care.
This text sets the theme for the day: the Church’s witness under the cross.
2. Persecution Within Families (vv. 21–22)
Jesus speaks with sobering clarity: “Brother will deliver brother over to death.”
The Gospel divides even the most intimate human relationships.
This is not because Christ desires division, but because the sinful world resists His lordship.
This, again, is the theology of the cross: the Gospel brings peace with God but conflict with the world.
The promise “the one who endures to the end will be saved” is not a call to heroic self effort. Endurance is the fruit of faith sustained by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament.
The Church endures not by strength but by grace.
3. Fleeing Persecution (v. 23)
Jesus instructs His disciples to flee from one town to another when persecuted. This shows that suffering for Christ does not require seeking martyrdom.
Christians are free to avoid danger when possible, yet they must not deny Christ to save themselves.
The mission continues despite opposition.
4. The Servant Is Not Above His Master (vv. 24–25)
Jesus prepares His disciples by reminding them that they share His fate.
If the world calls the Master “Beelzebul,” it will slander His followers.
This is a profound comfort: persecution is not a sign of God’s abandonment but of union with Christ.
The Lutheran Confessions emphasize that the Church is recognized not by earthly glory but by the marks of the cross.
5. Fearless Proclamation (vv. 26–27)
“Have no fear of them.” The command is grounded in eschatological certainty: what is hidden will be revealed.
The truth of Christ will triumph. The Church proclaims openly what Christ has taught, confident that the Gospel is God’s power for salvation.
This is the external Word again—public, audible, preached.
6. Fear God, Not Man (v. 28)
This verse is central: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”
Human threats are limited; God alone has ultimate authority.
Yet this fear is not terror for the believer, but reverent awe.
In Christ, the God who judges is also the God who saves.
The believer fears, loves, and trusts in God above all things.
7. The Father’s Care (vv. 29–31)
Jesus gives tender reassurance: the Father’s providence extends even to sparrows.
“You are of more value than many sparrows.”
This is not sentimental, but deeply theological.
The Father who numbers the hairs of our head is the same Father who gave His Son for our redemption.
Therefore, the Christian’s life is secure even amid suffering.
8. Confessing Christ (vv. 32–33)
The passage concludes with a call to confession.
To acknowledge Christ before men is to bear witness to His saving work.
To deny Him is to reject the only source of salvation.
Confession is both verbal and lived.
The Lutheran tradition emphasizes that faith is never silent; it speaks because it trusts.
9. Application for Today
This Gospel text is especially fitting for outreach ministry.
Jesus prepares His disciples for rejection, misunderstanding, and hostility—realities still faced by the Church.
Yet He also gives profound comfort: the Father’s care, the Spirit’s sustaining power, and the promise of salvation.
Christian witness is patient, not triumphalist. It is humble, courageous, and grounded in Christ’s cross.
The Church does not fear the world, because Christ has overcome the world.
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
June 14, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
-- A Confessional Lutheran Church
... View MoreTHE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
June 14, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
-- A Confessional Lutheran Church
Our Bible Readings –
Old Testament: Proverbs 9:1-10
Epistle: 1 John 3:13-18
The Holy Gospel: Luke 14:15-24
Our Hymn of the Day is: LSB 622, “Lord Jesus Christ, You Have Prepared”
Commentary (Proverbs 9:1–10)
The opening verses of Proverbs 9 present Lady Wisdom as a gracious hostess who prepares a feast and calls the simple to come and live.
This passage is not merely moral instruction, but a Christological invitation.
Christ Himself is the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), and the banquet Wisdom prepares anticipates the Gospel feast — the gracious call into life with God.
Wisdom’s house, built on “seven pillars,” evokes completeness and stability.
The Church Fathers often saw in this an image of the Church, founded on the fullness of God’s revelation.
The Church is indeed the place where Christ’s Wisdom is proclaimed and where His feast — Word and Sacrament — is given.
The invitation is strikingly evangelical: “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.”
This is not a demand for human achievement but a gift.
The simple are not told to make themselves wise; they are told to receive.
This aligns with the Lutheran confession that faith is created not by human effort, but by the external Word and the Spirit’s working through it.
The contrast between Wisdom and Folly (developed later in the chapter) underscores the two ways: life and death.
Yet the emphasis here is not on human choosing but on God’s gracious calling.
The fear of the Lord — the beginning of wisdom — is not terror but reverent trust born from the Gospel.
Thus, Proverbs 9:1–10 sets the stage for the Gospel reading: God prepares a feast, calls the unworthy, and gives life.
The refusal of Wisdom’s call in Proverbs parallels the refusal of the banquet invitation in Luke 14.
Both texts reveal the tragedy of unbelief and the generosity of God, who continues to call through His Word.
Commentary (1st John 3:13–18)
John’s exhortation to love one another is grounded in the reality that the world hates the children of God.
This hatred is not incidental; it arises because believers belong to Christ, whose light exposes the darkness in the world.
Confessional Lutheran theology recognizes this as the ongoing conflict between the old Adam and the new creation in Christ.
John contrasts Cain — the archetype of hatred — with Christ, who lays down His life for us.
The command to love is therefore not a new Law by which we justify ourselves, but the shape of the Christian life that flows from the Gospel.
“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
The Formula of Concord is clear: good works are necessary, not for salvation, but as evidence of the faith, the natural fruit of faith.
Verse 14 speaks of passing from death to life because we love the brothers (fellow Christians).
This is not a conditional statement, but an evidentiary one: love is the sign that faith is alive. Where love is absent, faith is dead.
John’s theology is sacramental and incarnational — love is not sentiment but action.
“Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” This echoes Luther’s insistence that faith is a living, busy thing.
The Epistle prepares the hearer for the Gospel reading: the refusal of the banquet is fundamentally a refusal of love — a rejection of the God who invites. A rejection of the Father’s only Son who saves.
The Church’s mission is shaped by Christ’s self-giving love.
As Christ laid down His life, so the Church and Christians lay down their lives in service, witness, and mercy.
Commentary (Luke 14:15–24)
The parable of the Great Banquet is one of Christ’s most vivid depictions in the Bible of the Kingdom of God. It reveals the generosity of God, the tragedy of unbelief, and the surprising wideness of God’s mercy.
From a Confessional Lutheran perspective, this parable is fundamentally about justification by grace (being made right with God through His work), the efficacy (effectiveness) of the Word, and the mission of the Church.
1. The Setting: A Misunderstood Blessing
The parable is prompted by a pious-sounding remark: “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” The speaker assumes that he and his fellow Pharisees are naturally included.
Jesus’ parable exposes the presumption of self-righteousness.
The Kingdom is not inherited by birth, status, or works. It is received only by faith in the gracious invitation of God.
2. The Banquet: God’s Gracious Initiative
The banquet symbolizes the fullness of salvation — forgiveness, life, and fellowship with God.
The host prepares everything; the guests contribute nothing.
This is pure Gospel.
The Augsburg Confession teaches that the Gospel is the promise of grace for Christ’s sake, freely given.
The banquet is ready because Christ has accomplished redemption, making complete payment for our sins on the cross.
The invitation goes out: “Come, for everything is now ready.”
This is the preaching of the Good News.
The Word does not announce a possibility, but a completed reality.
The feast is not in preparation; it is finished.
The Church’s proclamation is therefore not conditional, but declarative. God’s grace is a gift.
3. The Excuses: The Nature of Unbelief
The invited guests refuse the invitation with excuses that are polite, but deadly.
None of the excuses are, on their face, immoral; they are simply worldly priorities elevated above God.
This is the essence of unbelief: not always dramatic rebellion, but usually preferring other things to Christ.
Luther comments that unbelief is always “turning away from the Word to one’s own works, wisdom, or possessions.”
The excuses reveal hearts captive to the cares of life.
The tragedy is that the invitation is rejected, not because it is unclear, but because it is unwanted.
4. The Host’s Anger: The Seriousness of Grace
The host’s anger is not petty irritation, but divine judgment.
Grace rejected results in God’s wrath.
The Bible teaches that God earnestly desires that all be saved (1st Timothy 2:4), yet those who reject the Word do so because of their own stubborn refusal to accept the gift of grace.
The parable illustrates this: the invitation is sincere; the refusal is blameworthy.
5. The Second Invitation: The Mission to the Marginalized
The host sends his servant to the streets and lanes to bring in “the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.”
These are the very people Jesus has just told the Pharisees to invite to their feasts.
The Kingdom is for those who know their need, who, through God’s Law, have come to realize their sinfulness.
This is not social commentary, but theological truth: the spiritually poor receive the Gospel.
This reflects the Lutheran confession that God is the One who justifies the ungodly.
The banquet is filled not with the self-assured or indifferent, but with the broken.
6. The Third Invitation: The Gentile Mission
When there is still room at the banquet, the servant is sent to the highways and hedges — a picture of the larger world, the Gentiles.
The Gospel breaks beyond Israel to the nations.
The Church today continues this mission: compelling people to come in by the persuasive power of God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit.
7. The Servant: A Christological Figure
The servant who carries the invitation is a picture of Christ Himself, who is both the messenger and the feast.
Yet the servant also represents the Church, sent to proclaim the Gospel.
The Church’s mission is grounded in the host’s desire: “that my house may be filled.”
God desires all to be saved.
8. The Warning: Not All Will Taste the Banquet
The parable ends with a sobering word: those who refuse the invitation will not taste the feast. This is not predestination to damnation, but the consequence of unbelief.
The Lutheran Confessions insist that God’s grace is universal, and we deny any false teaching that God withholds grace from some. The exclusion is self-chosen.
9. Application for Today
This parable speaks powerfully:
• The Gospel is a feast, not a burden.
• The greatest danger is spiritual indifference.
• The Church’s mission is urgent because the feast is ready and this life is short.
• The invitation is for all — especially those who feel unworthy.
• Faith is simply receiving what God offers.
• The key message of the Lutheran Reformation of the Church is that we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in our Saviour Jesus Christ alone.
This parable also critiques the modern idols of busyness, possessions, and self-importance.
The excuses of the first guests are the excuses of our age.
Yet the host’s persistence reveals God’s relentless grace.
Martin Luther on the Gospel Text:
Luther wrote that the Gospel invitation is pure grace, and that unbelief is revealed when people “cling to their fields, oxen, and households.”
The Reformer explains: “They make excuses because they do not want the grace that is offered.”
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
June 7, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers... View MoreTHE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
June 7, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
OUR OPENING HYMN: 609 “Jesus Sinners Doth Receive” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RODV7z-UQhI&list=RDRODV7z-UQhI&start_radio=1
(From Lutheran Service Book)
The Invocation Page 184
Confession and Absolution Page 184-185
The Introit Psalm 50:7-10, antiphon: verse 1
The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting. “Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
The Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy) Page 186
The Salutation Page 189
Collect Prayer: Almighty and most merciful God, You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to seek and to save the lost. Graciously open our ears and our hearts to hear His call and to follow Him by faith that we may feast with Him forever in His kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Bible Readings:
Old Testament Reading Hosea 5:15 – 6:7 Psalm 119:65-72 (antiphon: v. 65) Epistle Reading Romans 4:13-25 Alleluia & Verse Page 190 Our Gospel Reading Matthew 9:9-13
THE NICENE CREED Page 191
HYMN OF THE DAY: 573 “Lord, ‘Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC_GPMZrZqk&list=RDXC_GPMZrZqk&start_radio=1
THE SERMON –
The Apostle Matthew writes of his own calling by Jesus.
It is simple and powerful.
"As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he rose and followed him."
What a brief account.
Only a few words are spoken.
Yet in those words we see the very heart of the Gospel, and the way Christ gathers sinners, gathers us, into His kingdom.
Matthew was not looking for Jesus.
He wasn’t seeking a new spiritual path.
He wasn’t searching for meaning or trying to improve himself.
He was sitting at his tax booth doing the work for which he was known, and, in many people's eyes, despised.
Tax collectors were regarded as traitors and collaborators with Rome.
They were notorious for dishonesty and greed.
Perhaps even worse, Matthew, also called Levi, was from the tribe of the Levites.
Male members of the tribe were to serve in the Jerusalem temple.
And here he is collecting taxes for Herod and Cesar.
Notice, though, how carefully the encounter unfolds with Jesus.
Matthew doesn’t volunteer.
He does not ‘decide’ to become a follower of Jesus.
Christ speaks.
"Follow me."
That’s all.
But that Word is not merely information.
It is not a suggestion.
It is the living and effective Word of God.
The same Lord who said, "Let there be light," now says to Matthew, "Follow me."
And Matthew does.
The call creates what it commands.
This is how God has always worked.
He comes to sinners through His Word and sacraments.
He calls us through these means of grace.
He creates faith and sustains it.
He grants repentance.
He gathers us into His kingdom.
The Gospel is not about our ‘making a decision’ for Christ.
It is about Christ's gracious decision and saving work for us.
This truth stands at the center of the Lutheran Confessions.
Based on the Bible, we confess that sinners are spiritually dead and incapable of saving themselves.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians, Chapter 2:
‘you were dead in your trespasses and sins . . . But God made us alive together with Christ — For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Faith itself is God's gift, worked through the means of grace.
Jesus taught the disciples, and us, when He said in John 15:16, “You didn’t choose me, I chose you.”
The Reformer Martin Luther wrote:
"Faith is God's work in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God.
“It kills the old Adam and makes us altogether different people in heart, spirit, mind and powers, and it brings with it the Holy Spirit.
“It is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith."
That is what happened to Matthew.
Christ spoke.
Faith was created.
Matthew arose and followed.
The same Lord still calls sinners today.
He calls us through His Word proclaimed and through the Gospel joined to water in Holy Baptism, where we also receive forgiveness of sins.
Whenever the Gospel is preached, Christ Himself is speaking.
He continues to call men, women, and children into His kingdom.
He sustains us in the faith and forgives us in the Lord’s Supper.
After calling Matthew, Jesus does something that scandalizes the Pharisees.
He sits down and eats with tax collectors and sinners.
To us, sharing a meal may seem ordinary.
In the ancient world, it was a sign of fellowship and acceptance.
The Pharisees see what’s happening and immediately object.
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
Their question reveals their misunderstanding of righteousness.
They divide humanity into two groups: those who have made themselves appear to be righteous and those who are sinners.
Naturally, they place themselves among the righteous.
But Jesus exposes the problem.
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick."
Jesus is not saying that the Pharisees are actually healthy.
Rather, they think they are healthy.
They do not recognize their disease.
They believe that they can justify themselves before God.
And there are false Christian theologies that promote the same error today.
But a doctor can only help those who know they’re ill.
Likewise, the Gospel is for those who recognize their sin and need for a Saviour.
Jesus does not eat with sinners because He approves of their sin.
He doesn’t join them in their rebellion against God.
He comes among them for the same reason a physician enters a hospital ward.
He comes to heal.
To save.
In the case of Jesus, to forgive sins.
His presence among sinners is not an endorsement of sin but an act of divine mercy.
This is important for the Church in every generation.
Today, some speak much about Jesus welcoming sinners, but little about repentance.
Yet Christ never separates the two.
He welcomes sinners to save them from their sins.
He calls people precisely because they are sinners.
He speaks His Word so that hearts may be turned from sin to faith.
That is why Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice."
The Lord spoke similar words through Hosea in our Old Testament reading.
The problem was not that Israel lacked religious activity.
They had sacrifices, ceremonies, and outward observances.
What they often lacked was genuine faith and repentance.
What they failed to see was that God’s mercy toward them in the coming Messiah was more important than ritual laws, many of which the Pharisees had made up themselves.
So, their devotion was shallow and fleeting.
The Lord says through Hosea, "Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away."
God desires hearts that trust in Him.
The Pharisees had plenty of man-made rules, but little repentance or faith.
The tax collectors and sinners sitting at the table with Jesus had something very important: they knew they were sinners.
And that brings us to ourselves.
Every one of us enters the Church in the same condition as Matthew.
As sinners.
Some sins are public and visible.
Others are hidden deep within the heart.
The failure to fulfill the Ten Commandments is common to us all.
Yet the greatest danger is not that we are sinners.
The greatest danger is that we can be tempted to think we are not.
Whenever we excuse or minimize our sins,
whenever we trust in our own ‘good works’ for salvation,
we are standing beside the Pharisees rather than sitting at the table with Jesus.
Christ says, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
Only those who acknowledge their sin can receive forgiveness.
Only those who hunger for mercy can be filled with mercy.
Only those who recognize their spiritual poverty can receive the riches of Christ.
St. Paul beautifully develops this theme in today's Epistle from Romans.
Paul points us to Abraham.
God’s promise was not given through the Law, but through faith.
Abraham was justified not because of his works, but because he trusted God's promise.
Paul writes that righteousness was counted to Abraham through faith.
Then Paul applies that same truth to us.
The words "it was counted to him" were written not for Abraham alone but for us also.
Righteousness will be counted to us who believe that Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins and was raised from the dead for our justification.
This is the Gospel.
We are not saved by our works, accomplishments, or decision.
We are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.
This is the key message of Holy Scripture from beginning to end.
This is the message recovered and proclaimed in the Lutheran Reformation.
This is the message that comforts troubled consciences and gives peace to sinners.
Christ came for Matthew.
He came for the sinners gathered around His table.
And Christ came for you.
He calls you through His Word.
He declares your sins forgiven through His Gospel.
He feeds you with His own body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.
And one day He will welcome all repentant believers to the eternal feast in His heavenly kingdom.
There, every impact of sin will be removed.
There, faith will become sight.
And the redeemed will sit forever with the Lord who called them by grace.
Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) Page 195 The Lord’s Prayer Page 196 The Words of Our Lord Page 197 Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) Pages 198 (Our Communion Hymn is 627 “Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Saviour”) Nunc Dimitis (Song of Simeon) Page 199 Post-Communion Collect (Left-hand column) Page 201
CLOSING HYMN: 923 “Almighty Father, Bless the Word”
HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY
May 31, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
OPENING HYMN: 507 “Holy, Holy, Holy” ... View MoreHOLY TRINITY SUNDAY
May 31, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
OPENING HYMN: 507 “Holy, Holy, Holy” Lutheran Service Book
The Invocation Page 184 Confession and Absolution Page 184-185
Introit (read by the Pastor) Psalm 16:8-11, antiphon: Liturgical Text
Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity. Let us give glory to him because he has shown mercy to us. I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity. Let us give glory to him because he has shown mercy to us.
Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy) Page 186
The Salutation Page 189
Collect Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of the true faith and to worship the Unity in the power of the Divine Majesty. Keep us steadfast in this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You, O father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Our Bible Readings:
Old Testament Reading -- Genesis 1:1-13 & 24-31 Psalm 8 Epistle Reading -- Acts 2:14a; 22-36 Alleluia & Verse Page 190 Gospel Reading -- Matthew 28:16-20
THE ATHANASIAN CREED Page 319
HYMN OF THE DAY: 499 “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest”
THE SERMON –
Holy Trinity Sunday is unlike every other Sunday in the Church Year.
Most Sundays focus on an event in the life of Christ or a particular teaching of our Lord.
But today, the Church pauses in wonder and adoration before the mystery of who God is.
Who He eternally is: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one God in three Persons.
And so today we confess with the Church throughout the ages the words of the Athanasian Creed: “We worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.”
This is not a doctrine invented by theologians.
It is not a philosophical puzzle created by the Church.
The Trinity is the way God has revealed Himself in Holy Scripture, the Bible.
And that revelation matters deeply, because the Holy Trinity is not an abstract doctrine removed from daily life.
The Trinity is the source of your creation, salvation, sanctification, and our eternal hope.
The Father creates you.
The Son redeems you.
The Holy Spirit sanctifies; He works faith within us and preserves us in the true faith.
And yet these are not three gods acting separately, but one God working in perfect unity.
Already in the opening verses of Genesis, we hear the mystery of the Trinity revealed:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
The Father is acting.
Then we hear: “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
The Holy Spirit is acting.
And when God speaks creation into existence—“Let there be light”—the eternal Word is present.
Christ is acting.
As the Apostle John declares in His Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word… All things were made through Him.”
Martin Luther emphasized this in his lectures on Genesis.
He wrote: “The Father creates through the Son, whom Moses calls the Word, and over this creative work hovers the Holy Spirit.”
Luther recognized that even at creation, the Trinity is at work.
And notice something remarkable in Genesis.
God says:
“Let Us make man in Our image.”
Not “my,” but “Our.”
God uses plurals to describe Himself.
The Christian Church has long understood these words as a glimpse into the communion of the Holy Trinity.
Luther wrote on this passage: “Here Moses clearly and forcibly expresses the mystery of the faith, that within and in the one divine essence, there are three distinct Persons.”
The world did not create itself.
Creation is not an accident.
You are not the product of blind chance.
You were lovingly created by the Triune God.
Every breath you take is gift.
Every sunrise is mercy.
Every good thing comes from the hand of the Triune God.
But the tragedy of Genesis is that the creatures made in God’s image rebelled against Him.
Sin entered the world. Death followed.
And this is where the work of the Trinity in salvation shines forth.
The Father sends the Son.
The Son becomes flesh.
The Spirit testifies to Him and works faith in our hearts.
In today’s reading from Acts, St. Peter proclaims the risen and exalted Lord: “This Jesus God raised up.”
And again: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God… He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”
Notice how the Trinity is present at Pentecost.
The Father raises the Son from death and exalts Him.
The Son pours out the Spirit.
The Spirit creates faith through Peter’s preaching of Christ. Christ crucified for our sins and raised for our justification.
Your very faith is the result of the work the Holy Spirit has done and continues to do in you.
Salvation is the work of the Triune God from beginning to end.
Martin Chemnitz wrote beautifully on this, saying: “The external works of the Trinity are undivided.”
That means the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit always work together in perfect unity.
Though Scripture may emphasize one Person in a particular work, all three Persons are involved because there is one divine essence and one divine will.
The Father did not stand apart from your salvation.
The Son did not act independently.
The Spirit is not disconnected from Christ.
Rather, the Triune God acted together for your redemption.
The Father loved the world.
The Son redeemed the world with His blood.
The Spirit delivers that redemption through God’s Word and Sacraments.
This is why Holy Baptism is so precious.
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, our risen Lord commands:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Notice Jesus says “name,” singular.
Not names.
One Name.
One God.
Yet three distinct Persons.
And into that Name you were baptized.
The Triune God placed His Name upon you.
The Father adopted you.
The Son washed you clean in His blood.
The Spirit created faith and made you a temple of God.
This is not symbolic language. It’s reality.
Your Baptism joins you to the life of the Holy Trinity.
The Athanasian Creed says:
“This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.”
Those words may sound severe to modern ears, but the Church speaks this way because salvation depends on knowing the true God.
A false god cannot save.
Only the true God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—can redeem sinners.
And the marvel of Christianity is this: the eternal communion of love within the Trinity overflows in mercy toward sinners.
The Father doesn’t merely tolerate you.
The Son doesn’t reluctantly forgive you.
The Spirit does not begrudgingly sanctify you.
The Triune God delights to save.
The famous theologian Johann Gerhard wrote in his Loci Theologici:
“The mystery of the Trinity is not revealed for idle speculation but that we may know the true God and rightly worship Him.”
And that is exactly right.
The doctrine of the Trinity is not meant to satisfy human curiosity.
It is given so that terrified sinners may know who God is toward them.
The Father who sends His Son for you.
The Son who dies and rises for you.
The Spirit who calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies you.
This means that as a Christian, the Trinity is part of your daily life.
When you pray, you pray to the Father through the Son.
The Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we don’t know how or what to pray
When you hear absolution, the Triune God forgives you.
When you receive the Lord’s Supper, the crucified and risen Son gives you His body and blood, and the Spirit strengthens your faith.
When you suffer, the Father still governs all things for your good.
When you are weary, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
When death approaches, the Son who conquered the grave remains with you.
And this matters, especially in our confused age.
Many today want a god made in their own image—a god without holiness, without judgment, without mystery.
But the true God cannot be remade according to human preferences.
He reveals Himself.
And He reveals Himself as Trinity.
One God.
Three Persons.
Coequal. Coeternal. Uncreated. Infinite. Majestic.
Yet also merciful.
Luther once said: “To try to deny the Trinity endangers your salvation; to try to comprehend the Trinity endangers your sanity.”
There is wisdom in that statement.
We cannot fully comprehend God.
If we could fit Him neatly into human logic, He would not be God.
Yet while we cannot fully understand the Trinity, we can truly confess Him because He has revealed Himself in Scripture.
And faith clings not to human understanding, but to divine revelation.
So today, the Church doesn’t attempt to explain away the mystery.
Rather, we kneel before it in worship.
With angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, we confess:
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.
Brothers and sisters, remember this above all: The Trinity is not just a doctrine to memorize.
The Trinity is your life.
You were created by the Father.
Redeemed by the Son.
Sanctified by the Spirit.
And the Triune God who began this good work in you, will bring it to completion on the day of Christ’s final return.
Then, in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, you will behold in perfect joy the glory of the Trinity forever.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
THE PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) Page 195 The Lord’s Prayer Page 196 The Words of Our Lord Page 197 Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) Pages 198 (Our Communion Hymn is 636 “Soul Adorn Yourself With Gladness”) Nunc Dimitis (Song of Simeon) Page 199 Post-Communion Collect (Right-hand column) Page 201
CLOSING HYMN: 876 “O Blessed, Holy Trinity”
Brothers and sisters, my sermon and our service for the Day of Pentecost are posted to Facebook at: https://facebook.com/vicartom.steers
God’s blessings,
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Luthe... View MoreBrothers and sisters, my sermon and our service for the Day of Pentecost are posted to Facebook at: https://facebook.com/vicartom.steers
God’s blessings,
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
--A Confessional Lutheran Church
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