THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
September 20, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
... View MoreTHE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
September 20, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
Old Testament Reading: 1 Kings 17:17-24
Psalm 30
Epistle Reading: Ephesians 3:13-21
Gospel Reading: Luke 7:11-17
Our Hymn of the Day from Lutheran Service Book is LSB 818, “In Thee Is Gladness” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW-bHmiis0M&list=RDwW-bHmiis0M&start_radio=1
The Sermon –
Many of us have been to funerals of loved ones.
They may have been family or friends.
We experienced the loss as physical pain.
Imagine, though, for a second, that a stranger came up and touched the casket, and all of a sudden, your loved one is alive.
There would be shock, then joy!
Joy that death had been transformed into life.
Two great crowds approached one another on the road into Nain in Israel 2,000 years ago.
One was a crowd of disciples and curious people.
The other was a group weighed down with grief.
Ironically, both crowds followed young men.
One was a corpse accompanied by a grieving mother.
The other crowd followed a great teacher that his followers did not yet understand was God in human flesh.
The dead man’s mother was a widow.
This was a double tragedy.
The government didn’t provide a safety net in those days.
Sons took care of their aged parents.
And this dead man was the only son of a widow.
It was generally only close family that you could financially rely on; most people were poor.
Not only had this woman mourned the death of her husband … not only must she now grieve for her son, but this widow could now look forward to a precarious life without a protector.
Although she now walked in a crowd, her future was a life of solitude and extreme … possibly deadly… poverty.
This was the harsh reality of existence in those times.
The death of a widow’s only son was a hammer blow to a mother.
The custom when meeting a funeral procession in those days was not that different than ours.
The pedestrian stepped aside out of respect for the funeral.
Not only was there respect for the mourners, but there was also the consideration that under Jewish law death made a body ritually unclean.
So, the right thing to do was to step aside as the procession went by.
The funeral party expected Jesus and His crowd to respectfully allow the dead man to pass as the carriers bore him to the tomb.
In our experience, all joy retreats before death, and if we can avoid dealing with it in any way, we usually try to.
It’s what can be expected.
But Jesus doesn’t do the expected.
When the Lord saw the grieving mother, he had compassion on her, and said, “Do not weep.” (Luke 7:13)
Ordinarily this would be a heartless thing to say.
This wasn’t only the son she loved, but her last means of support.
Christ’s words, however, aren’t cruel, but words of hope, because Jesus can carry through on what He says.
Christ had compassion.
‘Compassion’ is a mild word compared to the original Greek, splagchnizomai, (σπλαγχνίζομαι).
It’s more like His very insides ached with her pain.
Her pain pierced Him, so He felt it with her.
Then Jesus went up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. (Luke 7:14)
The Law was very clear: Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean for seven days. That’s Numbers 19:11.
It’s no wonder those who carried the body stopped when Jesus reached out.
Here was a rabbi with His disciples, and this Holy man was about to make Himself unclean by touching a corpse.
But this was no ordinary rabbi.
This was the Son of God through whom the world itself had been made.
He’d come to restore a world turned upside-down by sin and reverse the curse of that sin.
He’d come to transform the meaning of death.
When Jesus touched the bier, the impurity of death didn’t contaminate Him.
Instead, His purity overcame the decay of death.
The Lord speaks the words, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. (Luke 7:14–15)
At Christ’s word, life returned to the son.
Jesus reversed this procession of death so it became a celebration of life.
The depth of tragedy became the height of triumph.
Despair turned to joy.
When the people realized what Jesus had done, they recalled the prophets of old.
They remembered the story of Elijah we read in today’s Old Testament lesson.
They remembered that Elijah’s successor, Elisha, also raised a son from the dead.
And so, the people saw Jesus as a prophet like Elijah and Elisha.
In a way, they were right.
Jesus is a great prophet, the greatest of all.
But to say Jesus is a great prophet is not enough.
He’s much more.
We can see the difference when we compare the resurrections Jesus performed with other resurrections in the Bible.
[Elijah] stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again... (1 Kings 17:21–22)
When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. (2 Kings 4:32–33)
Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” (Acts 9:40)
Note that each prophet and Apostle prayed before they raised the dead.
In each case, it’s very clear they didn’t supply the life-giving power.
Instead, the power came from the one to whom they prayed … the Lord of creation.
Now examine the resurrection in today’s Gospel.
[Jesus] came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still.
“And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak.” (Luke 7:14–15)
Jesus had no need to pray, for He Himself is God.
The writer of Hebrews said: He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. (Hebrews 1:3)
The Apostle John wrote: All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. (John 1:3)
As God, Jesus is the Lord of life and death and has no need to call on help from outside Himself.
When the people glorified God, saying, “God has visited his people,” (Luke 7:16), I wonder how many understood that Jesus Himself is God visiting His people.
Yet there’s more.
The Lord of Heaven and earth didn’t come to this world and take on human form just so He could visit people and raise one son from the dead.
He didn’t come just to feel the pain of this widowed mother.
He came to experience your pain.
He came to experience your grief.
The Holy Spirit inspired the writer of Hebrews to say, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus isn’t some far-off, powerful, but detached being.
He’s intimately familiar with all your pain, sorrow, and grief.
There’s nothing you experience that He doesn’t experience with you.
Isaiah wrote, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:4)
You could say Jesus has empathy with you, but Christ has much more.
The word empathy has its roots in a Greek word meaning to suffer with someone.
Jesus doesn’t just suffer with you; He has suffered for you.
He took the sin of all mankind into His holy body and carried it to the cross.
On that cross He suffered the punishment we earned with our sin.
Therefore, you know that you won’t suffer that punishment.
He not only suffers the pain and grief of this world with you, but also frees you from the eternal pain, grief, and punishment of hell.
He’s gone way beyond empathy to sacrifice.
Jesus’ sacrifice for you ended in His death, but He didn’t remain in the grave.
He rose in triumph over sin, death, and the devil.
And with His triumph, Christ transformed the meaning of death.
Just as He called forth the widow’s son from death, He will, on the last day, raise you and other believers.
The son in today’s gospel is no longer with us.
He died again.
But the resurrection on the last day for Christians will mean eternal life in heaven.
For non-believers, it will mean eternal separation from God.
Today’s Gospel proclaims that Jesus experiences your life with you.
He rejoices at the highs; He endures the lows.
Through His death and resurrection, Christ has transformed the grave into a doorway to new life.
To Him be all glory, honour and praise, now and forever.
THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
September 13, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
... View MoreTHE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
September 13, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
Old Testament – 1 Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 146
Epistle – Galatians 5:25-6:10
Gospel – Matthew 6:24-34
Our Hymn of the Day from Lutheran Service Book is LSB 722, “Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cz0GLuUC2U&list=RD6Cz0GLuUC2U&start_radio=1
The Sermon –
Our Gospel reading today brings us into the heart of Jesus’ teaching on trust.
A trust not in ourselves, nor in earthly security, but in the Father who sent His Son to redeem us.
A trust in the Lord, who now sustains us in every need of body and soul.
Christ’s words are familiar: “Do not be anxious,” “Look at the birds,” “Consider the lilies,” “Seek first the kingdom of God.”
Yet we must consider these words with care.
Jesus is not calling His followers to irresponsibility, laziness, or a withdrawal from daily duties.
He is calling us to a life ordered by faith, shaped by the Gospel, and freed from the crushing burden of self reliance.
To understand this rightly, we need to begin where Jesus does: “No one can serve two masters.”
The question is not whether we work, plan, or labour.
The issue is whom we trust.
Anxiety, in the biblical sense, is not merely an emotion; it is misplaced faith. It is the heart’s attempt to secure life apart from God’s promises.
Jesus exposes this false trust so He may replace it with true trust — faith in the Father who clothes the lilies and feeds the birds. Faith in the Father’s only Son, given for our salvation.
This Christ-centered trust is the foundation of the Christian life.
Through God’s Word and Sacraments, the Holy Spirit brings us to repentance and works faith in us.
He unites us to Christ, who has fulfilled the Law, borne our sin, and conquered death.
In Christ we are justified — declared righteous before God. And because we are justified, we are free.
Martin wrote in “The Freedom of a Christian”: “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none; a Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” (LW 31:344)
This paradox is essential for understanding Jesus’ teaching in Matthew Chapter 6.
The Christian is fully free — free from the Law’s condemnation, free from fear of death, free from the anxiety of earning God’s favour.
Christ has done all.
At the same time, the Christian becomes a servant — gladly, willingly, joyfully — because through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, faith produces works of love.
This dual nature of Christian freedom shines through our readings today.
In 1st Kings 17, the widow of Zarephath stands as a living example of faith under pressure.
She has nothing — only a handful of flour and a little oil.
Yet the Word of the Lord comes through Elijah: “Do not fear.”
The promise is clear: “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty.”
The widow does not then act out of reckless abandon, but out of trust in the God who speaks.
Her faith isn’t passive; it’s active. She bakes bread. She serves Elijah. She continues in her vocation. But she does so trusting that the Lord will provide.
This is precisely what Jesus teaches in Matthew 6. Faith does not eliminate work; faith sanctifies work. Faith does not remove responsibility; faith frees responsibility from fear.
Psalm 146 reminds us that trust in earthly rulers, systems, or securities is ultimately misplaced.
“Put not your trust in princes,” the psalmist cautions, “in whom there is no salvation.” Instead, trust in the Lord “who keeps faith forever,” “who executes justice,” “who gives food to the hungry.”
The psalmist’s trust is grounded in God’s character — His steadfast love, faithfulness, and covenant mercy.
This is the God who feeds the birds and clothes the lilies of the field. This is the God who sent His Son to redeem us and promises daily bread and eternal life.
Paul’s words in our reading from Galatians shaped Luther’s teaching. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
Christian freedom isn’t an escape from moral responsibility; it is the transformation of moral responsibility.
Human works do not save, but faith produces works.
The Christian, secure in Christ, is now free to “bear one another’s burdens,” to “do good to everyone,” and especially to “those who are of the household of faith.”
This is the life Jesus describes in Matthew 6.
The Christian does not serve two masters. He serves one — Christ — and is therefore freed from the tyranny of anxiety. Freed from fear, he is free to love compassionately.
Jesus’ teaching culminates in the command: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Yet Jesus is not saying, ‘If you seek God, then He will reward you.”
Jesus’ words are spiritual truth.
When Christ is your righteousness, when His kingdom is your treasure, when His salvation is your confidence, then everything else falls into its proper place.
The Christian still works, plans, saves, and labours. But he does so without fear.
Anxiety is replaced by trust. Worry is replaced by prayer. Self reliance becomes reliance on Christ.
The lilies and birds are not idle. They do what God created them to do. Yet they do not worry.
So, also with the Christian.
We fulfill our vocations — parent, worker, student, citizen, neighbour — not to secure our salvation, but because salvation has already been secured.
Jesus’ words, then, are a call to faith.
Dear brothers and sisters, your heavenly Father knows what you need.
He knows our fears, burdens, uncertainties, and hardships.
And He who did not spare His own Son will not fail to love you.
Christ’s cross is the guarantee of the Father’s care.
His resurrection is the believer’s certainty of salvation.
His Word and Sacraments are the means by which the Spirit sustains you.
You are not alone, not forgotten. We are not left to fend for ourselves.
Seek first the kingdom—not because you must earn it, but because it has already been given to you in Christ.
His provision is for now and for life eternal.
THE BIBLE STUDY –
September 12, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
-- A Confessional Lutheran Church
... View MoreTHE BIBLE STUDY –
September 12, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
-- A Confessional Lutheran Church
Our readings this Saturday from the daily lectionary are 2nd Chronicles 31:1–21 and Philippians 4:1–23.
The Apostle Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4:6–7 stands as one of the most tender and strengthening words given to the Church: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
These verses are not mere encouragement; they are promises anchored in the crucified and risen Lord who has already borne our sin, our fear, and secured our future.
In our Old Testament text, Hezekiah leads Judah to renewed, faithful worship. Idols are torn down, the priesthood is restored, and people donate properly to the temple.
This revived devotion isn’t grounded in the people’s strength, but in the Lord who had shown mercy to His people. Their obedience flows from trust in God’s steadfast care.
The Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians echo the same truth: the Lord who has redeemed His people is the One who sustains them.
Anxiety is not conquered by human resolve, but by the gracious invitation to bring every need before God in prayer.
Thanksgiving accompanies supplication because Christians know the character of their Triune God — the Father who has given His Son for us and the Holy Spirit who calls, enlightens, and sanctifies.
Reformer Martin Luther commented on this passage with pastoral clarity: “It is the nature of faith to expect everything good from God and to take refuge in Him alone.” (Lectures on Philippians, 1529, Luther’s Works, vol. 25, p. 362).
Luther’s insight rests in Paul’s promise: faith casts its cares upon God because faith knows God’s goodness in Christ.
The peace that surpasses understanding is not an inner feeling we generate; it is Christ Himself guarding us. His peace is objective, given, bestowed. It is the peace of sins forgiven, death defeated, and the devil conquered. It is the peace that accompanied Paul in prison, sustained the saints of Judah in their reforms, and today keeps the Church steadfast in prayer.
The Christian life is shaped by confident petition and grateful trust. We pray because Jesus commands it; we give thanks because Christ has already supplied all things needful; and we rest because Christ Himself is our peace.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, You invite us to bring every care before You in prayer.
Grant us faith to trust Your promises and give praise for daily mercies.
Guard our hearts and minds with Your peace, now and always. Amen.
Our Hymn for the Day from Lutheran Service Book is LSB 752, “Be Still, My Soul”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqDSZHDhenY&list=RDrqDSZHDhenY&start_radio=1
We remember the 3,000 Americans who were murdered in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
More than 6,000 others were injured.
May God comfort and sustain the survivors and those who lost loved ones.
Pasto... View MoreWe remember the 3,000 Americans who were murdered in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
More than 6,000 others were injured.
May God comfort and sustain the survivors and those who lost loved ones.
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church
THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
September 6, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
... View MoreTHE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
September 6, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
Old Testament – Ezekiel 33:7-9
Psalm 32:1-7
Epistle – Romans 13:1-10
Gospel – Matthew 18:1-20
Our Hymn for the Day from Lutheran Service Book is LSB 820, “My Soul, Now Praise Your Maker” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkk0WI9tlL4&list=RDXkk0WI9tlL4&start_radio=1
The Sermon –
“The Shepherd Who Seeks the Lost”
The disciples ask Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
It’s a question that reveals something about the human heart.
We’re often concerned about our place, importance, our standing in the eyes of others.
Jesus replies in a way they don’t expect.
He calls a little child and places him before them.
Then Christ says, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus isn’t telling us that children are naturally innocent or sinless.
Rather, He points to the child’s helplessness and dependence.
A little child knows that he depends upon his parents for food, clothing, protection –
everything necessary for life.
And so it is with the Christian and God.
Faith is not based on or gauged by self-assuredness.
It is not pride, but repentant, humble trust in our Redeemer.
A recognition that we bring nothing to God upon which we can base our salvation.
We cannot make ourselves worthy of His forgiveness.
We can’t earn our place in His kingdom.
We cannot repair the damage caused by sin.
Put simply – we can’t make ourselves righteous before our Holy God.
We depend entirely upon His mercy.
This is the great confession of the Christian faith.
It is the restored truth of the Bible recovered by the Lutheran Reformation.
Salvation is not something we accomplish.
It’s something God gives – unmerited grace.
Christ alone has earned our redemption through His suffering and death upon the cross.
He did not die for His own sins, because He had none.
He died for ours.
The righteousness by which we stand before God is not our holiness, but the sinless Lamb of God’s righteousness, given to us through faith.
And even that faith is God's gift, worked in us through His means of grace—His Word and Sacraments.
Therefore, there is no room for boasting.
There is only room for thanksgiving.
The Christian says, “Lord, have mercy.”
God answers that prayer with Christ.
That is why faith makes us humble.
We are not great because we have accomplished something for God.
We are blessed because God has accomplished everything for us in His Son.
But having shown us the humility of a child, Jesus then speaks very seriously of sin.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
Then Jesus speaks of the hand, foot, and eye that may cause us to sin.
These are hard words.
They are meant to be.
Yet Jesus is not commanding or suggesting self-mutilation.
He is revealing the deadly seriousness of our transgressions.
We live in a world that often treats sin lightly.
Our culture may call sin a mistake, a weakness, an alternative lifestyle, or simply something that everyone does.
But Jesus doesn’t speak that way.
Sin destroys.
It separates us from God.
Sin leads to death.
And if we are honest, we must confess that our own eyes, hands, feet, and even thoughts have all participated in sin.
Who among us can stand before these words of Jesus and claim innocence?
The Law of God leaves us with nowhere to hide.
But notice where Jesus points.
He doesn’t direct us to ourselves.
He directs us toward Himself.
Our eyes have looked upon things they should not have seen.
But Christ's eyes looked upon us in our sin with mercy and compassion.
Our hands have done things they should not have.
But Christ's hands were stretched out upon the cross for our salvation.
Our feet have wandered from God's ways.
But Christ's feet walked the road to Calvary for us.
His hands and feet were pierced for our iniquities.
The One who had every right to condemn us bore the condemnation Himself.
His holy sacrifice turned away God’s wrath against sin.
“With his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Therefore, when Jesus speaks so seriously about sin, He isn’t inviting people to despair.
He is pointing us to the cross.
There we see both the seriousness of our sin and the immeasurable greatness of God's love.
Then, in today’s passage from Matthew, Jesus provides one of the most beautiful, comforting pictures in all of Scripture.
“What do you think?” He asks.
“If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?”
This is the heart of the Gospel.
The sheep does not find the shepherd.
The shepherd searches for the sheep.
The lost sheep does not rescue itself.
The Lamb of God goes after it.
This is the story of our salvation.
Humanity wandered away from God.
We didn’t find our way back by our own wisdom.
We did not climb our way into heaven.
God came looking for us.
The eternal Son descended from heaven and became man.
Jesus Christ came into this fallen and broken world to seek and save.
He came to make payment for our sins.
To suffer our punishment.
To die our death.
And He rose again so that those who trust in Him might have eternal life.
“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
That is the Shepherd's mission.
And that is why the Church must never despise the little ones.
Every baptized Christian is precious to God.
Every wandering sinner is someone for whom Christ died.
Every brother or sister who has strayed is someone whom the Shepherd desires to bring home.
This brings us to the final portion of our Gospel.
Jesus tells us what to do when a brother sins against us.
“Go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”
Notice the purpose.
It is not revenge.
Nor is it humiliation.
It is not proving that we are right.
The purpose is restoration.
That is the language of the Shepherd.
He seeks the lost sheep so that it may be restored to the flock.
And so Jesus gives His Church a process for dealing with persistent sin: first privately, then with one or two others, and finally, if necessary, before the congregation.
This is not permission for Christians to become spiritual policemen.
It is a call to humble, loving, patient concern for one another.
It includes discernment, not callousness.
The one who confronts another Christian must remember his own need for grace.
The goal is always to win back the brother or sister.
Yet Jesus also teaches that there comes a point when persistent refusal to repent must be taken seriously.
The Church cannot simply declare that sin doesn’t matter.
To do so would not be loving.
True love speaks the truth.
The Prophet Ezekiel reminds us of this responsibility: the watchman must warn the wicked.
But that warning must always have the goal of repentance and life.
This is also consistent with Paul's teaching in Romans.
“Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:10)
Christian love is not sentimental indifference to sin.
Christian love seeks the neighbor's true good.
Sometimes that means comforting the brokenhearted with the Gospel.
Sometimes it means patiently bearing with another's weakness.
And sometimes it means lovingly confronting sin.
But we do so as forgiven sinners who live by mercy.
That’s why Psalm 32 gives us such a fitting confession:
“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”
Blessed indeed.
Our sins are covered—not because we’ve successfully hidden them from God, but because Christ has covered them with His blood.
The Shepherd has found His lost sheep.
He has carried us home and placed us within His flock.
Now He calls us to live as His humble and forgiven people.
So, when the world tells us that greatness comes from power, status, achievement, or self-sufficiency, remember the little child standing beside Christ.
The greatest in the kingdom is the one who knows that he needs his heavenly Father.
When the Law exposes the seriousness of our sin, do not run from Christ.
Run to the cross.
His hands and feet were pierced for you. His blood was shed for you.
His resurrection is your promise of life.
And when a brother or sister wanders, do not despise that little one.
Remember the Shepherd who went looking for you.
Speak truth in love.
Pray for repentance.
Seek restoration.
And remember that the Church belongs to Christ.
Finally, Jesus gives His Church this extraordinary promise:
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Christ is here.
He is here in His Word.
He is here in the forgiveness found in the absolution.
He is here in His true body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.
The Shepherd who came down from heaven continues to care for His flock.
And because He has sought us, found us, and brought us home, we live not in pride but in humility; not in fear but in faith; not in condemnation but in the forgiveness of the Gospel.
For we belong to the Saviour of the world.
Amen.
THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
August 30, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
... View MoreTHE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
August 30, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
Old Testament – Jeremiah 15:15-21
Psalm 26
Epistle – Romans 12:9-21
Gospel – Matthew 16:21-28
Our Hymn of the Day from Lutheran Service Book is LSB 425, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URU6Mo_531g&list=RDURU6Mo_531g&start_radio=1
The Sermon –
“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
These words mark a turning point in Jesus’ ministry.
The disciples have confessed that He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Peter has made the good confession.
But now Jesus begins to teach them what being the Christ actually means.
The Messiah must suffer.
The Messiah must be rejected.
The Messiah must die.
And on the third day, rise again.
Peter can’t accept this.
“Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
Jesus responds with words that must have shocked Peter and may shock us:
“Get behind me, Satan!”
Peter had just confessed Jesus as Christ, but now he’s become an obstacle to Jesus’ saving work.
Why?
Because this disciple was setting his mind on the concerns of man rather than the things of God.
Peter wanted a Christ without the cross.
But there is no such Saviour.
The cross is not an unfortunate interruption in Christ’s mission.
The cross is the mission.
Jesus came into the world precisely to bear our sins and give His life as the ransom for many.
A Christ without the Cross –
Something very important is also at stake here concerning Peter himself.
Just a few verses earlier, Christ had said to Peter:
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.”
That verse, at times, has been wrongly interpreted as Jesus establishing Peter as the supreme head of the Church, the first pope, whose authority would be passed down through succeeding bishops of Rome.
But Peter’s own words immediately following his confession provide powerful evidence against that misunderstanding.
The man supposedly established as the infallible head of the Church is immediately rebuked by Jesus with the words: “Get behind me, Satan!”
Peter is not the foundation of the Church because of some inherent authority belonging to him.
The Church has one foundation: Jesus Christ.
It is built upon the apostolic confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Peter proclaimed that confession.
But even Peter’s confession was not yet complete or mature.
Peter knew who Jesus was.
But he did not yet fully understand what Jesus had come to do.
He confessed the Christ, but could not yet accept the Christ who must suffer, die, and rise again.
Christ is the incarnate only Son of God.
We are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.
And this faith must cling to the Christ of the cross.
The Offence of the Cross –
The cross remains offensive to our human way of thinking.
The world wants glory without suffering.
Victory without struggle.
And salvation without sacrifice.
We want a God who will make our lives comfortable and successful.
But Jesus says:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
The Christian life is not a promise that we will avoid suffering.
It is the promise that Christ will be with us while we endure it.
The crosses we bear are not instruments by which we earn salvation.
Neither do our ‘good works’ buy us redemption. Only the good work of Christ at Calvary does that.
Our crosses are the sufferings and sacrifices that come to us as we follow Christ in faith and serve our neighbour in love.
This is the life described in Romans, Chapter 12:
“Let love be genuine.”
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
“Bless those who persecute you.”
“Repay no one evil for evil.”
These are not instructions for earning God’s favour.
They are the fruits of faith in those who have already received God’s mercy in Jesus.
The Christian bears his cross while trusting that his sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.
Jeremiah understood something of this.
He cried out to God in the midst of suffering and opposition:
“O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me.”
God did not abandon him.
The Lord answered:
“If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me.”
Through the cross of Christ, death will not have the last word in the lives of believers.
The Risen Saviour has promised us a resurrection and eternal life.
The Cross Is Not the End –
Jesus concludes this teaching with a remarkable promise:
“Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
This statement must be understood carefully.
Jesus is not saying that some of the disciples would still be alive when He returned in glory at the end of the world.
That is the second, final coming described in verse 27: “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father.”
But verse 28 speaks of something different: “the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
The disciples would see Christ’s kingdom unveiled in the events that followed the resurrection.
Many followers would see the risen Jesus.
They would see the victory accomplished through the cross. The Holy Spirit would descend upon the apostles on Pentecost. Peter would stand before the crowds and proclaim the crucified and risen Christ.
Three thousand people would be brought into the kingdom by the power of the Spirit working through the preached Gospel.
That Good News continues to spread throughout the world.
This is the kingdom of Christ coming among sinners through the Church using God’s means of grace: His Word and Sacraments.
Jesus makes clear that the end of the age would not come before the Gospel had been proclaimed throughout the world.
The disciples were therefore not to despair as Jesus went to Jerusalem.
The cross was coming, but it was not the end.
The Kingdom Comes Through the Gospel –
This is an important word for Christians today.
We live in a world where the Church may sometimes appear weak.
The Gospel may be rejected.
Faithfulness to Christ can bring opposition.
But Jesus tells us to look beyond these trials.
Christ has already conquered sin, death, and the devil.
His kingdom is already among us.
Whenever the Gospel is preached, Christ is building His Church.
Whenever sinners hear that Christ died for their sins and trust that promise, the kingdom is being revealed.
Whenever Baptism brings a child or adult into Christ’s death and resurrection, the kingdom is advancing.
Whenever the Lord gives His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins at the altar rail, Christ is sustaining His people as they journey beneath the cross toward eternal life.
Therefore, do not despise the size of the Church.
Do not measure Christ’s kingdom by worldly standards.
The kingdom comes through the Gospel.
It comes quietly, through the Word, through Christ crucified and risen.
And we have the privilege of participating in its proclamation.
We proclaim Christ not because we must somehow establish His kingdom by our own strength.
We proclaim Him because His kingdom has already come to us.
Now we speak of that treasure to others.
Following Christ –
Peter’s faith was strengthened and matured after the resurrection.
The apostles who abandoned Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane went on to spend their own lives spreading the Gospel and suffering martyrdom.
What changed them?
Not human wisdom nor ‘decision-making.’ Not ecclesiastical power.
It was Christ’s resurrection and the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith.
That same Gospel continues to sustain the Church today.
When Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him, He isn’t calling us to a hopeless life of suffering.
He is calling us to follow the One whose cross has already accomplished our salvation.
“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
The world says: Save yourself.
Jesus says: Trust Me.
The world says: Seek glory now.
Jesus says: Follow Me beneath the cross.
The world says: Death is the end.
Jesus says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, take courage.
Jesus has gone before you.
He has borne the cross, and conquered the grave.
His kingdom has come.
One day, the kingdom will be unveiled in all its glory.
Until then, we live beneath the cross, trusting in Christ, loving our neighbour, proclaiming His Gospel, and waiting in hope.
For the One who went to the cross for us is the One who rose again for us.
And that One will bring you at last into His eternal kingdom.
Amen.
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