THE EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
July 19, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
... View MoreTHE EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
July 19, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible Readings:
Old Testament – Isaiah 4:6-11
Psalm 119:57-64
Epistle – Romans 8:18-27
Gospel – Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
The Hymn of the Day from Lutheran Service Book is LSB 659, “Lord of Our Life” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhcXR5HY4Lc&list=RDxhcXR5HY4Lc&start_radio=1
THE SERMON –
"The Wheat and the Weeds"
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
There are times when we wish God would act immediately.
When we see evil flourish, when falsehood is celebrated, when wickedness appears to prosper while righteousness suffers, we naturally ask, "Lord, why do You allow this to continue?"
We long for justice. We want God to remove evil from the world now.
Jesus addresses exactly this question in today's Gospel through the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares.
A farmer sowed good seed in his field.
The seed was pure, healthy wheat.
Yet while everyone slept, an enemy came under cover of darkness and sowed weeds among the wheat before slipping away unnoticed.
As the plants grew, so did the weeds.
The servants were alarmed. They asked the master, "Do you want us to go and gather them?"
The master's answer surprises us.
"No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest."
Later, when the disciples ask for an explanation, Jesus leaves no uncertainty.
The sower is the Son of Man. The field is the world.
The good seed represents the sons of the kingdom.
The weeds are the sons of the evil one. The enemy is the devil.
The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are the holy angels.
Our Lord is describing the reality of the Church living in a sin-broken world.
From the beginning, Christ has been sowing His Gospel.
Through His Word and Sacraments, He creates faith, forgives sins, and gathers His people into His kingdom.
Yet wherever Christ plants His Word, Satan is also at work.
He spreads lies. He deceives. He tempts. He opposes the Gospel and seeks to draw people away from Christ.
The devil has never stopped sowing his counterfeit seed.
This should not surprise Christians, although it often does.
Sometimes believers imagine that if Christ truly reigns, then evil should quickly disappear.
Yet Jesus teaches precisely the opposite.
Until the Last Day, wheat and weeds will grow side by side.
Believers and unbelievers will inhabit the same communities.
Faithful preaching and false teaching will exist within shouting distance of one another.
That is not because Christ is powerless.
It is because He is patient.
The servants wanted immediate action.
They wanted to clear the field themselves.
But the master knew what they could not see.
Their zeal, however sincere, could damage the wheat itself.
Our Lord's patience is not weakness. It is mercy.
Scripture often reminds us that God delays judgment so that sinners might repent.
Every day this world continues is another day of grace, another opportunity for the Gospel to be preached, another occasion for someone to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and believe.
Many who today appear far from Christ may yet become His faithful disciples tomorrow.
Think of Saul of Tarsus.
Before becoming the Apostle Paul, he persecuted the Church with great zeal.
Had someone judged only by appearances, they would never have imagined that this enemy of Christ would one day proclaim the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire and be the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Yet God's grace transformed the persecutor into a preacher.
The Lord alone knows His elect.
The Lord alone knows the heart.
Therefore, we are not called to separate the wheat from the weeds. That belongs to Christ alone on the Last Day.
Instead, He calls us to remain faithful.
Psalm 119 expresses this beautifully:
"I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep Your righteous rules . . . The Lord is my portion."
The psalmist does not place his confidence in changing the world around him, but in the all-powerful Word of God.
Even surrounded by the wicked, he delights in God's commandments and trusts His steadfast love.
That is precisely the calling of every Christian.
We often become discouraged because evil seems to prosper.
We watch society reject God's design.
We witness increasing hostility toward Christianity.
False teaching spreads rapidly. Sin is praised while truth is mocked.
Yet none of this catches Christ by surprise.
He told us it would be this way.
Our calling is not despair but faithfulness.
Nor should we overlook another important lesson in this parable.
Before we rejoice too quickly that we are the wheat, we should remember that apart from Christ, none of us would be.
By nature, every one of us is conceived and born in sin.
Left to ourselves, we belong not to Christ but to the kingdom of darkness.
The difference is not found in our goodness, but entirely in God's grace.
The wheat did not make itself wheat.
It was planted by the Son of Man.
Likewise, through Holy Baptism, through the preaching of the Gospel, through the gift of faith worked by the Holy Spirit, Christ has made us His own.
Our faith is sustained through the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, which offers the true body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
As Isaiah reminds us today, "I am the first and I am the last; besides Me there is no god."
There is no other Saviour. There is no other Redeemer. We belong entirely to the Lord who has called us by His grace.
That truth gives great comfort.
For the Christian life is not always easy.
In today's Epistle, St. Paul reminds us that "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
Indeed, all creation groans under the weight of sin. We groan as well.
We experience sickness, grief, disappointment, persecution, and death.
Even our prayers are imperfect.
Yet Paul assures us that the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
While the weeds continue to grow, Christ has not abandoned His people.
The Holy Spirit sustains us. The Word strengthens us. The Sacraments nourish us.
Our Lord continues to tend His field with perfect wisdom.
Finally, Jesus directs our eyes toward the harvest.
Unlike earthly harvests, this one will never fail.
The day is coming when the Son of Man will send forth His angels.
Evil will not continue forever. Satan's work has an expiration date.
The weeds will be gathered for judgment, while the righteous "will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father."
Notice that Jesus does not say the righteous will merely survive.
They will shine.
Not because of their own righteousness, but because they have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ Himself.
His victory will be fully revealed.
Sin will be gone. Death will be destroyed. Every tear will be wiped away.
There will be no more weeds, no temptation, no more false teaching, no sorrow nor suffering.
Only Christ. Only His people. Only everlasting joy.
Until that day, we live by faith.
We do not lose heart when evil appears strong.
We don’t attempt to seize God's work of judgment for ourselves.
We trust the wisdom of the Master of the field.
He knows His wheat. He guards His Church. He continues to sow His life-giving Word.
And when the appointed harvest comes, not one of His redeemed will be forgotten.
As Martin Luther beautifully reminds us in his hymn, "Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill; they shall not overpower us."
Christ has already won the victory through His cross and resurrection. The enemy still rages, but he is a defeated foe.
Therefore, let us continue to hear Christ's Word, receive His gifts, and patiently await the harvest He Himself has promised.
For the Lord of the harvest is also the Lord of our salvation.
THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
July 12, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church
- A Confessional Lutheran Church
... View MoreTHE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
July 12, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church
- A Confessional Lutheran Church
Our Bible readings for today:
Old Testament – Isaiah 55:10-13
Psalm 65:1-13
Epistle – Romans 8:12-17
Gospel – Matthew 13:1-23
Our Hymn of the Day is LSB 577, “Almighty God, Your Word Is Cast”
The Sermon—
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our Lord Jesus tells a familiar parable today, one so familiar that we may be tempted to think we already know everything it has to teach us.
We know about the sower, the seed, and the four different kinds of soil.
We know that the seed is the Word of God, and that the good soil represents those who hear the Word, hold fast to it, and bear fruit.
But if we stop there, we can miss the heart of the parable.
This is not first and foremost a lesson about becoming better soil.
Rather, it is a proclamation about the astonishing generosity of God, who never ceases to sow His life-giving Word.
Notice how extravagant the Sower is.
He does not carefully measure out the seed, planting only where success seems guaranteed.
He scatters it everywhere—on the path, among the rocks, into the thorns, and upon the good soil.
From a human perspective, this seems wasteful.
But God's grace is never stingy.
The Lord desires that all should hear His saving Word and come to saving faith.
He sends it broadly and freely.
That truth echoes through today's Old Testament reading from Isaiah.
The Lord declares, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth... so shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose."
God's Word is never powerless. It always accomplishes His will.
Sometimes it creates faith. Sometimes it hardens those who refuse it.
But it never returns empty.
This helps us understand the difficult words Jesus speaks about those who hear but do not understand.
His disciples ask why He teaches in parables, and Jesus answers by quoting Isaiah.
He cites the words first spoken to the prophet in Isaiah 6:9–10, where Isaiah was commissioned to preach to a people whose hearts had already become hardened against God and His Word.
These words are not meant to suggest that God delights in blinding people or preventing them from believing.
Throughout Isaiah's ministry, the Lord repeatedly calls His people to repentance.
Yet persistent unbelief has consequences.
Hearts that continually reject God's Word become increasingly resistant to hearing it. The same sun that melts wax hardens clay.
The fault lies not with the sun, but with the nature of what receives it.
Jesus encounters the same reality in His own ministry.
Many hear Him gladly for a time.
Others dismiss Him outright.
Still others are fascinated by His miracles while refusing to believe His message.
His parables reveal hearts as they truly are.
Those who are broken by the Law and receive God’s mercy in the Gospel hear and believe.
Those who have closed their ears remain blind by their own unbelief.
The problem, is never the seed. The seed is always good.
Nor is the problem the Sower.
The problem is the fallen human heart.
And if we are honest, we must admit that every one of us finds ourselves somewhere in these descriptions.
Sometimes our hearts resemble the hardened path.
We hear God's Word, but our minds are elsewhere.
We listen with our ears while our hearts remain closed.
The evil one eagerly snatches away what has been heard before it can take root.
At other times we resemble the rocky ground.
We receive God's promises with joy.
But when suffering comes, when confessing Christ may be costly, when faith demands endurance rather than excitement, we begin to stumble.
Still other times, we become thorny soil.
The cares of this world press in upon us. Anxiety over tomorrow. The pursuit of wealth. Endless distractions.
We become so occupied with earthly concerns that the life of God's Word is slowly choked.
These are not merely descriptions of other people. They describe us.
That is why this parable calls us not to self-congratulation but to repentance.
Yet the wonderful comfort of the Gospel is this: the Sower does not stop sowing.
If this parable depended upon us producing fertile soil by our own efforts, we would all despair.
But the Lord who sows the Word is also the Lord who works through that very Word.
The Holy Spirit creates what He commands.
He breaks hardened hearts and removes stones.
He cuts away thorns.
Through repentance and forgiveness, He continually prepares hearts to receive Christ.
This is exactly what happens every Lord's Day.
Again and again, Christ comes among His people as the Sower.
He speaks His absolution to broken sinners, and proclaims His Gospel to weary consciences.
He places His own body and blood into the mouths of His people for the forgiveness of sins.
The same living Word that created faith in the beginning continues to sustain faith until the end.
That is why the Church has always treasured the means of grace.
We do not trust in emotional experiences or human wisdom.
We trust in the promises attached to God's Word.
As St. Paul reminds us in Romans, "You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'"
That confidence does not arise from our own hearts.
It comes through the Holy Spirit working by the Gospel.
He bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
The seed has taken root because God Himself has planted it.
This also gives us confidence as we look at the Church in the world.
Sometimes we become discouraged.
We can see declining attendance.
We see indifference to God's Word.
We see hostility toward the Christian faith, and may wonder whether the seed is accomplishing anything at all.
Jesus reminds us today that appearances are often deceptive.
Three of the four soils seem disappointing.
Yet even one patch of good soil produces an astonishing harvest—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, even a hundredfold.
Such abundance far exceeds anything an ordinary farmer could expect.
So it is with God's kingdom.
Where His Word creates faith, the harvest belongs to Him.
We are not called to measure success by worldly standards.
We are called simply to sow the Word faithfully and trust the Lord of the harvest.
The Psalm appointed for today beautifully joins this theme.
The Lord visits the earth and waters it.
He crowns the year with His bounty.
The fields and valleys sing for joy because God Himself provides the increase.
The farmer may sow and reap, but every harvest remains God's gift.
So also, in the Church.
Every Christian is the result of God's gracious work.
Every act of repentance and absolution.
Every child brought to Baptism.
Every believer fed at the Lord's Table.
All of it is the fruit of the divine Sower whose Word never returns empty.
Brothers and sisters, do not measure God's work by what your eyes can see today.
Measure it by His promises.
His Word is living and active.
His Gospel is the power of God for salvation.
His Spirit continues to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify His whole Church through that Word.
And the day is coming when the full harvest will be gathered into His eternal kingdom.
Until then, Christ continues to sow.
He sows forgiveness where there is guilt.
Hope where there is despair.
Life where death reigns.
He sows His own crucified and risen Son into hearts that could never make themselves good soil.
And where Christ Himself is planted, there eternal life grows.
"He who has ears, let him hear."
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
July 5, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible readings:
... View MoreTHE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
July 5, 2026
Pastor Tom Steers
Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto
Our Bible readings:
Old Testament – Zechariah 9:9-12
Psalm 145:1-14
Epistle – Romans 7:14-25a
Gospel – Matthew 11:25-30
The Hymn of the Day:
Lutheran Service Book 684 – “Come Unto Me, Ye Weary”
The Sermon –
‘Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest’
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
There are few invitations in all of Scripture more comforting than the words of Jesus in today's Gospel.
"Come to Me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Those words have brought comfort to weary Christians for centuries.
They’re spoken by the One who knows our sin burden better than we do ourselves.
He doesn’t merely acknowledge our struggles.
He promises to carry them and give us true rest from our greatest enemies: sin, death, and the devil.
Yet before Jesus extends this invitation, He begins with a prayer of thanksgiving to His heavenly Father.
"I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children."
That statement might sound surprising in an age that exalts human expertise.
But Jesus is not condemning learning.
Rather, He is exposing the danger of pride and self-righteousness.
The greatest obstacle to receiving God's kingdom is not ignorance, but the illusion that our knowledge, reason, and ‘good works’ can make us right with our Heavenly Father.
The scribes and Pharisees believed themselves wise and righteous.
They knew the Scriptures and man-made traditions.
They thought they obeyed God’s Law to His standards.
Yet they refused to recognize the true Messiah standing before them.
Meanwhile, fishermen, tax collectors, and ordinary people who recognized their sin received the kingdom with childlike faith that God had worked within them.
That remains true today.
God's gifts are received, not achieved.
Faith is not the reward for intellectual brilliance.
It is the gift of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel.
As Martin Luther explains in the explanation to the Third Article of the Creed, "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel." (Luther’s Small Catechism)
Jesus' invitation is for poor sinners who recognize they need Him, their Saviour.
That brings us to the burdens Jesus describes.
"Come to Me, all who labour and are heavy laden."
Some may immediately think of the pressures of everyday life.
Certainly, those burdens are real.
Illness. Financial concerns. Family struggles. Loneliness. Grief.
The anxieties that weigh heavily upon the heart.
Jesus cares about every one of those burdens.
But there is an even deeper burden that lies beneath them all.
The crushing weight of sin.
The unbearable burden of a guilty conscience, exhausted by trying to justify oneself before God.
That burden is vividly described in today's Epistle from Romans.
The Apostle Paul speaks with remarkable honesty.
"I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."
Every Christian knows this struggle.
The old sinful nature continues to fight against the new life given in Baptism.
We delight in God's Law, yet we continually fall short.
Paul cries out, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
That cry is not one of despair.
It’s the cry of faith that knows only Christ can save.
Jesus answers Paul's question before it is even asked.
"Come to Me."
Not, "Improve yourself."
Not, "Try harder."
Not, "Earn My favour."
Simply, "Come to Me."
The world offers countless ways to deal with guilt.
Ignore it.
Explain it away.
Blame someone else.
Distract yourself.
But only Jesus removes it.
Only Christ bears our sins upon the cross.
Only He declares sinners forgiven.
Only Jesus gives true rest.
Martin Luther beautifully unfolds these words of our Lord in his Church Postil on Matthew 11:
"Christ now says, 'Come to Me, all who labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest'; for you cannot refresh yourselves, you cannot give yourselves rest, but I can."
Luther continues:
"They want to attain peace of conscience through their own counsels and accomplishments and their own self-chosen ways... Therefore, no matter how much they work, labour, and speculate, they accomplish nothing else except to increase the restlessness of their souls... But one cannot escape it except through knowing the Father and the Son, that is, through knowing the grace and mercy of God which is freely given to us in Christ."
How well Luther understood the human heart.
Our sinful nature always wants to contribute something toward our salvation.
We imagine that if we prayed more fervently, repented more sincerely, served more faithfully, or disciplined ourselves more rigorously, perhaps then we could finally quiet our conscience before God.
Yet every attempt to earn God's favour only leaves us wearier than before.
That is precisely why Jesus says, "Come to Me."
His invitation is not another demand of the Law.
It is the sweet promise of the Gospel.
He doesn’t tell weary sinners to finish the work.
He tells them to come to the One who has already completed it.
At the cross, He bore every sin.
In His resurrection, He conquered death and rose for our justification.
Now He freely gives forgiveness, righteousness, and peace to all who trust in Him.
This is the rest that Christ alone can give.
No amount of human effort can produce it.
It is His gift of grace, received by faith alone.
This invitation of Christ is especially precious because it comes from the One who possesses all authority.
Jesus says, "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father."
The One inviting us is not merely a wise teacher.
He is the eternal Son of God.
He knows the Father perfectly.
And He alone reveals the Father, forgives sins, and opens heaven.
Therefore, when He promises rest, His promise cannot fail.
The Old Testament reading from Zechariah points us directly to this King.
"Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey."
What kind of king arrives this way?
Not one who comes to conquer by violence.
Not one who crushes His enemies beneath His feet.
He comes in humility.
He comes to bring salvation.
He comes to proclaim peace between God and man.
His kingdom is established not by force of arms, but by the shedding of His own blood.
Zechariah also speaks of "the blood of My covenant."
How beautifully that points us to the Lord's Supper.
The body and blood sacrificed at Calvary are the body and blood He now gives for the forgiveness of sins.
There, once again, He says to weary sinners, "Come to Me."
The Psalm appointed for today also beautifully echoes this Gospel.
"The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."
"The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down."
That is precisely what Jesus does.
He lifts those who cannot lift themselves out of sin.
He strengthens those whose human strength fails to justify them.
He forgives those whose consciences condemn them.
He restores those who have wandered.
Then Jesus speaks about His yoke.
"Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me."
At first, that sounds like another burden.
Yet Christ immediately says, "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
How can that be?
Because this is not the crushing yoke of the Law demanding perfection.
The believer is joined to Christ.
Christ Himself bears the full burden that we could never carry.
What He places upon us is the joyful yoke of discipleship, sustained by His grace.
Even when the Christian life involves suffering, it is no longer meaningless suffering.
It becomes the life of one who follows the crucified and risen Lord.
Dear friends, our world is filled with weary people.
Many smile outwardly, while inwardly bearing crushing burdens.
They are exhausted by fear, grief, and sin.
Many are searching everywhere except the one place where true rest is found.
The Church has the privilege of proclaiming Christ's invitation.
Not mere good advice, nor encouragement.
But the Gospel itself.
"Come to Me."
Every Divine Service is an echo of that invitation.
Christ gathers His people.
He speaks His Word.
He forgives their sins.
He feeds us with His own body and blood.
Then He sends us back into the world strengthened by His grace.
The Christian life is not one long climb toward God.
It is a continual returning to Christ.
Every day we repent.
Every day we hear His absolution.
Every day we receive again the rest He freely gives.
And one day that promise will reach its complete fulfillment.
The burdens of this life will finally end.
The struggle Paul describes in Romans will cease forever.
Sin will trouble us no more.
Death itself will be swallowed up in victory.
The rest Christ promises now by faith will become our everlasting joy in His heavenly kingdom.
Until that day, His invitation remains.
It is spoken to every weary conscience and struggling believer.
It is spoken to each one of us.
"Come to Me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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.”
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