WEBVTT 00:00.400 --> 00:01.600 In the name of Jesus. 00:02.000 --> 00:02.400 Amen. 00:03.600 --> 00:09.500 In the midwest, we have a bad habit of mispronouncing place names. 00:10.300 --> 00:13.900 So think for a minute about the capital city of Greece. 00:14.800 --> 00:16.200 What's the capital of Greece? 00:18.000 --> 00:20.700 What's the capital of Greece, Athens? 00:21.300 --> 00:25.300 However, about 20 miles south of where I live in Southern Illinois. 00:25.300 --> 00:32.100 There's a town called New Athens, New Athens, Illinois. Or think again 00:32.100 --> 00:34.800 about the capital city of Egypt. 00:34.900 --> 00:36.300 What's the capital city of Egypt? 00:37.400 --> 00:38.000 Cairo. 00:38.400 --> 00:40.900 We go a little further south in Southern Illinois. 00:40.900 --> 00:45.000 Way down in Southern Illinois, the town is pronounced Cairo. 00:46.300 --> 00:53.300 Now I grew up in Central Missouri and think about a palace outside of 00:53.300 --> 00:53.700 Paris, 00:53.700 --> 00:57.600 France. The palace is very famous because having a Hall of Mirrors, 00:57.600 --> 00:59.100 you know what that Palace is called? 01:00.200 --> 01:00.900 Versailles. 01:01.100 --> 01:05.200 Well, I grew up near Versailles, Missouri. 01:06.600 --> 01:12.100 And then there's a town in Central Illinois, just south of Springfield. 01:12.500 --> 01:13.200 The town is 01:13.200 --> 01:17.500 spelled Loami. It's mispronounced low 01:17.500 --> 01:24.500 ame. That reminds me of a couple of Hebrew words that come from the 01:24.500 --> 01:32.800 book of Hosea. Hosea and his prostitute wife Gomer were told to name 01:32.800 --> 01:34.300 one of their sons 01:35.100 --> 01:40.600 Lo Ami, not my people. 01:42.100 --> 01:44.400 This is a name of judgment. 01:46.100 --> 01:51.400 The Jewish people had been unfaithful to God, and God was now 01:51.400 --> 01:53.200 pronouncing them low ami, 01:53.400 --> 01:55.600 not my people. 01:57.700 --> 02:03.700 I don't know exactly why the town in Central Illinois is called Loami. 02:03.700 --> 02:08.400 I don't know if necessarily it's a reference to the book of 02:08.400 --> 02:08.900 Hosea. 02:09.000 --> 02:11.400 If it is, it's a really strange thing to name your town 02:11.400 --> 02:12.000 isn't it? 02:12.000 --> 02:14.700 Think about the founding fathers, getting them started, what shall we 02:14.700 --> 02:15.400 call our town? 02:15.400 --> 02:17.700 I know how about not my people. 02:18.300 --> 02:21.300 It's a rather strange thing to name a town. 02:22.400 --> 02:26.700 Because loammi is word of judgment is a word of rejection. 02:27.900 --> 02:34.700 And there is a bit of a sense of rejection in our text for today from 02:34.700 --> 02:35.600 Luke chapter 18. 02:35.600 --> 02:41.900 There are two parts to our text and both halves of these of this text 02:42.100 --> 02:45.500 have a bit of a sense of rejection to them. 02:46.600 --> 02:52.300 The first part of the text is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax 02:52.300 --> 02:52.900 collector. 02:55.000 --> 02:59.300 And Jesus rejects the Pharisee. 03:00.500 --> 03:04.100 The Pharisee thinks he can stand in his own right before. 03:04.100 --> 03:04.700 God. 03:07.000 --> 03:14.100 But Jesus says about the tax collector, I tell you this man went down 03:14.100 --> 03:17.300 to his house justified rather than the other. 03:18.700 --> 03:19.500 And so, 03:20.700 --> 03:23.400 the Pharisees and those like them in effect 03:23.400 --> 03:25.400 Jesus says loammi. 03:26.000 --> 03:26.700 Not 03:28.000 --> 03:28.700 my people. 03:30.500 --> 03:33.300 Then the second part of our reading for today, 03:34.600 --> 03:35.900 Jesus, welcomes 03:35.900 --> 03:39.600 the little children. We're told that parents were bringing even 03:39.600 --> 03:44.000 infants to Jesus that he would bless them, but the disciples had other 03:44.000 --> 03:44.400 ideas. 03:44.400 --> 03:47.700 The disciples thought that Jesus had better ways to spend his time. 03:47.700 --> 03:51.700 That Jesus instead should be spending his time with the important 03:51.700 --> 03:58.800 people, the adults, the adults who could pay their salaries, the 03:58.800 --> 04:04.200 adults who could provide good leadership in the church 04:05.600 --> 04:12.600 but Jesus rejects them. At the end of our text has the shocking words, 04:12.600 --> 04:19.100 I tell you, unless you receive the kingdom of God, like a little 04:19.100 --> 04:23.200 child, you will not enter it. 04:23.500 --> 04:29.800 And so those important people, those adults Jesus in effect, says loammi, 04:29.800 --> 04:31.700 not 04:32.700 --> 04:33.400 my people. 04:35.200 --> 04:40.900 So in our text for today, Jesus rejects the Pharisees, he rejects the 04:40.900 --> 04:41.700 adults. 04:42.600 --> 04:43.200 Well, it's a good thing 04:43.200 --> 04:45.100 we don't fall into those categories Now, isn't it? 04:46.900 --> 04:55.600 Oh wait, we are adults least most of us are and as adults we work 04:55.600 --> 04:56.200 hard. 04:56.800 --> 05:01.400 And as we work hard, we expect that we're going to receive the rewards 05:01.400 --> 05:02.500 of working hard. 05:03.300 --> 05:08.800 We put in the time we expect to receive good results for what we've 05:09.000 --> 05:14.400 done. And at times since we've put in the work since we've done these 05:14.400 --> 05:16.100 accomplishments, we have some 05:16.300 --> 05:19.700 sense of pride in all that we've done and we think that perhaps things 05:19.700 --> 05:24.400 should go our way because well, we've worked for that to happen. 05:27.200 --> 05:30.700 People with those traits Jesus says, 05:32.300 --> 05:35.300 to you does not belong the kingdom of God. 05:36.800 --> 05:40.100 And then there's the Pharisees and we are actually at times more like 05:40.100 --> 05:43.900 the Pharisees than we'd like to admit as well. 05:44.900 --> 05:51.200 We pray regularly, we give generously like the Pharisee said he did. 05:51.200 --> 05:53.600 Now there's nothing wrong with that necessarily. 05:53.600 --> 05:58.000 It's good to pray, it's good to be generous, but because we do these 05:58.000 --> 05:58.800 things, 05:59.600 --> 05:59.800 We also 06:00.000 --> 06:02.400 sometimes look a little sideways 06:02.400 --> 06:06.600 at people around us in the church that we think aren't pulling their 06:06.600 --> 06:11.100 weight quite the same way as we're pulling our weight. 06:11.900 --> 06:15.900 We think perhaps the things in the church should go the way we want 06:15.900 --> 06:21.300 because well we have just worked a little harder for it than others 06:21.800 --> 06:29.600 have. And to those with a pharisaical attitude like that Jesus warns. 06:30.000 --> 06:35.900 That person does not go down to his house justified. 06:37.700 --> 06:43.000 So this text has a bit of a hint of rejection of loammi, not my 06:43.000 --> 06:48.000 people in both sections of our reading for today, but both sections of 06:48.000 --> 06:52.700 the reading, also have wonderful words of welcome 06:53.700 --> 06:58.400 and of hope and of help for the hopeless. 06:59.900 --> 07:04.900 For those who humbly cry out with nothing of our own to bring God, be 07:04.900 --> 07:06.500 merciful to me a sinner. 07:08.700 --> 07:15.000 Jesus says, I tell you you go down to your house justified. 07:17.400 --> 07:25.900 And for the helpless, for those who come like an infant, those who 07:26.200 --> 07:31.600 brag of no accomplishments of their own, those who recognize that we 07:31.600 --> 07:33.800 can do nothing and receive 07:33.800 --> 07:37.900 everything is a gift from God. To them 07:38.100 --> 07:43.400 Jesus says to you belongs 07:44.200 --> 07:46.400 the kingdom of God. 07:47.700 --> 07:51.000 And so to the hopeless, those who realize that we have nothing to 07:51.000 --> 07:55.200 contribute to our Salvation, Jesus brings hope. To the helpless 07:55.300 --> 07:58.500 those who realize that we can do nothing to earn our Salvation. 07:58.800 --> 08:03.400 Jesus says, to you belongs the kingdom of God. 08:04.500 --> 08:11.500 I was privileged to witness this on a nursing home visit about a 08:11.500 --> 08:16.800 month ago. I was visiting an elderly gentleman in the nursing home. 08:17.400 --> 08:21.900 And I was using today's text from Luke 18, as I was visiting with this 08:21.900 --> 08:27.300 man. Back and I was taking Hom I about 25 years ago, Dr. 08:27.300 --> 08:31.100 Schmitt had suggested that in order to get your thoughts together for 08:31.100 --> 08:34.100 a sermon, use the sermon text, you'll be preaching. 08:34.299 --> 08:37.200 with your shut-ins as you go out on visits. 08:37.200 --> 08:43.200 And so, I was using this text with a shut- in about a month ago. 08:44.700 --> 08:49.900 This gentleman elderly, it was very very hard to understand him. 08:49.900 --> 08:51.900 He could barely talk. 08:52.600 --> 08:55.500 I probably understood about one out of every ten words 08:55.500 --> 08:59.400 he said, simply because his voice was so weak. 09:00.800 --> 09:04.900 And this this man, he grew up in the Czech Republic. 09:06.000 --> 09:11.300 And then his homeland was overrun by the Nazis from Germany. 09:11.300 --> 09:17.300 He lost his country. Then he was conscripted into the Nazi army. 09:17.300 --> 09:21.300 He fought for the Nazis in World War 2, think about that for a minute. 09:22.600 --> 09:23.500 After the war, 09:24.300 --> 09:29.400 he emigrated to the United States and he enlisted the United States 09:29.900 --> 09:33.700 military and fought in Korea. 09:35.000 --> 09:42.100 This man has carried baggage, grief, and guilt with him for years. 09:43.800 --> 09:47.000 I was reading this text from Luke 18. 09:48.300 --> 09:57.400 And I was talking about how this tax collector recognized that he was 09:57.400 --> 09:58.100 a sinner, 09:59.700 --> 10:04.800 That he could do nothing to earn God's grace, and favor. He simply 10:04.800 --> 10:06.000 cried out 10:06.000 --> 10:09.800 God have mercy on me a sinner and this elderly gentleman 10:11.600 --> 10:12.400 noded his head. 10:14.200 --> 10:17.000 And I realized this text 10:18.100 --> 10:20.200 applies to him. 10:22.600 --> 10:28.000 He is like the tax collector who can do nothing but through himself upon 10:28.000 --> 10:29.000 God's mercy. 10:29.700 --> 10:37.700 And then he would nod to hear the words to this man, Jesus says this 10:37.700 --> 10:41.000 man went to his house justified. 10:42.200 --> 10:46.100 Then I went on to the next part of the text about Jesus welcoming the 10:46.100 --> 10:50.100 little children to him and I started thinking what is it like to be a 10:50.100 --> 10:51.800 little child or even an infant? 10:51.800 --> 10:52.000 An 10:52.400 --> 10:54.200 can't talk, clearly. 10:54.600 --> 10:55.400 An infant 10:55.400 --> 11:00.000 can't walk. An infant can't care for themselves. An infant can't 11:00.000 --> 11:02.900 even feed themselves. 11:04.400 --> 11:07.700 As I was describing these traits of an infant. 11:08.000 --> 11:09.100 This elderly, man 11:09.100 --> 11:11.800 again, was nodding his head. 11:12.600 --> 11:15.900 I recognized in a strange way 11:16.300 --> 11:20.100 he had again, become, like, an infant. 11:20.600 --> 11:24.400 He couldn't speak clearly, he was in his bed, he couldn't walk. 11:24.600 --> 11:26.600 He couldn't care for himself. 11:28.200 --> 11:33.700 And yet he was nodding and recognizing that to one like an infant. 11:33.800 --> 11:40.900 Jesus says to you belongs the kingdom of God. 11:43.000 --> 11:49.400 Now, at the end of shut-in visits, nursing home visits, I'll pray with 11:49.700 --> 11:51.600 the people that I'm visiting. 11:52.200 --> 11:56.200 And so, as I was finishing the devotion, with this gentleman said, 11:56.400 --> 11:59.800 let's pray. Took a breath 12:00.000 --> 12:03.600 and collected, my thoughts to be able to begin to pray for him. 12:03.600 --> 12:09.100 And just before I started praying, I heard from the bed, Our Father 12:09.800 --> 12:13.200 who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 12:13.200 --> 12:16.500 The clearest words, I'd heard during the entire visit. 12:18.900 --> 12:22.300 I could understand virtually nothing that he was saying through the 12:22.300 --> 12:23.400 rest of the visit. 12:24.500 --> 12:29.700 But I could understand clearly that he was praying The Lord's Prayer. 12:29.700 --> 12:30.500 In fact 12:32.400 --> 12:33.900 at a shut in visit 12:33.900 --> 12:37.600 I usually pray for the person and then lead the person in the Lord's 12:37.600 --> 12:37.800 Prayer. 12:37.800 --> 12:41.500 And here was this man who couldn't pronounce anything else. 12:43.000 --> 12:47.900 And he was clearly leading me in praying The Lord's Prayer. 12:49.600 --> 12:54.100 And after the Lord's Prayer, put my hand on his head and gave him the 12:54.100 --> 12:57.900 benediction, the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord, make his face 12:57.900 --> 12:59.500 shine upon you and be gracious unto you. 12:59.500 --> 13:03.400 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 13:04.500 --> 13:05.600 And I realized 13:06.900 --> 13:07.700 this one 13:09.500 --> 13:10.800 is one of God's people. 13:12.400 --> 13:16.200 Not rejected, not like the loammi, 13:16.400 --> 13:18.100 not my people. This one 13:19.400 --> 13:22.200 Jesus would declare goes down to his house justified. 13:22.200 --> 13:27.000 This one to him belongs the kingdom 13:28.400 --> 13:29.200 of God. 13:31.800 --> 13:32.800 In our text for today 13:33.100 --> 13:36.300 Jesus does give hope for the hopeless. 13:37.500 --> 13:38.600 He brings help 13:39.600 --> 13:46.900 to the helpless. As he did for this man who in a way, was like a tax 13:46.900 --> 13:50.400 collector who had nothing of his own, but simply pleaded for God's 13:50.400 --> 13:51.000 mercy. 13:52.400 --> 13:54.800 And God Justified him. 13:56.900 --> 14:00.500 He brings help for this man who was helpless like an infant. 14:01.400 --> 14:05.700 And yet Jesus says to him belongs the kingdom of God. 14:06.400 --> 14:11.400 So, Jesus does bring hope to the hopeless, he does bring help to the 14:11.400 --> 14:12.700 helpless. 14:13.500 --> 14:18.100 Jesus does have mercy on sinners. 14:18.500 --> 14:24.300 Jesus does give the kingdom of God to those who are like little 14:24.300 --> 14:26.600 children. To you 14:27.400 --> 14:31.500 Jesus says, you are my people. 14:32.100 --> 14:36.500 Ammi my people and he can say that to us. 14:37.900 --> 14:41.100 Because as Jesus was hanging on the cross, 14:41.800 --> 14:46.200 the Father declared Jesus to be loammi, 14:46.200 --> 14:50.000 not my people. As Jesus on the cross 14:50.000 --> 14:51.000 cried out in agony 14:51.000 --> 14:51.800 my God 14:51.800 --> 14:52.300 my God 14:52.300 --> 14:54.100 why have you forsaken me? 14:54.100 --> 14:59.500 It was because Jesus was bearing all of our sins, all that would 14:59.500 --> 14:59.900 separate 15:00.000 --> 15:01.100 us from God. 15:01.100 --> 15:03.200 All that would make us not his people. 15:04.700 --> 15:06.700 And Jesus took that from us 15:06.700 --> 15:10.400 so that now the Father can look at us, 15:11.600 --> 15:17.000 and say to us ammi, my people. 15:19.200 --> 15:23.700 Now if you want to try to stand before God in your own righteousness. 15:25.400 --> 15:31.800 If you want to raise before God your own pride in your prayers or in 15:31.800 --> 15:32.800 your generosity. 15:32.800 --> 15:36.400 If you want to stand before God In your own strength 15:37.500 --> 15:40.700 then why don't you consider moving to Central Illinois 15:40.700 --> 15:41.600 there's a town there 15:41.600 --> 15:42.300 Loami, 15:43.000 --> 15:43.800 not my people 15:45.300 --> 15:46.100 where you can live. 15:48.200 --> 15:48.800 But, 15:51.300 --> 15:58.000 if you recognize that you are hopeless and helpless that, you can 15:58.000 --> 16:01.100 contribute nothing to your salvation. 16:02.400 --> 16:08.500 And simply receive God's gifts like a helpless infant. 16:08.800 --> 16:13.100 Then don't move to Central Illinois. 16:13.300 --> 16:15.500 Don't live in Loami. 16:15.500 --> 16:24.000 Instead live as a beloved child in the kingdom of God forever. 16:24.800 --> 16:25.900 In Jesus name. 16:26.500 --> 16:27.000 Amen. 16:28.100 --> 16:28.800 The peace of God 16:28.800 --> 16:30.200 which passes all understanding. 16:30.200 --> 16:32.000 Keep your hearts and minds in truth faith 16:32.900 --> 16:33.500 through Christ 16:33.500 --> 16:35.900 Jesus, our Lord. Amen.