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Let us pray.

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May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be

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acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer.

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Amen.

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Today we commemorate a saint and sinner, just like us who struggled with

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an evil conscience.

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It is Saint

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Martin of Tours, of course that for me as one who served as a military

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chaplain is particularly important. A young man,

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Martin of Tours, who was born in 3/16 AD served as an officer in the

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Roman army.

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One day, he encountered a poor beggar shivering from the cold. Martin

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drew his sword, cut his military, Cape into and covered the beggar

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with 1/2. That night

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according to tradition Christ, appeared to Martin in a dream wearing

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half the cape when he had given to the bagger and allegedly, spoke

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Martin, a mere catechumen has clothed me.

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Martin eventually became a cleric, founded a monastery

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and over the years, his piety and devotion to Christ became so

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well-known that he was installed

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as the bishop of Tours France by popular demand. Following his death,

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the remaining half of Martin's cape became an object of veneration.

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French

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King's had the cape carried into battle and prepared a tent-like

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portable shrine for it.

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In Latin, the shrine was called a cappella, the priest who was given

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responsibility for the Coppa and the capella was called the 

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Copalanus.

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It is through the reveration of these terms that we now

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have the English words for chapel and chaplain. Consequently since

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medieval days

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Martin of Tours has been identified as those who served with military

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chaplains. Of course for us Luther chaplains

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Martin of Tours, has an

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additional significant connection. On November 10th in 1483, Hans and

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Margaret Luther of Eisleben,

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Germany welcomed the birth of a new baby boy.

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And following the custom of the times

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they had their infant baptized the following day.

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And since November 11th was the date of the Christian Church,

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traditionally remembered in honored

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Saint Martin of Tours.

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The baby was named Martin Luther.

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Well, how am I squeezing that in today with our text?

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Well, as I started to begin with

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I think when they started to venerate and warriors brought this into

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battle with them, they're all trying to find a way to ease their

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conscience their dirty conscience.

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The filth, the stench of their sin.

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And I do that in Chapel

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today

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we all come from different backgrounds.

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Some of you come from rural areas some from suburban and some from

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urban. There is a diverseness of

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culture here among us at this seminary.

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And many of us were raised in different settings and situations.

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We all have different influences in situations of people who brought

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us to this place. Yet

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God has gotten us all here

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this morning in his Chapel, to hear his word, despite our own diverse

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backgrounds and our own diverse situations in life.

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There's one thing that we all have in common with Saint Martin of

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Tours

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and yes, even Martin Luther. We are all poor miserable

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sinners, who need forgiveness and salvation or we will die eternally

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in hell.

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We desire to have a clean conscience as our text mentions.

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You see the law has crushed us and we know that we have sinned against

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God and against our neighbor.

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We want to be clean.

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Yet, we can't seem to get that stench off of us.

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That stench of sin.

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Now,

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it's not a lack of trying.

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We try to rationalize away our sin and thinking it isn't as all that

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bad and nobody really got hurt or at least I'm not as bad as that guy.

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Well, we may try to deny it all together by redefining terms and

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revaluing

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what is a sin or not.

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Maybe we even think that we can do it in the dark of night and no one

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really really know about it.

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Yet, you know, and I know that our conscience is lolled asleep or even

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seared.

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It will end up filling us with guilt and shame.

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We need forgiveness to have our conscience completely cleaned.

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In our text

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we are reminded that the priest stood day after day ministering and

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offering the sacrifices over and over hoping to get that stench of sin

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off the people to clean their conscience to get them forgiveness.

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In verse 11 of our tax reminds us that it never takes away sins.

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And our text does not leave us hopeless.

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Listen again to this passage.

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Therefore brothers have boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of

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Jesus, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us through

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the veil.

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That is his flesh.

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And having a high priest over the house of God.

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Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance

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of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our

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bodies washed with pure water.

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Did you hear what it said about us and the presence of God?

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We with the stench of sin on us can now come to God in boldness and

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confidence because of the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God. By a new and

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living way through

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and by his flesh, God's presence is now ours we can come to him

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because of what Christ has done for us.

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Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

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Our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies

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washed in pure water.

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My friends

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you may now know that with all boldness and confidence.

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You can draw near to God, you can come to this

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Capella this Chapel with the stench of sin, being taken away because

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God has made, you clean and taken your sin.

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In your baptism, you were washed in pure water, which God reached

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down into the muck and mire of your sinfulness

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the stench and made you clean forgave you your sins and gave you

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life and salvation.

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God, sprinkles, your heart clean, with the waters of holy baptism and

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the Lord's Supper, where you receive his very body and blood for the

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forgiveness of your sins and the strengthening of your faith.

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So do you feel guilty of sin and troubled of conscience?

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Are you utterly aware that you deserve, God's wrath and punishment?

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Are you sorry for your sin and in need of

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forgiveness? Do you see how from the curse of sin

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your body and blood are failing? Hear this word of our Lord, in our

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text. Draw near to God.

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Apart from God

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there is only sin death and condemnation. In his presence

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there is forgiveness of sins and life, and salvation. Draw near to God,

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as he draws near to you, in his word and sacraments.

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Let us hold fast onto this confession of our hope.

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That is in,

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Jesus, without wavering our text says.

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Why?

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Because he who promised forgiveness life and salvation in his name is

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faithful.

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We encourage one another.

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We are concerned about one, another as brothers and sisters in Christ

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even more

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so as the day of judgement is approaching. No one likes to think

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that way. We really do need to live as if we are dying.

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Either we will die or Jesus will return on that last day, the day of

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judgment.

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That is a fact.

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So our text for today prepares us for both to live here on Earth, but

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also to live for all eternity with Jesus, our priest and our King.

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We know and believe that we are one in Christ.

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No matter what backgrounds we come from.

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We all have been washed in the waters of baptism and cleansed with the

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blood of Jesus.

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So my dear friends,

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 let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins to God

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our Father. Beseeching him in the name of our Lord

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Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness. Jesus as our high priest atones

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for your sins and makes intercession for you and Jesus, your king

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gives you amnesty for the debt and burden of your sins and declares

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the price paid in full in Christ.

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As the king

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he defeated the enemy once and for all.

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Jesus brings us into the Father's presence and gives us his flesh

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as our way to the Father and his blood to cleanse us from an evil

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conscience.

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My friends may that always be your confession of hope.

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And remember by the grace of God, for Christ's sake, through faith

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your sins are forgiven and your conscience is clean.

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He who promised

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this is faithful.

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Amen.

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Now, may this peace of God, which passes all understanding.

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Keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus our lord.

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Amen.