Sermons 2026

“Jesus Gives Us Rest by Bearing Our Burdens”

Matthew 11:25-30

In the name of Jesus…

    How the time has flown! Many of you have seen me grow up over the years and it hasn’t even seemed that long. In another aspect, it is now July, summer is in full swing, the Fourth of July/Fort Benton Summer Celebration have come and gone, and things don’t seem to slow down much. We are busy people always looking at the next thing and while some things can be exciting, it can also be very tiring. Work, school, eat, sleep, do it again the next day. When can I just get some rest? In our Gospel reading, Jesus talks about rest and where to find it.

(JESUS GIVES US REST BY BEARING OUR BURDENS.)

I.
    “Jesus declared, ‘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’” (Matthew 11:25). There are many things that we would like to know that we can’t explain. We are tempted to want to know and explain everything according to our human reason, but some things have not been revealed to us. Worrying about our life of faith and the future can be exhausting. Consider some of those biblical doctrines that we try to wrap our heads around. How can the Incarnate Christ be both fully God and fully man? How can Jesus’ body and blood be truly present at multiple altars at the same time? Why are some saved and not others? By trying to explain these doctrines beyond what Scripture says, we do nothing but buy ourselves trouble. We know what Scripture says and we can leave it at that. What are those burdens in your life that you seek to answer? Why must our friends and family die? Why did I have to receive a bad medical diagnosis? What did I do to deserve this? Why is God punishing me? Our human reason seeks to answer the questions that we cannot answer. So, why can’t the knowledge of salvation depend on human reason? Well, what does Scripture say? We are sinful beings who cannot fully understand everything in God’s creation. We do not have the same knowledge that God has by design.

Jesus thanked his Father for revealing the truth of the Gospel to children. While little children ask questions (sometimes too many) and desire to know things, they also receive what has been revealed to them with great faith. Children can proudly proclaim that Jesus died for them without trying to explain the how. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:14-15). May we have a childlike faith by trusting in God’s Word and leave it at that without trying to explain beyond what Scripture has revealed to us. These are just some of the burdens we face when we worry about the things we don’t know by not having a childlike faith.

In addition to those burdens, we are also burdened with sin which is at the root of our earthly problems. In our Epistle reading, Paul talks about something we can all relate to, that is, wrestling against our own inclination to sin even though we desire to do good (Romans 7:15). God’s commandments teach us how to live and from a young age, we are taught the difference between right and wrong. We know this, yet we find ourselves doing the opposite of how we should live and conduct ourselves. The Old Adam still dwells in us after Baptism. Therefore, as Luther teaches us in the Small Catechism, “the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” It is tiring to keep fighting against sin and temptation by drowning the Old Adam each and every day by confessing our sins receiving forgiveness. Though it is a daily struggle, we must focus on the cause of the burden of sin. We must diagnose the problem.

We are burdened when we don’t keep the law because nothing good dwells in us (Romans 7:18). We are poor miserable sinners, plain and simple. The problem is that sin dwells within me (Romans 7:17). The problem is not the law (Romans 7:16, 22) even though the law is heavy and weights us down by showing us our sin. St. Paul says, “Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good” (Romans 7:16) and “I delight in the law of God, in my inner being” (Romans 7:22). We know that the law is good since God gave it to us as a guide for how we are to live our lives. However, we cannot keep the law even though we know it is good. Therefore, “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15). As sinners, we deserve nothing but God’s wrath and punishment, resulting in our eternal death. “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

II.

    Jesus bears our burdens in his death on the cross. This morning, we are blessed with that reminder of Palm Sunday in our Old Testament reading. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). In context, Judah had just returned from exile in Babylon. What a heavy burden God’s people had suffered during their seventy-year period of captivity. To say they must have been tired is probably an understatement. Zechariah assured Judah that their king would protect them from foreign enemies. To God’s people, the exile was like a yoke which is what an animal wears to pull a wagon or cart. On Palm Sunday, Jesus humbly rode into Jerusalem on a donkey toward the yoke of the cross which he would carry to Mount Calvary. By bearing our burdens on the cross, Jesus rescued us from sin and the burden of knowing that we fail to keep the law and live a Christian life as we should. Where can we find our rest and some relief from our burdens?

    We find our rest in Jesus. He said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus tells us where to find rest, by being yoked to him. This means living each and every day of your life as a disciple of Jesus, reading God’s Word, and receiving His gifts. When our sins our forgiven, the yoke is lifted off our shoulders, just like when “we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.” We also find rest where Jesus has promised to be, in his Holy Supper where we eat and drink his body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Here, Jesus makes our burdens light. All of our sins and sorrows were carried by Jesus and were nailed with him to the cross. He died for each and every one of our sins – when we weren’t content with what Scripture has revealed to us, when we wanted to know why this or that happened and demanded answers. All of those things that cause us to become restless, tired, and exhausted, Christ died for them and gives us rest even when we fail to put our trust in him. By assuming human flesh, Christ was tempted in every way that we are but did not sin. He bore the weight of the entire world’s sin so that we don’t have to. He died so that we might live.
    Even though we continue to feel the burden of exhaustion, we take comfort knowing that we have rest in Jesus. While time will continue to fly by despite us wanting to just slow down and relax, God is always with you through it all. Remember the words of Jesus: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Thanks be to God for the rest that He continues to give us each and every day. Amen.

Now may the peace of God…
 

Matthew 28:16-20 “A Holy Name”

Outline
1.    What’s in a name?
a.    The name is the person, the character, it references who the specific person is
2.    We are baptized in the name of God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit
a.    His name is placed upon us! Works through us, and is with us, until the end of the ages.

Sermon

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My dear beloved flock, the text for our meditation is the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the twenty-eighth chapter, verses sixteen through twenty.

Beloved lambs, I pray that you are doing well today. Do you know what I have here? I have a picture of a tattoo. A tattoo is made with ink that is put into your skin. They last a really really long time. Many people get tattoos like this of name of important people in their lives. Have you ever wondered why you have the name that you have? Why are you called Aquilla, Talitha, Sapphira, (Weston, Maci, etc) and not Jack, Jill, or Stacy?

I am sure that your moms and dads spent many hours agonizing over your name when you were in the womb. They debated and sounded the names out, liking how this name sounded with this middle name, making sure that the Initials were good. Many moms and dads do this often, some only once in a lifetime, as God blesses them with children. In our text for today, Jesus says that we have another name given to us. That we are marked with something more permanent than a tattoo. We are marked with the name of the Holy Trinity. How do we get this name? What does it mean that we are baptized into this name? Ponder those questions as you hear the rest of the sermon. You may go back to your seats and those who love you. 

1.    What’s in a name?

What’s in a name? In Act 2 Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespear pens this conversation between the two star crossed lovers Juliet: O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet. 

Romeo: [Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this? 
Juliet: 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee Take all myself. Romeo: I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo. 

Shakespeare is stating that the only reason that Romeo and Juliet are not together is because of a simple name that should mean little. Romeo’s name (and thus his family's feud with Juliet's family) means nothing and they should be together. 

In our text for today, we see how powerful a name is. A name distinguishes who you are from everyone else. There is only one of you among the multitude of people in your classroom or business. When someone calls your name, they are not just looking for you, they are acknowledging your very existence. When someone says your name, it carries with it everything that is you.

Jesus says that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him by the Father. With these words, Jesus is directly claiming the name of God for Himself. He is Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob in the flesh. This is because this type of authority is something that only God has. Only God can claim authority over all things as Creator of heaven and earth. In Exodus Three, when Moses asks what the personal name of God is, the Lord replies, YHWH, I am who I am or I will be who I will be. Notice the Present tense of the verb there. As scholar Walter Brueggemann states, this emphasizes the relational aspect of Yahweh, highlighting that God defines Himself through His interactions with humanity: “To speak of God is always to speak of God as present… God refuses simply to be an idea or a proposition.” 

In Numbers chapter six, when the Lord gives His people the Aaronic blessing, which we hear at the end of every Sunday service, is given ““So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” The name is given to the people by the One who has all authority in order that He Himself can be a blessing to His people. 

This is the same authority that our Lord possesses as we see in the miracles that Jesus did while upon the earth. Jesus showed His authority over nature when He walked upon the waves. According to Job, that is something that only God can do. When Jesus said “Peace, be Still.” The raging seas and roaring winds were calm. Jesus showed His authority to provide for the physical needs of people when He took five loaves of bread and two fish, multiplying them to feed thousands of hungry people, enough that they could no longer eat another bite, with baskets leftover to provide for the needs of the disciples. Jesus showed His authority over sickness when, with a touch or a word, He healed those who were sick of various illnesses. He showed His authority, even over the Demons, when with a command, Jesus drove out the demons from demoniacs, ordering them to be silent, and they were. Jesus shows His authority over death when, with a word, He raises the dead to life again.

As God in the flesh for us, Jesus has forgiven all sins by becoming a curse for us. He bore the wrath of God in our place upon the Cross. Now, by His death and resurrection from the dead, Jesus has restored all humanity to a right relationship with God once again. Jesus has taken His rightful place, exalted at the right hand of the Father as the Beloved Son, ruling over all creation for our good.

2.    Sent with Authority

It is by, and through, Jesus’ authority that He sends forth the disciples upon their great mission. They are the ones who go, πορεύομαι, is the Greek. It is a aorist passive participle. We could better translate it, “As, or while, you are going.” 

As they are going, what are they doing? They are μαθητεύω, disciple makers. Jesus sends the eleven to make disciples of all nations. This sending shows how God’s mindfulness extends to all people. No one is left out. God is mindful of every tribe and race, every ethnicity and nationality. It does not matter if you are an infant (Psalm 8:2) an elder, or anyone in between. More than mindful, God loves His creatures. He desires all to come to a knowledge of the Son, that all would be baptized and learn His commands. After rising from the dead, Jesus continues His mission of blessing all nations by sending His chosen few to make disciples of many.

3.    The Name

How do they make disciples of many? They baptize and teach. In the blessed waters of Holy Baptism, God does a wonderous thing. He connects you to Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection from the dead. You come dead in your sins and trespasses. You are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are raised from the blessed waters a new life. A child of God because God has placed His name upon you forever, unlike a tattoo, this will never fade away. In his treatise, “Holy sacrament of Baptism”, Luther writes of the wonder that happens in Holy Baptism. He states “Through this spiritual birth he is a child of grace and a justified person. Therefore, sins are drowned in Baptism, and in place of sin, righteousness comes forth.”. 

Many people think of Baptism as a one-time event.  They think “Ok, I was baptized as a baby, I came once dead in my sins and trespasses. The Holy Spirit comes through the Word and blessed Water, makes His home in me, and brings me to newness of life by connecting us with Jesus Christ. Here, I died with Jesus and are raised with Him. In these blessed waters, God places His very name upon my heart. Therefore, I am good.”
Baptism is not a one and done type of activity. Baptism is a continual action. It has a daily effect upon our lives because we still struggle with our sins, the temptations of Satan, and the pressures of this world. As Luther states, “When you arise from the sin and you repent, as it were you return to the power of your baptism. You go back to the promise of what once was done to you but were lost to it through sin. That promise (He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved) stays true forever and will receive us with open arms when we return. As Paul says in 2 Timothy 2: If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny himself. By that truth you have something to hold on to that the devil and your own conscience cannot change. You have something that can be a comfort in all temptations, namely this one truth, that God is faithful to His promises and that you received the sign of that in baptism. If God be for us, who can be against us?”

What does this returning to our baptisms look like? Baptismal repentance means a drastic turn from the old ways of yesterday and to new ways for tomorrow, with the gift of strength for today. We wake up in the morning. We pray thanking God that He has guarded us through this night. We make the sign of the cross before going about our work joyfully. We have eternal joy because of Jesus’ and His work for us. We know that we are going to mess up and fail today. When we mess up and fail, we do not despair. Rather, we hold God to His Word of forgiveness, life, and salvation. We remember our Baptisms and the promises therein. We repent of our sins, seeking God’s mercy and grace through Jesus Christ. We do the same in the evening, closing our day in the Lord’s name, thanking Him for all the blessings that He gave to us today, and then going to sleep at once and in good cheer. 

We do this assured that we have forgiveness of our sins, the salvation of our souls, and everlasting life with God because Jesus Christ has used all of His authority for our good. Jesus took all of our sins, covered them with His precious blood, washed us in the blessed waters of Holy Baptism. As promises, Jesus is with us until end of the age, and even now intercedes for us before the Father, until the Day when we shall see Him face to face in glory without end.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard, and keep, your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.