Jesus points to the beauty of the lilies of the field as a way of reminding us of the graciousness of God to give us what we need for this life. Christ has brought us the kingdom of God by taking up our sin on the cross and clothing us with the robe of His righteousness. Since we are so beautifully clothed in Christ unto eternity in Holy Baptism, we can truly let go of our anxieties over the things of this life.

It is foolish to reduce our lives to procuring possessions just to let them go when we die. These things do not compare to the eternal treasures Christ won for us. We can let go of our need to store up earthly treasures because we know what the Lord promises in the life to come (Romans 8:32).

Abraham boldly pleaded before God on behalf of Sodom. This boldness came from knowing who the Lord had revealed Himself to be. We know who the Lord is in the mercy of Christ Jesus. Christ interceded for us by shedding His blood on the cross. Therefore, we know that we can "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16) and that He indeed listens to our prayers.

Abraham welcomed the Lord and two angels with his best meal. May we also welcome the Lord into our lives when He visits us with His Word and Sacrament. Jesus first welcomed us into His kingdom by restoring our relationship with God the Father by dying on the cross and rising again. He continues to welcome us to His Table and feed us with His very best: His very body and blood, given and shed for us.

Neither the priest nor the Levite was willing to jeopardize his ritual purity by aiding the man who fell among the robbers. But the Samaritan, whom they already viewed as unclean, compassionately placed the man upon his own animal and cleaned his wounds. Jesus willingly became unclean and went to the cross for us, even though He was without sin. He did so in order to bind up our wounds and make us clean before God.

Neither the priest nor the Levite was willing to jeopardize his ritual purity by aiding the man who fell among the robbers. But the Samaritan, whom they already viewed as unclean, compassionately placed the man upon his own animal and cleaned his wounds. Jesus willingly became unclean and went to the cross for us, even though He was without sin. He did so in order to bind up our wounds and make us clean before God.

We are free to serve one another. We do not need to treat our neighbors as a means to an end for attaining righteousness before God. We know that, because we are forgiven in Christ, we are not held captive or forced to make ourselves worthy before God by what we do. In Christ, we are already free. So, we are free to love one another through our vocations at home, at work, and in our community.

In Isaiah, the Lord spoke of how His presence, His open hands, and His words were rejected. However, just as the whole cluster will not be disregarded because some good grapes remain, the Lord will not completely wipe out His own people because the faithful remnant remains. Jesus alone is the one who truly remained faithful. He gives us the new wine of the Gospel, His blood, which was poured out for us upon the cross to bring all who are in Him into the final harvest forever.

The beauty of the northern lights gives us a glimpse of the wonder of the Lord's handiwork in creation. Wisdom was there. That is, the Son was at the creation. The Spirit was there too. Three in One and One in Three, the triune God is majestic and beyond our limited abilities to fully understand Him. Yet, in God's wisdom, He has revealed and given us salvation through Christ dying on the cross and rising again. We marvel at the mighty work of our triune God to save us.

On Pentecost, Jesus' disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit so that all ears heard about Jesus' mighty deeds of salvation through His crucifixion, conquering of death, and resurrection. Going out in all directions from Jerusalem, the Gospel was beginning to fill the earth. Even today, the Holy Spirit continues to fill ears through Word and Sacrament, and the church works to fill every corner of the world with the Good News.