Pentecost 14, Year A (2026)

Jeremiah 15: 15–21 / Psalm 26: 1–8 / Romans 12: 9–21 / Matthew 16: 21–28

 

This is the written version of the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, August 30, 2026, by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.

 

“GOD’S WAY IS HIGHER THAN OURS; GOD’S WAY IS BETTER THAN OURS”

(Homily text: Matthew 16: 21-28)

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, when we are driving somewhere, that there’d be no work zones, or accident sites, or detours? Yes, indeed … perhaps most of us would really like such a situation.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the things we use worked perfectly all the time (stuff like our vehicles, for example)? Indeed, that’d be pretty terrific, most of us would agree.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if life’s plan unfolded smoothly, with no wrinkles, challenges or setbacks? Indeed, that’d be a blessing.

Of course, the truthful answer to each of these questions above is that there will be challenges, disappointments, and changes of plan as we make our way through life. But, we can be assured that, if we are attentive to God’s involvement in our lives, then, in the final analysis, all will be well. God’s walk with us, day-by-day, doesn’t mean that life will be without its ups and downs. But it does mean that we aren’t making this journey alone, and it does mean that we have a strong ally on our journey.

But I digress a little.

This morning, we hear, in our Gospel reading, Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, those well-known words, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man”.[1]

The Lord’s harsh words were spoken in response to Peter’s outburst, in which he said that the Lord must not go to Jerusalem, suffer and die, and be raised on the third day to new life.

Peter’s walk of faith is a lot like those road detours, accident sites and work zones we began this sermon with, for Peter’s journey of faith had just had some really smooth sailing, as he acknowledged Jesus to be the Son of the living God.[2] The road ahead for Peter seemed to be wide open, as he had come to the realization of Jesus’ true identity.

But then, Peter stumbles. We could characterize Peter’s thinking this way: “No, Lord, you cannot go to Jerusalem You cannot confront the chief priests and the others in charge there, for we know how such confrontations end: You will be killed. No, Lord, you can’t do this”. Of course, I’m paraphrasing, but that is the gist of Peter’s objection.

Each one of Jesus’ disciples knew the “lay of the land” in the society in which they lived. They knew how an encounter, a confrontation, with those in charge in Jerusalem would unfold.

They also knew exactly the meaning of what Jesus would say next” “If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me”. It would be easy to imagine that each and every one of the Lord’s original band of followers had seen the uprights for crosses at road intersections across the land, stark and silent reminders of the fates for those who stepped out-of-line. They knew exactly what “taking up one’s cross” meant.  It must have been a chilling thought.

But, in the wider view of things, God’s plan is the plan that unfolded, even though that plan didn’t seem to make much sense at the time. That plan involved the path of confrontation, the path of suffering, the patch of death, but also the path of resurrection, new life, and Good News for the entire world.

For, if we think about it, if Peter’s view of the proper unfolding of things would have been the way things actually unfolded, then it’s possible that we would know Jesus today as a great, historical figure, one whose message touched many, one whose message brought hope and meaning to thousands. We would know Jesus as one of the great teachers of his – or any – age.

But instead, we know Jesus as the risen Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, that one who died, but who rose from the dead on the third day. We know Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God, as the One who assures us that He will be with us until the close of the age.[3]

Turns out that God’s plan was a whole lot better, a whole lot greater, than whatever Peter could have imagined.

Thanks be to God.

AMEN.

 

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[1]   Matthew 16:23b

[2]   See Matthew 16:18.

[3]   Matthew 28:20

Pentecost 12, Year A (2026)

Isaiah 56: 1, 8-10 / Psalm 67 / Romans 11: 1–2a, 29–32 / Matthew 15: 10-28

 

This is the written version of the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 16, 2026 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.

 

“FAITH: AN ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR GOD’S WILL AND GOD’S WORK TO BE DONE”

(Homily text: Matthew 15: 10-28)

 

Ever think of just how critical faith is? Many times in the Gospel accounts, we read Jesus’ words which say (in one way or another) “Your faith has made you well”.

This morning, in our Gospel reading, Jesus tells the Canaanite woman, “Woman, great is your faith!”.

In some essential, but perhaps mysterious way, having faith is a key part of our relating to God. Somehow, having faith that God can do something, or fix something, or bring healing and wholeness (either to relationships, or to health, or to other things) is a part of allowing things to happen.

Put another way, faith is our part, our work, in doing God’s will, or in allowing God’s will to be done and in allowing God’s ways to be known.

We might think of having faith as a tool, which allows things to happen. More on that in a moment.

First, though, let’s look at our Gospel text for this morning…

We might notice that there are two choices in what to actually read this morning. One choice is to read verses ten through twenty-eight. The other choice is to read only verses twenty-one through twenty-eight. If we read only the latter verses, we hear only Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman. If we read all of the verses, then we hear Jesus’ condemnation of the ways and the behaviors of the Pharisees. I believe that, if we read all of the passage, we see a marked difference where the matter of faith is considered.

Now then, with this background in view, let’s look at the passage in its entirety.

Notice that Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for the simple reason that they are concentrating on the wrong things…they are concerned with outward actions, outward appearances. It is in verse twenty that we hear Lord identify the specific practices that were so important to the Pharisees: Washing of hands prior to eating.[1]

The Pharisees’ neglect of the disposition of the heart also has to do with a lack of faith in what God is able to do. Therein lies the contrast with the Canaanite woman, whose encounter with Jesus forms the second part of our reading this morning.

The contrast between the Pharisees, who were proud of their heritage as children of Abraham, contrasts with the identity and heritage of the Canaanite woman, who is a descendent of the peoples who lived in the Holy Land prior to the coming of the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua, some 1,500 years prior to Jesus’ earthly ministry. Put another way, it is the Pharisees who should have known about faith, and who should have known how important having faith is in the equation between God’s ability to act and our human ability to believe in God’s power. It is the Canaanite woman who offers us a surprise where the exercise of faith is concerned.

As the encounter between Jesus and this Gentile woman unfolds, we find that the disciples are asking Jesus to tell the woman to go away. But this woman is determined to see the Lord, and she has faith that He can grant her request.

But there’s a test of her faith involved in the encounter, or – at least I think so.

At the first, Jesus says that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.[2]

Then He adds that it isn’t right to throw the children’s food to the dogs.

If we consider the attitudes of God’s chosen people 2,000 years ago, we can better understand the implications of this statement: To the Jews, dogs were unclean animals (perhaps because of their eating habits). Jews, at that time, often insulted Gentiles by calling them “dogs”. So Jesus’ comment seems – at least on the surface – to be a put down of the Canaanite woman. He is essentially saying that she is unclean. But the term that Jesus uses is different than “dog’. He tells her that it isn’t right to throw the children’s food to the puppy dogs[3], animals of the sort that might be part of a human household.

But the Canaanite woman is determined. She is also quick on her feet and in her response: She turns the Lord’s comment into a truth (based on the idea of a puppy dog being part of a household[4]), and she says that even the puppy dogs look to eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.[5]

Now then, let’s return to a comparison of the attitudes of the Pharisees, contrasted with that of the Canaanite woman.

The Pharisees were a barren bunch, unable to produce food for the kingdom of God. Why? Because they had no faith. They had faith only in the outward actions of people. The Canaanite woman had faith that the Lord could help her, and she had it in abundance.

Perhaps we’re on firm ground if we believe that, absent a declaration of faith in the Lord’s ability to help the Canaanite woman, there would have been no deliverance for her daughter.

We come then, to the conclusion that faith is a tool that God gives us, a tool He expects us to make use of. God has the ability to answer our needs and our requests (but, notice: God’s will and God’s wisdom far outshine our own abilities to see what is best for us!), But we have work to do, and part of that work consists of our faith, our belief in God’s ability to act, to create, to re-create, to bring healing and wholeness where there is a lack of these things.

Somehow, when we pick up the tool of faith, good things – God things – happen.

AMEN.

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[1]   Perhaps the Lord’s point here isn’t the hygienic reasons for washing one’s hands prior to eating (which is a good idea), but rather, the concern for outward actions, to the neglect of the inner disposition of the heart.

[2]  Here we come to a mystery concerning the Lord’s identity as being fully human, and yet fully divine, neither aspect of His identity being confused with the other, and neither identity being separated from the other, at the same time...talk about a mystery! Anyway, some scholars believe that the Lord’s human aspect grew in its awareness and maturity, just as any human being would. If this is so, then perhaps – this line of thinking goes – the encounter with the Canaanite woman may have been a significant event in Jesus’ growing awareness of the ministry and the mission that God had sent Him to accomplish. I’ll let you live with that mystery.

[3]   The Greek word is kynarion, meaning, literally, “little dog”.

[4]   My thought, anyway.

[5]   A question to ponder: Did the saying about “Crumbs falling from the master’s table” circulate in the ancient world? We also hear this same phrase in Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (see Luke 16: 19–31). Another mystery to ponder.

Pentecost 11, Year A (2026)

I Kings 19: 9–18 / Psalm 85: 8–13 / Romans 10: 5–15 / Matthew 14: 22–33  

 

 

This is the written version of the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, August 9, 2026, by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.  

 

           

“SHOWING US WHERE THE ROCKS ARE”

(Homily text: Matthew 14: 22-33)

 

Let’s begin this morning with a bit of humor…

There were three ministers in a community who were very good friends and also were very good colleagues in ministry together. One day, one of the three proposed to the other two that it might be nice if they would rent a boat and go fishing together. Since they all had Mondays off, they chose a date and headed off to the country club.

The weather was quite nice for the occasion, and the three began their quest for fish. But the fish weren’t cooperating very well, and by midday, the sun was beating down on the three pretty hard.

So one of them said he was going to go into the club and get something to drink. Over the side of the boat he went, whereupon he seemed to walk along the top of the water. Sitting under the awning at the club, he began to enjoy his libation.

Not long afterward, the second of the three also said he was thirsty, and over the side of the boat he went. He, too, seemed to walk along over the top of the water. Reaching the club, he joined the first one.

The lone occupant of the boat, now seeing the other two in under the awning, enjoying some refreshment, determined that if the other two could manage to leave the boat and make their way to the shore, then he, too, could manage the same. So over the side of the boat he went. But immediately, he began to flounder in the water. The first one, seeing this unfold, calmly put his drink down and said to his colleague at the table, “Do you think we ought to show him where the rocks are?”

This bit of humor fits well with this morning’s Gospel reading. For in it, we read that Jesus walked on the water as the stormy seas were churning in the Sea of Galilee. If we consider the theological point of the account, we come to the conclusion that it is meant to tell us something about the powers that were at work in Jesus, powers that God alone possesses, powers over the created order. Recalling our Gospel reading from last week, the account of the feeding of the crowd of some 5,000 people, the basic theological truth is the same: Jesus has power over the creation.

Now, hold onto that thought as I offer a memory from an event that took place earlier this week …

Earlier this week, I conducted a memorial service for a former director of the U.S. Army Chorus, a group that I was a member of, at the Old Post Chapel on Ft. Myer, Virginia, which is adjacent to Arlington Cemetery. The former director’s two daughters were there, and they reminded me of a concert I had done with their father, many years before. I recalled the concert quite well, and shared a humorous aspect of what happened when we sang together, something I don’t think they knew about their dad.

Sharing that memory with them, sent my mind back to those days in my life. They weren’t entirely good memories. There was much turmoil and uncertainty back then.

But from the perspective of many years now, I can see that the Lord was present and was active in those troubling years. I didn’t know it at the time, but those difficult times didn’t have the final say in the direction of my life. No, God was at work, and one-by-one, one difficulty after another was overcome.

Looking back, I can say that, absent God’s presence and God’s ability to guide, to support, to create, to deal with a challenge, and then to work out the details of the next one, I’m not sure I would have made it through those trying times.

Now then, perhaps each of us could ask a question of ourselves, as we look back over the years of our lives: “When was it that the Lord showed us where the rocks were?”.

For surely, we all have need of the Lord’s support at various times as life unfolds.

Perhaps the Lord shows up when we don’t know what will happen next, or how we will face the events that seem to be headed our way

Perhaps deep loss comes our way.

Perhaps we seem to face so many challenges and so many difficult choices that we are paralyzed by the multitude of problems that seem to lie in our path.

Perhaps other ideas arise in our minds, and perhaps they are our own personal experiences and challenges.

It’s been said that we Christians are a “resurrection people”. That is to say, we worship, love and adore a God who creates, a God who brings order out of disorder, a God who is a God of new beginnings.

Perhaps it’d be helpful to remember those wonderful qualities that God possesses, and which He makes available to us, often at times when we can’t see His hand at work in the things that surround or beset us.

For, as St. Paul reminds us in chapter eight of his letter to the early churches in Rome, “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus”. (Romans 8:39)

Thanks be to God.

AMEN. 

Pentecost 10, Year A (2026)

Isaiah 55: 1–5 / Psalm 145: 8–9, 14–21 / Romans 9: 1–5 / Matthew 14: 13–21

 

This is the written version of the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, August 2, 2026 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.

 

 

“MIRACLES AND MYSTERIES”

(Homily text: Matthew 14: 13–21)

This morning, we hear the account of one of our Lord’s most well-known miracles, the feeding of a very large crowd of people (the Gospel writers tell us that it was composed of about 5,000 men, not counting women and children).

This miracle must have[1] been very important to the early Church, for all four Gospel writers relate this incident to us. In addition, Matthew records yet another miraculous feeding of a crowd of about 4,000 in chapter 15: 32–39.[2]

People over time have struggled to understand this event. Some can’t grasp the idea that Jesus did, just as the Gospel writers tell us that He did, actually multiply the loaves and the fishes so that all in the crowd were fed. The account tells us that the Lord’s work was so generous that twelve baskets of leftover food was gathered up. Some who cannot believe the account as it is presented to us maintain that people actually brought food for themselves, which they produced once the five loaves and two fish were presented. Other ideas for the actual events that unfolded have also been presented.

However, the importance of the account isn’t just the feeding of the crowd. The deeper meaning has to do with telling us something about Jesus’ identity as Son of God. The multiplication of the loaves and fishes is meant to steer us to the reality that Jesus has at His disposal all the creative abilities of God. Recall that, in the creation account in Genesis, God spoke and something came into being, something that didn’t exist beforehand. The miraculous feeding of that many people is of the same sort of stuff: The Lord created something out of almost nothing.

Now, just for the record, I accept as truth the accounts as they appear before us. I believe (and see through the eyes of faith) that Jesus actually did make use of those loaves and fish to feed a very large crowd of people.

That said, I also understand that this is a miracle, something that stands outside of our normal, everyday experience. In addition, it is also a mystery (at least to some degree) as to how the Lord actually multiplied the food.

If we think about it, much of our experience of God is the stuff of miracles. It is also the stuff of mysteries. For the purposes of this sermon, I am defining a mystery as something that we know works, we just don’t know how exactly.)

Let’s survey some of our experiences of God, looking for the miraculous aspects of it, and looking for the aspects that defy explanation.

We could begin with the starting point of our walk of faith with God. Why is it that it begins with our own self-emptying? What I mean is this: If we do not get to the point of saying something like, “Lord, help me, for I cannot help myself”, then the journey has gotten off on the wrong foot. For the requirement to begin from a point of utter helplessness, only to lead to a productive and wonderful walk with God that brings with it such meaning and depth is a mystery. Why should it begin that way? We don’t know. But what we do know is that the most wonderful and meaningful life in God begins this way. A mystery, but also a miracle.

As I reflect on this previous point, I am reminded that a complete self-emptying is the essential meaning of baptism. And, we ought to acknowledge, that as life unfolds, we will face continuing occasions in which we will have to admit our own helplessness. Another mystery, and also a miracle that God works in such a way as this.

Why is it that faith is so often a component in bringing God’s will into being? Think of the many times that the Lord told someone, “Your faith has made you well”. Faith is our response to God’s moving. But faith, if we, ourselves, try to make it happen, is usually just a counterfeit version of the real thing. For faith to arise within us, it seems as though the Holy Spirit will have to enter our hearts and minds in order to stir up the soil of our hearts and our minds so that faith can take root. Another miracle, that it happens at all, and a mystery as to why is works this way. But it often does, or – should I say – it happens this way more often than not.

We might back up a bit and wonder just why it is that God is willing to relate to us human beings at all. After all, if we’re honest about ourselves and the nature of the human race, we’re often cantankerous, often fickle, often undependable…think of the heroes in the Bible: Most of them have “clay feet” of some sort or another. Almost all of them had pimples. Almost all of them had warts. But God chose to relate to these sorts of people, and even chose to work through (and sometimes around) them. Another miracle, another mystery.

Then we could talk about God’s generosity. Why is it that God is so generous with us human beings? We surely don’t deserve it, but God’s nature, it seems, is to be generous. And not only that, God is also loving. Another mystery, and a miracle that blesses us throughout life.

One final example we might cite is the way in which God enters into a situation. Sometimes, He simply shows up. At other times, He barges in as He did with St. Paul on the road to Damascus. At still other times, He patiently waits (I think of the verse from the Book of Revelation, which reads, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they with me”[3]).

Perhaps, as we reflect on our life’s journey, and our walk with God, we can see other examples of God’s working, in miraculous and mysterious ways, ways we can’t fully understand, oftentimes, but ways that we know actually work.

For the God we love, worship, obey and walk with throughout life is a God of miracles, and a God who often works in mysterious ways.

Thanks be to God.

AMEN.

 

 

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[1]   In biblical times, it was common to count only the men. Today, of course, we would include the women and children.

[2]   Mark also records the feeding of the 4,000, while Luke and John do not.

[3]   Revelation 3:20 

Pentecost 9, Year A (2026)

I Kings 3: 5–12 / Psalm 86: 11–17 / Romans 8: 26–39 / Matthew 13: 31–33, 44–52

 

This is the written version of the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, July 26, 2026, by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.

 

“LOOKING FOR THE KINGDOM, AND DISCOVERING ITS RICHES”

(Homily texts:  I Kings 3: 5–12, and Matthew 13: 31-33, 44-52)

Some years ago, there was a one-man show which traveled the country, entitled, “Defending the Caveman”.

The set for this show resembled something from the old television show which featured Fred Flintstone. The actor was also dressed in a costume that could have come from the same show.

The audience at the show laughed, usually one half at a time: The men would laugh at something, and then it was the women’s turn to do the same.

One subject from the show had to do with shopping habits, which – the actor maintained – differ from men to women.

The actor told the audience that the reason why men shop differently from women is attributable to ancient habits, which stem from the days of the cavemen.

So, for example, during the days of the cavemen, the actor said, the man would venture out from the cave, alone, his trusty spear in hand, to find and stalk the game that would be that evening’s dinner. Once the hunt was over, the man would drag his quarry back to the cave, whereupon it was the woman’s job to prepare it for dinner. This habit of singular focus on one thing leads men, in our own time, to go to the store in search of one, specific item. Once that item had been found, the search and the shopping were over. (And, the actor added, men will often go to the store again, seeking one, specific item.)

By contrast, the women, in the days of the cavemen, were back in the cave. Once the man was off to the hunt, the women would gather in a group, and they would venture forth from the cave in search of berries with which to adorn that evening’s dinner table. Together, the women would find berries, which they touched, smelled, and looked at, all the while comparing their observations one with another. This habit is the basis for women’s shopping habits today, for they venture forth to the stores in groups, where they look at the merchandise, feel it, look at it, and compare their observations, one with another.

The humorous aspects of these ideas aside, there’s are two pieces of wisdom in the scenario described above. (Recall that the ancient King Solomon prayed for wisdom, as we hear in our Old Testament lesson this morning.)  I think there’s some useful truths for us to consider as we think about our Lord’s parables about the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven.[1]

One useful truth for us to remember about the kingdom is that it is often small in nature, and sometimes hard to notice when it appears. Indeed, our Lord said, once, that people would know that the kingdom “was near”.[2] Some of the very brief parables we hear this morning ask us to consider that the kingdom is often seemingly hidden.

Perhaps we think of the kingdom, and its presence among us in grand and overpowering terms. Perhaps we equate the kingdom with the end of time, or – in Matthew’s terms – the end of the ages. That time when God’s will and God’s way will be in total control. Certainly, such a vision is never far from Matthew’s consciousness.

The Holy Scriptures affirm this vision of the kingdom, that time when God’s peace will reign over all things. That time when the “lion will lie down with the lamb”,[3] that time when “nations won’t learn war anymore.”[4]

But, in the meantime, the kingdom is among us.

It’s our job to look for its coming, like the caveman hunter who’s searching for his quarry.

It’s also our job to help God bring the kingdom into being. By the way we believe, by the way we act, by the things we say, our job is to demonstrate what the kingdom looks like, so that when the kingdom comes near, people will be able recognize it.

The other useful thing to glean from the account of the cavemen is to look carefully and closely at the nature of the kingdom. What, exactly, does the kingdom look like from the point of view of the Bible? What do we read there about the kingdom? What does Holy Scripture have to say about the citizens of the kingdom, and their relationship to the King? For it would be easy to look away from the pages of the Bible, risking the possibility that some concept of the kingdom that arises in our own minds will displace the description of the kingdom we find in the pages of sacred Scripture.

In the hustle and the bustle of daily living, it’d be easy to miss seeing the evidence of the kingdom that is among us whenever its appearing is known.

We would do well to seek out the kingdom with all the energy and focus we can muster. We would also do well to examine, and then re-examine, the true nature of the kingdom.

To do both of these things, we will need to help of the Holy Spirit.

AMEN.

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[1]   Matthew’s usual term for the kingdom is “Kingdom of Heaven”.

[2]   Luke 10:9

[3]   Isaiah 11:6

[4]   Isaiah 2:4 

Pentecost 8, Year A (2026)

Isaiah 44: 6–8 / Psalm 86: 11–17 / Romans 8: 12–25 / Matthew 13: 24–30, 36–43

 

This is the written version of the homily give at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, July 19, 2026 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor

 

 

“IT’S NOT A PERFECT WORLD”

(Homily text:  Matthew 13: 24–30, 36-43)

Recently, I was driving down a two-lane road with a double yellow line in the middle. A vehicle was tailgating me, almost to the point of making contact. (Apparently driving at the speed limit wasn’t good enough for them.) Then, suddenly, the vehicle pulls into the opposing lane, passing me in a No Passing Zone, and reaching a speed fifteen to twenty miles an hour above the speed limit. For good measure, as the passer speeds by, an arm appears out of the window…you can guess what happens next. As the vehicle passes by. my passenger in the right front seat, points energetically at the lawless driver and exclaims, “Smite the evildoer!”.

Indeed. “Smite all evildoers” who venture out onto the roads.

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everyone obeyed the rules of the road? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everyone drove courteously? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if there was no such thing as an aggressive driver?

Indeed it would be. Banish all those workers of roadway mischief, I say.

Wouldn’t be a wonderful world if everyone was attuned to the things of God? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everyone sought out the mind of God? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if all causes of evil were banished?

Indeed, it would be a wonderful world. In fact, that is a vision of heaven: Eden restored.

Those who have sought the mind of God, down through time, have dreamed of such a world and such a state of relating to God.

The reality of what confronts us, day in and day out, is something else altogether: We live in a world where human beings, many of them, do not seek the things of God. We live in a world where people do bad things to one another, who seek to advance their welfare at the expense of others, like the speeding vehicle in that No Passing Zone.

Down through time, in the Old Testament period, as well as in the New Testament period, the response of many seekers after God has been to lament this state of affairs. Read the Psalms, and before long, those Psalms which ask God to punish evildoers will come across our vision.

God’s people, at certain times, have opted to withdraw from the wickedness of the unbelieving world in which we live.

Consider, for example, the beginnings of the monastic movement in the fourth century, as the Church ceased to be a hidden reality in society, only to become the official religion of the Roman Empire. As it did so, many who came into the Church continued to behave just as they had before they came into the Church. In response, some Christians were prompted to withdraw from society into cloistered communities of prayer, in order to preserve the soul of the Church.

In our own country, many attempts at creating a perfect, Christian world were attempted. Not far from us were the Ephrata Cloisters, for example. We also had the Shakers, and many other utopian, Christian communities.

Our Lord’s teaching, heard in the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares this morning, directs us in a different direction.[1]

Jesus tells us that we, as Christian believers, are to be present and active in a corrupt world that is in rebellion against God. We are not to be plucked up and removed from such a world and such a place.

To be truthful, perhaps many of us aren’t comfortable with such an idea, of the good in the world existing right alongside the bad.

But Jesus tells us that our presence, as God’s people in the world, brings value to that world. We are in the world to make a difference.

Which brings us to the work before the Church.

To the Church has been given the truths of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Church has value, to God and to the world around us, only to the extent that it maintains and adheres to those truths. Otherwise, it could begin to resemble the weeds in the field.

In our own time, this is, perhaps, the most critical issue before God’s people, the Church.

The question before us is: To what extent should the Church be influenced by the beliefs and practices of the secular society in which it finds itself? After all, the Church in various times and in various societal settings, has accommodated some aspects of the society in which it was situated. This is an old pattern, discernable down through time.

Perhaps the operating principle for the Church might be this one: The Church’s purpose is to introduce God to people, and to introduce people to God, and to nurture that relationship. Therefore, anything which dilutes the effectiveness of that central purpose must not be allowed to compromise the Church’s witness to the world.

Our purpose, as God’s people, is to show by what we do and by what we say what a godly life looks like. When we do this, then we bring value to the world, inviting others we come into contact with into such a relationship with the Lord.

Now, finally, for all those who long for God’s will and God’s way to prevail over all causes of evil and all ways that are in rebellion against God, Jesus assures us that the time will come when God will have the last, final and victorious word. In the meantime, we Christian believers are to labor in the world to prepare God’s way to that final, perfect state.

Thanks be to God.

AMEN.

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[1]   It’s worth noting that the Lord provides an explicit explanation of the meaning and application of the parable, as was the case with last week’s parable, the Parable of the Sower. Perhaps the Lord wanted His disciples to understand the importance of this teaching clearly. 

Pentecost 7, Year A (2026)

Isaiah 55: 10–13 / Psalm 65 / Romans 8: 1–11 / Matthew 13: 1–9, 18–23

 

This is the written version of the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, July 12, 2026, by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.

 

 

“GOD, THE MASTER GARDENER”

(Homily text:  Matthew 13: 1–9, 18-23)

 

Why do some people get the truths of God, and the intensity of God’s love, while others don’t? Why is it that some people seem to respond wholeheartedly to God’s workings in their lives, only to grow cold to the things of God? Why is it that some people seem hard-hearted and totally unable/unwilling to hear God’s voice and God’s truths? And – for that matter – why do some people hear and receive the Word of God, and grow into living strong and fruitful lives in God?

Perhaps those questions occur to us from time to time, as we experience the varying responses that people have to the truth of the Good News (Gospel).

It’s entirely possible that those same questions also occurred to Jesus’ first hearers, as some seemed eager to hear and receive what He had to say, while others seemed oblivious to those things.

And, it’s entirely possible that the early Christian community among whom Matthew was working also asked those same questions.

In a sense, these questions, each of them having to do with the various responses and reactions that we human beings have to God’s initiatives and God’s love, are timeless truths. For I think we can safely say that the human heart is composed of the same sort of raw material that that heart has been made of since time immemorial. Absent God’s working and God’s intervention, the human heart will respond to God’s voice in much the same ways, down through time.

But God is the master gardener, whose wisdom has the ability to overcome the hardness of heart that our Lord Jesus describes in “The Parable of the Sower”. God’s Holy Spirit can loosen the soil of a hardened human heart, in order that the seed of divine truth can find root.

But perhaps we’ve getting ahead of ourselves a bit. We’d do well to take a few moments to look at the parable itself.

We’ve already noted that the questions that the parable seeks to address were probably very much on the minds of the early Christian community among whom Matthew was laboring. They may have asked why their family members didn’t respond to the truths of God as they are known in Jesus Christ. Or why some seemed eager to hear the Good News, but then didn’t continue to hear it.

The next thing we might notice is that our Lord provides a detailed explanation of the meaning and the application of the parable. (Such explanations aren’t always provided. But perhaps Jesus wanted His followers, down through time, to understand clearly the importance and the applicability of this parable.)[1]

Now then, let’s consider some of the aspects of the interaction of God’s working and the human heart, lessons that our Lord wants us to understand.

We might begin with soil in general, and with the soil of the human heart: Soil, all of it, must be prepared in order for seeds to find root. (Of course, we’re excluding from this comment concerns about weeds, which seem to grow in just about any soil condition we can imagine. But weeds aren’t useful, from the standpoint of being able to provide food for people.) But the truth is that the default condition of the human heart is to be opposed to the things of God. Moreover, the human heart has an inability to hear and receive those things, absent God’s intervention.

Fruitful, spiritual growth requires God’s preparatory work in order for good growth to take place. The Holy Spirit is the means by which the human heart is made ready to receive the Word of God. And, it’s important to notice that the work of the Spirit often takes place before we are aware of it. The technical term for the Holy Spirit’s advance work is Prevenient Grace.[2]

This wonderful parable contains some important implications for us, as Christian believers, and for those we come into contact with, as we live out the Gospel truths, and as we seek to show by our lives what a difference that a lively and loving relationship of the heart can mean to each and every person.

The first thing we might notice is that God, the One who is sowing the seed, is exceedingly generous in throwing the seed here and there. What farmer would do that? Sowing seed where there is little expectation of growth and a harvest? But God’s economy[3] isn’t like ours. God is quite willing to offer His love to each and every person.

Now, notice that there is an element of freedom of choice in God’s activity. We human beings can continue to spurn God’s workings. We can choose to allow our hearts to become hardened by the cares of life. This is, of course, a mystery: Why would God allow us to have the ability to choose, or to reject, His love? That’s as much a mystery as the truth that God is exceedingly generous in showering His love on people in every age and in every place.

Finally, the ability to hear and receive God’s workings is a gift of God. Here we come to yet another mystery: Why is it that the ability to hear, receive, understand and incorporate God’s truths is a gift, pure and simple?

Yet God’s moving in our lives and in our hearts is, ultimately, God’s initiative, which is intended to prompt a response in the human heart.

Come then, Holy Spirit, and enlighten with spiritual fire the inner longings of the human heart, that we may hear, receive and inwardly mark your truths, allowing them to be deeply implanted in our innermost being.

AMEN.

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[1]   It would be good for us to notice that the chosen verses for our lectionary readings omit some verses in chapter thirteen of Matthew’s Gospel account. In those verses, Jesus’ disciples ask Him about the parable, and He responds by saying that not everyone is given the truths of the kingdom of heaven, but those original disciples have been gifted with the truths of God.

[2]   Prevenient Grace takes as its title the word “prevent”, whose original meaning was to “come before”.

[3]   Here I am using the term “economy” in the sense of assigning values to things (and people). 

Pentecost 6, Year A (2026)

Zechariah 9:  9–12 / Psalm 145: 8–14 / Romans 7: 15–25a / Matthew 11: 16–19, 25–30

 

This is the written version of the homily give at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, July 5, 20206 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor

 

 

“I CAN SEE IT FROM HERE, BUT I’M NOT THERE YET”

(Homily texts:  Romans 7: 15–25a)

 

Let’s ask ourselves some questions.

First of all, do I have a perfect past in my life, from the beginning up until now?

Secondly, do I have a forgiven past? That is to say, has God forgiven me for the ways in which I’ve fallen short of His perfect will for me?

Now then, I think the answer to the first question must surely be, “No”, none of us has a perfect past. I know for certain that I do not have a perfect past. In some ways or another, either big and noticeable ways, or in small and seemingly insignificant ways, all of us have managed to miss the mark (a classic definition of sin, by the way). We haven’t attained the heights of God’s perfection. It matters now whether our failings are – by human standards and human reckonings – big or small. In God’s eyes, all are failures.

The answer to the second question can surely be “Yes”, we can have a forgiven past, if we are willing to concede our own failings, and to ask for that forgiveness. Something happens when we come face-to-face with ourselves, and when we seek God’s forgiveness, and ask for God’s help to amend our lives and to endeavor to live – with the help of the Holy Spirit – a life that is pleasing to God.

Before we take a close look at St. Paul’s admission of his own spiritual condition, as we read it in our epistle reading for this morning, from his Letter to the Romans, chapter seven, we ought to note that Christians, in times past and even today, have wrestled with the issue of perfection. More properly, we ought to note that some Christians maintain that we can – with God’s help – attain to perfection in this life. In the area where we ministered for seven years, there was a clergy colleague who maintained we could, actually, attain to perfection in this life. When I heard what he thought, I went home and said, “What planet is he living on?” As we look back into Christian history, others have maintained that perfection is attainable. Of course, we ought to note that such attitudes are possible only when we close our eyes to the things in human nature we don’t want to see. If we do that, then things look pretty good. (So then, St. Augustine of Hippo’s assessment of the human condition is right on the mark. For he said that we human beings are so easily fooled.)

Paul, in the admission of his own spiritual condition that we hear this morning, says that his eyes are wide open to the entire scope of his life and his behavior. He says that he knows what God’s perfect will is, but he also says he can’t attain that level of perfection. He says there is a war going on inside of hum: His earthly and human characteristics are engaged in battle with his awareness of God’s will.

Isn’t this admission refreshing? Refreshing in the sense that such a hero of the faith as the Apostle Paul admits that he, along with the rest of us, wrestle with our fallen nature and God’s nature, which has been implanted within us at our baptisms.

Turns out, we’re all in the same spiritual boat, it seems.

Why is this so?

I think the answer lies in the origins of our sinful desires.

To see this more clearly, consider some of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Each of these are misuses of some naturally-occurring need within our natures, needs which ensure our wellbeing, and even our survival.

For example, avarice (an older word for “greed”) stems from our need to have enough of our basic needs met in order to ensure our survival.

For another example, gluttony is the misuse of our need to eat.

You see the pattern.

Well, of course, the reality is that these basic needs aren’t going to go away. We will continue to have our basic needs met. We will continue to have a need to eat. (Just to cite two examples.)

We are, therefore, between those things that – if misused – will ensure that we miss the mark of God’s holiness and righteousness, and God’s holy nature and God’s holy will.

That condition will continue so long as we are in this life.

What are we to do, then?

Perhaps the answer would be that, whenever we are tempted to forget God’s will and God’s ways, we might pray for God to intervene, to place Himself and His will between us and our temptations.

If we do that, then perhaps it’ll be easier for us to turn away from those things which separate us from God when they come around again, as they surely will. We get stronger, we get more proficient in saying “No” to those sorts of things. Be sure of this, however: We will continue to need the assistance of the Holy Spirit to be able to refine away those things that do not bring honor to God.

In the course of this life, whenever we experience a victory over sin, then we can join our voices to Paul’s and give glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, whose own victory over sin and death gives us the hope of victories over those same things.

AMEN.