Dear Christian friends:

In the Bible God calls us His children. And therefore He is our Father. Jesus teaches us to pray: "Our Father who art in heaven." And St. Paul says, "You are all the sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ." (Galatians 3:26)

That is truly wonderful and amazing: God calls us who believe in Jesus His children. Are we worthy to be His children? (see what the deaf answer. If correct accept and embellish a little! If not correct.)

God has shown much love and mercy to us in accepting us sinners as His dear children. Now God wants us to live and act like His children. He wants us to love and mercy others, the same as He our Father loves and mercies all people. In our text, which is the Gospel Lesson for this Sunday, Jesus teaches us that:


Jesus says that we learn from God, our heavenly Father about the word mercy. "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36) Mercy means: "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back." (Luke 6:35) It means giving help to those who don't deserve it. (Tell the story of a mother who asked Napoleon to pardon her son.)

This past week we received much rain and snow. God shows mercy every day to us and all people. God lets rain and snow fall on both good people and bad people, on believers and unbelievers. God gives daily bread even without our prayer. He gives daily bread and many blessings also to those who never pray or thank Him.

Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:43-45)

Truly, God shows much love and mercy to all people on earth. Really, we all are unworthy to receive daily bread and clothes and house, because we are all sinners before God.

God, our Father in heaven, shows His greatest mercy in His Son, Jesus Christ. He sent His one and only Son from heaven to earth to save the world from sin and eternal death. All people were His enemies, not His friends. St. Paul says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

We really deserved God's anger and that He punish us in hell forever. That's what we deserve. But God pitied us and decided to punish His own Son instead of us. That is His greatest mercy. More than that God shows mercy to us by sending the Holy Spirit into our hearts through His Word and Sacraments.

Without the Holy Spirit we cannot believe in Jesus. St. Paul says, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:1,4-5) Again Paul says, "And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:5)

We learn from God, our heavenly Father, about the word, "mercy", and what that means. We have experienced His mercy as He shows Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can now have mercy for others, not only our friends and brothers and sisters here in our church family, but also those outside the church even our enemies. Our heavenly Father's mercy leads us to have mercy on those outside the church.

Jesus here in our text tells us ways we can show mercy to those outside the church. (Read verses Luke 6:29-36) Jesus showed mercy to those who persecuted Him and crucified Him. While hanging on the cross Jesus prayed for them: "Father, forgive them, because they know not what they do." When they mocked Him and slapped His face and spit on Him and scourged Him He did not curse them or seek revenge. He was suffering and dying for their sin-forgiveness also.

In the Old Testament Lesson, which I signed for you before we saw how Joseph showed mercy and forgiveness to his bad brothers who many years before had hated him and were jealous of him and sold him to slave-buyers. The same as Joseph we need to love our enemies and show kindness to those hating us.

A lady visited New York city and saw on the sidewalk a poor, hungry and cold little girl looking at some cookies in a bakery store window display. The lady stopped and took the little girl by the hand, led her into the store and bought her some cookies. The lady then took her to another store and bought her a coat, gloves and shoes. When finished the little girl said to the lady: "Are you God's wife?"

Well, we are not God's wife, but we are His children, His sons and daughters and we should strive to live like His children, showing mercy to all people the same as our Father in heaven shows mercy.

If we really do that, many deaf will want to join our church and will be saved with us!

May God give us His Holy Spirit more and more so that we can really be the children of God!

Amen.