Today I’m going to talk about Jesus. And I’m going to talk about 20 minutes. The title of this sermon is “the cost of freedom,” and the readings today are from 1 Peter 1:18-23 and Mark 9:30-37. Please open your Bible to 1 Peter, and we’ll start there after we pray. This prayer is based on Martin Luther’s explanation of the 2nd article of the Apostles’ Creed in the Small Catechism:
O Jesus Christ, true God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true man, born of the Virgin Mary—you are my Lord. At great cost you have saved and redeemed me, a lost and condemned person. You have freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil, not with silver or gold, but with your holy and precious blood and innocent suffering and death. Thank you for doing all this that I may be your own, live under you in your kingdom, and serve you in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as you are risen from the dead and live and rule eternally. Amen.
Now a reading from 1 Peter 1:18-23.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
And the holy gospel according to St Mark, the 9th chapter, beginning at verse 30.
They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
