Sunday, August 28th, 2016 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Lowly Ones Invited” (Luke 14:7-11)
Location: Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine: 12500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA 92618
Directions: Exit Sand Canyon from the 405 or 5, head East towards the hills, cross Irvine Blvd., turn right on Saint’s Way (this will put you on the campus of Crean Lutheran High School…we worship in the event center/gym)
Divine Service: 930 am
Bible Study and Sunday School: 11 am
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Humility is a fantastic virtue produced in us by the Holy Spirit as we live in Christ (in Christ’s Word and in His Sacraments which create our “in Christ” status). However, it is also a virtue that we cannot produce in ourselves. We can’t wake up in the morning and determine, “I’m going to be humble.” Certainly we might make progress to act like we are, but in our flesh we never are.
God must humble us. He must work a work of mercy to make us low. He must bring us to a point that we cry out as desperate, sin-sick people who know — beyond all doubt — that grace is needed. When God works this way in our lives, then He does what He promises in Luke 14: He exalts! We are called up, we are lifted up. In Jesus, God takes the lowly ones and highly exalts them through the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.
Tomorrow we preach about the virtue of humility, but we really preach about the more important word in this section of God’s Word: “invited” and of course the One who invites the crushed and broken hearted: Jesus, the True Humble One.
Come and be fed. This is why Church is here. To feed you in the faith, to keep you in Christ, to keep you filled with the Spirit, to keep you in the grace of God in Christ Jesus. And remember that as you come God also works a service in and through you, you encourage those you worship with (Hebrews 10:25).
Let us come for the Word proclaimed, for the holy absolution received through the office of the keys, for the Holy Sacrament of the Altar uniting us to Jesus, for the fellowship of the saints, for the mutual and collective prayers, for our mutual outreach to the community, for living in love as the family of God, for remaining in the faith until we meet the Lord face-to-face.
In Jesus’ Love,
Pastor Espinosa