Genesis 4:1-15; Ephesians 2:1-10; St Luke 18:9-14
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Cain was the darling of the world. His name meant, “Gotten,” as in I have gotten a gift from the Lord. He wasn’t merely Adam’s firstborn, he was the world’s firstborn. The first baby boy the world ever set eyes upon. His was the first belly-button to be tickled. His little piggies were the first to be counted. His little arms were the first to be lifted up as he called to Adam, “Dad, up-downs.” Later, when he put on his Avengers pajamas and said, “Dad, I’m Hulk smash,” he had Daddy’s undivided attention. When he said, “Dad, look, no hands,” dad was already looking. And when it came time to go fishing, it was just him and dad.
But one day it was announced that he would be a brother. His mother gave birth to a son named, Abel, which means, “Weak One.” With a name like that, Abel would certainly need his older brother to be his protects and keeper. And what a change it meant for the world’s darling. Now when Cain said, “Daddy, look at me,” he might have to wait awhile because dad was also looking at little brother. No longer would he be the sole apple of his father’s eye, because now his father had two apples. No longer would all eyes be on him.
But Cain’s world would really change when one day these two brothers went to God’s altar to pray. In fact, it would crash. Privileged Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. But Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. “Look at me and my offering, Father in heaven,” Cain thought.
But God had eyes only for Abel and his offering. In fact, He couldn’t take His eyes off of Abel’s offering because it was offered with the only faith that matters to God: faith in His promise that He would be merciful to Him by sending His Son to atone for his sins.
Cain stood there with a lot of produce, but no faith like that. He knew how to look religious, this child of privilege, but there was no faith and trust in God’s promise. So the Lord had regard to Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering He had no regard.
Cain felt the way you feel when someone who is your equal gets praised and lauded. You get envious and resent it. And it turns you into a killer. Of course, as a refined sinner, your murder is done more respectably than Cain with a stone in the field. You do it behind people’s backs with words. But its still cold-blooded murder in God’s eyes. So, Cain rose up in envy against his brother Abel and killed him. From the world’s darling to the world’s first murderer. Two brothers went up to pray, but only one came home alive. And it wasn’t Cain.
Jesus tells a parable. Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. It’s Cain and Abel all over again. One who thought of himself as “God’s gift” and a weak sinner crying for mercy. One is the darling of the religious world, privileged, a Pharisee, whose prayer is a lot like Cain’s. “Look at me, God.” “Lord, I just wanna thank You for making me, me.” “Lord, I just wanna thank you that I’m not like other men, especially like this weak one, this backslider behind me,”
But God didn’t have eyes for the Pharisee. For the Pharisee and his offering God had no regard. But for the weak one, the tax collector, the one who had his head down, beating his breast, the Lord had regard. Indeed, his prayer was rather short, it lacked religious sizzle, but God loved it. He couldn’t take his eyes off of him because his heart was full of faith that God would be merciful the way He promised to be merciful - by sending His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Two brothers went up to pray, but only one went home alive - justified by faith - and it wasn’t the Pharisee.
God has heard your prayer for mercy this morning and answered by absolving you. You will go home justified, alive in Christ, declared righteous for the sake of another by faith. Aren’t you glad? Imagine if you had to justify what you’ve been? How would you justify all the blood that’s on your hands, blood that cries out to God for vengeance? How would you justify all the small and heartless things your envy has driven you to do? No one else knows about it, but God saw it.
How in the world would you justify your selfish prayers, your constant demand for attention and the “look at me” life that’s so wearying to others? You couldn’t do it. It would cause a crisis, for your hope of eternal life, your world would come crashing down.
But instead, you will go home justified, raised up and exalted. Because into our lives has come a birth announcement. A fulfillment of Abel’s sacrifice, an answer to the tax collector’s prayer. A Brother has been born who will be our Keeper and our Savior, our Mercy and our Propitiation. For a Virgin named Mary hath gotten a Man with the help of the Lord, a Man who is the Lord. A Firstborn Son for the world that was name, “Jesus,” God’s darling, for He was born to save His people from their sins, to justify the ungodly. God so strong, yet God made the “Weak One.”
God with a belly button to be tickled, so that later a spear could be rammed next to it. God with piggies to be counted, so that they could grow big and then be nailed to a Cross. God with little arms to be lifted up, so that later in His earthly life they might be stretched out wide on the Cross. This is God’s way of treating a world of sinners as precious darlings. God with blood coursing through His veins. Blood that would be shed because of envy. Your envy too that He is God and you are not. But Blood shed that doesn’t not plead to the skies, but for your pardon cries.
God the Father had regard to Jesus and the offering of His faithful and perfect life. And because to it, you will live eternally. The Father can’t take His eyes off of His Son and the offering of His Blood upon the Altar of the Cross.
Jesus, the Firstborn of all creation, is the at the center of His Father’s universe. But He didn’t come into the world praying, “Look at Me, Father.” He came to do what it took so that the Father would have eyes for you and have regard for you, despite all your sins. For He is your Brother forever, not only in the flesh, but by His Spirit through your rebirth from above. He is your Protector and Keeper from the threatening perils of your sins and God’s righteous anger against them. One Man went up to pray, the whole world goes home justified. That includes you.
For Cain deserved death, yet God had mercy on him and put a mark on him lest nay who found him should attack him. You deserve death for your sins. Indeed, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved you, made you alive together in Christ. And He marked you with His own sign, the sign of the holy cross, in which you were marked when you were baptized into the death of God’s Lamb and Christ your elder Brother became your Keeper.
In Abel’s day the ground opened its mouth to receive the blood of vengeance. But it is a new day, the day of the new creation, Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed and is risen. And because of it the Father considers you all sons, a whole Church of firstborns, adopted by His the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness toward you in Christ Jesus, so that you, His Church, are privileged to be the “ground” that opens it mouth and receives the Blood of mercy, forgiveness and life.
For the One who humbled Himself has exalted you and raises you up with Him and seats you with Him in the heavenly placed in Christ Jesus, who together with + the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory now and unto the ages. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Cain was the darling of the world. His name meant, “Gotten,” as in I have gotten a gift from the Lord. He wasn’t merely Adam’s firstborn, he was the world’s firstborn. The first baby boy the world ever set eyes upon. His was the first belly-button to be tickled. His little piggies were the first to be counted. His little arms were the first to be lifted up as he called to Adam, “Dad, up-downs.” Later, when he put on his Avengers pajamas and said, “Dad, I’m Hulk smash,” he had Daddy’s undivided attention. When he said, “Dad, look, no hands,” dad was already looking. And when it came time to go fishing, it was just him and dad.
But one day it was announced that he would be a brother. His mother gave birth to a son named, Abel, which means, “Weak One.” With a name like that, Abel would certainly need his older brother to be his protects and keeper. And what a change it meant for the world’s darling. Now when Cain said, “Daddy, look at me,” he might have to wait awhile because dad was also looking at little brother. No longer would he be the sole apple of his father’s eye, because now his father had two apples. No longer would all eyes be on him.
But Cain’s world would really change when one day these two brothers went to God’s altar to pray. In fact, it would crash. Privileged Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. But Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. “Look at me and my offering, Father in heaven,” Cain thought.
But God had eyes only for Abel and his offering. In fact, He couldn’t take His eyes off of Abel’s offering because it was offered with the only faith that matters to God: faith in His promise that He would be merciful to Him by sending His Son to atone for his sins.
Cain stood there with a lot of produce, but no faith like that. He knew how to look religious, this child of privilege, but there was no faith and trust in God’s promise. So the Lord had regard to Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering He had no regard.
Cain felt the way you feel when someone who is your equal gets praised and lauded. You get envious and resent it. And it turns you into a killer. Of course, as a refined sinner, your murder is done more respectably than Cain with a stone in the field. You do it behind people’s backs with words. But its still cold-blooded murder in God’s eyes. So, Cain rose up in envy against his brother Abel and killed him. From the world’s darling to the world’s first murderer. Two brothers went up to pray, but only one came home alive. And it wasn’t Cain.
Jesus tells a parable. Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. It’s Cain and Abel all over again. One who thought of himself as “God’s gift” and a weak sinner crying for mercy. One is the darling of the religious world, privileged, a Pharisee, whose prayer is a lot like Cain’s. “Look at me, God.” “Lord, I just wanna thank You for making me, me.” “Lord, I just wanna thank you that I’m not like other men, especially like this weak one, this backslider behind me,”
But God didn’t have eyes for the Pharisee. For the Pharisee and his offering God had no regard. But for the weak one, the tax collector, the one who had his head down, beating his breast, the Lord had regard. Indeed, his prayer was rather short, it lacked religious sizzle, but God loved it. He couldn’t take his eyes off of him because his heart was full of faith that God would be merciful the way He promised to be merciful - by sending His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Two brothers went up to pray, but only one went home alive - justified by faith - and it wasn’t the Pharisee.
God has heard your prayer for mercy this morning and answered by absolving you. You will go home justified, alive in Christ, declared righteous for the sake of another by faith. Aren’t you glad? Imagine if you had to justify what you’ve been? How would you justify all the blood that’s on your hands, blood that cries out to God for vengeance? How would you justify all the small and heartless things your envy has driven you to do? No one else knows about it, but God saw it.
How in the world would you justify your selfish prayers, your constant demand for attention and the “look at me” life that’s so wearying to others? You couldn’t do it. It would cause a crisis, for your hope of eternal life, your world would come crashing down.
But instead, you will go home justified, raised up and exalted. Because into our lives has come a birth announcement. A fulfillment of Abel’s sacrifice, an answer to the tax collector’s prayer. A Brother has been born who will be our Keeper and our Savior, our Mercy and our Propitiation. For a Virgin named Mary hath gotten a Man with the help of the Lord, a Man who is the Lord. A Firstborn Son for the world that was name, “Jesus,” God’s darling, for He was born to save His people from their sins, to justify the ungodly. God so strong, yet God made the “Weak One.”
God with a belly button to be tickled, so that later a spear could be rammed next to it. God with piggies to be counted, so that they could grow big and then be nailed to a Cross. God with little arms to be lifted up, so that later in His earthly life they might be stretched out wide on the Cross. This is God’s way of treating a world of sinners as precious darlings. God with blood coursing through His veins. Blood that would be shed because of envy. Your envy too that He is God and you are not. But Blood shed that doesn’t not plead to the skies, but for your pardon cries.
God the Father had regard to Jesus and the offering of His faithful and perfect life. And because to it, you will live eternally. The Father can’t take His eyes off of His Son and the offering of His Blood upon the Altar of the Cross.
Jesus, the Firstborn of all creation, is the at the center of His Father’s universe. But He didn’t come into the world praying, “Look at Me, Father.” He came to do what it took so that the Father would have eyes for you and have regard for you, despite all your sins. For He is your Brother forever, not only in the flesh, but by His Spirit through your rebirth from above. He is your Protector and Keeper from the threatening perils of your sins and God’s righteous anger against them. One Man went up to pray, the whole world goes home justified. That includes you.
For Cain deserved death, yet God had mercy on him and put a mark on him lest nay who found him should attack him. You deserve death for your sins. Indeed, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved you, made you alive together in Christ. And He marked you with His own sign, the sign of the holy cross, in which you were marked when you were baptized into the death of God’s Lamb and Christ your elder Brother became your Keeper.
In Abel’s day the ground opened its mouth to receive the blood of vengeance. But it is a new day, the day of the new creation, Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed and is risen. And because of it the Father considers you all sons, a whole Church of firstborns, adopted by His the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness toward you in Christ Jesus, so that you, His Church, are privileged to be the “ground” that opens it mouth and receives the Blood of mercy, forgiveness and life.
For the One who humbled Himself has exalted you and raises you up with Him and seats you with Him in the heavenly placed in Christ Jesus, who together with + the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory now and unto the ages. Amen.
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