Guard The Sanctuary: Let the Word Remain

Text: Luke 19:41-48 

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Remember several years ago when people stopped watching the NFL?  In case you are not a football fan, let me explain.  Fans stopped watching the National Football League not because they disliked football, but because the end zones began preaching social messages instead of touchdowns. In other words, football fans weren’t looking for cultural lectures when they turned on their favorite team.  Instead of a good ol’ game, they got divisive messaging from culture. And so, long story short, when football was deemphasized and cultural messages of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion became front and center, well… people walked away. The stadium was no longer about the game of football – something else took its place.

To the point, in recent years, people are not putting up with institutions and activities shifting away from their original intent.  They are getting upset when institutions and activities become something that they were not originally intended to be.  

So, why mention this?  

Dear friends, if we get upset over these things—and we should—how much more should our hearts be pierced with anger when churches lose their focus on the Word of God and turn to something else?  That is right, when the Word of God is removed and a Church becomes something it was never meant to be - that should anger us.   

That is precisely what we see in today’s Gospel from Luke 19. Jesus walks into the temple, and what does He find? He finds noise, corruption, financial gain, and fraud. The temple had become a den of robbers. But here's the thing: the cheating, the haggling, the noise — those were just symptoms. The real disease? The Word of God was gone from the temple.  Somewhere along the line, the Word left the Temple and something else took its place. 

And so, Jesus doesn’t just throw a temper tantrum to go viral on TikTok. No, He is purging the crap from the temple so that he might restore the Word to the temple. 

Take a moment and really let this sink in: Jesus drives out the junk and then He teaches. He throws everyone out who had set up shop, so that He could return the Word. He makes the temple a house of prayer again—not by scrubbing down the marble but by preaching and teaching the Word as it was meant to be.

You see, it is important to remember that a sanctuary without the Word of God is not neutral. To paraphrase Martin Luther,  

“God calls such a place a scandalous name because when the Word is neglected, replaced, or forgotten, the Devil moves in with his lies.”

Let’s just say it plainly: a beautiful building, a packed church, an impressive music team, a high-energy service—all of it is useless if the Word of God is not present. Without the Word, the church is no longer a place of worship and prayer. It becomes a cave of corruption where false teaching will eventually thrive, and sheep will eventually be starved.

* * *

Seven years ago, when I first came to St. Paul’s, I quickly realized from my interactions in the community that St. Paul’s was often accused of being old-fashioned, rigid, or legalistic. That is to say, the opinion of our church was not the best in the community.  

Now, in all fairness to our church, I think a bit of pushback is needed.  That is to say, when I was in Zion Lutheran in Gwinner, ND, I heard the same criticism.  In fact, if you talk to the majority of the LCMS Pastors in our North Dakota District, they, too, have heard this criticism from people in their communities.  And so, truth be told, while some of our churches may be legalistic and rigid, I think it would be difficult to prove the case that every single church in our District - that all of our 20,000 LCMS North Dakota members - are rigid legalistic nitpicks.  

So, what is going on?  

Baptized Saints, when you uphold the Word of God, it is not being legalistic, it is being faithful.  Insisting that your church and your pastors preach and teach the Word of God is not being rigid or old-fashioned; it is being steadfast.  That is right, insisting that the Word of God is of first importance is not being a curmudgeon. Instead, it is being a guardian of the Word of God.

Let me drive this point home a bit further.  As members of this church, you do not uphold the liturgy because that’s what we’ve always done.  The liturgy that you sing and read every single Sunday is not a museum piece. It is not an empty ritual or a family tradition. Instead, the liturgy is dripping with the Word of God. For example:  

The Kyrie? It’s not just a clever musical piece that someone pulled out of a hat.  No, it’s the cry of blind men, lepers, and the desperate Canaanite woman pleading for Jesus’ mercy. 

The Gloria in Excelsis? It’s not a fun little ditty from the 1800s.  No, it’s the angels’ song the night Christ was born. 

The Offertory after the sermon? It’s not an offering plate musical piece.  No, it is King David’s prayer of repentance. 

The Sanctus and Agnus Dei before communion? They are not filler music for the pastor to prepare for communion.  No, it is Isaiah’s vision of heaven and John the Baptist’s confession about Jesus being the one who takes away the sins of the world. 

And the Nunc Dimittis? It is Simeon’s song after seeing baby Jesus, saying that he is ready to die because he has seen salvation in the flesh.  

Finally, the Benediction? It is straight from the mouth of Aaron in the Old Testament to the saints today.  

Baptized Saints, every part of the liturgy – some 30 distinct parts - is rooted in Scripture. The liturgy ensures that every time you gather here in this sanctuary, the Word of God is present for you. Not fluff. Not fads. But the living, breathing Word is sung and spoken by you in this sanctuary.  

And it’s not just the liturgy. We also use something called the Historic Lectionary.  The Historic Lectionary ties you and me to the Church through the centuries. Year after year, you hear the same readings that your forefathers in the faith heard—even those back in the time of Luther. And so, we’re not chasing trends or curating sermon series from the latest cultural buzzwords. No, through the pattern of the Historic Lectionary, the Word of God confronts us, shapes us, and nourishes us in season and out of season.

While we are at it, let’s talk about our hymns. These are not pop songs with Jesus sprinkled on top. Your hymns are Scripture set to music. They are prayers woven into melody. They are doctrine that teach and comfort you. They confess to you. When you sing, you are literally putting the Word of God into music for other parishioners to hear. You are singing the Christian faith into your bones.

And so yes, as members of St. Paul’s, you are careful — maybe even stubborn — about what comes into this sanctuary. And that is a good thing. Because if you and I are not watchful, if we let the Word slip even an inch, the Devil is waiting to fill the vacuum with something else.

Now, what about other churches? Churches that no longer preach Christ crucified? Should you be angry? Yes, you should. But it must be a holy anger, not rooted in pride, but in grief and lament, because these Christians are starving. You see, without the Word, faith shrivels. Without the Word, the devil wins. Without the Word, the sheep are left for the wolves.

And so, you should not only be frustrated when other churches do not have the Word of God in their sanctuary, but you should weep, just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Your hearts should break for those who go to church and leave empty, for they are not being given the Bread of Life. They are being handed stones. And unless the Word returns, they will not endure. Lord, have mercy.

And so, today, we pray not only for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church but for all churches that the Lord Jesus would cleanse His churches, just as He cleansed the temple long ago.  We pray that the Lord Jesus Christ would drive out what is false and continually restore His Word. We pray boldly:

“O Lord, let pulpits be filled with Christ. Let sanctuaries resound with Your truth.”

And we especially pray: 

“God protect St. Paul’s. Guard this place from pride, from compromise, from distraction. Let this sanctuary always be an ark of safety, a house of prayer, and a fortress of the Word.”

We pray this because at the end of the day, it’s not about style. It’s not about how many people fill the pews. Instead, it is about the Word.  At St. Paul’s Lutheran, we will only be as faithful as the Word that is taught, for where the Word is, there is Christ. And where Christ is, there is forgiveness, life, and salvation.

So, Baptized Saints, do not be distracted. Do not grow weary. Remain faithful to the Word of God.

May the Word always remain in this sanctuary. May Jesus always be preached from this pulpit. And may this always be a place where sinners hear the good news that we are forgiven by Christ the crucified and have a certain hope of the resurrection on the last day because the tomb is indeed - empty.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.