Saints Rescued
First in a Two- Part Series of Sermons June 22 and 23, 2019 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. Dear Friends in Christ, We end June with a two part sermon series – “Saints Rescued” and Saints With an Attitude.” Three Tales of Rescue Not too far away from here, on Hay Daze weekend – Story of Brandon and me and six grandchildren running out of gas on his speedboat, finding ourselves stranded, locating our oars, beginning to paddle, then getting rescued. Not too far away from that lake, a story of danger far worse unfolded years ago. It’s a tale of a young lady who stumbled into a meth addiction. An vicious sort of an addiction which cost her several jobs, all kinds of opportunities, and a few teeth. It threatened to ruin her marriage, it harmed all kinds of people she loved, it seemed as though she were doomed. But one dark day, she was caught violating drug court rules, she was sentenced one more time to prison and treatment, and this time it happened. By the grace of God and with the help of all kinds of professionals who knew what they were doing and family who never stopped caring for her, she was rescued. At least so far, so good – she has returned home and will tell anybody who cares to listen how much God has done for her. Not too far away from her is a story of distress even worse than living as captives to drugs and/or alcohol. It’s a story of a man who grew up in the Church, but these days he’s not so sure there even is a God. He was baptized, he was confirmed, but he hasn’t tasted his Lord’s Supper for years. On his good days, he believes in Jesus kind of, sort of, maybe, maybe not. On his dark days, he lives alone, he is afraid, bitterness has grown up and is ruling on his insides. He desperately one of more of his Christian friends to gently and humbly invite him back into the presence of God. These three tales of rescue lead us into a study of our text for today, where Jesus meets up with dozens or maybe it was hundreds or maybe it was thousands of demons, and the Son of the Most High God comes out on top. Three lessons we would learn today, under the theme of “Saints Rescued” Lesson #1 is that This man with multiple issues is the epitome of Gentiles in need of (rescue). When I say that this demon possessed Gerasene was the epitome of Gentiles in distress, I mean that he is a perfect example of how messed up life can and does get for each and every one of us, with no exceptions. The setting of today’s rescue story is outside of Galilee, which one scholar notes “could be a subtle indication of Jesus’ mission to pagans., since this was a non Jewish territory. This man had multiple issues, which reminds me of marriages in trouble – it’s not very often one issue, but several. Issues often include finances or communication or addictions or stubbornness or selfishness or all of the above. This man with multiple issues reminds me of people with all kinds of health concerns – it’s not very often one concern, but several. Concerns often include heart disease or various forms of cancer or obesity or folks can’t see or they can’t hear or they can’t walk or they can’t swallow or you fill in the blank. The man in our text for today had at least four issues. Issue #1 is that He was (naked) Luke records that he was naked for a considerable period of time. He wasn’t in his right mind. No doubt he was embarrassing to his family, he was scary to the children, he was without manners or social graces. He reminds us of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, after they ate the forbidden fruit, they hid because they were naked. He reminds us of Job who cried out in the midst of losing everything that was near and dear, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leaven.” Issue #2 is that He was (unclean). This man with an unclean spirit lived among the tombs, which, in harmony with the Old Testamnet, the Jews considered to be unclean. It is striking that this unclean spirit entered swine which were considered unclean and he lived in an unclean place. He reminds us of King David who cried out to God to create in him a clean heart. He reminds us of a leper in Matthew 8 who gets down on his knees and prays, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” He reminds us of the disciples in John 15, where Jesus promises, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” If issue #1 was that he was naked and issue #2 was that he was unclean, then Issue #3 is that He was (doomed) Luke paints a picture of a man doomed to being seized by violence, doomed to a life of being bound up in chains, being guarded, often driven into the deserted places. Never would he enjoy the pleasures of marriage and family, never would he know the relief of the forgiveness of sins brought by priestly sacrifices, never would he know the peace and the joy given not by the world but only the one true God. Issue #4 is that He was begging for (mercy) The demon himself pleads with Jesus not yet to begin the eternal torment that is the final destiny of the devil and his minions. One scholar remarks that the fact that Jesus gave permission for the demons to enter the swine shows that he takes no pleasure in prematurely torturing the demons. When Luke records that the swine rushed into the lake and were drowned, the literal word is that they were choked, which is the same word used in the parable of the sower, the thorns choke the seeds beginning to grow. Dr. Art Just concludes that the fate of the swine illustrates the fate of hearers of the Gospel who let worldly cares choke their faith. The kingdom of God is like a man who is too timid in these days to ask God for the desires of his heart, he is too tired most days to pray, too busy to be a hearer of God’s Word, and too stubborn to confess his faults. His issues are multiple, and life these days is about as messed up as it can be. Lesson #2 is that Jesus has what it takes to rescue (people in distress). The identity of Jesus is the main point in this section of Luke. In this text, the demons know what human observers do not yet understand. In Luke 4 a demon announced that Jesus was the holy one of God, and now in Luke 8 a demon shouts with a loud voice that Jesus is the most high Son of God. Two lessons we learn from this text are that Jesus has both the DNA and the desire to save our sorry souls. First, Scriptures make it clear that Jesus has the (DNA) DNA is defined as the fundamental and distinctive characteristics present in every living organism. We confess this DNA in the Nicene Creed when we confess that he is the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, etc. Second, Scriptures make it clear Jesus has the (Desire) We see this desire in today’s Old Testament reading, where God declares, “I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me, I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am, to a nation that was not called by my name I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people… The kingdom of God is like a man who some days is as messed up and distracted as he can be. At the same time he is apologetic and defensive, one minute he wants to fight and the next to give up, simultaneously he is sinner and saint. But at the end of the day, he rejoices that his Savior’s great desire is to show mercy, he rejoices that his Father’s business is all about forgiveness, he delights in the heavenly picture of angels rejoicing over even one sinner that repents. Lesson #3 is that We see in this text two responses to Jesus the (Rescuer). Jesus taught it this way in the Sermon on the Mount, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. Or to say it as we say in our TLH liturgy – he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be damned. We either receive the gifts of God or we don’t. We either receive by faith our Lord’s deliverance from the power of the devil or we say no thanks. Response #1 in today’s text was Fear and Rejection. In last week’s Gospel responded to Jesus declaring that before Abram was I am by picking up stones and trying to kill him. In today’s Gospel the owners of the swine get really ticked off – keep in mind that Mark records there were 2000 of them – and the crowds which had gathered responded by pleading for Jesus to just leave them alone. Response #2 was Confident (faith). Once this man was demon possessed, now he believed with all of his heart that Jesus was Lord. Once this man was naked and a menace to society, now he was clothed with a robe of righteousness. Once he was unclean, now the blood of Jesus had cleansed him from every one of his sins. Once he was doomed, now he was rescued. Once he begged for mercy, now mercy had arrived. The kingdom of God is like a drowning man pulled to safety just in the nick of time. It’s like a recovering alcoholic ever so grateful a few friends cared enough about him to intervene. It’s about a large church in a small town full of folks asking good questions in these days. Questions like “Which of my neighbors needs me to listen carefully? Which of my family members needs me to speak truth in love? Which of my loved ones have drifted away from Christ and His Church? How can I put myself in a position where people want to hear from me all the great things God has done for me? How messed up would my life be if Jesus had not rescued me in the waters of Holy Baptism? In Jesus’ Name. Amen
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The World’s Best Counselor
John 14:23–33 Pentecost Sunday 2019 First in a series of two Grace, mercy, and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our sermon text for today is John 14, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, remembering this question that launches us into the discussion of the Spirit, or the Helper, or (as our sermon title describes it) the Counselor. “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Dear Friends in Christ, We are on a two-week journey through Pentecost and Holy Trinity Sunday (which is also Father’s Day), as we consider the World’s Best Counselor and the World’s Best Father. So, now, we get to this question, the question of the day today, Who is the Holy Spirit? And the answer begins with our sermon theme, that he’s the World’s Best Counselor. I can tell you, as far as counselors go, that when I was in Seminary school, we took a pastoral counseling class, and one of the requirements was that we go through counseling ourselves, so that when we recommend that people go to a counselor we can say we’ve done it, so I did. I went to three sessions with a very good therapist. I wasn’t having any particular crisis so speak of, nothing that kept me up all night, but I can tell you that we started talking about nothing in particular, and then about my insecurities, then about my hopes, then about my deepest fears. Would I ever get married, was I good enough to become a pastor, was I in the right place? This therapist, she didn’t answer any of my questions, really, but she listened. She asked really good questions. She reminded me, in the middle of my doubts, that what God says about me is more important than what I think. She reminded me that what God calls important is more important than what I think is important. Today we consider the Holy Spirit, the counselor, the comforter, or as our translation would have it, the Helper. Two ways that we would consider the work of this Holy Spirit. First, he convicts us. Second, he comforts us. First, he convicts us. Or, to say it in another way, he lets us see things clearly. That’s the image behind the first little sentence of verse 27 in our text. Let not your hearts be troubled. That word, troubled, that means to be muddy, to be unclear, to be full of sand and silt borne up from the bottom of a stream. Let not your hearts be troubled, Jesus is saying, let your hearts be settled and still. Let your hearts be clear and deep. I remember being out at Lake Michigan in my days of being a chaplain at Camp Arcadia. And there was a difference between clear and troubled. When the winds would pick up, then the waves would start to roll, and you could see it in the waves coming ashore that the sand was all kicked up, the water was cloudy, you stepped into the gray of the lake and you couldn’t see your feet, much less the lake bottom. It was troubled. But I also remember going out on a still, blue day, water as clear as crystal, kayaking out where the water was forty feet deep or more and being able to see all the way to the bottom. How often do you find yourself with a cloudy heart? How often do you find yourself longing for clarity? How often do you find yourself to be without a compass, without a direction, without a way? The Holy Spirit convicts us by showing the clear way, showing us the right way, and showing us every time we fall short of it. First, the Holy Spirit convicts. Second, he comforts. He comes alongside of us with strength. That’s what it means to comfort, cum forte, with strength. It’s in the second little phrase in verse 27. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not fear. That word for fear is different than the word the angels use when people fall on their faces. When Gabriel says that to Mary, he says, “Don't be terrified.” Here, the word means, “Don’t be cowardly.” Or to say it in a positive way, “Take courage.” The Holy Spirit comforts. But, how does he comfort? Let me go back to my earlier example. Oftentimes, when we find ourselves in a place of confusion, when we are longing for clarity, we end up asking for someone to give us the answer. “Tell me where to go. I don’t want to think, I just need you to tell me.” No. That’s not the answer. The answer’s not so much a “What” but a “Who.” Let me explain. In all this discourse, you’ll notice that much of it doesn’t have anything to do with describing the Holy Spirit. Jesus is mostly talking about going to God the Father. But that’s the point. Jesus said, “I am sent by the Father and I am going back to the Father.” He says, “I am leaving so that you can have something better, the Holy Spirit, whom I will ask the Father to give to you when I leave.” Jesus says, “You aren’t on your own, and you never were. You have always been in me and I in you, like a vine and its branches, and I have always been loved by the Father who loves you because he loves me, and I have always been sending to you the Holy Spirit, because he is with me and with the Father, and so, you are never alone. You never have been. You never will be.” Do you see the dance? Do you see the Father and the Son and the Spirit together, drawing you into their midst? Your God is always by your side. Let his word always be in your mouth. Let his strength matter more than your strength. Let his love overpower your love. Let his peace rule your hearts and your minds. Let his courage be your courage. On the cross, Jesus jumped over all that would separate you from God. In the open tomb, he promises to walk with you to life eternal. In his ascension, he promises that his Holy Spirit will never leave you. In Jesus, you are not alone, because the “Who” of Who God Is and the “Who” of Who he sent as your helper matters far, far more than the “what” of your situation. This is the hope that I share with folks whose loved ones are slipping away, that they can hear for a lot longer than they can respond, but that whether or not they can respond, Jesus is still their Good Shepherd, and even when they are out of our grasp, no one can ever snatch them out of his hand. Even in our loneliest days, in Jesus, we are never alone. Perhaps you have been through hopeless situations yourself. Perhaps you are feeling the inevitable decline of your body. Perhaps you are knowing the extent of how your sin leads to death. Before any of that, let us always and ever remember that Jesus died for our sins and is raised for our life. Because of Jesus, God is our Father. Because of Jesus, we can call upon him as dear children call upon their dear Father who is in heaven. Because Jesus promises, we are given the promise of the Holy Spirit. Because of Jesus, we are never alone. Amen and Amen. The Tree of Life
Genesis 2:8-9 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge and good and evil. Rev. 22:1-6,12-20 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city, also on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Sixth in a Series of Six Sermons June 1 and 2, 2019 Dear Friends of Christ, This is the sixth in a series of six Easter season sermons which have focused on the Book of Revelation and the Apostle John’s vision of the end times and what it will be like for God’s people to live face to face with Jesus in eternity. Next Sunday will be the Festival of Pentecost, and we will focus on the World’s Best Counselor, and the Sunday after that, on Father’s Day / Trinity Sunday, we will focus on the World’s Best Father. Today we focus on the Tree of Life, which we find first of all in the very middle of the Garden of Eden, then on a little hill outside of Jerusalem, and finally on both sides of the river flowing down the middle of the New Jerusalem. FDR Great Plains Shelterbelt Program Back in the depression years, my Grandpa Griffin lost the farm on which my dad grew up. And in 1939, when my dad was 19, Grandpa Griffin started over on the farm where I was raised. Just a little ways from our farmhouse was a shelterbelt that included several rows of trees, mainly cottonwoods, if my memory serves correctly. My dad told me at least once that the government had given them all kinds of little trees and that his dad, his brothers, and he had planted them. I read up on this FDR program this week and found out that between 1935 and 1942, the federal government undertook a major program to plant trees in windbreaks on the Great Plains from North Dakota all the way down to Texas. It was known after 1935 as the Prairie States Forestry Project, and it had several purposes: 1) to put people to work planting trees, 2) to slow wind erosion, 3) to improve the attractiveness of farmsteads, and 4) to provide homes and winter shelter for wild animals and livestock. One author writes that between 1935 and 1942, 200 million trees and shrubs were planted, and that the project’s success was mixed. As Pastor Muther would say, I tell you all of that to tell you this – in today’s sermon, we want to focus on God planting the Tree of Life, we want to explore the original purpose of that tree, and most importantly, we look forward to life together in paradise where the tree of life will be yielding fruit every month and whose leaves will be for the healing of the nations, world without end. Three lessons the Holy Spirit would teach us today about the Tree of Life. Lesson #1 comes from the original paradise and is this: The Garden of Eden’s Tree of Life never fulfilled its (purpose). All trees have purposes, some more and some less, and the Garden of Eden was no exception. Right after God had breathed into Adam the breath of life, Moses records that He planted a garden, he put the man he had formed in that garden, and he made all kinds of trees to grow for two purposes – they would be pleasing to the eye and they would be good for food. The purpose of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was to give Adam the opportunity of his own free will to obey God. A scholar by the name of John Jeske writes it this way, “In so doing God realized the risk involved, that Adam might choose to disobey him. When Adam came from the hand of his Creator, he was in a state of created innocence. By giving Adam the command not to eat, God was offering him the opportunity to progress from created innocence to conscious holiness. God wanted his highest creature to be holy by choice, not just by accident.” Martin Luther said this about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, This tree was Adam’s church, his altar, his pulpit. Here he was to yield to God the obedience he owed, to give recognition to the word and will of God, to give thanks to God, and to call upon God for aid against temptation.” The purpose of the original tree of life was not fulfilled. The scholar Jeske suggests that it would have fulfilled its purpose if Adam and Eve had resisted Satan’s temptation. That the purpose of the tree of life was to confirm Adam and Eve in the possession of physical life. Due to the fact that Adam and Eve fell, and they fell hard into sin, God found it necessary to expel them from the Garden, to place a cherubim with a flaming sword near that tree, and to guard the way to it. If they would have eaten of that tree, it seems as though they would have been confirmed in their sinfulness and lived under the curse of the law world without end. God’s plan of salvation, of course, was in a different direction. Paul wrote it this way to the Galatians, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, “cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” Which leads us into Lesson #2. Lesson #2 comes from Calvary’s cross and is this: The old Jerusalem’s Tree of Life means (no more curse). As you well know, it was at the cross on a little hill outside of Jerusalem that Jesus Christ undid the evil that Adam had done. It was at the cross that the Father turned every bit of his divine wrath on his only son so that our blemished records could be purged, our guilt could be gone, our debts could be cancelled, our souls could be cleansed. Christ redeemed us, as you well know, not with gold nor silver, but with holy precious blood. He paid not with a credit card or a loan at the bank, but with innocent suffering and death. The kingdom of God is like a young lady who spent ten years plus cursed with a drinking problem. A beautiful Christian soul she was and is, but oh how her drinking in secret caused her troubles in the work place, troubles in her relationships, troubles in her body, troubles in her very soul. By the grace of God and with the help of family and treatment centers, her curse was lifted, a new heart was given, a new life rose up on the inside, and she lives in these days with the joy and the peace and the freedom only Christ can give. She knows what the preacher means when he preaches lesson #2 – “the old Jerusalem’s tree of Life means no more curse.” Dear Friends in Christ, here and now our sins are forgiven, but in life that is to come, there is no more sin. Here and now, we must fight off the enemies of our faith, but in the life that is to come, there are no more enemies to resist. Here and now, we enjoy the shade and the fruits of trees in one or more seasons of the year, in the life that is to come, we will enjoy what the Tree of Life was intended to give in the first place. Which brings us to Lesson #3. It comes from our text for today and is this: The New Jerusalem’s Tree of Life provides abundance (beyond imagination). In the very last chapter of the Bible, John sees not two, but only one tree, the tree of life, growing on both sides of the river. In heaven we are confirmed in holiness. We cannot sin, and therefore we cannot die. As the tree of life grows from both sides of the river, eternal life grows forever from grace. At Eden, God placed a cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life, but in heaven we will again have access to this tree. The tree of life will produce 12 crops of fruit. The number 12 is the number of the church, and the twelve crops signify that the church in glory will be nurtured by the tree of life growing from the river of God’s grace. The tree will provide healing for the nations. All suffering caused by Adam’s fall will be ended. Recently I read an article about health troubles and human suffering in Los Angeles. Dr. Drew Pinsky was quoted as saying that the public health situation in the nation’s second-largest city is in a complete breakdown of the basic needs of civilization.” First, he talked about tuberculosis exploding as a result of this city not having a rodent control program, and sanitation has broken down. Secondly, he noted that a police officer had contracted typhoid fever, a rare and life threatening illness that few than 350 Americans contract each year. Third, he mentioned that bubonic plague, which killed tens of millions of people during the 14th century is likely to be present in Los Angelos. Fourth he talked about homelessness, about people not wanting to leave the streets, he talked about mental illness and addiction and thousands of illegal immigrants with no health records coming their way, and finally, he declares that he feels like he is living in a Third World city and that the entire population is at risk. One more time in this Easter season we rejoice that because Jesus Christ rose up from the grave on the third day, so also shall we be alive and well and completely healed into eternity. Together we are on our way to that place where there will be no more homelessness and no more health concerns and no more harmful habits. Together we are on our way through all the ups and downs of this life to a life where there are no more troubles, no more tribulations, and no more trials. On our way we are to a place where we shall be like Christ, we shall see him as he is, his name shall be on our foreheads, and where the Tree of Life will provide for us abundance beyond imagination. The kingdom of God is like a little church in downtown Los Angeles where the people of God are praying this very day, Come Lord, Jesus. Come quickly. Amen. Seeing Jesus
Confirmation Sunday / April 28, 2019 Revelation 1:4-18 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Joe Adamek, James Blees, Ryan Britton, Zabrina Bronstad, Cody Cowdin, Addie Davis, Raquel Fischer, Isaiah Gaylord, Kylee Hanks, Kayli Hinze, Hunter Jaeger, Kennedy Jewison, Nick Johnson, Thyme Lang, Cody Lau, Macy Morsching, Dominec Poeppel, Taylor Priem, Christian Rodriguez, Garrett Sobolik, Lily Sonnek, Dakota Westphal, Zoe Zimbrich Dear Friends in Christ, The overall theme of our Easter sermon series is the Sound of the Saints, which comes from our theme song, which includes the line, “Hear the sound of the saints as we march on to Zion singing Allelujah amen, singing allelujah, amen. Our sermon series comes out of the Book of Revelation, and we will be seeing pictures that John paints of what heaven will be like, pictures that John will be painting of what it looks like when the faithful are at the feet of the glorified Jesus throwing in a couple of “whoas”, as in “whoa, we sing hallelujah! Whoa we sing amen!” In coming weeks we’ll hear the sound of the saints as we see through John’s eyes the Elders, the next week the Multitude, the next week “New Heavens and New Earth,” the next week the New Jerusalem, and the seventh week “the Tree of Life. Today, we would see Jesus, as He reveals Himself in full resurrected and glorified and ascended and sitting at the right hand of his father mode, ruling all of heaven and earth on behalf of the holy Christian Church. When I tell you one of my favorite Easter stories, you’re going to realize one more time how twisted is my mind. This story comes from a statement on the Seattle Police Department blotter 6 years ago. The headline was “Easter egg hunt goes ugly.” An Easter egg hunt went ugly when one woman reportedly pushed a child aside as her own child was scrambling toward some brightly colored eggs. Police say the two mothers began fighting and had to be separated three or four times. The fisticuffs left one woman with a bloody nose.” It seems as though these two ladies had missed the spirit of Easter in that hour. They were having a hard time seeing Jesus. Two parts to our sermon today. Part #1 is that it’s not always easy to see Jesus, and Part #2 is that when we are able to see Jesus as he wants to be seen, it’s terrifying and comforting at the same time. Part #1: It’s not always (easy) to see Jesus. Three thoughts for you today about how it’s not always easy to see Jesus. Thought #1 is that it wasn’t easy for the early Christians to see Jesus. In today’s text, John is writing to seven small and struggling churches in Asia. He greets them with the grace and peace of the Trinity, from the one who is and who was and who is to come. When he writes that the message of Revelation is from the seven Spirits, you should know that the number seven symbolizes God. Seven is the sum of 3 and 4. (You knew that). Three is the number for God and four is the number for creation, as in the four directions or the four corners of the world. This message is from the holy and the perfect God, and it is from Jesus Christ the faithful witness / Jesus Christ who is the firstborn of the dead / Jesus Christ the ruler of all kings on earth / Jesus Christ the one who has loved us with his very life / Jesus Christ who has freed us from our sins by suffering and dying and rising again. This God and this Jesus Christ are revealing to the early church that it’s not going to be easy to see Jesus and to stay close to Jesus and to hold on to their faith. Persecution is on the way. Church historians tell us that between the first persecution under Nero in 64 to the Edict of Milan in 313 when Christianity would be declared the official religion of the Roman Empire, Christians would experience 129 years of persecution and 120 years of toleration and peace. One author writes that persecution was first sanctioned by the government under Nero, an eccentric emperor who blamed the Christians for the fire which ravaged Rome in 64 A.D. He further writes that many Christians were put to death to serve as objects of amusement; some were clad in the hides of beast and torn to death by dogs, others were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed. After Nero, it became a capital crime to be a Christian. Thought #1 is that it wasn’t all easy for those early Christians to hold onto their Easter faith, like Thomas in our Gospel lesson for today, they would have their doubts, and they would yearn for a few signs and wonders from heaven to help them see Jesus, to help them stay close to Jesus, to hold onto their Easter faith. Thought #2 is that it isn’t going to be easy for any of us to see Jesus in any one of our chapters of life. Last week on Easter Sunday, we enjoyed the sweet fragrance of the dozens and dozens of flowers and plants which adorned this sanctuary. It’s pretty easy to see and hear Jesus on the Day of Resurrection. But every one of those flowers and plants represented one or more loved ones we have planted into the cemeteries. A few of these burials are etched into our memories and will not soon be erased. I can still remember the bronze colored casket of my brother resting out there at Peace Lutheran Cemetery / Barney / 40 yards away from Highway 13. In that moment it was hard to see Jesus who is to come. Etched into my brain is my mom’s casket being lowered into that same cemetery and being late to the meal because a few of us lingered while they lowered and covered her. In that hour, it was hard to see Jesus, who is the firstborn of all the dead. 18 months ago or so, it is etched in my mind while my son in law got down into the hole and placed his son Gabriel’s casket therein. He lived an hour here on earth, and then he died. Not easy to see Jesus who is alive forevermore and inviting us never to be afraid. For our young folks confirming your faith today, some days it will be easy and other days nearly impossible for you to see Jesus, to stay close to Jesus, and to hold onto your faith. Some days you will succeed wonderfully and others fail miserably. Some days the sun will be shining brightly and others full of rain and slush. Some days you’ll fit right in and other days stick out like a sore thumb. In some chapters of life you’ll be living happily after and other chapters you will be saying to yourself and anybody who will listen, “I can’t take it anymore.” Here’s the good news. It’s especially on those days when you just can’t take it anymore that Jesus Christ is with you, he comes close to you in his Word and Sacraments, he holds you close, he washes you clean, he invites you not to be afraid, to stand back up, and keep on going. This is the rhythm of our days – constantly we are distracted from seeing Jesus, but always He is fixed on us. Daily we are blinded with the darkness of this sinful world. Daily and richly he forgives our sins and invites us to fix our eyes on him, the author and finisher of our faith. Part #2: Seeing Jesus is terrifying and comforting (at the same time). This year’s confirmation class is #39 in my ministry, the 29th here at Trinity. It’s been almost entirely a privilege to partner with parents and congregational leaders in catechizing these catechumens with Luther’s Small Catechism and the written Scriptures. In all of these years, we have expected our confirmands to listen to sermons and find examples of both Law and Gospel, and then apply these truths into their lives. Two reasons we ask these young folks to go through catechesis – to help them know the basics of their faith and to mature in that faith. Every sermon is meant to terrify and then comfort the people of God. Professor Eggold at the Ft. Wayne Seminary used to tell us to preach them right down into hell and then lift them back up into heaven. Scare the you know what out of them with the Law and relieve them with the Gospel. Show them their sin with the Law and show them their Savior with the Gospel. I remember Dr. Eggold saying that when you preach the Gospel, your face ought to light up with all the brightness and radiance you can muster, and if you’re preaching the law, well then your regular face will do just fine. Seeing Jesus is terrifying and comforting at the same time. In John’s description of the exalted Son of Man, he draws on several sources in the Old Testament. He sees Christ who is now in heavenly glory because he has completed his mission through his death and resurrection.
The kingdom of God is like a confirmation class that swears in the presence of God and all kinds of family to be diligent in the use of the means of grace until the day they die. They take their vows with good intentions mixed up with a fair amount of relief that the confirmation class ordeal is over. On the one hand, as often as they try to live life apart from Christ, they find all kinds of doubts and deadness and darkness rising up and ruling. But on the other hand, as often as they hear the voice of Jesus, as often as they taste the body and blood of Jesus, they find grace and mercy and peace rising up inside and in charge. The kingdom of God is like a confirmation class that forgets much of what their pastors taught them, but a few things they remember. They remember one short not so young anymore pastor telling them again and again to stop slouching, to sit up straight, and to look him in the eyes when he is trying to teach them something. They remember him hammering away at distinguishing between Law and Gospel. They remember him pleading with them to keep on coming to church, to keep on listening to sermons, to keep on eating and drinking at their Lord’s Supper. And finally they remember him hoping and praying for them to be famous for this one thing….to be famous for this one thing…..to be famous for every day confessing their sins, every day early and often to be famous for admitting their mistakes, being sorry for their sins, crying out for mercy, knowing that even when they took their eyes off Jesus, He was always seeing them. Amen. The Unshadowed Victory
Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019 In a series, “The Shadow of the Cross” Luke 24:1-12 // Isaiah 65:17-25 // 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 Grace, mercy and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Dear Friends in Christ, Today we take a look at the only story in the history of the world that truly matters. Today we remember the center of our life together. Today, we worship the God who became man, the man who died our death, and the God who raised him from the dead. Today is Easter Sunday, and it doesn’t get any better than this. Except when it does. I remember way back about seven years ago, on June 18, back on a day when Laura and I were on a walk at Minnehaha Falls. We had been together for nine months and it seemed like it couldn’t get any better than that. We were staring into each other’s eyes. We were spending our days talking and laughing together. We walked hand in hand, we took a little pathway right up to the Falls, and I asked Laura to marry me. And she said.... “Are you serious?” “Is this real?” and after a couple minutes of that, I took it for a yes. And life couldn’t get any better. Except that it did. 11 months later, we stared into each other’s eyes and spoke vows to love each other in every chapter of life, and I thought that life couldn’t get any better. Except that it did. Two years later, we had our first very precious baby boy, Benjamin, and I thought that I couldn’t love more than I did right then, that life couldn’t get any better, except that it did. Two years after that, we had our second very precious baby boy, Amos, and I’m realizing I’m a slow learner. That life doesn’t get any better than this, except when it does. Now, we’ve had our ups and downs, our days of smooth sailing, and our sleepless nights. But the point is, and you know this by now, it doesn’t get any better, except when it does. That’s what we see in our text for today. For the disciples and the women in our text, things couldn’t get any worse. They were looking for closure. They were looking to finish the burial process after Jesus was laid to rest. They were looking to get on with the next chapter of their lives. Their perception was full of grief and fear. Grief of Jesus being gone and fear of a gruesome end. But things were not as they seemed. That may have been their perception, but the reality was full of life and hope. They were despairing over things not real. Have you ever done that? The angels bid them to rejoice in reality, the reality that Jesus proclaims. Dear Christian friends, today of all days, in the light of the resurrection, I would urge you, don’t be governed by your grudges and your hurts. Let the love of Christ overwhelm you. Don’t be governed by your fears and insecurities. Let the hope of Jesus lead you. Today of all days lay down your sin and see your savior. Today of all days lay down your hurt and ask for forgiveness. Today of all days, let the past be the past. Acknowledge it. Know it. But today of all days, and let the future be as bright as the promises that God holds out in Jesus Christ. The women encounter angels, which tell them what they’d known for a long time, from Jesus’s own mouth. That he would be crucified and on the third day rise. And they say, “Are you serious? Is this really real?” They saw the empty tomb, they saw the grave cloths there. They ran back to the eleven and try to convince them that Jesus is risen, and the eleven say, “Are you serious? How could that be real?” But Peter runs back to the tomb. He sees what the women had seen, and he stands there, just standing there, marveling. Are you serious? Is this real? They couldn’t but marvel in disbelief. Are you serious? Is this real? Things that day couldn’t get any better.... Except that they did. The Jesus who died, died for their sins. The same Jesus was raised from the dead. The same Jesus taught them, after the resurrection, opening up the Scriptures to them. He gave them the Holy Spirit. He promised to come back and complete a reality far greater than we could imagine. Or perhaps greater isn’t the right word. Usually for us, greater just means bigger, but that’s not quite right here. C.S. Lewis said it this way, in the final book of the Narnia series, the Last Battle, as their world ends and the characters are led into a new land, their refrain is “Further Up and Further In!” Heaven is new but not other. Eternal life is greater but not bigger. Forgiveness of sins is deeper and richer than we could imagine. Dear friends in Christ, in the resurrection we see Jesus as the first fruits of the world to come. We see the meaning that he infuses into every one of our days, ever one of our interactions. We see the strength that he gives, the strength upon which the whole fate of the world turns. In Easter, we see the focal point, the lynchpin, the center of the Christian story come where all the threads of the Old Testament and all the workings of the New Testament come together. Blessed is the one who hears the absolutions and believes, because what Jesus says about you matters more than what you believe about yourself. Blessed is the one who eats the bread which is his body and drinks the wine which is Christ’s blood, for when he eats and drinks, he will be given exactly what they say, forgiveness of sins. Blessed is the man who hears the invocation and remembers that the waters of holy Baptism wash over him like a flood. Three thoughts in conclusion. First, because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Or, to say it in a different way, in the resurrection, Jesus proves that no enemy is greater than he. There is nothing that he hasn’t overcome, and he overcame it for you. Second, because he lives, all fear is gone. Or, to say it in a different way, in the resurrection, Jesus reshapes our reality. He redefines our love. He reorients our values. He says that wine and bread are his body and blood, and since he says, they forgive our sins. He says that his word is life and peace to us, and because he says it, so it is. He says that nothing in this life could ever hurt or destroy, and because the one who died and rose again said it, so it is. Third, because he lives, life is worth the living. Or, to say it in a different way, in Jesus’s death and resurrection, every thought, word, and deed of the Christian is significant because of what the God of the universe can do as he works through you. Are you serious, Lord? How humbling and empowering that is! The kingdom of heaven is like a man whose life is a constant shipwreck, for no reason of his own. Every time he rights his boat, something else in the sinful world knocks him down. And yet, though all around him in the sinful world seems nothing but a sea of pain, still he rests on the solid rock of his savior. The kingdom of heaven is like a woman whose own mind calls her nasty names. Her own voice tells her she’s not good enough, not smart enough, not thin enough, not pretty enough. And yet, though even her whole self would say this, still she rests in the knowledge that Jesus’s words matter far more than her own, and through his blood he calls her precious, redeemed, valuable, sought after. The kingdom of heaven is like a family who never can quite overcome the temptations to sin. They look good on the outside but inside, they feel the devil gaining a foothold on their souls. And yet, they know Jesus was tempted in every way for them. They know, in a place deeper than their mind, deeper than their heart, that the nasty old devil is like a dog on a chain. He can only go so far. And the one who was raised from the dead is the one who will come back to make all things right. And it doesn’t get any better than that. Amen and amen. |
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