5th in a Series of Six Sermons
Fifth Sunday of Easter /May 21, 2017 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. Dear Friends in Christ, In our Easter sermon series, we have invited you to focus on the simple truth that the road to your future runs right through the past of the ancient church. This sermon is the fifth in a series of six. First we gave attention to the ancient future God, second to His Word, third to the role of suffering, and last Sunday to the Church. This morning – Ancient Future Promises. Two questions we ask today – first what does it mean to be in the family of God? Second, what does it mean to rest in the promises of God? The Neighborhood Bully A true story is told of a boy that was getting picked on by the neighborhood bully. The bully teased and he taunted, he ridiculed, he ranted, and he raved, he pushed and he shoved day after day until one day with his Marine Corp dad happened to see what was happening. This dad did what any good father would do. He picked up the neighborhood bully by the scruff of his neck and scared the living daylights out of him. He held him in the air until it was clear that he understood that if this bullying happened even one more time, there would be hell to pay. From that day forward, the boy that had been getting picked on rested in his dad’s strength, he rested in his dad’s promises, he rested in his dad’s faithfulness. Dear Christian friends, when Jesus Christ suffered once for our sins under Pontius Pilate, when Jesus Christ was crucified until he was dead and buried, when Jesus Christ was raised again on the third day and went down into hell and proclaimed victory to a multitude of eternal losers, this is what He was doing. He was picking the devil and all the forces of evil up by the scruff of their neck, he was telling these neighborhood bullies there was a new sheriff in town. He was announcing once and for all that their days of taunting, teasing, and tempting the people of God into all kinds of despair and doubt were done. He was proclaiming to the world their days of ridiculing and ranting and raving and ruling in the hearts and minds of God’s precious people were finished. He was inviting one and all to be in his family and to rest in his promises. Three meditations we offer now, what that meant for Noah’s family, what that meant for the early Christians to whom Peter was writing, and what that means for us today For Noah’s family, resting in the promises of God meant 120 years of preparation and then going for the ride of a (lifetime). At a recent pastors’ conference, we listened to a St. Louis Seminary Professor of history who indicated that he tells his classes of seminarians these two things. First, that sometime between Jesus and your grandma, things happened. Second, the Word of God was in your congregation long before you got there, and if you don’t screw it up, it will be there after you leave. Another way of saying that the road to your future, dear friends, runs right through your past. The ancient story of Noah teaches us first of all how patient is our God and secondly how there is a definite limit to that patience. For 120 years God waited while Noah built that ark. For 120 years, God waited for repentance and faith, he waited in vain. For 120 years, men remained fixed and hardened in their disobedience and in unbelief. It’s not hard to imagine them laughing at Noah for building a big boat on dry land, no doubt they teased and they taunted, in today’s text, these scoffers, these who would not listen, these who went about life ignoring every possible warning sign they could ignore are identified as spirits in prison getting paid a surprise visiting early one Sunday morning by a risen Christ. For Noah’s family, the same water that drowned so many served as their salvation. Resting in God’s promises for them meant riding out the mother of all storms, it meant being safe and secure in an ark 450 feet long, 75feet wide, and 45 feet high, it meant trusting that God was a promise keeper, it meant believing that which they could not see, it meant coming face to face with a God whose patience may seem endless, but it’s not. For early Christians, resting in the promises of God meant believing that there was a significant purpose to their (suffering). Peter was writing to Christians who were under the threat of persecution if they did not burn incense to the emperor as a personification of the divine spirit of Rome. He urged them to stand strong in their faithfulness to Jesus. He invited them to believe they were being blessed even though it felt like they were being cursed. Jesus had already told his apostles they would be brought before kings and emperors on account of his name, which in God’s upside down way of thinking would be a good thing. What would feel like the end of their world would actually be an opportunity to be His witnesses. Jesus had already told them not to worry beforehand how to defend themselves because He would give them words of wisdom their adversaries would not be able to contradict. Here Peter reaffirmed it for early Christians that their good behavior would give credibility to their message of hope, their gentle and respectful testimony to Jesus Christ would be blessed beyond their wildest dreams to the far corners of the world, their enemies would be put to shame, their suffering would carry with it significant purpose. Early Christians were to never forget their Savior had suffered once for their sins, and therefore their sins had already been forgiven. Their baptism into the family of God meant they would never have to live as orphans, it meant the Spirit of God would dwell with them and be inside of them, it meant they could look themselves in the mirror at night, the mercies of God would be new in the morning. Their baptism into the family of God had saved them, it had washed them clean, their Savior was sitting at the right hand of their God, they could rest in the simple truth they had friends in high places. For us, resting in the promises of God means living safe in the ark of the Christian Church with a cleansed (conscience). Just yesterday little Paxton Kaminiski was born again into the kingdom of God. He is the brother of Payton Rose, he is the brother of Tatum, son of Scott and Kate by virtue of his first birth. He is brother of Jesus, he is the brother of all baptized believers worldwide, he is the son of his father in heaven by virtue of his second birth. We prayed yesterday that he would be kept safe and secure in the ark of the holy Christian Church, we marked him with the sign of the cross both upon his forehead and upon his heart, we poured water on him in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and as we did so, this congregation made a promise to walk with him, to encourage him, to pray for him, to help him to live with a clear conscience in all the chapters of his life. The kingdom of God is like a large church in a small town full of folks who consciences are stained and soiled and at the same time free and clear. Left to themselves, they would be at the mercy at the neighborhood bullies who reside in dark and invisible places, but they have not been left to themselves. More and more these folks make the sign of the cross and remember who they are, less and less the worry about what the future holds. More and more they go about their vocations with the peace only their best friend forever can give, less and less they are afraid of their enemies. More and more they get asked for the reason for the hope that is within them, less and less do they keep good news for themselves. For them, resting in the promises of God is like spending time at a family reunion, knowing they belong, reminiscing about the good old days, looking forward to days even better. “I can’t imagine not having a family.” A good friend of this congregation told me just this week that he and his wife were adopting a boy who just turned 18. If all goes well, he will soon be the big brother of three siblings, the son of stable and loving parents, he will have cousins he hasn’t even meet, aunts and uncles who already have a place in their hearts for him. When I asked my good friend why he was adopting this young man, he told me this boy’s story full of bouncing around from one foster home to another, a story of brokenness, a story where kindness and patience seemed to be mostly missing. Then he told me what I won’t soon forget, he said he couldn’t imagine this boy turning age 21 and not having a family. It seemed the logical thing to do, and so they made the decision not to let this boy be an orphan. This very day, this good friend of ours, now a preacher, is no doubt reading and hearing this promise from heaven above, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good. But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed…..Even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed.
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Second Sunday of Easter
I Peter 1 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, Dear Friends in Christ, A little girl named Mary lay in bed, she was crippled, she was crying, and she was complaining to her mom. She had been crippled with a serious nervous disorder, and she would be crippled for life. Three questions she asked one day, “If Jesus loves me, why do I have to be like this? Why can’t I play like the other children? Why do I have to hurt so much, mama?” Perhaps you have asked or tried to answer questions like that in days gone by. Perhaps you are asking or trying to answer questions like that these days. Perhaps you will be asking or trying to answer questions like that in days yet to come. No doubt Mary’s mom had asked those same questions, no doubt she had given much thought to how she might answer. Here is what she did answer one day, no doubt with tears in her eyes and a lump in her throat, “God’s children are like jewels, Mary, like sparkling jewels that shine. But jewels are made beautiful through cutting and polishing. And that cutting and polishing can hurt. The sparkle of a jewel depends on how smoothly it is polished. Always remember, Mary, that God does not polish his jewels because he wants to hurt them, but because he wants to make them shine with bright faith and purified love.” Do you see what Mary’s mom just did? She turned three of the most difficult questions about God a child could ever ask a parent into words of high praise for God. High praise is what the word for eulogy originally meant. In our circles, to eulogize someone usually refers to writing or saying really good things about a person who has died. In I Peter 1:3-9, Peter is eulogizing, he is blessing, he is praising a person who died and rose up again. More than that, he is eulogizing, he is praising, he is blessing the one true and almighty God of this universe. Our text is a doxology of praise to God who was, who is, and who always will be. Three invitations we would consider today with regard to these words of high praise, 1) eulogizing our ancient God for birthing us, 2)eulogizing our present God for guarding, and 3)eulogizing our future God for testing us. Birthing, guarding, and testing. First of all, we join Peter and early and persecuted Christians in Eulogizing our ancient God for (birthing us). Our Easter sermon series carries the theme, “Ancient Future Faith,” which is the title of a book written by Dr. Robert Weber. and in the weeks yet to come, we focus on how the road to the future runs right through the past. He wonders what evangelical Christianity might look like in the future and speculates that the answers will be found in examining past history. He invites the reader to think about what it means to be a countercultural community that invites people to be shaped by the story of Israel and Jesus. The premise of this book fits well with the Epistle lessons appointed for these six weeks in Easter, which are taken from I Peter. I Peter, Pastor Muther tells me, is the New Testament book most saturated with Old Testament writings. And so we learn what it means to live as New Testament Christians by immersing ourselves in Old Testament based invitations. Three invitations and three questions for you today as we are still and know that God is God. Invitation #1 today is to be shaped by the truth that according to His great mercy, God has caused Israel and us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Not a single one of us decided of our own free will to be in the Christian family, we were born again through the waters of Holy Baptism into this family. Not a one of us came by our own reason or strength to the realization that Jesus is Lord, the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel, He has gathered us into His Church, He has enlightened us with His gifts. Not a one of us deserved to have God shower us with mercy, mercy is by definition undeserved. Not a one of us merited the grace of God to be given us, grace is by definition unmerited. The Spirit of God would invite us today to think of ourselves as sinners born again into a lively hope, we have been baptized into an inheritance that will never be corrupted, it will never be stained, it will never fade away, it is in fact safeguarded in the heavens for us. The road to your future runs right through a road already traveled by the nation of Israel, a road traveled in anticipation of a Messiah long prophecied. The road to your future runs right through a road already traveled by your Savior, he traveled that road with a perfection that you could never attain, he traveled that road by suffering all that you needed him to suffer, he traveled that road by dying the death you needed him to die, and by rising up never to die again. The road to your future runs right through the waters of Baptism where you were claimed as child of your Father in heaven, you were marked with the sign of the cross, you were washed in the very blood of the lamb. Question #1 – what does it mean to be kept safe in the ark of the Christian Church in all the chapters of life? 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Secondly, we would join Peter and the early and suffering Christians in Eulogizing our present God for (protecting us) In the first part of this doxology, Peter praised God for being merciful, he praised Jesus Christ for living and dying and then living again, he praised the Triune God for saving us, now he eulogizes, he praises, he blesses God for being omnipotent. He blessed God for protecting us from enemies who would steal away our inheritance. The Psalmist speaks of God as the keeper of Israel who never slumbers nor sleeps. Luther prays in the 6th petition that God would so guard and keep us that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us nor entice us into misbelief and other great shame or vice. It was the omnipotence of God that kept Daniel safe in the lions’ den, it was the omnipotence of God that kept safe the three men in the fiery furnace, it was the omnipotence of God that set boundaries for Satan in afflicting Job, it was the omnipotence of God that freed Peter from Herod’s prison, it preserved Paul amid dangers and hardships. It is the power of God that we pray for when we ask him to send his holy angels to be with us, that the wicked foe may have no power over us. The road to our future runs through a road already traveled by Israel, a road already traveled by Jesus. Israel would learn the beauty of the Promised Land only after God had guarded them through the ugliness of wilderness wandering. Jesus would enjoy the glory of resurrection only after His Father and His angels had guarded Him through the darkness of Gethsemane and the curse of the cross. Question #2 today, what does it mean to live with a heart that is resting, lips that are praising, and a faith that is being protected in all the circumstances of life? First in this doxology, we praised God for birthing us into His family, second we praised Him for guarding us the way good fathers guard their children, and third we praise Him for putting us to the test. First, we blessed God for His great mercy shown in the past, second for His power happening even in our present, and third we bless Him for His willingness to discipline us in the future. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Finally, we would join Peter and the early and suffering Christians in Eulogizing our future God for (testing us). The kingdom of God is like a blacksmith who fires up the furnace, he holds the gold close to the fire to make sure it is tested, he can be heard to mutter to the gold, “this hurts me as much as it hurts you.” The kingdom of God is like a good father who sets clear boundaries, and when his son crosses the line, he disciplines, and even as he disciplines, he is heard to be saying, “this hurts me more than it hurts you.” The kingdom of God is like a man who suffers more than his share of grief as life goes along. Some of it is self-inflicted, some of it is inflicted by people in his life who keep on disappointing, some of it comes through no fault of him or anybody else, it’s just because his world is as messed up as it can be. Slowly, but surely, he is able to rejoice in his sufferings, they keep on resulting in the praise and honor of His Savior. He can’t really see what God is up to in the day to day struggling through, but believes with all His heart that his God is shaping him into the man who is more and more the man he is called to be. Question #3- what does it mean to get to that point in life where you actually rejoice in your trials, knowing they have great potential to draw you closer and closer to your God? Agnes’ last words to her pastor. A few of you might remember Agnes, who was the sister of Erna, Anne, and Martin among others, she was a daughter to old and faithful Pastor Winter, who served as pastor here for 29 years, from 1905 to 1934. She attended every Bible class she could possibly attend and with all her heart she treasured the central article of Lutheran theology that we are saved by the grace of God alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone. She walked with a cane, and once in awhile she would get pretty fired up and use her cane for emphasis. In one of her last conversations with me, I was telling her how much I appreciated her faithfulness to God’s Word, she made it clear to me that her funeral sermon should have nothing to do with her good life and everything to do with giving glory to God. She looked me in the eyes and said, “if you start eulogizing me, if you start saying nice things about me in that sermon, I just might sit up in my casket and tell you to knock it off!” She wanted what Peter wanted in our text for today, and what we would do well to want, that God be eulogized for birthing her in the first place, that God be praised for guarding her in faith all the way to the end in the second place, and yes that God be blessed even for testing her with all kinds of trials along the way. In Jesus’ Name and for His glory! Sunrise Easter Service
I Corinthians 15 50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. Dear Friends, I’ve learned over the years that if you ask a group of children a question, you’re not always going to get the answer you’re looking for. Years ago, I was doing a children’s lesson in church, and my question was what do people need to do in order to get into heaven? The answer I was looking for was that you can’t do anything to get into heaven, that heaven was a free and undeserved gift received by faith. At first the kids really didn’t want to answer, and so I repeated the question again and again, what do you need to do in order to get to heaven? Finally one of the little Ressie girls, I think it was Deanna, raised her hand and answered, “you have to die.” Which brings us to our text for this morning, in Paul’s great resurrection chapter, I Corinthians 15 - 50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Easter truth #1 – Caskets, cemeteries, and gravestones are necessary evils, but the Good News of the open tomb gets the final word. This morning’s theme is “The Open Tomb.” Last night’s theme was “The Guarded Tomb.” Last night we saw that the body of Jesus was carefully and lovingly cared for by his closest friends. We saw Joseph of Arimathea asking for and receiving the body. We saw him taking the time to purchase fine linens, we watched Nicodemus purchasing all kinds of spices, Joseph and others doing the work of a funeral director. We saw a wounded and bloody corpse removed from the cross, blood stains washed away, spices used to anoint, fresh linen used to wrap and preserve. We saw Mary Magdalene and another Mary watching to make sure all was in order, we saw Pharisees requesting and receiving permission to guard against the disciples stealing the body and claiming resurrection, Jews going so far as to seal the tomb shut, we saw the body of Jesus resting quietly, his suffering now finished, death the apparent winner, the sun going down, the Sabbath now beginning. Last night we gave thought to our fenced in and well maintained cemeteries, we noted how for the most part these days, most American families spend all kinds of effort and energy pre-arranging, planning out and carrying through with funerals and burial. Most of our families care deeply about laying loved ones to rest in decent and respectful fashion. Last night we gave attention to what theologians call the intermediate state, the time period between the death of a Christian and the day of resurrection. That period of time where the body is asleep, but the soul is wide awake either in the presence of Jesus or not in the presence of Jesus. This morning, the open tomb gets the last laugh. We celebrate that old saying that he who laughs last laughs best. We fix our eyes on that which we cannot see - that glorious moment when the last trumpet will be sounding, the archangel will be shouting, and all of humanity will be resurrection. In the time it takes you to blink your eyes, caskets will be giving up their bodies, urns will be giving up their ashes, cemeteries will be opening up and swallowing up death itself. Just yesterday, we laid one of our dear Ladies’ Aid members Helen Ewert to rest. Laid to rest by two sons, one daughter, 17 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, and other families and friends. Tears there were in their eyes to be sure, but the open tomb had the last word. Sadness and perhaps even a few regrets in their hearts, but the open tomb of Easter had the last word. A realization that life is short and full of trouble tried to rule the day, but Easter Truth #1 prevailed, Caskets, cemeteries, and gravestones are necessary evils, but the Good News of the open tomb gets the final word. The Good News is simply this, that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, and because He lives so also Helen Ewert live, because Jesus lives, so also do our loved ones named in our bulletin and remembered with lilies and flowers live, because Jesus lives, we have proof that He is Who He said He is, we have proof that all of Holy Scripture is true, we have proof that the Father has accepted the sacrifice of the Son as full and complete payment for the sins of the world. And because all of that is true, we ask with the prophet Hosea, we ask with St. Paul, we ask with Christians in all generations, we ask with millions of folks who have heard their pastors speak the liturgy of burial at cemeteries of loved ones, “O grave, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” At which time we might even shake our puny little fists at the prince of this world, the father of all lies, and ask “O nursing homes and funeral homes, where is your victory? O urns and caskets and crematoriums, where is your sting? O funeral directors and grave diggers and cemetery caretakers, where is your victory? And o by the way, cancer and heart disease and a thousand other enemies of life, where is your sting? 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Easter truth #2 - Death stings like you know what, but the open tomb gives a victory that swallows up death forever. On a Friday that was good for us so many years ago, the sky went dark, the earth quaked and a man died on a cross. Martin Luther said that at that moment Jesus was the greatest sinner to ever live. All the sins of the believers in the past, present and future were piled on him to such an extent the sun refused to shine on him. This Easter weekend celebrates the weekend that most historians say is the most momentous weekend in human history. Recently I read the suggestion that one half of all Americans will be in church on Easter Sunday – that would be two or more times the average Sunday. Even those who do not believe Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God acknowledge that his death and resurrection (or reports of his resurrection for nonbelievers) fundamentally reshaped human history. The rise of Christianity contributed to the collapse of the Roman Empire, the rise of Western civilization and the spread of western culture around the world. Death stings like you know what. (Story of my first job which paid $1.50 an hour, working in Dwight, ND for the beekeeper, Dick Ruby / summer of 72 year of high school graduation / in June and July I painted bee hives, also called supers, no problem, no problem at all/ In August my assignment was to run the honey extracting machine/ I would place frames full of honey and a few honey bees in the machine and part of that assignment was to get stung repeatedly / my orders were to stay relaxed, scrape the stingers out, and to keep working / that was a problem, being the mama’s boy and the big baby that I was/am, it was the only job I ever quit! Multiply the sting of a honey bee by a thousand, and we have a picture of adult children gathering around the casket of their mom, we have a picture of grandchildren watching their grandma get lowered into the ground, we have a picture of family and friends walking away from the burial of a loved one. Death is a final enemy that except for Enoch and the prophet Elijah, we all face. Death is ugly, it is the wages of sin, it separates, it’s awful, and it seems as final as final can be. But it isn’t. We stand in the radiance of our Lord’s open tomb, we bask in its glow, we remember that by virtue of our Lord Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, a victory has been won, and as often as the waters of Baptism are splashing, as often as the preachers are preaching, as often as the redeemed people of God are eating and drinking at the Supper, that often the victory is getting delivered straightway into our souls, into our spirits. This is a victory like no other, Isaiah writes that it swallows up death forever. Story of dog Sophie getting into and chewing up but now swallowing our new Addie Stockman feather pillow/ my research suggests that feather pillows can have as many as 2250 feathers in them / 20 minutes I spent with a regular vacuum swallowing up those feather, which worked ok, but required frequent emptying of the vacuum, then I hit on the idea of using our shop vac, which worked really well as far as scooping up, swallowing up hundreds and hundreds of feathers, until I looked behind me and saw the shop vac spewing out on the feather into the air of the kitchen, it wasn’t funny at the time, you might think so today, but not so much the other day for me! The kingdom of God is like hundreds and hundreds of believing and baptized Christians worshiping on an Easter Sunday morning. As they pay attention to Easter truths they have heard a hundred, maybe a thousand times before, they realize how foolish it is to try and clean up their messes in life, they learn one more time what it means for the Good News of the open tomb to get the final word in all the circumstances of their lives, they rejoice like they haven’t rejoiced in a long time as they chew on the idea that in Christ, death has been swallowed up forever. Easter Vigil, 2017
Matthew 27 57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard[j] of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. Dear Friends of Christ, I remember my parents having a sum of money to give to their little church one year. Mom suggested they give it to missions. I suggested a Lutheran Hour Gospel Tract Rack with Gospel outreach brochures. Dad made the decision to give it to the church cemetery fund. That was dad’s way of taking care of business as he waited and hoped for the resurrection of the dead. I remember at the first church we served how there would be a cemetery work day every spring, dozens of volunteers would show up, stones would be repaired, fences would be mended, trees would be trimmed. Just taking care of business as they waited and hoped for the resurrection of the dead. I remember my aunt Linny (who outlived her husband by over 40 years) and my mom going to four or five cemeteries in preparation for Memorial Day, pulling weeds, planting flowers, making sure things were in order. Just taking care of business as they waited for the resurrection of the dead. Point of stories: It has been particularly important for my parents’ generation that visitations, funerals, and burials be done decently and in order, very important that their loved ones are prepared in a careful way for burial, that funeral visitations and services be conducted in a respectful manner, that caskets get placed in water tight vaults and professionally lowered into the ground, that cemeteries have fences around them, that the tombstones be purchased and engraved in proper fashion, and that lawns and flowers be perpetually cared for. So also in our text for tonight, we find that the body of Jesus was carefully and lovingly cared for by his closest friends. We see Joseph of Arimathea asking for the body, we see him taking the time to purchase fine linens, we find Nicodemus purchasing all kinds of spices, we see Joseph and others doing the work of a funeral director. We see a wounded and bloody corpse removed from the cross, blood stains washed away, spices used to anoint, fresh linen used to wrap and preserve. We see Mary Magdalene and another Mary watching to make sure all was in order, we see Pharisees requesting and receiving permission to guard against the disciples stealing the body and claiming resurrection, we see the Jews going so far as to seal the tomb shut, we see Jesus resting quietly, the sun going down, the Sabbath now beginning. Tonight, we give thought to our own fenced in church cemeteries, we give thought to our own loved ones resting in their caskets, perhaps their ashes resting in their urns, perhaps their ashes sprinkled into the wind and only God knows where. We give thought to what theologians call the intermediate state, the time period between death and the day of resurrection. Here at Trinity Lutheran, we believe that the body is dead, but the soul lives on. We believe that our loved one’s bodies go wherever we put them, and our souls go into the presence of Jesus. The bad news, according to Scripture, is that the souls of the ungodly are spirits kept in prison, that they are suffering excruciating and endless torments, and that death leads them directly into everlasting agony and anguish. This bad news can keep us up at nights as often as we think about friends and family who are not confessing Jesus Christ as their Savior, or perhaps they have been slowly but surely wandering away from Christ and His Church. The Good News, according to Scripture, is that the souls of the godly are in God’s hand, they are with Christ in paradise, they are supremely happy, they are in their new heavenly life. We believe that the souls of the believers are in a condition of perfect blessedness and of perpetual enjoyment of God, although we cannot picture to ourselves exactly what this intermediate state looks or feels like. Three lessons we want to learn again tonight in the presence of the guarded tomb, in anticipation of Easter sunrise service at the open tomb. First, we would fix our eyes on the wages of sin, which is death, even as we celebrate the gift of God which is eternal life. At the same time we live as sinners and saints. Sinners who have sinned and fallen short, but at the same time saints by virtue of the death and resurrection of Christ. Sheep who have gone astray but at the same time people of his pasture and sheep of his hand. On the one hand our lives are short and full of trouble, and yet at the same time we wait, we yearn, we believe with all of our hearts and souls and minds that wherever there is forgiveness of sins, there is also live and salvation. Lesson #1 is to stay focused on Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith, even as we endure here and now. Secondly, we would learn the importance of quietly, respectfully, hopefully, and prayerfully waiting for the resurrection of the dead. One of the lowest and loneliest days for many of us is the day of a loved one’s funeral. Dozens and even hundreds of loved ones have come and gone home. Many of said quite sincerely if there is anything they can do, please let us know. And then there is the quietness of the evening, the thank you cards get written, and the holes in our hearts seem to grow. There is a difference between the intermediate state and that glorious day of resurrection. There is a difference between our souls being in the presence of Jesus and our souls reunited with our bodies living face to face with Jesus. Not so much that we would want to go around correcting people who want to talk about grandpa already fishing with his buddies in heaven or grandma already tending her flower garden in paradise, but in a quiet and respectful way we would stay focused on the real and fundamental joys of eternity which would be living in the full splendor of God’s glory. Lesson #2 would be to walk alongside of our grieving family and friends in a stronger way, to listen to each other’s stories in a more compassionate way, and to pray for more and more patience from God in heaven above. Third, the Christ candle would remind us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. As we entered the sanctuary tonight, candles were lit off the Christ candle. Gradually, darkness gave way to its opposite. Wherever the light shines, there darkness doesn’t have a prayer. One can imagine the darkness in the Spirit of God when He found Himself cursing the serpent, cursing His beloved Adam and Eve. Quickly He gave them a promise that their offspring would bruise the serpent’s offspring. Slowly, but surely, God began to light candles By throughout history – in creation, at the flood, in the exodus, in the valley of dry bones, and with the three men in the fiery furnace. As we hear these foundational stories, we would recognize our assignment as individuals to be the light of the world in every one of our conversations, in every one of our circumstances, and in every chapter of life. Also collectively, every local congregation is to be like a city of lights set on a hill, a city of lights that cannot be hidden, a city of lights difficult to ignore. The Kingdom of God is like a large church in a small town whose cemetery is closely guarded and well maintained. Even though there is much about which to worry, much about which they could complain, much that would cause them to be afraid, they spend their days thinking about that which is excellent, that which is of virtue, and that which is praiseworthy, Even though the world around them seems always to be in a hurry, even though so many of their friends and family seem to live life in frantic fashion, the Spirit of God has worked in their hearts an ability to live days quietly, respectfully, and patiently, as they look forward to the resurrection of the dead. And finally, even though the darkness is often gloomy and some days downright depressing, the Spirit of God has worked in their hearts a strength and a cheerfulness hard to ignore. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. Maundy Thursday, 2017
Exodus 24:3-11 3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules.[a] And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” 9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. Dear Christian Friends Our sermon series – Sacred Head Now Wounded · Ash Wednesday – 1) Lent is about spending time staring in amazement at a sacred head now wounded instead of just passing by unimpressed, 2)about pastors and congregations gathering in sacred assembly admitting that we are wounded and crying out for mercy, 3)Lent is about getting turned around by God and going in the opposite direction instead of just going through the motions. · (Betrayal)Judas the disciple, a trusted friend, betraying Jesus with a passionate kiss · (Apathy) Peter, John, and James, three best friends, laying down and falling asleep instead of kneeling and staying awake, watching, and praying · (Denial) Peter cursing and swearing that he’s never even met Jesus · (Wound of mockery) Soldiers stripping Jesus naked, putting on a scarlet robe, twisting a crown of thorns into Jesus head, kneeling before, ridiculing, striking, stripping naked one more time, crucifying · (Wound of abandonment ) – worst injury of all, His own Father leaving Him to suffer alone) Tonight, we find our wounded and about to be crucified Savior instituting a meal that will be for His wounded and weary warriors for generations to come. It will be a meal Jesus will be hosting again and again, at this meal He will be holding close those He loves, at this meal He will be forgiving those who have fallen short, at this meal He will be strengthening the faith of those who are feeling ever so weak, at this meal He will be providing refuge to those who being tossed to and fro by the storms of life. On Palm Sunday, I gave you this image of Debi and me getting tossed to and fro on a snorkeling excursion in the choppy Atlantic Ocean waters near the Bahamas. That snapshot showed on the one hand Debi breathing well, knowing what she was doing, and having the time of her life. On the other hand, it showed me gasping for breath, swimming against the current, thinking I might be dying, just wanting to get back to the boat. On Sunday, I invited you to see every local Christian congregation as a place of refuge, a place where Jesus Christ would be showing up as promised, a place where He would be handing out gifts of grace in the waters of Baptism, handing out gifts of mercy in the bread and wine of the Supper, handing out gifts of truth which will set you free in the preaching of His Word. This evening, I invite you to zero in on your Lord’s Supper as a meal for the wounded, a meal which is pure and unadulterated Gospel. This meal is entirely Good News and it is for you. This meal is for you in all the circumstances of life, be they smooth or rough. Here is where you are invited to bring all of your brokenness, all of your bad attitudes, and all of your bonehead mistakes. Here is where your souls will be loved, your sins will be forgiven, your faith in Christ will be increased, your marching orders will be clear. Here is a meal for wounded sinners provided by your Savior who was wounded all the way to the cross, even to the point of death, by His wounds you are healed, by His death you have been saved, buried, He carried your sins far away, rising He justified you freely forever, one day He’s coming, and a glorious day that’s going to be! Not two, not just three, but four specific meals I bring to your attention this evening. Meal #1 – Sarasota, Florida about 15 years ago/ story of a family member married in a wedding that was as beautiful as it could be/ the marriage turned ugly, it ended in divorce, on a hot September Thursday I flew to Florida, on Friday we loaded up his uhaul truck and drove away with shattered dreams and wounded hearts, on Saturday we started a new chapter of life, on Sunday morning there we were singing What a Friend We Have in Jesus with tears turning into father and son weeping out loud, and then our Lord’s Supper, eating a little piece of bread and receiving the very body of Christ broken for us, drinking just a little bit of wine and receiving the very blood of Christ poured out for us, Jesus starting to heal our wounded hearts, Jesus holding us close, Jesus washing our sins far away, Jesus telling us there was a way through, Jesus giving them an appetizer of a feast yet to come, Jesus giving clarity to our future, Jesus giving a peace only He can give. Meal #2 goes all the way back to Egypt, where the people of God were still reeling from 450 years of vicious oppression, reeling in recent years from having to make bricks without the straw provided, reeling from plagues of water turning to blood, frogs swarming into their countryside, into their houses and bedrooms, frogs swarming into their ovens and kneading bowls, reeling from gnats covering men and beast alike, reeling from swarms of flies, reeling from Egyptian livestock dying by the thousands, reeling from boils breaking out on men, women, children, and beasts, reeling from the mother of all hail storms, reeling from Pharoh deciding to let Israel go and then changing his mind, reeling from a blizzard of grasshoppers, reeling from nationwide darkness, reeling finally from the killing of the firstborn in every household except where the blood of a lamb without blemish would be smeared. Meal #2 is in the context of 600,000 men plus women and children being saved by the blood of a lamb without blemish being put on their doorpost. In this context, a meal was to be prepared on the tenth day of the first month, a month we call April. At this meal, the wounded people of God would kill their lambs at twilight, they would roast that flesh and eat it, they would prepared unleavened bread and bitter herbs and then eat it, the head of the household would tell the story of deliverance, a story to be handed down from one generation to the next. In that meal, the one true God of this universe would hold His people close, He would remember their sins no more, He gave them an appetizer of a feast yet to come, He would reassure them there was a way through, He would give clarity to their future, He would give a peace only He could give. Meal #3 is in our text for tonight. It was a once in the history of the world kind of a meal, a meal where God would formally set aside the people of Israel to be His people. It was a meal preceded by Moses approaching the Lord one on one and receiving instructions, Moses writing everything down and passing them along to the 70 elders, the elders responding, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” Keep in mind who these people were and what they would be famous for. They were the wounded people of God still reeling from 450 years of slavery, reeling from Egyptian armies chasing them down and trapping them between a rock and a hard place, they would be famous for not keeping their part of the deal, famous for breaking the covenant again and again, famous for chasing after other gods and grumbling about matters mostly small and once in awhile large. Meal #3 was where young Israelite men offered up burnt offerings, they sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings, Moses took half of the blood and sprinkled it on the altar, he read the book of the covenant and then sprinkled the other half on the 70 elders, the Lord ratifying the covenant, then we see Moses and Aaron, their two sons and seventy elders going up and seeing the one true God. Under God’s feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, it was clear as the sky itself, God did not scold His people, nor did He give them what they deserve, He gave them to eat and to drink, they enjoyed a meal in anticipation of a journey yet to come. In this meal, the one true God of this universe would hold His people close, He would remember their sins no more, He gives them an appetizer of a feast yet to come, He would reassure them there was a way through, He would give clarity to their future, He would give a peace only He could give. Meal #4 was on the night Jesus was betrayed. Jesus had already been wounded in His spirit, and soon His body would be pummeled beyond imagination. Already His hometown folks had rejected Him, already His family had pronounced Him insane, already His religious leaders had plotted to do away with Him, already Jesus knew that his trusted friend Judas would betray Him, already He knew that His three best friends would fall asleep at a most crucial time, already He knew that Peter would deny, the soldiers would mock, the chief priests would get their way, Pilate would be a sniveling coward, the people who had shouted out hosanna son of David one day would cry out for his crucifixion five days later. At this meal, a wounded and about to be crucified, dead, and buried Savior would hold His disciples close, He would remember their sins no more, He gives them an appetizer of a feast yet to come, He would reassure them there was a way through, He would give clarity to their future, He would give a peace only He could give. The kingdom of God is like a little flock called and gathered into a sanctuary this very night. Some of them come with a lot on their mind and some with nothing in particular. Many of them are coming as part of a life long habit, a few are coming for the first time. All of them are coming as people who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. They have messed up by doing bad things and by failing to do good things. They have transgressed intentionally and unintentionally. They are coming just as they are, nothing fancy, they are who they are. And oh my goodness, are they in for a treat. At this meal, their wounded, crucified, dead, buried, risen, and coming again Savior holds them close, He remembers their sins no more, He strengthens their faith, He gives them an appetizer of a feast yet to come, He assures them there is a way through, He gives clarity to their future, He sends them forth with a peace that only He is able to give. |
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