Ephesians 1:15-23 - An Ascension Prayer - May 21, 2023

I’m sure that all of you – especially you, Bree – have been wondering the same thing I’ve been wondering about for several weeks. “What in the world is the sermon going to be about today?” Have you been wondering that, Bree? There’s so much going on. Not only are we celebrating and affirming Bree’s confirmation; not only are we recognizing the end of the Sunday school year and thanking all of the students, parents and teachers for their time and effort; but we’re also celebrating the Ascension of Jesus to his Father’s right hand in heaven. (I vaguely remember there being something else, but I can’t recall it at the moment.) The question I was asking myself this week was: what would be most God-pleasing and more edifying for you, Bree, and for all of you – to focus on confirmation, the end of Sunday school, or Jesus’ Ascension? Fortunately, I didn’t have to decide, because the text before us addresses all of those topics at the same time. Today we consider Paul’s Ascension prayer addressed to God for his fellow believers in Ephesus.

Given that Paul calls himself a prisoner twice in this letter (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1), it’s safe for us to assume that he wrote it while he was imprisoned in Rome for preaching the Gospel of Christ crucified (Acts 28:16-31). He was writing to dearly beloved Christians from whom he had been separated. These days, if someone experienced the sort of injustice that Paul endured, they would advertise their grievance on social media, they would ask for protests and probably set up a “Go-Fund-Me” account to get them bailed out or pay their legal fees. But Paul didn’t do any of those things. What did Paul do? He did the most powerful thing he could: he prayed.

What did he pray for? This is why, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I never stop giving thanks for you. Wisconsinites are known as a very polite people – we will say “hi” to perfect strangers and say “thank you” when we receive even the smallest gift or service. But Paul doesn’t give thanks for anything he’s received; he gives thanks for their faith in the Lord Jesus. Even though Paul was in prison and deprived of many of the things he may have desired – he still took the long view. Specifically, Paul knew that even though he may never see the Ephesian Christians again in this life (Acts 20:38), by virtue of their faith in the Lord Jesus, he was certain he would spend eternity with them in heaven. Bree, this faith, this faith in the Lord Jesus as your Savior, is what you will be confessing this morning. You have many gifts, many talents, a very bright future – but nothing, nothing is more important to me, to your parents and church family than your faith – which takes the long view of life, one that extends all the way into eternity. We give thanks to God for baptizing you into his family, teaching you the truths of the Christian faith, and, now, for leading you to confess this faith as your own!

But, as James says, faith is never alone (James 2:17). Again, notice how Paul never made a point of thanking the Ephesians for what they had done for him personally – although, given that he had spent roughly three years with them (Acts 19-20), they had no doubt welcomed him and supported him and encouraged him in many ways. But instead, Paul thanks God for [their] love for all the saints. This may refer to the Ephesians’ participation in the offering to the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8). But more likely is that Paul was simply thanking God for the Ephesians’ love for one another. That kind of love – whether it’s displayed through providing food for potlucks and soup suppers (or chili cook-offs – which while I will miss them, I’m happy to leave undefeated!) or cleaning or counting offerings or cutting the grass or administrative leadership – took a huge weight off of Paul’s heart and mind. And he thanks God for it!

While Paul does spend time thanking God for his work in and through the Ephesian Christians; he spends most of his time praying for God to continue to work to and for them. He prays that God will give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. While that might sound abstract, it is actually a very concrete request. Paul is praying that God would keep the Ephesians – even as he’s separated from them – firmly rooted in the means of grace. The Spirit of wisdom is given to Christians of all times and places through the revelation of the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. In other words, Paul is praying that God would keep the Ephesians firm in the certainty of their Baptisms, in the freedom of the Absolution, in the comfort of the Gospel preached and taught, and the forgiveness and fellowship offered to them in the Lord’s Supper.

Why? What will happen if God keeps those Christians rooted firmly in the means of grace? The eyes of your heart [will] be enlightened, so that you may know the hope to which he has called you, just how rich his glorious inheritance among the saints is, and just how surpassingly great his power is for us who believe. By remaining firmly rooted in these means of grace, Paul says, the Ephesian Christians will be enlightened; their eyes will be opened. To see what? To see that the Holy Spirit didn’t just call them to faith so that they would join a group of like-minded people in a social club here on earth – but to the hope of spending eternity with all Christians of all time in heaven. To see that the glorious inheritance God has prepared for them isn’t just a future hope – but a present reality. He wanted them to see that the freedom from sin, the ability to see the world clearly through the lens of Scripture, the fellowship they have with other believers, and the certainty they have in the face of an uncertain future – are all down-payments that they have received and can and should enjoy right now. That freedom, that peace, that joy, that hope are all evidence that God has and will continue to exert his surpassingly great…power in those Ephesian Christians – just as he will continue to do here, among you Risen Savior Christians!

Now, we’ve all heard politicians and celebrities – and maybe even our own family and friends – promise to pray for us for something that is completely out of their control. After every natural disaster or mass shooting or personal disaster – people will always say “our thoughts and prayers are with you.” And, anyone who has been on the receiving end of those “thoughts and prayers” will often think: “That’s great, but what good are your thoughts and prayers when you have no power to do anything about my trouble or problem or issue or fear?”

Don’t underestimate the power of prayer – is the Law for today. God commands us to pray in the 2nd Commandment (Exodus 20:7) and throughout Scripture – he also promises to hear and answer our prayers (Psalm 50:15; Matthew 7:7-11). And yet, how often do we regard prayer as an empty ritual or a polite token offered by a friend or only as the last resort, after all other solutions have failed? How often are we double-minded in our prayers – not trusting God to answer in the way that is best for us (James 1:8)? Given the situation, we can easily imagine that the Ephesians were praying for Paul to be released from prison, that he could return to them, that the persecution they were experiencing from the unbelieving world would be relieved, or perhaps, that Jesus would return to take them home – and yet, God apparently didn’t answer those specific prayers. If God, apparently, wasn’t answering their prayers – what difference did it make if Paul was praying for them? Where’s the proof that prayer is powerful?

This is why we celebrate Jesus’ Ascension into heaven. Christmas, Lent, Good Friday – while we rightly celebrate them – are celebrations of Jesus’ humility to come to this earth to die for our sins. (And even Easter celebrates a resurrection that no one witnessed in person. There was more fear and uncertainty that came out of that first Easter than joy and hope!) But Jesus made sure that the apostles were there to witness his glorious Ascension into heaven – so that they could see for themselves and witness to us that the same Jesus who humbly submitted to suffering and death was now exalted to the throne of glory in heaven.

This means that Paul’s prayers for the Ephesians were not merely wishful thinking, they were not empty words – Paul’s prayers were firmly rooted in the objective truth that the same Jesus who suffered, died, and rose from the dead has now ascended and is ruling all things at God’s right hand. He puts it this way: It is as great as the working of his mighty strength, which God worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, and above every name that is given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. God also placed all things under his feet and made him head over everything for the church. The church is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

In other words, Paul was leading the Ephesians Christians to not place their hopes in the outcome of the religious and political process that had separated him from them, in Paul’s personality or work, or their own sincerity and dedication – but in the rock-solid fact that God raised Jesus from the dead and that he now has authority over everything in this world.

Sadness and worry would probably have been the default option for both Paul and the Ephesian Christians he was separated from – but Paul redirects their worry and sadness and fear to certainty, confidence and comfort in what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do into the future. Bree, as you head off to Lakeside next year – and to unknown places beyond there – this is my prayer for you: that in spite of the uncertainty and questions and stress you experience, you will always know that you can return here, to Risen Savior, where you will be loved and assured that your Ascended Savior is ruling all things for your good. (And the same goes for all of you Sunday school students – and for the rest of you!) This church will always be your home!

Did we cover everything? Jesus’ Ascension. Bree’s confirmation. The end of Sunday school. (I still can’t remember the other thing, we’ll get to that some other time.) Separated from his beloved Christian brothers and sisters, Paul prayed for them. He gave thanks for their faith and their Christian love. He asked God to continue to enlighten the eyes of their hearts through Word and Sacrament. He grounded those prayers in the established facts of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. If I were as smart as Paul, that would be my prayer for you, too. Amen.

Acts 17:22-31 - The Truth About... - May 14, 2023

Imagine that you were traveling and you found yourself in a culture that seems to be completely backwards from what you have always thought and known. A culture that claims to be very spiritual and yet in practice is very materialistic and obsessed with the here and now; a culture that accepts many gods but rejects the idea that there is only one true God; a culture that has no real concept of sin or guilt and is so morally bankrupt that it not only tolerates but celebrates such obviously evil actions as abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, and pedophilia. In a society like that, how do you separate fact from fiction; truth from lies? If you were going to share the Gospel, where would you even begin? The society just described is not imaginary; it was very real. It is the culture the Apostle Paul entered when he stepped into the city of Athens around 50 AD. At the time, Athens was the intellectual center of the world. It boasted of its philosophical pedigree inherited from Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; it pointed to its literature, art, and architecture – as proof of its greatness; and it bragged of its contributions to the advancement of the human race – including things like individual freedom, equal rights, and a form of government called democracy. I probably don’t have to tell you that Athenian culture sounds an awful lot like American culture today. Our culture seems to have lost its moral compass. Our own culture worships all sorts of idols and ideologies but, for the most part, does not know or even care about the one, true God. So how can we know what’s true in a world where nothing seems certain or absolute? Today Paul clears up the confusion by preaching the truth.

Paul ended up in Athens after being run out of Thessalonica and Berea on his second missionary journey. While waiting for Timothy and Silas to catch up with him (Acts 17:15), he explored Athens and discovered that they had a very religious culture. For starters, a huge temple dedicated to Athena (the goddess of wisdom and war – among other things) crowned the highest hill in the city, known as the Parthenon. Below that, the streets and markets of Athens were littered with countless shrines and altars dedicated to various gods and goddesses. Paul was so distressed to see that the city was full of idols (Acts 17:16) that he not only spent time preaching in the Jewish synagogue but also in the marketplace to anyone who would listen. Some philosophers who heard Paul preaching this new and novel message about some guy named Jesus who supposedly rose from the dead invited him to explain his ideas at a meeting of Athens’ leading philosophers (read: religious fact-checkers) – called the Areopagus.

Paul stood up in front of the council of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way. For as I was walking around and carefully observing your objects of worship, I even found an altar on which had been inscribed, ‘To an unknown god.’” There is no question that the people of Athens were very religious. (The Roman historian Petronius commented that there were more gods than people in Athens.[1]) They were energetic in their search for the meaning and purpose of life, but the very fact that they had constructed an altar to an unknown god revealed the futility of their idolatry – that in spite of their countless idols, they knew that they were missing something.

The first thing we learn from Athens is that everyone worships something. Everyone has a god (or gods). (Luther defined a god as whatever a person looks to for every good and for help in time of need.[2]) Today, if you walk the streets of Madison you will not necessarily find an altar on every corner dedicated to a different deity, but you will find idols. Where? Jesus said where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). Where have the people of Madison put their treasure and their hearts? There’s the university, where parents spend a fortune for their children to bow before the altar of human wisdom – and shrines dedicated to athletics tower above the city; hospitals where the masses go searching for eternal life; the office buildings and banks that house the high priests of the god of money; the Capitol building where people seek every good thing and go for help in time of need. People attend these temples and present their offerings there because everyone is searching for identity, meaning, and purpose in life. The problem is that they are searching in all the wrong places. And, even if they don’t admit it, the truth is that none of these idols can truly satisfy the longing they feel in their souls. No amount of money or pleasure or knowledge can provide the forgiveness or peace that the Fall into sin (Genesis 3) has left in every human heart. Sadly, for many of our own neighbors, God is still the unknown god.

That ignorance is what Paul was determined to change: Now what you worship as unknown – this is what I am going to proclaim to you. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made with hands. Neither is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, since he himself gives all people life and breath and everything they have. Whether you are exploring Athens or Madison, manmade gods end up looking an awful lot like…man. They have human flaws and human weaknesses; they need us more than we need them. That makes sense. Creations always end up looking a lot like their creator. But Paul proves from Scripture, starting with Genesis, that they have it all backwards. God is not a creation but the Creator (Genesis 1). There are not many gods; the LORD alone is God (Isaiah 45:5). He can do anything he wants because he is all powerful and answers to no one (Isaiah 42:5). The sun rises, the rain falls, our hearts keep beating simply because God causes it to happen (Psalm 147:8-9). We can’t confine him to a temple because God is spirit (1 Kings 8:27; John 4:24). He doesn’t need us or our offerings or our service because he is absolutely self-sufficient and independent (Psalm 50:8-13). And, even though he doesn’t need us and is not compelled to do anything for us – in his boundless love he has chosen to create us, sustain us, and reveal himself to us in Scripture. That’s the truth about God. What does that make us?

Paul tells the truth about that, too: From one man, he made every nation of mankind to live over the entire face of the earth. He determined the appointed times and the boundaries where they would live. He did this so they would seek God and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘Indeed, we are also his offspring.’ We are not the results of a random chemical reaction or a Big Bang. We are not the outcome of billions of years of Darwinian evolution. We are all – regardless of race or gender – descendants of Adam. That’s good news and bad news. The good news is that we, too, are created in God’s image, with immortal souls and bodies crafted by his own hand. The bad news is that we also have inherited Adam’s sin and his death sentence.

That’s who we are. Why are we here? Perhaps no question has proved so difficult for humanity to answer than this one. For Paul it was very simple. God put us here in a specific time and place, with specific talents and abilities, surrounded by specific friends and family for one very important, very simple reason: to search for and find God. God has given you everything from your talents to your job to your family in order that you may search for him and find him. Like a fisherman throwing bait into the water, God has littered creation with evidence of his presence and love. From the heartbeat of a baby in the womb to the reliable rotation of the planets in their orbits, God wants us to look for him, he wants to be found – but while the creation around us can tell us that – only the Bible can tell us why: [He]…wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4). The truth that God is the holy, just, all-powerful Creator and man is his fallen, sinful, mortal creature leads naturally to the final important question: how can the relationship be restored? How can we be saved? That’s where Paul takes us next:

“Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and planning. Although God overlooked the times of ignorance, he is now commanding all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he appointed. He provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

The truth about salvation is very personal and very relevant whether you’re living in the 1st or 21st century. In the past, God was patient with unbelief and idolatry, but now that God has revealed himself – and the salvation he promised to bring – fully in the person and work of his only-begotten Son, Jesus – the time for unbelief and idolatry is over. Now is the time to repent. If there are any idols lurking in your heart, now is the time to get rid of them. Now is the time to turn our time and attention and love away from the idols of materialism or career or family or wealth or pleasure and turn back to our Creator and plead for his mercy. Why the urgency? Why is it so dangerous and foolish to skate through life without ever taking the time to ponder the deep truths of who we are, why we are here and where we’re going? Because the day is coming when every last one of us will have to give an account for how we used God’s gift of life. Paul didn’t tell the people in Athens who their judge would be, he wanted them to think about it. But we know. Jesus, the one who lived for us, died for us, and rose again will be our judge (Matthew 24). The empty tomb still preaches that truth even 2000 years later. You may wonder why we still say “Christ is risen, he is risen indeed” over a month after Easter. This is one reason why. Not only is Jesus’ resurrection the cornerstone of Christian faith, it is the key that will seal the eternal fate of every man, woman and child who ever lived. Everyone who believes that Jesus died and rose for their salvation will rise to live with him; everyone who rejects him will endure a miserable existence apart from him forever in hell (Mark 16:16). That’s the truth about salvation.

Imagine living in a world that has countless idols but doesn’t know the one, true God, and even worse, doesn’t even care enough to look into it. How can you separate the truth from the lies? First, recognize that this is the world we are living in and then open your Bible, the one place where the unknown god makes himself known – most clearly in the person of his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Here, and only here will you find the truth about God, the truth about yourself, and the truth about salvation. God is not far from you, he created you to find him (even though, in truth, he’s the one who found us! (John 15:16)), and he sent his Son to die for you so that you could be with him forever. In a world filled with false idols of every shape and size, that’s the truth – truth which is grounded in the fact that Christ is risen! Alleluia! Amen.

[1] http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/petro/satyr/sat04.htm

[2] LC 1st Commandment 1

1 Peter 2:4-10 - Not Just Another Brick in the Wall - May 7, 2023

In the late 1970’s, the British band Pink Floyd released a chart-topping song that school kids all over the world loved. The title of the song was Another Brick in the Wall and the chorus, sung by a school choir, went like this: We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control…Hey teacher! Leave those kids alone…All and all you’re just another brick in the wall. While there’s some debate over the precise meaning of that last line [1], many have understood it to mean that if you just swallow everything your teachers tell you, you’re just a conformist who must not be very bright or creative because you aren’t able or willing to think for yourself. While there’s no question that individuality and non-conformity have their merits, today, many people will accuse you of being a brainwashed conformist – just another uncreative brick in the wall – if you believe everything you read in the Bible; especially the claim that Jesus Christ is the only Savior and the only way to heaven. But today, Peter shows us that while every Christian is built on the same foundation, we are anything but just bricks in the wall.

Peter was writing to people living in a world where it was difficult and even dangerous to confess the Christian faith. Much like today in our own country, Peter and his readers were living in a religiously pluralistic society – a world where many different religions were practiced and tolerated. To remind his readers that their Christian faith was utterly unique, to give them comfort and confidence, Peter uses the OT Scriptures to show them that the foundation of their faith, in sharp contrast to any other, was designed and established by God himself: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will certainly not be put to shame (Isaiah 28:16).

Whether you are building a house, a bridge, a family, a church, or the road to salvation – the most important part is the foundation. If your foundation isn’t solid, it doesn’t matter how well built the rest of the project is, it is doomed to fail. Sadly, the devil is working hard to convince people to believe that Christ is just one of many bricks in the wall of ways to heaven. He wants us to believe that it doesn’t really matter what material you use to build your foundation because all roads lead to the same place. And today, I’m not going to talk about other organized religions – but about the natural religion that lives inside each one of us. Sometimes this natural religion manifests itself in obvious ways: in the person who believes they will go to heaven because they work hard to be a good spouse, a good parent, a good neighbor. But often it is more subtle. When I visit someone who has been neglectful of Word and Sacrament and they tell me not to worry because they pray and read their Bibles on their own – they’ve built their faith on the sandy foundation of their own righteousness. But this natural religion can also persist even in those who do attend worship faithfully – in the idea that I will be saved because of my attendance, my service, my preaching, my volunteering. This foundation is created by the sinful nature living in each of us that tells us the way to please God is by obedience. Am I saying that praying and reading your Bible at home and attending worship and serving others is bad? No! But what does the Bible say about building your hope for salvation on this foundation? Those who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the book of the law” (Galatians 3:10).

There is only one foundation that is safe to build on, there is only one cornerstone that can correctly align hearts and minds with God’s holy will and that cornerstone is Jesus. Jesus is the only sure foundation because his life is the only one that matched up perfectly with God’s design for mankind. Whatever ideas man may have of building a good life, only God’s opinion matters because he is the master architect. While the foundations people try to build for themselves are no more stable than a sandcastle in a hurricane – Jesus built a rock-solid life of perfect obedience to God and he offers it to us, to claim as our own, free of charge: I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me (John 14:6). But isn’t that an arrogant claim to make? Isn’t it intolerant to claim that we Christians have a monopoly on the truth, on the only way to heaven? Where’s the evidence that we are right, anyway? It’s right here. Peter says that Jesus is a stone over which they stumble and a rock over which they fall. Because they continue to disobey the word, they stumble over it. Just look at how Jesus continues to be a stumbling block to so many in our world. Our society hasn’t just stumbled – but has fallen right on its face over the stone of God’s divine will regarding biological identity and sexual expression. Those who work to protect unborn human life are called hateful and sexist. Unbelievers can’t just ignore Christians; they want to cancel us from society. Why? Because they too have God’s natural law written on their hearts, they know that their lives don’t match up to God’s blueprint – but instead of building on Jesus as their Savior, they stumble over him, they trip and fall. There’s no avoiding Jesus – you either stumble over him, or by God’s grace, build on him. But for we, who, by God’s grace, build on him, Peter gives us this great assurance: the one who believes in him will certainly not be put to shame. Jesus is not another brick in the wall. He is the only sure Cornerstone; he is the only solid foundation on which you can build your life now and for eternity.

And yet, while Jesus is the cornerstone of God’s church, he is not the whole building. The rest of God’s church is not made up of poured concrete or luxury vinyl tile or sheets of drywall. Peter says: you also, like living stones, are being built as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, in order to bring spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So, is the stereotype true? We really are just bland, brainwashed bricks in a wall of conformity? Nope, Peter says that we are living stones. What’s the difference? Bricks are manufactured to all be the same shape, size, and color. But no two stones are exactly alike. Today, we will take what seems like an abstract concept and make it concrete. Today we will install the members of our church council. Each of them is a unique living stone – different from me and you and different from each other. They each have special talents and special gifts and God uses each of them – just like he uses all of us – to build his church. We have so many reasons to be thankful that God uses this technique to build his church. We don’t all have the time or talents or willingness to work with church finances or church discipline or administration or the building and grounds or organizing fellowship events or the patience to teach Sunday school children – but thankfully, God has provided living stones who are willing and able to do those things. We can’t all play the organ or piano; we don’t all have instrumental or vocal talents – but our gracious God has blessed us with many rock-solid musicians and some up and coming pebbles.

But what if you feel like an oddly shaped stone, like one who doesn’t fit in anywhere? There are no ornamental stones in God’s Church building. He has a unique and important place and role for each and every one of us. Peter says that we are all a holy priesthood, in order to bring spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The first and most important sacrifice we bring to God is daily repentance. No matter our age, gender, talents or abilities: God wants all of his children to daily confess their sins and turn to Jesus in faith for forgiveness. And then, washed clean by Jesus’ blood, the world becomes our temple (or our church). The great thing about God’s Church is that its walls extend far beyond those doors; they extend far beyond this place to every corner of the world – yes, even to your homes and workplaces – and, even to North Dakota. We serve God as holy priests wherever we are and whatever our role in life is. We can all proclaim the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light. Children, you serve as priests as you love your siblings and classmates, as you listen to your teachers in school, as you obey your parents at home. Moms and dads, you stand before God’s altar with every diaper you change, every meal you cook, every load of laundry you do, every paycheck you bring home. Employees, whether you love your job or are frustrated with it, remember that you are really serving the Lord (Colossians 3:22-24). If the Lord has blessed you with the ability to retire, God gives you the freedom and time to choose how you will serve him – wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you can do it all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). No two Christians are exactly alike – and that’s all according to plan, because God needs all kinds of priests in his church: priests who clean, cook, give, care, teach, love, count offerings, cut grass, lead, guide, advise – and, most importantly of all – pray. Be confident that whatever shape and color and size you are, you are a precious stone in God’s house.

But let us never forget that it is not what we do or who we are that makes us the precious building blocks of God’s church, rather, it is what God has done for us in Jesus. Peter closes this section by saying: At one time you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. At one time you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy. We are precious to God because Jesus plunged from his throne in heaven into the filthy muck of this earth to grab us up, to sacrifice himself in our place, and to polish us clean with his blood. It is God’s mercy that makes us precious stones in his church. And this is key because we don’t always feel or act like precious living stones; we don’t always live like royal priests, we are never holy, but God uses humble, often weak, often foolish people like you and me to build his church – and this church, which may not seem like much of a building here on earth, will shine with everlasting glory for all eternity (Daniel 12:3).

I’m not sure what Pink Floyd had in mind when they sang: All in all, you’re just another brick in the wall, but Peter’s words are clear. Christ is the cornerstone of our salvation, and built on that solid foundation, Christians are living stones in God’s temple. No matter what the world thinks or says, Jesus is not just one of many ways to salvation – he’s the chosen and precious cornerstone; and while this building might be composed of bricks – this congregation is composed of precious stones firmly grounded on Jesus, the chief cornerstone – and we can be sure of this because Christ is risen, he is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.  

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Brick_in_the_Wall

John 10:1-10 - Jesus Is the Door - April 30, 2023

On the church calendar, this Sunday is known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” It’s a wonderful picture of our Savior’s person and work. And while we often associate this “Shepherd” language with children being rocked to sleep to the sound of “I am Jesus’ little Lamb” it’s also true that it’s one of the most comforting images of Jesus as we near our departure from this life. Countless Christians have found comfort in the words of Psalm 23 as they near the end: even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4). This image properly depicts Jesus as a caring, compassionate and protective Lord and Savior. However, in these verses of John chapter 10, Jesus employs a different metaphor to describe his work for us. Today, Jesus calls himself a door.

At first it might strike us as kind of a strange metaphor. If you visit someone else’s home, you might notice how green their lawn is, you might comment on the landscaping, you might notice the open concept design, your eye might be drawn to a piece of art or a family picture, but who comments on, appreciates, or even really notices a front door. (Here’s a test: do you know what color your own front door is?) Nevertheless, even if we don’t pay much attention to them, doors are important elements that contribute to our safety, security and health. They keep the cold, the rain and snow, people who would do us harm, and, sickness and disease out; and keep warmth, health, and happiness in. But the image Jesus is drawing on here is even more vivid (we might say “intense”) than our front doors today. In Biblical times, after the shepherd would bring his flock into the pen (which, often, was nothing more than bushes placed in a circle) for the night, he would lay down at the entrance; he literally served as a door to keep danger out and the sheep in. The whole idea was that nothing could get into the pen without going through the shepherd.

Actually, to be perfectly accurate, Jesus doesn’t just say that he’s a door. He says Amen, Amen, I tell you: I am THE door for the sheep – in the original Greek he’s asserting in a not-so-subtle fashion that he’s the only door, the exclusive door…meaning that there is no other. Why is he saying this here and now? The context is key to unlocking this somewhat mysterious illustration (John 10:6). Jesus had just given a blind man his sight in John 9 – and how did the Pharisees, the church leaders, treat this formerly blind man? Did they ask for and accept his testimony regarding Jesus of Nazareth and the miracle he had performed? No! They excommunicated him for speaking the truth about Jesus and what he had done (John 9:34). In response, Jesus called out the Pharisees as false teachers; men who created false doors based on obedience to their own man-made laws to lead people to try to earn heaven themselves. He warned them that because of their impenitence and unbelief your sin remains (John 9:41). Sound harsh? Yes. But that is the only possible outcome for anyone and everyone who refuses to come to God through the only door, through Jesus. There is no other way in.

There was a time when most people, and certainly most Christians, understood that truth – even if it caused them heartache because people they know and love have rejected the path to heaven Jesus offers. There was a time when it was understood that the claims made by the various world religions – Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity – could not logically coexist; they couldn’t all be true. But things have changed. Today, while many may accept that Jesus is a door to God, to heaven, to eternal life, they would use the same breath to reject him as the only door. Today it is considered narrow-minded, intolerant, unloving, and even un-American to confess that Jesus is the only door; that Christianity is the only true religion – that is, the only religion that leads to heaven.

What do you think? Is that true? Is it unloving and intolerant to proclaim Jesus Christ, crucified, buried and risen, as the only door, the only way to God and to eternal life? Well…would anyone consider you unloving and hateful if you insist that guests use the front door to enter your home and not your bedroom window? The devil and the world love to set up a false dichotomy, a deceptive “either-or” choice when it comes to Christianity. They like to make it seem like you can either love your neighbor (especially if they happen to belong to some kind of minority group) or love Jesus – but not both; you can be a patriot or a Christian – but not both; you can be a reasonable, intelligent person who appreciates the discoveries of science and the benefits of medicine or you can trust the Bible – but not both. This false dichotomy, this false choice is, I believe, one of the reasons that so many Christians are so hesitant to confess their faith boldly before the world. We know that just like in every age, publicly confessing the Christian faith today will often also get you labeled as bigoted, anti-science, and, even unpatriotic – even when none of those things are true.

But anyone who falls into that “either-or” trap is missing the point. The point is not whether you can be a good and responsible citizen, a reasonable and intelligent individual, and a faithful Christian at the same time (you most certainly can! The Christians gathered in Acts 2 and the Christians gathered here prove it!), but is Jesus the only door or not? Is he the only way to salvation or is he just one option among many? The Bible is unequivocal on this point. This is what Peter confessed while he was on trial before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem: there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Paul told Timothy: there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:5). And Jesus himself says: I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me (John 14:6).

So what does this mean for us? It means that while we can certainly support and defend the First Amendment right of anyone to worship and believe anything they want, at the very same time we will use that freedom to fearlessly confess that the Bible forbids believing in, worshiping, and praying to anyone or anything other than the Triune God (Deuteronomy 6:4) in the name of Jesus, his only begotten Son. Not because we hate other religions or their followers – but because no other door leads to salvation. He is the only Door, no matter how many people believe otherwise. And that is, admittedly, a rather “un-American” concept. In America we have chosen to decide most things by counting votes, by popular approval. Tens of thousands of Wisconsinites voted earlier this month to decide who would serve as the newest State Supreme Court Justice. Whether a competitor stays or leaves a reality TV show is often left in the hands of viewers who can vote on their phones. And, it’s true, in many situations, popular opinion can be right.

But not when it comes to God, to salvation and to eternity. If we allow popular opinion to shape our faith, we will – inevitably – wind up doomed and damned. Just consider how often the majority was dead wrong in Bible history. There were 10 spies who refused to believe God’s promise to give them Canaan, and only two, Joshua and Caleb, who believed (Numbers 13-14) and the Israelites paid the price for listening to the majority opinion by spending 40 years wandering and dying in the desert (1 Corinthians 10:5). In 1 Kings there were hundreds of prophets who claimed that Baal was god while there was only one man, Elijah, who confessed the Lord as God (1 Kings 18:19, 22) – and those prophets met a swift and violent end (1 Kings 18:40). Jesus stood alone before a mob of “mostly peaceful” protestors (who just happened to be screaming for him to be violently murdered), he stood against the entire Sanhedrin and the full authority of the Roman Empire, and we certainly know who was proven right in that situation – and it wasn’t the majority (Matthew 26:59).

No matter what the majority says, Jesus is the only Door that leads to eternal life. Why? How can we be so sure? Because no one else left heaven to come into this world to live a perfect life as our substitute and to give his life as a ransom for sinners (Matthew 20:28). No one else carried the sins of the world to the cross and spilled his blood there to pay for them (1 Peter 2:24). No one else was despised, beaten, and crucified in our place (Isaiah 53). No one else endured the wrath of God as our substitute (Romans 3:25). The blood of no one else can atone the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). And, most importantly, no one else proved the truth of his word and his work by rising from the dead (Matthew 28:1-10). That is what Jesus is saying in these words from John 10. He is declaring the absolute exclusivity of Christianity. He is stating in vivid terms – in terms that even a child could understand – that there is only one way to God, one way to be saved – and he is it! By God’s grace, you and I believe and confess this truth because Jesus has called [us] by name in Baptism and [we] know his voice as we hear it in the pages of Scripture.

At the same time, this door has two sides. Yes, Christianity it absolutely exclusive; but it is also absolutely inclusive. In other words, Jesus is the only door, but this door is open to all. Our hope, then, every time we pray thy kingdom come, is that the Holy Spirit would first open our eyes, hearts, and minds to understand and believe this truth about Jesus, the only Door. But the 2nd petition also includes asking God to bring his kingdom, his Gospel, the faith only the Holy Spirit can create through the Word to the hearts of many others – everyone, including everyone you know and love! In Jesus, anyone can have forgiveness and life, not as a result of their own efforts or obedience, but his. In Jesus, everyone can be certain that the wrath of God has been quenched forever by his death on the cross. In Jesus, every single person can be sure that they are included because he didn’t just come to suffer and die for some, he came to suffer and die for the whole world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). In Jesus, it doesn’t matter how dark your sins are, how woefully lacking your good works are, how weak your faith is – because it’s not about you or your works; it’s about him and his work.

That’s the difference between Jesus, the Christian faith, and all the false religions and false teachers out there. He draws the contrast this way: A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. While imposters and false teachers come only to fleece the flock and destroy their souls by pointing them to themselves for salvation, Jesus comes to give; to give abundant life. What is abundant life? Is it wealth, health, happiness? No! It’s the peace that comes from knowing that in baptism God called you by name, made you his child, and wrote your name in the book of life in heaven (Revelation 21:27). It’s the freedom from guilt that results from hearing that God has declared you “not-guilty” in the Absolution – so that you don’t have to spend your life trying to earn God’s favor. It’s the rock-solid and tangible assurance of Jesus’ redeeming life, death, and resurrection which he puts in your hand and your mouth in Holy Communion. No other religion has this – these promises and these means of grace to reliably deliver them to sinners. No other religion has a God who became one of us, gave his life for us, rose again for us – and now and until the end of time leads us like a Good Shepherd by coming to us in Word and Sacrament. Jesus is the only Door to heaven and the most unloving and hateful thing we could ever do is to fail to confess that truth lovingly, boldly and publicly.

Jesus is the only Door. I know, it’s a kind strange metaphor – but, when you think about it, it makes sense. Doors keep bad things out and good things in. Doors lead you to people you love. Doors grant access that can’t be found anywhere else. Jesus is your Door – the only Door – to God and to eternal life. Continue listening to his voice, his Word, and know that whatever happens in our world, in our church, and in your life, in Jesus you have an open door to abundant life now and forever in heaven. Amen.

Luke 24:13-35 - Great Expectations - April 23, 2023

Set in 19th century England, Charles Dicken’s novel Great Expectations tells the story of Pip, an orphan adopted by a blacksmith’s family, who has good luck and great expectations, and then loses both his luck and his expectations – and in the process finds true happiness. Through the character of Pip, Dickens was providing commentary on the situation many citizens in 19th century England faced: the nation was becoming a wealthy world super-power, the industrial age was making factories more productive, inventions were making life safer and easier – and yet, in spite of all of this supposed “progress”, the average citizen still did not realize the wonderful life the turn of the century had promised. It was a time of dashed hopes for many. I suppose such a story could be told about any nation in any age – even America in 2023 – the promise of progress doesn’t always meet expectations. The question is: does the theme of great – and often unfulfilled – expectations ever characterize our lives as Christians? Here we are, only 14 days from celebrating the ultimate turning point of human history: our Savior’s resurrection which proves that he has defeated sin, death, and hell once and for all. But it doesn’t even take 2 weeks for reality sap our joy, does it? Easter’s victory and joy may already seem like a distant memory. Why? Easter has given us great expectations, great hopes; so why do we so often feel depressed and gloomy and hopeless? On the road to Emmaus, our Savior diagnoses the problem and provides the solution.

Luke 24 takes us back to the afternoon or evening of the first Easter. For the disciples, it had been a rollercoaster week. On Sunday, Jesus had entered Jerusalem to great fanfare. Monday and Tuesday he taught in Bethany and Jerusalem, Scripture is silent about his activities on Wednesday, on Thursday he celebrated the Passover and instituted the Lord’s Supper, and then, in a few short hours he was betrayed, arrested, convicted, crucified and buried. Jesus was there and then suddenly, he was gone. Then Easter morning came and only seemed to further complicate matters. The women who had gone to finish the burial of Jesus’ body reported that the tomb was empty and that an angel had appeared, claiming he was alive. But when Peter raced to the tomb he didn’t find anything but some empty grave clothes (Luke 24:1-12). Confused and sad, two of the disciples had given up hope and decided to return to Emmaus.

If you were telling this story to a friend who had never heard it, which detail would you focus on? While many details of this story may pique our curiosity, there’s only one detail that really matters. Did you pick it out? Jesus himself approached and began to walk along with them. We tend to pass over this detail because we are captivated by the words that follow: their eyes were kept from recognizing him. There are many theories as to why they couldn’t recognize Jesus, but, in the end, the reason is not important. What matters is a different question: why did Jesus do that to them? He could certainly see how sad and confused they were. It seems cruel and cold-hearted to let them wallow in their hopelessness. Why didn’t Jesus just reveal himself and remove their sadness and confusion immediately? A better question is: why do we ask those questions? Isn’t it bordering on heresy to suggest that Jesus could do anything less than loving? We ask these questions because we see ourselves in this story. We have all found ourselves in situations where we have more questions than answers, more confusion than clarity, more sadness than joy. In troubling times, we can feel a lot like those disciples: hopelessly walking and talking in circles. We feel for these disciples because we often feel like them. We feel bad for them because we often feel bad for ourselves. We wonder why Jesus didn’t relieve their pain and answer their questions sooner because we wonder why he doesn’t give us relief and answers sooner. As understandable as all that is, they overlooked the most important fact, didn’t they? Jesus was there! Jesus is always there, just as he promised! (Matthew 28:20) Then why didn’t he show himself, why didn’t he give them what they wanted? We ask the same question, don’t we? Why doesn’t Jesus just answer my prayers, why doesn’t he give me what I want and expect and hope for?

Have you ever thanked Jesus for not living up to your expectations? You should. We should all thank him every day for refusing to live up to all human expectations because if he hadn’t heaven would still be closed and locked to us. Thank Jesus that he did not do our will, but his Father’s will. Humans expect God to stay in heaven where he belongs – but God’s Son took on human flesh in Bethlehem. Humans expect God to show favoritism to the good and the rich and the powerful – Jesus spent his time healing and preaching the gospel to the outcasts of society, to poor, weak, helpless sinners. Humans expect to get what we deserve – God poured out on Jesus the wrath that we deserve so that we could receive the inheritance we don’t deserve. Humans expect dead people to stay dead – God raised Jesus so that we could be certain of our salvation. Those disciples on the road to Emmaus were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel. In other words, they were hoping that Jesus would provide some measure of earthly restoration and redemption to God’s chosen nation. (Do we ever hope the same? That Jesus would rid our nation of the immorality the devil has sown? Is our hope ever more tied to Jesus winning elections for us than winning heaven for us?) They didn’t realize it yet – and most of the disciples wouldn’t until Pentecost – but Jesus had redeem[ed] Israel! He bought Israel – and the world – back from sin, death, and the devil by suffering, dying and rising again. Who would have planned or expected that? No one but God. So, thank Jesus for not living up to our fallen, foolish, selfish expectations – because if we are looking for a Savior who lives up to our expectations, then not only will we mope through this life, but we will have no hope for the next.

The first lesson we learn on that road to Emmaus is that human expectations only lead to sadness now and eternally – and to be grateful that Jesus doesn’t live up to human expectations. The second is that the promises of Scripture are better than anything we could hope for or expect – so that’s where we should look for Jesus. Again, don’t forget the most important detail of this journey to Emmaus: Jesus himself approached and began to walk along with them. He walked with them. He talked with them. And, when he had heard their hopeless story, what did he do? He applied the Law and the Gospel; he rebuked and comforted them. “How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Jesus put his finger on the real problem, didn’t he? The problem was not with Jesus, the problem was with the disciples; they had the wrong expectations. While we can’t say with certainty exactly what these disciples were expecting Jesus to do after his death and resurrection, we can say that they hoped to see it. They were expecting some kind of physical, worldly, tangible evidence of the redemption God had promised throughout the Old Testament and that Jesus himself had promised during his ministry. And yet, while Jesus would reveal himself to them in the end by breaking bread with them, that expectation was misplaced and foolish. Why? Because saving faith doesn’t consist of seeing or touching, saving faith consists of holding on to God’s promises – even and especially his promises about things that you can’t touch or see (see Luke 16:31; Hebrews 11:1). The disciples weren’t lacking visible proof of Jesus’ resurrection; they were lacking faith in the Word. That’s the lesson they learned in the end, wasn’t it? Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us along the road and while he was explaining the Scriptures to us? Jesus rekindled their faith and hope and joy, not by revealing himself to them – he disappeared again in moments – but by pointing them back to Scripture.

Have you felt sad or downcast or disappointed in the 14 days since Easter? Why? Is it because anti-Christian “experts” have proved that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead? No, he did; hundreds of people saw him alive (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Is it because you have committed a sin that can’t be forgiven? No, John assures us that the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Is it because your life has taken a turn you didn’t expect? Maybe. Is it because you have grown frustrated with the people around you or life in general? Possibly. Is it because Jesus is not doing the things you expect him to in your life? Getting warmer. Or is it because like those disciples you are slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken – or even worse, you don’t know your Bible well enough to know what the prophets have said? Bingo. If you don’t know your Bible or you don’t believe what it says you will always be disappointed because you don’t know what Jesus has promised. So if you’re tired of hopelessly wandering through life like those disciples, then turn to the one place Jesus promises to be found – to walk with you and talk with you – and you will find that what he promises is better than anything you could have expected.

That’s, admittedly, a pretty big claim; let’s put it to the test. “I’m struggling with chronic pain or a disease that just won’t go away, I’ve prayed about it and was expecting Jesus to have cured me by now.” No wonder you’re sad. Jesus has promised no such thing. This is what he did say to the Apostle Paul when he pleaded with the Lord to remove the thorn in his flesh: my grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). If a physical ailment has forced you to look to God’s Word and pray for strength – that’s a good thing! “I looked around the church on Easter and saw how full it was and I was expecting that God would keep bringing those people back and keep our church growing.” Or, related to that, “I had my children baptized, I brought them to Sunday school, I made sure they were confirmed…and now they want nothing to do with the Word and Sacraments.” No wonder you’re disappointed (I am too!). You’ve forgotten that even as Jesus commands us to preach the Gospel to all people, he reveals that the seed will fall on all sorts of different kinds of soil, that many people who hear the Word will let the devil or the world or worry or unbelief crowd it out (Matthew 13:1-23). “Life is short and hard and then you die – I expected more as a disciple of Christ.” No one is denying that life is hard. That’s why Christian hope is not built on what we see but on what is unseen, on the inheritance in heaven that is safe with our Savior in heaven. Paul wrote: Yes, our momentary, light trouble produces for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond any comparison. We are not focusing on what is seen, but on what is not seen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Those are just a few examples, but I hope you get the point. Hoping that Jesus will live up to your fallen, limited expectations will only leave you sad and disappointed. But when you open your Bible and read it and trust it, you will find that God’s promises are better than you ever would have expected; so that you too can say: “Was not my heart burning within me while he was speaking to me and explaining the Scriptures to me?”

Charles Dickens was on to something. People of all times and places have great expectations, but reality regularly dashes those expectations to pieces. Those two disciples on the road to Emmaus had great expectations for Jesus. They were sad because Jesus hadn’t lived up to their expectations. But when Jesus appeared on that road and opened the Scriptures to them, he taught them that their Risen Savior was even better than they expected. He is our redeemer, our redeemer from sin, death and hell; and our redeemer lives! Set aside your own expectations – expectations that regularly leave you sad and hopeless. Turn instead to the promises of Scripture – where Jesus walks with you and talks with you, rekindling your hope and joy; that great expectation of heaven which will never disappoint, because Christ is risen, he is risen indeed! Amen.

Matthew 28:1-7 - He Is Not Here! - April 9, 2023

It’s kind of a strange thing we’re doing here today, isn’t it? I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t what we have going on here this morning a party? We had lots of food and fellowship at Easter breakfast. We have party flowers and decorations. We have music and singing. We have people wearing special clothes. No doubt about it, this is a party. But that’s not the strange part. The strange part is where this party is taking place. This party is taking place – theologically, at least – in a cemetery. Who throws a party in a cemetery? In fact, there is only one reason anyone should throw a party in a cemetery. That reason? If the person whose death you were going there to mourn was no longer there, was no longer in the grave, was instead, alive. That’s the essence of the Easter story and the Easter angel’s sermon to us this morning: you know that Jesus guy who died, whose body you’re looking for? – yeah, he’s not here!

Matthew sets the stage: two women, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. Why? Well, because they knew the age-old truth that you never send a man to do a woman’s job. These women had watched as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had hastily brought Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in cloths and spices, and placed it in Joseph’s tomb (Mark 15:47; John 19:38-42) – but the job was not done to their satisfaction. So they went early on Sunday morning to finish it. I don’t know what they were expecting as they made their way to the cemetery, but they probably weren’t expecting an earthquake to shake the ground as they neared the tomb; they probably weren’t expecting the huge stone that had been placed in front of Jesus’ tomb to have been rolled away; they probably weren’t expecting to see an angel from heaven sitting on it; they probably weren’t expecting the tough men who had been guarding the tomb to be so stunned that they were like dead men. But the angel quickly calmed their fearful hearts: Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. In a few short sentences, the Easter angel summarizes the two most important events in human history and the two pillars of our Christian faith.

Yes, Jesus was crucified. He died on a cross, he was buried, and for three days his body lay in a grave. Sometimes we would rather not think about that part of the story (as evidence I would cite the fact that over half of the people here this morning to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection were not here on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday to commemorate Jesus’ suffering and dying). But the truth is that there would be no Easter if it wasn’t for Good Friday. Why? Why did Jesus have to die? Because of you and because of me. Because God tells us to love him and love each other perfectly and we fall hopelessly short of that demand. Because God has laid out his will for our lives in 10 commandments and we haven’t obeyed even one of them perfectly for even one day in our lives. Because according to God’s holy justice you and I were condemned to die forever in hell. But according to his infinite love, God wouldn’t let that happen – so he sent his Son to take that punishment in our place. Yes, Easter morning is a happy and joyful time – a time to party, but we can’t forget that there would be no Easter if Jesus hadn’t died as the sacrifice for our sins.

At the same time, if Jesus’ story ended on Good Friday, we wouldn’t have any reason to party in the cemetery today – because all we’d be left with is unanswered questions. Was Jesus who he said he was: the Son of God – or was he just some insane madman? Was his sacrifice enough? Was God’s justice satisfied? Are my sins forgiven? Is this life all there is? If there is an afterlife, where will I spend it? Listen again to the Easter angel: He is not here. The fact that the angel had tossed aside the stone to reveal an empty tomb means that Good Friday was enough. God’s justice was satisfied. Easter morning is the proof that every single one of your sins and mine have been paid for. Easter morning proves that this life is not all there is and that all who believe in Jesus will spend eternity in heaven. The Apostle Paul put it this way: he was handed over to death because of our trespasses and was raised to life because of our justification (Romans 4:25). He’s not here; the empty tomb is God’s guarantee of forgiveness for the whole world (1 John 2:2). He is not here; he has risen from the dead. That truth is why we’ve come here to party this Easter morning.

But the Easter angel wasn’t finished preaching. He has risen, just as he said. It’s an unfortunate reality of life in this fallen world that you can’t believe everything you see, hear or read. Despite the prevalence of fact-checkers and honest journalists, most of the news we consume – from any source – is twisted to fit some personal or political narrative. Many people, maybe even many of us, have grown so skeptical that they have become convinced that there is no such thing as absolute truth. But when you open the Bible, you can be sure you are getting the truth and nothing but the truth. Easter is proof of that. Many times during his ministry, Jesus had predicted that he would suffer at the hands of his enemies, die on a cross, and rise again (Luke 13:33; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22; Mark 8:31). And even though his disciples failed to understand it until many days later, as Christians living 2000 years later, we have the blessing to be able to see the whole picture. It all happened just as God promised it would – starting with his promise in the Garden of Eden Genesis 3:15); through thousands of years of Israel’s history; 30 years of his Son’s life; and finishing with the empty tomb. Easter is proof that God always keeps his promises.

What a rare comfort and joy that is for us living in this world of lies, broken promises and fake news. Are you looking for identity and purpose – as so many in our nation seem to be? If you’ve been baptized you have both an identity and a purpose in life: you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). Do you feel like God couldn’t possibly love someone like you, given all that you’ve done? Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red as crimson, they will be like wool (Isaiah 1:18). Do you worry that you won’t have enough to make it through life? Jesus promises: seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33). Do you worry about the future? God promises I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Are you searching for certainty in an uncertain life? Are you feeling alone or depressed or confused? Are you looking for truth in a world of lies? Turn to God’s word, this is not fake news, this is good news that you can build your life on. The Easter angel proves it: He is not here, he has risen just as he said.

Finally, the angel reassured the women that Jesus had not simply vanished, no; he has risen and gone ahead. In fact, they should have known that, because Jesus had already told his disciples on Maundy Thursday that after he had been raised, he would go ahead of them and meet them in Galilee (Matthew 26:32). And you know what? He did! He came to see them several weeks after Easter to give them advice as they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee; to forgive and reinstate Peter as an apostle (John 21); and to give them their mission on this earth: go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you (Matthew 28:19-20).

The Lord has gone ahead of us, too – he has gone ahead of us in two important ways. First, he has gone ahead of us on the road we will all one day travel – the road that leads to the grave. What comfort this sentence gives especially as we consider our own mortality and the mortality of our loved ones. Yes, Jesus had made his bed in the same place we all will – in the grave. But he didn’t stay there, he rose from that grave in victory, and his victory is our victory. Jesus’ resurrection on that first Easter Sunday set the pattern for all who cling to him in faith. Yes, unless he returns pretty soon, we will die and be buried – but our story won’t end there. We will follow Jesus through death to glory in heaven forever. With joy we can laugh at death and shout with Paul: Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Second, Easter morning reminds us that Jesus has risen and has gone ahead of us to prepare a home for us in heaven. Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am (John 14:1-4). And there we will see him and be with him forever. That is the promise that sustains us through the ups and downs of life. That is the promise that gives us comfort in good times and in bad; in sickness and in health; even when we are standing at the grave of someone we love or we are contemplating our own death. That promise is why we can sing Easter’s party anthem with joy and confidence: I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the end of time he will stand over the dust. Then, even after my skin has been destroyed, nevertheless, in my own flesh I will see God. I myself will see him. My own eyes will see him, and not as a stranger (Job 19:25-27).

I know it might seem strange to throw a party in a cemetery. Normally it would be. But today it’s not, because the One who died on the cross for our sins – he’s not here! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.    

John 13:1-17 - Receive the Lord's Supper in a Worthy Way - April 6, 2023

I doubt whether it would have crossed our minds had we been in Jesus’ position that night. Just consider the situation: John tells us that Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father – he was fully aware than in just hours he would be nailed to a cross to hang until he was dead. Inside that Upper Room, Judas was just minutes from crossing the point of no return, and outside of it, the Jewish leaders were gathering their mob to arrest him. And yet, in this moment, Jesus takes the time to make sure that the formal tradition of foot washing was carried out before the Passover Meal. Would that seem important to you? I suppose it’s kind of like taking pains to sterilize the needle used for the lethal injection of a capital criminal – why worry about contamination or infection when the whole point of the procedure is to end the person’s life? From our perspective, it just doesn’t seem that important that the disciples had clean feet before they ate this final meal with their Lord. But we are not Jesus and Jesus was not just any dinner host. Even though the weight of the world’s sins was already resting on his shoulders, he took care at this meal to give his disciples lasting evidence of his love for them – as well as an example for them to follow. And in this simple act, Jesus teaches us a profound Maundy Thursday truth: he shows us what it means to receive the Lord’s Supper in a worthy way.

Clearly, the task was not pointless ritual. In ancient Israel where sandals were the standard footwear and walking was the primary mode of transportation, dirty feet were unavoidable. Normally, if a servant was not present, the lowest ranking person at the gathering would carry out the necessary foot washing before the evening meal. But this night, there was no servant, and the disciples were too busy arguing about which one of them was the greatest to do this dirty task (Luke 22:24-30); so Jesus stood up from the meal to handle the job himself.

He took off his outer garments, wrapped a towel around his waist, grabbed a pail of water and began to work his way around the room. (Incidentally, the text doesn’t indicate that he came to Peter first. Regardless of the order of the washing, Jesus washed Judas’ – his betrayer’s – feet. How’s that for self-sacrificial, loving service?) But then he came to Peter. Now, Peter had no problem elevating himself above the other disciples – but he still regarded Jesus as his Teacher and Lord. But Peter was confused, and his confusion revealed itself in this curious combination of humility and pride. Humility in the sense that he did not want his Lord to lower himself to washing feet; pride in that he presumed to tell Jesus – his Teacher and Lord – what he should or should not be doing. Jesus cut right through Peter’s confusion to get to the point: if I do not wash you, you have no part with me. It wasn’t really Peter’s filthy feet that were the problem, it was his filthy soul. Covered in sin as he was, he could not eat with, drink with, or even be in the presence of his Lord and Savior. Peter needed to understand that in order for him to have fellowship with the one, true God, the Son of God had to wash the sin from his soul.

Confusion about Jesus’ role in life can be a problem for us too. It happens through false humility, when we think that we couldn’t possibly bother Jesus with our small problems; that the Son of God has no interest in our day to day lives; or that he is incapable or unwilling to help us through any situation in life – even our aching necks, backs or feet. At the same time, pride can get the best of us when we try to dictate when and where and how Jesus ought to work in our lives. How often hasn’t the thought crossed our minds if not our lips: if Jesus really loved me, he would… Or if Jesus is God, why doesn’t he just do this or that… But thoughts like those are a confusion of Jesus’ involvement in our lives. Because just like that foot washing, Jesus’ role in our lives doesn’t depend on what we want him to do or not do, but rather it depends completely on what we need him to do for us. Listen again to Jesus’ words; hear his invitation to you: if I do not wash you, you have no part with me. Because we are natural born sinners and enemies of God, we too need the Son of God to wash us – we too desperately need the forgiveness he offers in his body and blood.

After hearing this rebuke, the first glimmer of understanding had flashed into Peter’s mind – that Jesus was talking about more than just washing the dust from his feet – but, as had happened so often in his life, his impulsiveness led him from one extreme to the other. First, he absolutely refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet; then, he wanted Jesus to give him a bath. Jesus points out the obvious: a person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet. The physical truth is obvious, but it’s the spiritual metaphor that is really important. When the Holy Spirit came into your heart and converted you from unbelief to faith – whether through the water of Baptism or the spoken Word – you were connected to Jesus (Romans 6:1-4). From that moment on, you were justified before God; declared not guilty; completely clean from all sin. But as we go through life, the dirt of sin coats our feet, dirt that needs to be regularly washed off. In other words, living this life is like trying to walk through a freshly plowed field after a heavy rain – there is no way you can do it without getting some mud on your feet, and, if you don’t stop regularly to kick the mud off, you risk becoming bogged down and even stuck – which is what we call impenitence. The point is that we need Jesus to wash our feet regularly and he accomplishes this through our daily repentance, through public confession and Absolution, and through his body and blood in communion. Don’t leave Jesus hanging – waiting with basin in hand to wash away your sins – accept his loving invitation, commit yourself to daily repentance and tonight come to his table in a worthy way: that is, wanting him to wash your sins away.

Having shown his love, Jesus sat down to review this important lesson with his disciples. After Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer garment, he reclined at the table again. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me Teacher and Lord. You are right, because I am. Now if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. Yes, I have given you an example so that you also would do just as I have done for you. With these words, Jesus holds out the central theme he wanted to get across to his disciples at this point on that Maundy Thursday evening: the theme of humble, selfless, loving service. Jesus was not done serving his disciples – in just hours he would complete his ultimate service by dying on the cross for their sins and for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that, after he had served them by giving his life for theirs, they were to imitate his example by serving one another.

In theological terms, Jesus had shifted from justification to sanctification. When we leave the Lord’s Table, we leave perfectly clean and forgiven through Jesus’ body and blood. As a result, we owe a debt of love to Jesus; a debt we can never repay, but one that will lead us to love and serve one another (Romans 13:8). In the 2000 years since Jesus’ first washed his disciples’ feet in that Upper Room, some have taken Jesus’ example literally and have turned foot washing into a ritual ceremony. In fact, just today, the Pope,  and various Roman Catholic cardinals and bishops and priests washed other people’s feet. [1] Do you think that’s what Jesus had in mind? Maybe a better question is: do you think any of those people really benefitted from having their feet washed? Don’t you think that today with the prevalence of shoes and sidewalks and cars, foot washing is rather unnecessary? When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet he was performing an actual service on actual feet that actually needed washing. When Jesus urges us to follow his example, he’s not creating another ritual or ordinance – and definitely not another sacrament, rather, he was teaching us an attitude of humble service that looks for real people with real needs that we can really help.

Tomorrow, we will commemorate Jesus’ perfect example of this kind of selfless service. As he said: no one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Of course, Jesus was referring to his laying down his life to take away the sins of his disciples. The question is: how do we follow his example? We can’t take away sins, can we? In fact, yes we can – not by paying for sins, but by employing the Keys he has given us. We pray every time we gather here: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. If we could just stay here at the Lord’s Table, all clothed in Christ’s purity, at peace with God and each other – we wouldn’t have to pray those words or ask for forgiveness. But that’s not the way life goes. We will leave here. The muck of sin will coat us once again, we will get angry and frustrated, we will say some careless things, we will put our selfish desires before the needs of others. Just as Jesus has washed our sins away, we need to wash and be washed by one another.

This kind of foot-washing will take place most often with the people we most often sin against – our own families and friends. It’s sometimes said in a humorous way that a happy marriage is based on the phrase “Honey, I’m sorry.” But we can never forget that the response is just as – if not more important – “I forgive you.” The best way to imitate Christ, the greatest way to reflect his love to others, especially our own families, is to get down on our knees to fully and freely forgive one another.

We could discuss for hours the other ways in which we can wash each other’s feet, but allow me to quote Martin Luther, who summarized this lesson of love according to our God-given roles in life: The [parents] of a family wash the feet of their children…if they treat them kindly and attentively, and if they bring them up in the fear of God and ready to do his will. Husband and wife wash each other’s feet if they exercise a patient spirit towards each other, avoiding anger and inconsiderate words. Employees wash the feet of their employers if they are honest, diligent, and obedient, and if they receive even reprimands in a spirit of meekness, knowing that in the end they are benefited thereby. [2] In the end, the point is not leaving the Lord’s table tonight merely knowing that you should be washed and then wash others. The point is imitating Christ by putting that love into action. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them, he says. We can have all the love in the world in our hearts for others, but if it’s just an emotion or a sentiment it doesn’t do anyone any good. True love, Christian love as Jesus has defined and demonstrated is always active and he promises that active, loving service will always bring blessing into our lives – in ways we probably never would have imagined.

On the first Maundy Thursday, Jesus loved his disciples to the end by washing their feet as he prepared to suffer and die for them. Tonight, we will receive the blessed benefits of our Lord’s Sacrifice – his own body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. Receive the Lord’s Supper in a worthy way: Come wanting your feet washed and then go eager and willing to wash the feet of others. Amen.

[1] https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254010/pope-francis-to-wash-juvenile-prisoners-feet-this-holy-thursday

[2] https://www.godwithuslc.org/luther-sermon-for-maundy-thursday/

Matthew 21:1-17 - Jesus' March to the Cross - April 2, 2023

“In like a lion, out like a lamb.” You’ve probably heard that old axiom used to describe the typical nature of the weather during the month of March. March is said to come in like a lion – like a wintry beast; and exits like a lamb – a mild, docile creature. (But, judging by the thunderstorms that rolled through the area on Friday, I guess March didn’t get the memo.) But I digress. We’re not here to discuss the weather. We’re here to talk about Jesus. To follow him to the cross. And as Jesus completes his “march” toward his final destination, he does the opposite of the calendar month, he comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion.

Jesus’ march to Calvary didn’t begin on Palm Sunday. It began roughly 33 years earlier, in the little town of Bethlehem. And right from the start, it was pretty clear that Jesus came to this earth like a lamb. Where was he born? In a stable, where animals, like lambs, live. What was his first crib? A manger (Luke 2:7) that animals, like lambs, eat out of. Who was his birth announced to? To shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock at night (Luke 2:8). And what happened shortly after King Herod caught wind of the birth of this King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2) and schemed to assassinate him? Joseph, Mary and Jesus fled to Egypt – like frightened lambs (Matthew 3:14). But the clearest proof that Jesus came in like a lamb is that the moment he began his ministry, John the Baptist pointed at him and said Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

And yet, while Jesus began his march to the cross like a lamb, he goes out like a lion. And that’s fitting, because lions have long been associated with kings. Historically, kings have been known to wear lion skins to illustrate their power. 1 Kings describes King Solomon’s very lion themed throne: there were six steps to the throne. The throne had a rounded back and armrests on either side of the seat. Two lions were standing beside the armrests. Twelve lions were standing on the steps, one on each end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any kingdom (1 Kings 10:18-20). Kings and lions go hand in hand.

Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday like a king, like a lion, in a way that he never had before. He enters with a roar. Large crowds gather to welcome him into the capital city, shouting hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! (By calling Jesus the Son of David, the people were recognizing him as not only the heir of David’s throne but also as the promised Messiah (2 Samuel 7:12-14).) A very large crowd spread their outer clothing on the road – the equivalent of today’s royal red carpet. John reports that the people cut palm branches to welcome Jesus (John 12:13). Palm branches were the “stars and stripes” of Israel; they were waving their national “flags” as they welcomed their king.

In stark contrast to how Jesus had previously conducted his ministry, frequently trying to avoid crowds (John 6:15), walking through and away from them (Luke 4:30), telling the beneficiaries of his healing touch that they shouldn’t tell anyone about him (Mark 7:36) – today, on Palm Sunday, Jesus walks right into the adoring crowds and accepts their praise. When the chief priests and experts in the law try to make him quiet down the crowds, Jesus responds with the roar of Scripture have you never read, from the lips of children and nursing babies you have prepared praise? – quoting Psalm 8. In the past, I’ve thought that a donkey was not an appropriate mode of transportation for a king, that a white stallion or a gleaming chariot would have been more appropriate. I’ve changed my mind about that. First, that’s how the prophet Zechariah predicted that Israel’s true King would enter into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9). In other words, God himself predicted that his Son would enter Jerusalem on a donkey – and it doesn’t get more “kingly” than having the endorsement of God himself. Second, when King David wanted to announce that Solomon, not Adonijah, was to be the next king of Israel, he indicated this by seating him on his own donkey (1 Kings 1:33). It turns out that a donkey is a very “royal” mode of transportation.

Jesus may have come into this world like a lamb, but he’s going out like a lion. With absolute and fearless authority, Jesus cleans out the Temple; he acts like he owns the place. He even calls it my house (Isaiah 56:7). We might wonder why Jesus – who knew that he would be hanging on a cross in just days – would waste his time cleaning out the temple courts. The temple courts had become the marketplace, the economic engine of Jerusalem. And what happens almost any time money is changing hands? Fraud and corruption. But even worse, those who ran the Temple had rejected Jesus as Savior and King – so that God’s Temple had really become a haven of unbelief. So, to put Jesus’ actions in today’s terms, he was “draining the swamp.” Jesus does the same when he comes into our hearts through the Law to drain the swamp of idolatry and rebellion and selfishness that he finds there.

But he went even further than that. What did Jesus do after he had cleared the money changers out of [his] house? He took it over: the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. Unlike Matthew’s reports of Jesus’ other miracles, he doesn’t include any details here. He doesn’t mention how the people he healed responded. He doesn’t tell us how the previously blind immediately campaigned for Jesus or how the lame leaped up and ran around. Probably because the point is not just that Jesus had healed people, but that as the rightful owner of the Temple he had the right to clean it out and to make it once again into a place for prayer and worship and forgiveness and healing rather than a den of robbers.

Jesus may have started his march to Calvary with a lamb-like whimper, but he is finishing with a roar. But do you know what the irony is? It’s because he entered Jerusalem like a lion that he was killed. Think of it this way: this Tuesday, our state is holding its spring elections – the most important of which is who will be elected to a 10-year position on the State Supreme Court. (I would encourage you, if you haven’t yet, to vote in this race on Tuesday.) But, does anyone care about the candidates who lost in the primary or have dropped out of the race? Do you see any ads on TV or fliers in your mailbox smearing those people? No. Why not? Because lambs aren’t dangerous. Lambs don’t require any attention. But lions? Those who threaten your position and your power, they not only earn smear campaigns, in the case of Jesus – it earned him a death sentence.

Make no mistake: Jesus’ enemies wanted him dead. But they didn’t want to do it during the Passover festival – because they didn’t want to risk a riot among the thousands of pilgrims who had gathered (Matthew 26:5). Why were they so afraid of a riot? Not because they feared for their own personal safety – for, as we witnessed in the Garden of Gethsemane – they had their own private security force to protect them (Matthew 26:47). No, they were afraid that the Romans would see a riot as proof that they had lost control and use it as a reason to remove them from their positions of power. But Jesus ruined their plans. By his lion-like behavior on Palm Sunday, he forced their hand. They had to act now, to (in their minds) prevent Jesus from leveraging his popularity to usurp their positions of power and authority among the people.

And who do you think orchestrated that timing? Not the chief priests but God. Only God could be creative and powerful enough to schedule the sacrifice of the Lamb of God at the very moment the people of Israel were busy sacrificing thousands of lambs in remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. The whole idea of a feast dedicated to slaughtering lambs is a little disconcerting, perhaps even repulsive for many people today. Don’t you think that some of the Israelites may have questioned the necessity of killing a lamb and painting its blood on their doorposts – after God had already demonstrated his ultimate power over their Egyptian captors in the first 9 plagues (Exodus 12)? What was the point of all that bloodshed? It was another example of the “foolishness” of God that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 1. God was far less interested in the physical act of sacrifice and the painting of lamb’s blood on doorposts than he was in the response of the people’s hearts to his Word. He was teaching them that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22) and without faith in blood there is no salvation (Romans 3:25). In other words, the sacrifice of lambs was an exercise of faith. After all, if you didn’t believe that God was going to send his angel of death over Egypt (Exodus 12:23) or that the blood of a lamb painted on your doorposts could save you, why would you bother?

The question for us today is: do you believe the Lord’s warning that when he comes again he will come in judgment and that all who are found guilty will be condemned to eternal death in hell (Mark 16:16)? Do you believe that only the blood of the Lamb of God which was painted on a cruel wooden cross on Calvary is truly powerful enough to wash away your sins, wipe away your guilt, and save you from certain death on the day of Judgment? If you believe that – if you believe both God’s warning and promise, both the Law and the Gospel – then the exercise of that faith today is not the slaughtering of a lamb but to live in these days of uncertainty confessing and believing that the one thing you need the most right now is not the end of the war in Ukraine, it’s not a healthier economy, it’s not who wins the state supreme court race, it’s not even the state of your health. If you believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world then you believe that the one thing you need most in this world is his blood. Because his blood is the only thing which can shield you from God’s wrath.

The most important exercise of our faith today is not slaughtering lambs and painting their blood on our doorposts but on receiving Jesus’ blood for our forgiveness and salvation. Where do you get this blood? You received this blood, the blood of Jesus when water was poured over your head in his name the sacrament of Holy Baptism (Romans 6:3; Colossians 2:12-13). The blood of Jesus flows through your ears and into your heart whenever you hear the absolution. And, today – I have the distinct privilege – a privilege I will never forget or take for granted – of offering to you the blood of Jesus for you to receive with your own lips in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

There’s a lot of uncertainty in our world, our nation, our state, even our church today. Unpredictable weather and wars and inflation and elections (and that guy taking a call to the frozen tundra of North Dakota) threaten to turn our world upside down. But by sending his own Son into the world to take on the burden of our sin and guilt and pay for it with his blood – you can be certain of this: your sins are forgiven, your guilt is washed away, and when the Lord returns on Judgment Day – he will pass right over you, leaving you unharmed. Jesus began his march to the cross like a lamb so that you could be sure that he didn’t come to crush you but to save you. He came into Jerusalem like a lion, cleaning out and taking control of his house, forcing his enemies to put their plan into action on his schedule – all of which proves that he is in control, he is the true King of Israel, the Lion of Judah (Genesis 49:9). God sacrificed him on the cross during the festival of the Passover so that you could be sure that his blood will shelter you from His wrath on Judgment Day. And in just 7 days we will once again shout those wonderful words: “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” to celebrate the fact that while Jesus may have silently walked like a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7), like a ferocious lion he has broken out of death’s prison and lives and reigns over this world for your good. The Lamb who died is the Lion who lives and rules now and forever – even in today’s uncertain world. All hail King Jesus! Amen.

Luke 23:8-12 - Entertainment is Always Entertaining - March 29, 2023

Taken in moderation and with a healthy dose of Christian discernment and discretion, entertainment – things like concerts, sports, movies, TV shows, books, etc. – are a blessing from God. They provide a break – a chance to rest your body and mind. But when entertainment is taken too seriously, it can be anything but relaxing. Case in point is a soccer match that was held this past October in Indonesia. I’ll read right from one of the news reports: “Disappointed after their team’s loss, thousands of supporters of Arema, known as “Aremania,” reacted by throwing bottles and other objects at players and soccer officials. Fans flooded the Kanjuruhan Stadium pitch in protest and demanded that Arema management explain why, after 23 years of undefeated home games, this match ended in a loss, witnesses said.” According to this report, 129 people – including children – died in a stampede that resulted from people taking this particular form of entertainment far too seriously. [1] What’s the point? The point is that while the devil has convinced millions of people worldwide that entertainment is the ultimate goal of life, entertainment is, clearly, not always entertaining.

Herod apparently never got the message. Before we go on, we should get our Herod’s straight. This is not the King Herod (aka, Herod the Great) of Christmas, the one who was hunting for the newborn King of the Jews and had the baby boys of Bethlehem slaughtered (Matthew 2:16-18). That Herod died roughly 30 years earlier. This Herod (also known as Herod Antipas), a son of Herod the Great, is the one who stole his brother’s wife, Herodias (Mark 6:18). He’s the one who (presumably) got drunk at his own party and made a foolish oath which resulted in John the Baptist’s beheading (Mark 6:21-28). Despite the fact that his “party animal” antics had gotten a man killed, and despite the fact that this made him very sad (Mark 6:26), Herod apparently still viewed entertainment as one of his primary goals in life. Luke tells us that when Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad. For a long time, he had wanted to see him, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle performed by him.

Here’s the thing: at that moment, Jesus couldn’t possibly have appeared like a less likely candidate to appear on American Idol. Consider what he’d endured during the past several hours. His hands were still probably still stinking from washing his disciples’ filthy feet (John 13:1-20; Matthew 26:21-35); his hair was probably still matted down with the bloody sweat that had dripped his pores as he agonized in prayer to his Father (Luke 22:39-46). He had been beaten without cause when he was on trial before Annas (Luke 22:63-65; John 18:22). And that was only the physical hardship he had endured. Consider the emotional and psychological trauma he had suffered: he had been betrayed by one of his own disciples (Mark 14:45), abandoned by his closest friends (Mark 14:50), denied by Peter (Luke 22:54-62), and charged with all sorts of false accusations (Luke 22:66-71). He was taken before Pilate, where the Jewish leaders had created a thirst for blood among the people (Luke 23:1-7). Only then was he sent to Herod – because Pilate wanted nothing to do with him (Luke 23:7). Jesus certainly wouldn’t have looked like an entertainer at that moment. Nevertheless, Herod wanted to be entertained – that was all that was on his mind.

But Jesus would not and did not comply: [he] gave him no answer. Why not? We might not see the devil’s influence here at first. It had to be tempting for Jesus to comply with Herod’s wishes, didn’t it? If Herod took a liking to Jesus, he very well could have influenced or pressured Pilate to have him released from custody – no whipping, no crown of thorns, no nails, no cross, no hell, no death. Why didn’t Jesus just give Herod a little show? Because Jesus knew that his divine power was only to be used to accomplish his mission of salvation – not for his own benefit and certainly not for mere entertainment purposes. When the people of Jesus’ hometown, Nazareth, demanded a miraculous sign, Jesus refused (Luke 4:23-30). When the crowd whose bellies he had filled with bread and fish wanted to make him their “welfare” King, Jesus ran to the mountains to pray (John 6:15). Having refused to perform like a circus monkey so many times before, Jesus was not about to perform at the whim of an evil, drunken puppet king. Herod was not amused by Jesus’ silence, so he used Jesus to entertain him in a different way: Herod, along with his soldiers, treated him with contempt and ridiculed him. Dressing him in bright clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. Using and abusing the Son of God for your entertainment proves that entertainment is not always entertaining.

This lie is alive and well today, isn’t it? The devil has had great success in convincing people to believe the lie that entertainment is the ultimate purpose of our existence. Imagine that an alien landed in America. He would probably judge our nation’s gods by observing our nation’s buildings. Judging that way, what are our gods? #4 – Soccer. #3 – Basketball. #2 – Baseball. #1 – Football. And, while I’m not saying that this is wrong, but maybe a reason for introspection – while many of our own churches struggle to meet their budgets, fortunes are spent on new gyms and auditoriums. We will spend weeks and months planning for a sporting event or concert or vacation. How much time do we spend planning and preparing to come here into God’s presence to receive the body and blood of your Lord Jesus Christ? Herod is not alone in wanting entertainment at the cost of what is truly, eternally important.

There is a point when entertainment stops being entertaining. Entertainment stops being entertaining when the sports enthusiast knows every player on his favorite team – but cannot recite the 10 Commandments or the books of the Bible. Entertainment stops being entertaining when people know more about what’s going on in the lives of their favorite celebrities than they do about the excruciating final hours of Jesus’ life – hours he willingly spent to save them from their sins. Entertainment has stopped being entertaining when a confirmation student can recite every word of their favorite songs – but find that memorizing the parts of the catechism and some Bible passages is just too much (even worse is when their parents make excuses for their laziness!). Entertainment is not entertaining when pastors think they are entertainers and people think they should be entertained at church because there is nothing entertaining about anything or anyone that detracts or distracts from seeing and believing in Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God who gave his life to save you from your sins (John 1:29).

Jesus wouldn’t entertain Herod because he was preoccupies with being the Savior of the world. Knowing that in a few hours nails would be pounded through his hands and feet and hung on a cross until he was dead, Jesus was not in an entertaining mood (Mark 8:31). Knowing that the salvation of every man, woman and child who had ever or would ever live was on his shoulders, Jesus wasn’t about to trot around on stage to give Herod a laugh. Knowing that the work he would do in the next few hours would be far more important than any NCAA player’s efforts, more important than any award given to an actor, more significant than any movie created by any director – Jesus was completely focused. No diversion suggested by Herod or the devil, the father of lies (John 8:44), could keep Jesus from his work of saving our souls (John 4:34). Jesus didn’t fall for the devil’s lie – and his obedience covers over all the times we have.

Now, you might think that I’m preaching to the proverbial “choir” here – in that you have obviously made coming here on a dark night in late March your priority – instead of the countless entertainment choices you have at your disposal. And, to an extent, you’re right. And for that, I’m thankful to God. Because you set aside TV, sports, movies, books, social media, etc., to be here to receive your Savior’s grace and give him your praises, I rejoice. Because the Holy Spirit has made clear to you that spending a few hours with your favorite show or activity takes second place to this time spent with Jesus, I am thankful (Matthew 6:21). You are to be commended for keeping your priorities straight. You know that the “diversion” from the troubles of life – that is, the peace and joy and comfort Jesus provides by the blood he shed on the cross for the salvation of your soul – cannot be replaced by any other form of entertainment, because through it, and it alone, we are saved (1 John 1:7).

And yet, lest this “choir” who is gathered here become smug and begin to believe that it is our prioritization, our dedication, our commitment, our time, our attention or our money that earn or contribute to our salvation – as if we’re doing Jesus a favor by being here – remember this: Jesus walked that dark road from the Upper Room, through Gethsemane, from Annas’ house to the court of Caiaphas’ Sanhedrin, to Pilate, to Herod, back to Pilate and eventually to Calvary all by himself, with no real loyal audience. This was in fulfillment of what Isaiah wrote: that Jesus was someone whom people cannot bear to look at, he was despised, and we thought nothing of him (Isaiah 53:3). Jesus’ path to the cross – which we call the Passion History – is not recited each year for our entertainment; it’s recited so that we remember and believe what is truly important: what Jesus did for us – not for our entertainment – but for our salvation.

This final edition of the “Lies of Lent” isn’t intended to make you feel guilty for watching TV or sports or movies or listening to music or reading books other than the Bible. It is intended to show you the lie hidden behind the temporary escape or relaxation offered by those things – that the devil can easily use them to distract you from the real, substantive, bloody, saving message of Christ crucified found only in the Word and Sacraments. Thank God that Jesus never fell for that lie and pray that the Holy Spirit would keep us from ever falling for that lie. It’s ok to be entertained. It’s vital to be saved. May God keep us from making Herod’s mistake in confusing the two. Amen.

[1] https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/10/01/officials-say-125-soccer-fans-and-2-police-were-trampled-to-death-in-indonesia-at-a-soccer-match/

John 11:17-27, 38-45 - Jesus Takes on Death - March 26, 2023

This coming Friday marks an important date for millions of Americans. Do you know what it is? It marks the end of the continuous enrollment provision of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Now, if you don’t happen to be a student of the federal budgetary process – it means that millions of Americans who enjoyed Medicaid coverage during the pandemic could lose their coverage if they don’t follow the steps to re-enroll. [1] We get why that’s important. The whole premise of health insurance is that if you do happen to get sick or break a bone or are diagnosed with cancer – you won’t have to cover the entire cost of treatment yourself. But there’s a big problem with health insurance – all versions and forms of it. A problem that can’t be fixed by legislation, a doctor’s skill or even Pfizer – that is the problem of death. Death doesn’t care if you have health insurance. Death doesn’t care how young, old, healthy or sick you are. Death can take anyone at any time. Health insurance claims to give you comfort and security in life – but what good does that do you when you’re dead? That’s why for true security in this life, we need something better than health insurance; we need, for lack of a better term: death insurance. And today, as Jesus takes on death, he invites us to enroll in this policy.

One of the keys to effective health care is getting the right help and getting it ASAP. That’s what Mary and Martha were searching for when their brother Lazarus became sick. They immediately called the best doctor they knew: Lord, the one you love is sick (11:3)! If we were in their place, we would have wanted and expected Jesus to set out immediately, right? But he didn’t. He waited. And waited. And waited. He waited until Lazarus died and only then did he set out for Bethany from the other side of the Jordan River (John 10:40). We get frustrated and impatient when we have to wait 20 minutes to get our child into urgent care, not to mention the anger we feel when we have to wait weeks or months for vital treatment or surgery. So we can feel Martha’s pain and anguish when 4 days later she rushes out to Jesus and says: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But she clung to a glimmer of hope: But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. Yes, Jesus said, your brother will rise again. Now Martha knew God’s OT promises (i.e. Job 19:26; Daniel 12:2; Isaiah 26:19) and believed that God would raise all the dead on the Last Day. But Jesus wanted to sharpen her view of life and death – to lead her to see what was going on beyond her brother’s dead body in the grave.

Jesus wanted Martha to understand that Lazarus’ death went beyond the fact that his heart had stopped; he wanted Martha and he wants us to understand that it doesn’t matter if you are young and healthy or elderly and sick; by nature, we are all dead before God. I believe that at least in part this obsession with health insurance is simply another one of sinful man’s attempts to ignore and reject this truth. It’s as if we are saying: God, we don’t need you, we can stay healthy and alive all by ourselves – as long as we have access to health insurance and health care – which is idolatry. But the truth is that people die even in countries that have socialized medicine. They don’t die because they don’t have insurance or didn’t get enough exercise or live in poverty. No, they die for the same reason we will all die – because of sin (Romans 6:23). And no insurance policy covers the cure for that disease.

When God looks at the earth, he sees what Elisha saw when he walked into the room of the Shunammite woman, what Mary and Martha and the Jews saw when they looked at Lazarus’ tomb: death. Yes, 8 billion humans walk and talk and live on this earth, but in God’s eyes they are all spiritual zombies – the walking dead. That’s why the words of John 11 are not just for the deathbed or the graveside. We are born spiritually dead and the stench of death trails after us every day of our lives. When I was little, our school regularly went to nursing homes to sing to our elderly members there. I did not care for those trips. I think I subconsciously associated the uncomfortably warm thermostat setting and antiseptic odor with death. But you don’t have to stand in a nursing home or hospital or funeral home to smell the stench of death. Spiritual death stinks up our homes with petty arguments, power struggles, and bitter words between spouses, parents, and children. Its vile influence fills our mouths with venomous lies and betraying and hateful words. Spiritual death is a malignant cancer that wraps itself around our hearts and so thoroughly pollutes them that they are constantly spawning evil thoughts, words and actions (Genesis 6:5; 8:21). Jesus wanted Martha and he wants us to understand that physical death is only a symptom of the fact that we are born spiritually dead before God.

But Jesus came to defeat spiritual death, that’s why, as he looks on this world of spiritual zombies, he says plainly I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish. The Word of Jesus nullifies spiritual death; it wipes away sin, and cleanses our diseased hearts. In fact, Paul says that we’ve already died – we died with Jesus through baptism and have been raised with him to live a new life (Romans 6:2-4). Do you feel filthy with sin? Look back to that font and remember that your sins have been washed way with water and the Word. Is guilt killing you? Hear the words of Absolution which works better than any cancer therapy to remove every last speck of guilt. Do you feel weak as you struggle against your sinful nature and spiritual death? Receive the body and blood of your Lord Jesus which energizes you to live for him. Unlike health insurance, this new life is so precious that you can’t afford it – even with government subsidies. It’s so exclusive that you won’t find it offered through your company or any federal exchange. So how do you get it? Jesus offers it free of charge with one simple question: Do you believe this? Martha did. Do you?

Now, if there’s one thing we all know about insurance policies: they mean nothing if you can’t trust the insurer to follow through. Jesus wanted Martha to know that he wasn’t just selling her a bill of goods or false comfort – like the empty, comfortless words that are offered at so many funerals – he would not only talk the talk, he would make the dead walk. He went to Lazarus’ tomb and unceremoniously ordered the stone be removed. Martha cringed at the thought of seeing and smelling the decaying remains of her four-day-dead brother, but Jesus assured her: Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?

Being able to see the glory of God behind the ugliness and finality of death is the reason that there is often a stark difference in mood between the funeral of a believer and the funeral of an unbeliever. It’s a fact that funerals in our world are sad affairs. Black suits, black dresses, and black sunglasses seem to be the unofficial uniform. The sight and scent of fresh flowers only heightens the reality that like those flowers, life is a precious and fragile thing. Red-rimmed eyes tell the story of loss and grief that words can’t describe. Even humorous stories can only lighten the mood temporarily. But I think the most telling element of funerals is the deathly quiet, the silent weeping and subdued whispers. Apart from Jesus, silence at funerals is fitting. Death has silenced another life. Ended yet another time of grace.

But Jesus shatters death’s silence. Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Sinful humans shudder at the power of death. But death shudders in the presence of LIFE itself. Jesus is the reason why believers can (and should) joyfully sing and even laugh at funerals. The very thing that has eluded the grasp of mankind since the fall into sin – the ability to reverse death – was performed by Jesus with just a word. Lazarus walks out, Jesus reminds the shocked crowd to help him out of his grave clothes – and the story ends. Isn’t that striking? No details about Mary and Martha’s joy at being reunited with their brother. No answers from Lazarus about what it's like to die or what lies on the other side. The simplicity of the ending brings out in even greater clarity the point of this miracle: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and he has the power that no insurance company has – he has the power to reverse death.

John didn’t just record these words to be read at funerals – these words are not for the benefit of the dead but for the living, for you and for me. So why should you remember that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead this coming week? I can think of at least three reasons. 1) It reminds us not to place our trust in the things of this world; be it wealth, insurance, a healthy lifestyle, or a doctor’s skill. None of those things mattered to Mary and Martha when they lost their brother. None of those things forgave Lazarus’ sins or brought him out of the tomb – and none of those things will matter when you are holding the hand of a loved one who is dying or as you are dying yourself. 2) When you do find yourself blinking away tears as the body of a loved one is lowered into the earth – remember that Jesus allows for death in his plan: he doesn’t prevent it, rather, the forgiveness he purchased with his blood nullifies its eternal effects and one day his almighty power will reverse it (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Your loved one who fell asleep in the Lord is not dead, is not even really sleeping, but is enjoying the glory of heaven in the presence of Jesus in the same moment that tears are streaming down your face.

And 3) the story of Lazarus gives us confidence to live this life to its fullest. One of the propaganda tools used to push this obsession with having access to health insurance is fear. Fear that if you don’t have it you might get hurt; fear that if you don’t have it you might get sick; fear that you might go without care or go bankrupt; fear that if you don’t have it you might…die. I hate to break it to you… but you might get hurt, sick, go without care or go bankrupt and, you certainly will die whether you have insurance or not. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not against health insurance; I know that health insurance is important, but don’t let fear of sickness or death rule your life. Go, travel, explore, work, love, live in God’s wonderful creation. Live confident that death cannot rule you because Jesus rules death. Fear is Satan’s tool to control and enslave you. Fear of death is a symptom of sin. But Jesus’ Word nullifies the power of sin and His power will reverse the effect of death on the Last Day. Don’t live in fear. Live in the confidence that your best friend, your Lord and Savior is the resurrection and the life. Jesus took on death for you and he won. The only thing that matters now is the question, will you enroll in this death insurance policy? Or, as Jesus put it do you believe this? By God’s grace we can all answer with Martha, “Yes, Lord, I do believe.” Amen. 

[1] https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/10-things-to-know-about-the-unwinding-of-the-medicaid-continuous-enrollment-provision/

Matthew 26:69-75 - A Little Is All Right - March 22, 2023

“How did I ever end up in this situation?” Everyone has asked themselves that question many times. It starts pretty early in life. What’s the whole point of putting a child on a “time-out”? Getting them to ask themselves: “how did I get here?” Students may stare at an “F” on their test (if they still hand out F’s) and wonder how that could have happened. Usually, the answer is pretty straightforward – you didn’t study! How violent criminals and drug dealers wind up spending time in prison (well, at least they used to) is no mystery: “you did the crime, you do the time.” But do you end up broke even though you have a good job? How do children end up having to divide time between mom and dad’s house? How do parents end up abusing their children? How do people end up overdosing on illicit drugs? How do orthodox pastors and churches become heterodox heretics? Ultimately, there will be millions of people wondering how they ended up on Jesus’ left hand and being dismissed from his presence to depart…into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:31-46). Tonight we see how another of the devil’s favorite lies wound up with Peter weeping bitterly outside the courtyard of the high priest, asking himself “how did I get here?”  

But Peter certainly wasn’t the first to ask himself that question. Adam and Eve must have been asking it themselves after the Lord evicted them from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24). How did it happen in their case? Certainly not all at once. Eve didn’t brush past Adam after the Lord brought her to him and race to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and take a bite out of the forbidden fruit and then toss it to Adam. Instead, the devil slowly built a fire in Eve’s heart that ended in an out of control wildfire of full-on rebellion. He sparked it with a seemingly innocent question. He kindled it by planting doubt in God’s Word. He fed it with an empty promise of wisdom and pleasure and finally poured on the gasoline of the outright lie that she would not die if she ate the fruit (Genesis 3:1-4). Little by little, bit by bit, the devil drew Adam and Eve into committing the original sin.

Centuries later, we see King David falling for the same lie. David was no murderer – at least not at first. Sure, he had killed many men (1 Samuel 18:7), but he knew the difference between justified and unjustified taking of human life. Even when he was given opportunities to kill Saul, who had been hunting him down, he didn’t take those opportunities (1 Samuel 24:6; 1 Samuel 26:9). And yet, the same David who refused to murder his enemy had no qualms about having his loyal servant, Uriah, killed in order to cover up his affair with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). How did David get himself into that mess? A little laziness, a little lust, a little pleasure, a little guilt, a little deception, a little cover-up. Little by little, bit by bit.

And so it was with Peter. Once John got him in, Peter didn’t storm into the high priest’s courtyard and shout at the top of his lungs, “I deny ever knowing or following that guy on trial, named Jesus.” Far from it. Earlier that evening, he had sworn absolute loyalty to Jesus, boasting that he would remain faithful even if all the other disciples ran away (Matthew 26:35). But in Peter’s arrogance, the devil saw an opening. He saw Peter foolishly place himself in a dangerous situation and pounced – but it was still little by little, bit by bit. A servant girl asks if Peter had spent time with Jesus the Galilean. I don’t know what you’re talking about, Peter responds. Someone else suggests that Peter was well acquainted with Jesus of Nazareth. I do not know the man, Peter claimed. Finally, a group of those standing in the courtyard make the link between Peter’s accent and the fact that almost all of Jesus’ disciples had Galilean accents. It’s then that Peter unleashes a blue streak of oaths, swearing that he had no connection with his Savior.

The crowd in the courtyard seemed to accept his blasphemous denial. But Jesus didn’t. Luke tells us that at that very moment, while he was still speaking, after the rooster crowed, the Lord turned and looked at Peter (Luke 22:60-61). The instant Peter realized what he had done, he ran. Not from the warmth of the fire. Not from the crowd. Not out of fear. And, as we all know, you can’t run away from guilt. No, he was running from his Savior’s piercing gaze. It’s a look he would never forget. And then outside, as he’s sobbing like a child, he asks himself: “How did I ever get into this mess?” The devil knew how to lead Peter to commit an unthinkable sin: disowning and betraying his Lord – little by little; bit by bit.

And he knows that the same method still works today. We see it in our society. How did we ever get to the point where gay marriage, abortion, transgenderism, family friendly drag-shows, and teaching 1st and 2nd graders about sex have become commonplace? It didn’t happen overnight. It happened bit by bit. A little at a time. Consider how tolerance living together and divorce slowly wormed their way into society. How we eventually became numb to the violence and sexuality depicted on the screen. While some were boldly voicing their opposition to this creeping depravity, many were clamoring for tolerance. And what did tolerance become? Acceptance. And what did acceptance become? Celebration. And what did celebration become? Participation – where now it’s not enough that you tolerate these deviant behaviors, but they want to force you to participate in celebrating them. (You’ve probably heard about the NHL player who refused to wear the Pride jersey in warmups.) Little by little. Bit by bit – with the lie that just a little won’t hurt.

The world may not know any better – but we should, because James has exposed this lie for what it is: when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death (James 1:15). Divorce doesn’t happen in a day. It starts with a little lust, a little flirting, a little losing interest in your spouse, in cold and loveless words and actions. I’m pretty sure (at least I pray I can be) that no confirmand stands at before this altar and swears to be faithful to God’s Word to the point of death while fully intending to never again show up for worship – but far too frequently it happens, Sunday by Sunday. I think most parents are sincere when they promise to do everything they can to raise their children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord when they bring them to be baptized – but then sports and vacations and hobbies get in the way. Little by little; bit by bit. What “little” sin has the devil convinced you isn’t that serious – that you’re strong enough, good enough to keep it from resulting in disaster. Take Peter’s example as a clear warning: the devil knows that every “little” sin is a gateway drug by which he can get you addicted and steal your soul. He did it with Judas – and almost succeeded in doing it with Peter.

The devil gets how easy it is for “little” sins to turn into big ones and the reason for us to repent tonight is for all the times we’ve bought into his lie. The good news is that Jesus gets it too. Jesus understands that the devil works little by little – that’s why he didn’t give in to the devil even a little bit (1 Peter 2:21-22). When the devil tempted him to turn some stones into bread to fill his aching stomach, Jesus refused (Matthew 4:4). When he tempted Jesus to test God’s promise to care for him – even if he did something as reckless as throwing himself off of the temple, he responded you shall not test the Lord your God (Matthew 4:7). When the devil promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he would just bow down and worship him, Jesus sent him packing (Matthew 4:10). When the crowd of thousands wanted to make him their bread-king, Jesus didn’t say, “Well, maybe just for a day, that couldn’t hurt, right?” (John 6:15). When Peter himself tempted him to avoid the suffering and death that lay in his future, Jesus didn’t let that Satanic lie to dwell in his mind for even a moment (Matthew 16:23). Even on the cross, when the Roman soldiers first offered him wine…mixed with gall to dull the pain – not only of crucifixion, but of suffering for the sins of the world – he refused (Matthew 27:34). Jesus rejected the devil’s little-by-little lies every minute of every day of his life – to cover up with his righteousness all of the times we’ve given in to the devil’s lie that a little is alright.

And yet, while Jesus never gave in to the devil’s lie – not even a little – he suffered completely. His head was crowned with thorns. Blood and spit ran down his face. He was stripped and whipped and then clothed with a shameful robe. His hands and feet were punctured with nails. His tongue blistered from thirst. His heart and mind and soul were crushed by God’s wrath and hell’s fury. Why? Because of us. But more importantly – for us. And in stark contrast to the way the devil works, he didn’t just do a little to redeem our souls – leaving us with work to do – but with one mighty shout it is finished (John 19:30). And the salvation he purchased with his blood isn’t a little thing either – he didn’t die just to pay your bills or cure your cancer or fix your family – no, he died to kick death in the teeth so that you may live with him forever in the glory of heaven. And, he doesn’t offer this all to you little by little, either. He hand delivers free and full salvation to you through Baptism, the Absolution and Holy Communion, so that the glory of a heaven brimming with joy is fully, completely, eternally yours right here and now!

We’ve all had situations in life where we asked ourselves, “How did I get here?” As we learn from Peter’s example, it’s deviously simple: little by little, bit by bit, sin by sin. Remember that when you are making your daily decisions regarding your “little” words, thoughts and actions. But more importantly, remember that one day, after the last little bit of your life in this world is over and you open your eyes in the glory of heaven, you won’t have to wonder how you got there – just look to the cross and you already know. Amen.

John 9:1-7, 13-17, 34-39 - Jesus Brings Blind Justice - March 19, 2023

We’ve all heard of “blind justice.” “Blind justice” is the theory that the rulings handed down by our judicial system are fair and impartial because, by law, judges and juries are forbidden to consider the gender, race, religion – or any other external factor – of the person on trial. That’s why Lady Justice is often depicted as being blind-folded. Of course, everyone knows that justice dispensed by human beings is never truly blind – that every judge and jury is affected by a lot of baggage that skews their objectivity and fairness. Today’s text is about blind justice…not man’s, but God’s. And when it comes to God’s justice, it’s not he who is blind – but we who are blind and need him to open our eyes to see the justice of what may at first glance appear to be his unjust judgments.

Our text is a case in point. In what universe is it just for a baby to be born blind? Is there anything more heart-wrenching blind baby? It’s bad enough when someone goes blind on account of age or disease, but a baby has never had the chance to see anything. Now imagine being born in a society without schools for the blind, braille, Seeing Eye dogs, and Social Security. From the darkness of the womb you’re born into a world of darkness – a world whose size and scope you will never be able to grasp. The only thing you would be able to do for yourself was what the blind man in our text did: find a place where people are and beg for help from them.

How is what happened to this man justice? The disciples decided that it was retributive justice. Passing by this blind man on the road, they ask Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Now remember, these disciples had seen Jesus turn water into wine (John 2:1-11), heal a dying child (John 4:43-54), feed 5000 people (John 6:1-14) and walk on water (John 6:15-21) and yet they’re not expecting him to do anything for this poor man. Why not? Because in their minds either he or his parents had sinned and so he was simply getting what he deserved. You know what that’s called today, right? It’s called karma. What goes around comes around. You get what you deserve. It’s a popular philosophy because it’s intellectually easy – it doesn’t require much thought. Do good – get good; do evil – get evil. Sounds fair, right? If you don’t smoke, you won’t get lung cancer; if you wash your hands and stay away from crowds, you won’t get sick; if you exercise and eat right, you won’t have a heart attack or a stroke. But there is a catch. The catch is that sooner or later reality blows up the notion of karma. It becomes clear that God didn’t get the memo that good things should happen to good people and bad things to bad people. People who have never smoked get lung cancer. People who bathe in hand sanitizer and stay away from crowds get sick. People who diet and exercise religiously have heart attacks and strokes.

Ok. So karma’s out. What’s left? Chance. Fate. Bad things happen to people at random. Some get cancer; some get pneumonia; some have heart attacks and strokes. Sure, diet and exercise and genetics and lifestyle may play some role, but in the end it all comes down to some factor that no one can explain or quantify. What is the governing principle of life? Can it really be something as unpredictable as dumb luck? Is that all that life is: one giant roll of the dice?

Jesus rules out karma and chance with his own answer: It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that God’s works might be revealed in connection with him. Is that answer satisfactory to you? If you were this man or his parents, would you accept that he was born blind for no other reason than so that one day the Son of God could walk by him and heal him? Is that how God works? Is that divine justice? One thing is sure, not many people believed or saw Jesus as Light of the World in this miracle. Most were blinded by the light. When the Pharisees got wind of this miracle, they launched an aggressive investigation. They interviewed the man, his parents and neighbors. They couldn’t deny that Jesus had performed this wonderful miracle, but they could hurl accusations against him. Jesus had performed this miracle on the Sabbath day – strike one. He made mud – strike two. He applied this saliva / mud mixture to the man’s eyes – strike three. The interesting thing is: we know Jesus could have healed him without a word or a touch (John 4:50). He didn’t need to heal him in this manner. He did it this way intentionally. He deliberately violated their man-made Sabbath laws to force them to confront the fact that he was doing things only the Son of God – the promised Savior – could do. But they were blinded by the light and refused to believe.

God violates our laws, that is, our sense of justice, of right and wrong, all the time, doesn’t he? People who work hard, save up, and invest wisely can have financial struggles (witness the failure of some fairly large banks this past week – although, apparently, the rest of us will be privileged to bail them out). People who eat right, exercise, and follow their doctors’ advice down to the letter get cancer. People who obey traffic laws have their lives snuffed out by drivers who are posting to TikTok instead of watching the road. Christians have strokes and heart attacks. Children die. And it doesn’t seem fair, it doesn’t seem right, it seems anything but just. Even Christians get upset when God appears to be breaking our “laws” of right and wrong. We too are often blinded by the light – we too often accuse God of being unfair or unjust.

The divine irony is that the only one in this story could eventually see was the man who had been blind from birth. Although, if you read all of John 9, you see that even he struggles to see the truth. First, he says he doesn’t know anything about Jesus (John 9:11-12). Then he calls him a prophet (John 9:17). Then he simply says one thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see and drew the obvious conclusion that if [he] were not from God, he could do nothing. But he’s still feeling around in the dark. Even though this man had received his sight, he still didn’t believe. He didn’t kneel down and worship Jesus until Jesus tracked him down again and created faith in his heart. And how did Jesus do this? Through his Word!

So what’s the lesson here for us? It’s that we will never be able to make sense of God’s justice, his activities in our world and in our lives, on the basis of what we can see through our reason, our intuition, or our investigation. We will never know why one person gets cancer and dies and another person doesn’t. We will never understand why some couples can’t have children or some people have strokes or some good people have some really bad things happen to them by a careful investigation of the circumstances. We will never understand this world apart from God. Proverbs says evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand everything (Proverbs 28:5). And how does God give this understanding? Through his Word (Romans 10:17).

God has given us two distinct “words” that create sight in the spiritually blind. In the Law, God reveals what justice should really look like. It should be immediate death and a one-way trip to hell because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:9-18, 23). Short of that, it would be divine justice if we were all born physically blind. Since Adam and Eve sinned with their eyes lusting after the forbidden fruit, it would have been fair if from then on all humans were born physically blind. Could we complain? On what basis? That God’s not being fair? Adam’s sin is our sin (Romans 5:12). As evidence, look at what we’ve done with the eyes God has graciously given us. We’ve lusted, hated, envied, and coveted with them. And if that weren’t bad enough – our eyes have also led us to desire the things of this world more than the things of God, so that we have despised the gifts God gives us in his Word and Sacrament. According to the Bible, the wages of sin is everything up to and including death (Romans 6:23). No one could complain that God is being unjust if he were to damn us all to hell, no second chances, no appeals, no chance for parole.

But God didn’t do that. In his mercy, he gave us another “word” – the Gospel; he planned to execute his justice in another way: he determined that he would punish his Son, Jesus, in our place. No suffering we’ve seen or experienced can compare with Jesus’. In our reading of the Passion History in our midweek Lenten services we are reminded of what happened when the gavel of God’s justice fell on Jesus. In Gethsemane, his eyes stung with bloody sweat as he struggled to stand up under the weight of our sins (Luke 22:44). While Jesus was being held in custody they covered his face and struck him with their fists (Mark 14:65) and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” (Luke 23:64) On the cross, Jesus’ burden of our sin, our guilt, our shame was so disgusting that the sun went dark (Luke 23:44-45). And in the midst of suffering the hell we deserved he cried out my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46) God’s justice blinded Jesus to the extent that he could not even see his Father’s loving eyes.

Do we still want to blame God for being unfair or unjust? It wasn’t fair that sinless Jesus should suffer the punishment we sinners deserve. It wasn’t fair – but it was our only hope. His payment on the cross, his taking our place under God’s judgment won him the right to heal our blindness. And the healing we need most is not physical but spiritual – which is why we need to gather to hear God’s Word and receive his Sacrament now as much as ever. Because unless you focus on how God has chosen to reveal himself through those means – life with its ups and downs and pain and hardship will never make any sense.

You can be physically blind and still see spiritual truth; but if you are spiritually blind you don’t even see the physical things properly. You see a miracle involving spit and mud as nothing more than the breaking of some manmade law as the Pharisees did. You see the Absolution as a man merely expressing some wishful thinking to make you feel better about yourself. You see Baptism and Holy Communion as nothing more than silly and trivial rituals. Today, you see wars and pandemics and economic uncertainty as evidence that God has lost control.

But when God opens your eyes through his Word, then you can truly see. You see that Jesus truly is the Light of the World. You see that because he is the only one who has come from heaven (John 3:13) he’s the only one who can illuminate the reality of life in this world for us. Where these eyes can only see a man pouring water over a baby’s head and muttering some words, God shows us that he is performing the spiritual operation of taking a child who was born dead in sin and breathing the life of faith into him. Where these eyes can only see a sinful man in a robe telling us that our sins are forgiven – Jesus opens our eyes to see that sins forgiven here on earth are forgiven in heaven (Matthew 16:19). Where these eyes and these hands and this tongue see and feel and taste only bread and wine, he shows us that we are receiving the only medicine that can ultimately cure all of our troubles, the medicine of immortality. And where the unbelieving world sees karma or dumb luck as the reason for sicknesses and wars and economic troubles, we see it as God’s clear call to repentance and faith (Luke 13:1-5). Because when we focus on the clear word of God rather than on the mysterious work of God in the world, we are led to see the clearest demonstration of God’s sense of justice ever given to the world: the cross of Christ. If you want to truly understand God’s justice, look to the cross. There you see God’s Son dying in your place. There you see how much it cost God to cure your spiritual blindness and answer your prayer to deliver you from evil (Matthew 6:13). In Jesus we find the justice of God which blinds those who see and gives sight – and salvation – to the blind. Amen.  

Matthew 2:57-58 - Sit Back and Wait - March 15, 2023

When you’ve spent enough time in this world, you realize that life has certain “rules” that – even though unwritten – seem to be unbreakable. For example, we eventually learn that no matter which line you choose at the bank or the grocery store or gas station – every other one moves faster. Parents quickly learn that even if their children are happily playing in another room, the surest way to get their attention is to either sit down for a moment or take an important phone call. Or, if you happen to have scheduled a contractor or technician to come to your house within a four-hour window – it’s all but guaranteed that they will arrive the moment you try to use the restroom. These are all examples of what has been labeled “Murphy’s Law” – that “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” [1] Well, if you’ve ever felt that Murphy’s Law is one of the controlling principles of your life – you’re not alone. As Peter sat with the guards in the courtyard of the high priest, he must have felt Murphy breathing down his neck – because, very early on Good Friday morning, it certainly seemed like everything that could have gone wrong for Peter did.

This must have been even more troubling for Peter because, for the most part, the preceding week had been great. On Palm Sunday, Peter was part of the procession into Jerusalem where Jesus was hailed as the Son of David (Matthew 21:9), where children had run through the temple shouting out his praises (Matthew 21:15), where crowds came out to hear Jesus speak (Luke 21:38). Oh sure, there were some killjoys there even on Palm Sunday. The chief priests and experts in the law behaved like grumpy old men, yelling at those children to get off their lawn – the temple (Matthew 21:15), and the Pharisees resented the fact that Jesus was getting the glory – instead of them (Luke 19:39), but all in all, things had gone pretty well. Peter and the other disciples had looked forward to eating the Passover meal with Jesus – at least partially because they thought that Jesus was about to establish his earthly kingdom and give them prominent places in it (Luke 22:24-30). But then things went sideways rather quickly.  

There was the whole foot washing debacle, which left the disciples – and especially Peter – red with shame (John 13:1-17). Then Jesus disrupted their Passover celebration by announcing that one of [the Twelve] would betray [him] (Matthew 26:21) – which ended with Judas stalking out into the darkness (John 13:30). Jesus then led them away from the upper room to the Garden of Gethsemane where he cried out to his Father in desperate prayer three times (Matthew 26:36-36). Then Judas showed up in the Garden – with an armed mob with him to arrest Jesus. Peter tried to salvage the evening by drawing his sword. He managed to hack the ear off one of the mob members. He thought he had done a good deed (John 18:10). But even here, things went wrong for Peter. Rather than congratulating him for his courage, Jesus rebuked him (John 18:11).

That was when Peter decided to cut his losses. He and the other disciples scattered like frightened sheep when their Shepherd was arrested and taken into custody (Matthew 26:31). But Peter had this sinking feeling that running away wasn’t the right move, either. His personality and curiosity wouldn’t allow him to just wait in hiding while Jesus was standing trial before the Sanhedrin. That’s when he and John followed to see what was happening. John knew people in high places and managed to get them both into the high priest’s courtyard (John 18:15-16). Now, surrounded by his Lord’s enemies, in the company of the high priest’s servants and the temple guards, Peter tried a new tactic. If big boasts and sword-play got him into trouble before, he would play it safe, try a different tactic – just stay quiet and try to blend in. “If I’m quiet enough,” he might have thought to himself, “I might be one of the first to hear the verdict.” “I’m not going to make the same mistake; I will sit back and do nothing” (John 18:18). You can’t get into trouble doing nothing, right? That’s what most people think. But not Murphy. And certainly not the devil, the Father of lies (John 8:44). As Christians, we should learn to see and understand how Satan uses the tactic of “sit still, blend in, do nothing” to destroy faith and attempt to separate people from their Savior.

Now, certainly there are times when God makes his people wait patiently for answers, for help, for deliverance – see Abraham and Sarah waiting for a son, for example (Genesis 15). But even then, that time is to be used productively – in prayer and meditation on God’s Word. It is not God but the devil who wants us to play it safe, and do nothing. Our mothers weren’t wrong when they told us that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” When people are doing nothing, the devil sees an opportunity to attack. Peter found that out in the high priest’s courtyard. The devil transformed his inactivity into a threefold denial, punctuated with oaths and ending in bitter sorrow (Matthew 26:75). What does this lie look like today? Well, if you are holding a grudge against someone else – or someone else is holding a grudge against you, the devil wants you to do nothing and see if the issue will just resolve itself – while Jesus says if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you…first be reconciled to your brother (Matthew 5:23-24). Parents and grandparents often fall for the lie that their children or grandchildren who have clearly fallen from the faith will magically return on their own as long as they don’t say anything – well, look at the empty seats around you. There are those who think that certain politically charged issues shouldn’t be addressed from the pulpit or in Bible class – that in certain cases we should just sit back and say nothing. They are wrong. And the current state of affairs in our country proves it. Murphy was right: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong – especially if you’re just sitting there doing nothing.

“Well, what should we be busy doing, then?” First, repenting for doing nothing; but then we should be busy focusing on how Jesus was never sitting around doing nothing. As a twelve-year-old Jesus was busy carrying out his Father’s business in his Father’s house (Luke 2:46-50). From the moment he was baptized by John in the Jordan, Jesus was busy. He was busy healing the sick and searching for the lost. He was busy calling sinners to repentance and forgiveness and new life (Matthew 4:17). Before his arrest, Jesus was busy teaching his disciples how to love by washing their feet. He repeatedly tried to call Judas back from his mission of betrayal (John 13:21ff). In the Garden of Gethsemane, he was so busy praying that his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44). Between prayers he was busy urging his disciples to watch and pray with him. He was busy as he negotiated for his disciples’ escape from the mob (John 18:8). Jesus was now on trial for his life, and even though he remained silent, don’t mistake his silence for inactivity; he was still busy. He could have freed himself, but he didn’t. He could have struck down his accusers, the false witnesses, and those corrupt judges, but he didn’t (Matthew 26:53). With a word or a thought, he could have wiped them off the face of the earth. But he didn’t. He was busy following his Father’s will that he be rejected by his own people, the very ones he had come to save. He was busy living and dying for you and for me. He was always busy doing the work of his Father (John 4:34).

And for Jesus’ busyness, we should be grateful. Because Jesus is the solution to the biggest problems that will never go away no matter how long we sit around and wait. Our sins will never erase themselves, but Jesus’ blood does (1 John 1:7). Nothing about the future will ever be certain, but you can find certainty in trusting Jesus’ promise do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself (Matthew 6:34). The world will never be a Christian utopia, but, don’t worry, because Jesus says I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Death is looming over all of our heads, but Jesus says I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish (John 11:25-26). By his innocent suffering and death, Jesus has made your problems his own and whether he takes them away, let’s them linger for a time, or lets them linger your entire life – he never lets you deal with them alone. As Peter eventually came to understand, no matter the problem, there is something we can do: cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

How can we thank Jesus for tirelessly working for our salvation? Easy. Do something. Paul gives some suggestions in Romans 12: We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully (Romans 12:6-8). On a more practical level, if you are a father – then take it seriously that it is your responsibility to raise your children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord – no matter how old they are! (Ephesians 6:1-4) The same goes for you mothers (Proverbs 1:8). Husbands and wives: marriages don’t sustain themselves. Husbands: love your wives as Christ loved the Church. Wives: submit to your husbands just as the church submits to Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33). Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 6:1). Be active and engaged in our society – for when you are, our city, state and nation will be blessed (Jeremiah 29:7). Call out sin when you see it and forgive it when it is repented of (Luke 17:3). And even if you’re not in a position to do any of those things, you can still do one thing, you can pray; and the prayer of a righteous person is able to do much because it is effective (James 5:16). But most importantly, be active in worship and in Bible study – for those are the places where your tireless Jesus meets you to recharge and energize you to live for him (Romans 10:17).

While it may seem like Murphy is often right; that no matter what we do, anything that can go wrong, will, one way to guarantee it is by doing nothing. That’s what the devil wants, he wants you to drop out of life, out of your family, out of church and out of personal Bible study. Don’t sit there like Peter and wait to see how things will turn out – because the devil will be hard at work to ensure that they turn out badly. Be busy focusing on Jesus, the one who worked tirelessly for your salvation and then be busy carrying out your vocation in his kingdom – confident that he will return one day to take you to a place where Murphy’s law doesn’t apply. Amen.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy%27s_law

Romans 5:1-11 - The Paradox of Lent: Joy in Suffering - March 12, 2023

Lent is perhaps both the most rewarding and the most challenging season in the Christian church year. Rewarding because we get to witness once again our Savior’s love in offering himself for us; challenging in that we must come to grips with the fact that it was our sins that made him suffer at the hands of wicked men and die nailed to a cross. Another challenge of Lent are the paradoxes. What’s a paradox? A paradox is statement that seems contradictory but is nonetheless true. Jesus presented a paradox when he declared that whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it (Mark 8:35). You must lose your life to save it? This would be nonsense coming from anyone but Christ – who lost his life only to take it up again 3 days later! Authentic Christianity – as defined by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount – is filled with paradoxes: the poor will inherit the riches of heaven, only those who mourn will be comforted, and it is a blessing to be persecuted (Matthew 5:3-4, 11). But perhaps the most difficult paradox Lent presents is the one before us this morning: finding joy in suffering. It seems to be foolish and nonsensical. But as Paul explains, nothing could be truer for Christ and for Christians.

In the years following the conclusion of WWI, H.G. Wells voiced the thought of many when he described it as “the war to end all wars”. [1] They imagined that future generations would learn from the death, depravity and violence and never repeat the same mistakes. They believed that the Treaty of Versailles would establish a peace that would last. Time has a way of dashing fickle human hope, doesn’t it? WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the ongoing global war on terror and now, Russia and Ukraine have proved that our world is anything but peaceful. Each day the evening news reminds us that there is no peace in our world as it reports on robberies, car-jackings and worse. Even more sobering, we often don’t even have to look outside of our own homes to find the absence of peace. To make matters worse, this lack of peace is only symptomatic of a deeper problem: the lack of peace between God and man. Sin separates us from God. It earns us his wrath. It makes us hostile to God and God hostile to us. And we were helpless to do anything about it. But Paul says that God did something about it: therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

With the word “justified” Paul transports us into a courtroom. God’s courtroom. A courtroom where we are the defendants – whether we like it or not. The charges against us fall into 10 categories – all first degree felonies worthy of an eternity in hell: failure to fear, love and trust in God above all things; failure to pray, praise and give thanks; failure to gladly hear and learn the Word of God; failure to honor and obey those in authority; failure to help and befriend those in need; failure to lead a pure and decent life; failure to help our neighbor keep what belongs to him; failure to take words and actions in the kindest possible way; failure to be content. We know – and God knows – that we are guilty as charged. But then something shocking happens. The judge slams down his gavel and declares that we are innocent of all charges, that our records have been expunged, that we are free to go. If such a thing were to happen today, there would be outrage and cries of injustice and marches in the streets. How is this possible?

Paul’s “therefore” points back to chapter 4 which tells us how this is possible: [Jesus] was handed over to death because of our trespasses and was raised to life because of our justification (Romans 4:25). Here’s the greatest paradox of all: because Jesus endured the exact opposite of peace: a cruel death on a cross – we now have peace with God. It may seem contradictory, but it was the only way. And Paul tells us why a few verses later: at the appointed time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly. It is rare indeed that someone will die for a righteous person. Perhaps someone might actually go so far as to die for a person who has been good to him. But God shows his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

What does this mean? Do you remember the name Aaron Feis? You might remember the name Nikolas Cruz. Cruz was the young man who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida five years ago. Aaron Feis was an assistant football coach and security guard at the same school and when Cruz came charging down the hall, Feis threw himself in front of a group of students, saving them from death but dying in the process. Feis made the ultimate sacrifice – he gave up his own life to save others. That kind of heroic, selfless sacrifice is rare in our world. But as heroic and selfless as Aaron Feis was, he didn’t do what Jesus did. Feis sacrificed himself for innocent students. Jesus sacrificed himself for helpless, ungodly sinners. Jesus did the equivalent of taking a bullet – not for innocent students, but for Nikolas Cruz. Jesus didn’t die for his friends, but his enemies.

And the result is that through faith, we have peace with God. This is not the peace that our world talks about. This is not the end of school shootings; it’s not the end of wars or racism or natural disasters; it’s not a peace that can be achieved by getting rid of guns or urging love and tolerance. Standing justified before God does not mean that we will always feel “at peace” or have peace in our homes and families. This peace is better. This an objective peace – a peace that exists outside of us. It means that regardless of what is happening in our lives our relationship with God has been changed: instead of being his enemies, we are now his friends, his children.  

And the devil simply cannot tolerate this. He works tirelessly to make us doubt God’s gift; to make us believe that God is still our enemy, that he’s still angry at us, that he’s just itching to slam the hammer of his wrath down on us at any moment. One of his more sinister methods is to make us wonder and worry about dying in sin – that is, dying or having Jesus return in judgment at the very moment where you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing. What happens if we don’t have time to repent and be forgiven? Will you go to hell? That’s a scary thought, isn’t it? The reality is that we will be sinning when Jesus returns or we die. Sinful desires pass through our minds at the speed of thought. Sinful words, actions and attitudes are perpetual part of our lives. But Paul grants us comfort and the assurance that peace with God isn’t something we have and lose as often as we sin and repent. He says: we also have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. The wonderful reality is that peace with God is not something that we get this morning and lose tomorrow. The peace Christ died to win for us has changed our status before God forever. Wait, aren’t we still sinners? Yes. This is another paradox of Christianity. Luther captured this paradox with the Latin phrase simul justus et peccator – a Christian is “simultaneously righteous and a sinner.” [2] Yes, we are always sinning, but through faith Christ’s righteousness always covers us. Where sin increased, grace overflowed much more (Romans 5:20). So that, while Lent is certainly a time for serious self-examination and repentance, it is also a time to rejoice. Rejoice in Christ’s suffering because through it he produced peace with God. Peace for sinners. Peace for you. Peace for me. Peace forever.

That’s a paradox we could live with, but if we stopped there we might leave with a warped view of the Christian life. A view that, unfortunately, many people actually hold. It’s the view and the expectation that because Christ has established peace with God that we will experience peace in our lives here and now. That’s not true. That’s a distortion and cheapening of the Gospel. The second paradox Paul presents is the paradox of finding joy in the reality of our suffering.

We also rejoice confidently in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces patient endurance, and patient endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope. And hope will not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us. Rejoicing in Christ’s suffering is one thing – his suffering is over, he is now reigning in heaven’s glory – but rejoicing in my suffering? That’s something else entirely, isn’t it? In fact, isn’t it when we are suffering that we are most tempted to doubt God’s love, to believe that Christ’s suffering was all for nothing – most tempted to give up our hope in God and hope for heaven? How can suffering possibly lead to joy and hope?

First, we have to ask: what kind of suffering is Paul talking about? It is not the suffering that is brought about by our own sin – Peter makes that clear (1 Peter 4:14-16). Instead, it includes any and all suffering that come as a result of being believers living in a sinful world controlled by Satan. This includes the persecution, ridicule, and animosity we face at work, from friends, from the media, from the world because we are Christians. This includes the challenges, sacrifices, and effort we choose to make only because we are Christians. (For example: choosing to pass on a job promotion that would mean working Sunday mornings or as parents, adopting a more humble lifestyle (maybe passing on some luxury) in order to be able to give your children a full-time Christian education.) Suffering includes the problems that are part of the normal human condition: sadness, loneliness, weakness, sickness and death. We suffer all of these things because, while Christ has already won our salvation – we are not in heaven yet. And yet, even in suffering, Paul says that we rejoice.

Why? Because we know where the road of suffering starts and where it ends. It starts with hope – hope for the glory of God. In the life of a Christian, suffering leads to patient endurance. Patient endurance is the quality of bearing up under adversity. Patient endurance leads to tested character. The picture behind tested character comes from the testing of metals by refining them with fire. Character is formed only through testing, trials, pressure. And, when we have been put through the wringer and come out the other side, what is the result? Paul comes full circle: an even greater hope for heaven. The McFarland girls’ basketball team made it to the state tournament this year – sadly they lost on Friday – but Paul likens the life of the Christian to the life of those basketball players. All season long those athletes have trained, sweated, and sacrificed. They disciplined their bodies and their minds. Why? The hope of a championship. Hope is where their training began and where it ended. The Christian life begins with justification, the gift of God in Christ that guarantees our “not-guilty” status in his courtroom. And then, as we pass through the trials and troubles of life God strengthens us in that hope by showing us, in sometimes painful ways, that this world is not all it’s cracked up to be; by creating in us a longing for something better; by increasing our hope for the glory of heaven.

And, unlike the hope of the majority of high school athletes, this hope does not disappoint. Therefore, since we have now been justified by his blood, it is even more certain that we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, it is even more certain that, since we have been reconciled, we will be saved by his life. Jesus has already done the hardest thing – he has reconciled us – God’s enemies – to God. In Paul’s eyes, then, nothing could be easier than bringing those who already stand before God not guilty through this life and through Judgment Day to the glory of heaven. That certain hope is why we can do the unthinkable: rejoice even in our sufferings.

Is this paradox hard to understand? Is it hard to believe when our suffering seems especially bitter and meaningless? Yes. That’s why we need Lent this year and every year. That’s why we need to see and understand that we are following in the footsteps of our Savior – footsteps that lead through suffering and death to a resurrection to glory. The cross was necessary for him because only his suffering could purchase our forgiveness and produce peace with God. The cross is necessary for us because suffering trains and refines our hope – not for a better life now – but for the full and never-ending glory of heaven. Yes, this is one of Lent’s most difficult paradoxes. But this is the paradox that guarantees and sustains our joy and our hope of heaven. Amen.  

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_war_to_end_war#:~:text=%22The%20war%20to%20end%20war,World%20War%20of%201914%E2%80%931918.

[2] LW 25:336 (On Romans 7) “Now notice what I said above, that the saints at the same time as they are righteous are also sinners; righteous because they believe in Christ, whose righteousness covers them and is imputed to them, but sinners because they do not fulfill the Law, are not without concupiscence, and are like sick men under the care of a physician; they are sick in fact but healthy in hope and in the fact that they are beginning to be healthy, that is, they are “being healed.” They are people for whom the worst possible thing is the presumption that they are healthy, because they suffer a worse relapse.”

Matthew 26:36-46 - You Are a Rock - March 8, 2023

If I say “the Rock,” what thought comes to mind? These days many people – at least people of my generation – would probably think of the famous actor and wrestler whose real name is Dwayne Johnson – a man, who, physically at least, does bear a striking resemblance to a large rock. And that’s the first and last time I will mention him in a sermon…we’re not talking about him. Our theme tonight is more closely associated with a boast once made by Lycurgus, the ruler of the Greek city of Sparta around 820 BC. Even though Sparta was famous for its military prowess, the city itself wasn’t protected by brick or stone walls like most cities of the time. When asked about this by a visiting ambassador, Lycurgus reportedly responded: “Come with me tomorrow and I will show you the walls of Sparta.” Early the next day the king led his guest to a plain some distance from the city, where the Spartan army was gathered. Pointing proudly to his soldiers, he said, “that city is well fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.” [1]

Peter might have agreed with that concept, right? He was – at least in his own mind – a “brick,” solid as a rock. Did he have any right to have such a high estimation of himself? Well, didn’t Jesus nickname him petros, which, in English, we might translate as “Rocky?” (Matthew 16:18) We just heard how Peter boasted of his own “rock-solidness” on Maundy Thursday: even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away (Matthew 26:33). Sadly, the biblical record tells a far different story.

The biblical record tells us that Peter proved himself brave enough to walk toward Jesus on the stormy waters of the Sea of Galilee, only to shortly thereafter begin to sink – like a rock (pun intended) – beneath the waves because of his fear and unbelief (Matthew 14:22-33). It tells us that Peter was a bold confessor of Jesus’ identity, calling him the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). But it also says that shortly after that Peter rejected Jesus’ mission, trying to talk him out of going to Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world (Matthew 16:22-23). When Jesus was washing his disciples’ feet on Maundy Thursday, Peter at first refused – and then, after Jesus explained what he was doing, demanded to be washed from head to toe (John 13:8-11). Hardly a rock-solid position to take. When the mob led by Judas approached, while he was brave enough to slice off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Malchus, moments later he fled with the rest of the disciples (John 18:10; Matthew 26:56). Peter was bold enough to venture into the courtyard of the high priest to see how Jesus’ trial would turn out – but, when questioned about his identity and relationship to Jesus, he didn’t stand firm like a rock, he crumbled like sand, denying that he knew Jesus three times (Matthew 26:69-75). On Easter morning, when the women reported what they had seen and heard, Peter sprinted to the tomb – but later that night he was locked in a house with the other disciples out of fear of the Jews (John 20:19). The biblical record is clear: Peter was hardly a man of rock-solid thoughts, words or actions.

How did this happen to Peter – this man whom Jesus had nicknamed “Rocky”? If he was so solid, why did Jesus have to warn him to watch and pray instead of falling asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane? The answer is simple: the devil was at work with his lies; he was trying to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31). He had convinced Peter to believe the lie that he was stronger, more loyal and more faithful – not only than the other disciples, but than Jesus told him he was. And he’s far from alone in Scripture. Abraham thought that he was man enough to father sons with different women and not have to pay the price (Genesis 16:2-3). (Incidentally, as you hear about the ongoing violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians, the world is still paying the price for that sin.) Samson figured he was invincible until Delilah buzzed his head – and realized that he was powerless without God (Judges 16:19). Jonah was a pretty tough guy – when God told him to go to Nineveh he boldly boarded a ship in the opposite direction – until he got tossed into the sea and swallowed by a fish (Jonah). So it’s not surprising that, having successfully used this tactic so often in the past, that the father of lies would implement it once again – this time on one of Jesus’ inner circle.

So what’s the lesson? The lesson for us is this: once the devil finds a strategy that works to successfully separate people from their Savior, he doesn’t stop using it. Just note how successful he’s been in using humanity’s inherent pride, arrogance and ego to continue to separate them from Jesus today. The religion of secularism sown by the father of lies has convinced millions today that we are doing pretty well, on the whole. In order to get better all we need to do is believe in something sincerely and be tolerant of everyone else’s beliefs; toss any concept of a holy God, sin, death, damnation and hell to the curb; and reject any idea that there is anything such as absolute right and absolute wrong. We’re all free to do our own thing as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. And if you add a dash of sexual freedom to that postmodernist stew – including ingredients like premarital sex, LGBTQ rights, abortion on demand, euthanasia and suicide – and you’ve got all the ingredients for the disaster that our society is becoming today, don’t you?

But arrogance, pride and ego aren’t just manifested outside these walls, either. How many parents have proudly stood at this baptismal font and promised to do everything in their power to help that child remain a child of God until death? How many have kept that promise? How many confirmands have stood before an altar like this and swore to be faithful until the point of death so that they may inherit the crown of life (Revelation 2:10) – and yet the devil has convinced them that they can make their way through life without God? How many couples have vowed to be faithful to each other until death, in sickness and in health – and yet failing to keep their marriage grounded in God and his Word – saw their marriage crumble to pieces? How many of us have ventured into places or websites or books or TV shows or groups of people that we know we shouldn’t because we’ve convinced ourselves that we are strong enough, we won’t give into temptation. This Lent we need to recognize and reject the devil’s lie that we are rocks; that is, that we are strong enough to stand firm by ourselves. We need to repent of our proud and arrogant hard-headedness. We, like Peter, need to heed our Savior’s warning to watch and pray, so that [we] do not enter into temptation, because like him [our] spirit is willing, but [our] flesh is weak. Peter’s example tonight shows us how dangerous it is to believe that we are spiritually stronger than we actually are – or, as Solomon put it in Proverbs pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18).

I suppose the question, then, is: what are we supposed to watch and pray for? While we certainly need to be watchful and alert for the devil’s lies and temptations, we’re fooling ourselves if we think that our vigilance can defeat them. Peter’s case proves that we are neither as vigilant or as obedient to Jesus’ command to pray as we should be. No, the only way to avoid or escape temptation is to look to Jesus. He’s the only One who actually earned the title of “Rocky.” The question is: is that how you would describe the Jesus we see in the Garden of Gethsemane – as a Rock? He confesses that his soul is sorrowful, even to the point of death. He begs his disciples for help and support. He pleads with his Father to take the cup of suffering from him – not once, not twice, but three times. He needed to be strengthened by angels (Luke 22:43) – his own creation. Is that what it looks like to be a spiritual, mental and physical Rock? Well, yes!

As he was faced with a showdown with the ultimate powers of darkness: sin, death and the devil – Jesus didn’t proudly or arrogantly march into the teeth of battle – instead, he fell on his face before his Father, prayed that the cup of suffering for the sins of the world might be taken from him, and for strength to submit his will to his Father’s will. I know the world doesn’t see it this way; I know that often we don’t see it that way, but this is what true strength looks like! True strength doesn’t come from in here – from our own strength or decision or determination – but from God. But Jesus didn’t just pray and trust to give us an example to follow – he primarily did it as our substitute – to obey God’s command to call on me in the day of distress. I will deliver you, and you will honor me (Psalm 50:15) because we haven’t. And then, strengthened by the angel with his Father’s power, Jesus was a Rock as he withstood the mocking and torture of men, the sinister lies of the devil, his own Father’s wrath, and even death itself – and crushed them all by his death and shattered their power by tossing aside the rock that covered his tomb in his resurrection. Because Jesus crushed the devil’s skull – we don’t have to believe his lies anymore. We’re free to admit, perhaps for the first time, that we are not strong and courageous, but weak and helpless. In other words, if you really want to be strong, admit that you’re not and rely completely on God for strength.

Peter eventually learned that he was not a rock; that he could not stand alone, no matter how strong he thought he was. With the exception of Judas (and John), all of Jesus’ apostles eventually got the message. Trusting that Jesus died and rose for them – these men did willingly die for the Rock, for their Savior. But, without question, the only way these men found the courage to be faithful to the point of death, was through fervent, constant prayer to the Father who granted them strength.

Learning that he wasn’t a Rock was a hard lesson for Peter and the other disciples to learn. It is a hard lesson for us to learn, too – because we often overestimate our own strength – and we often pay the price for it, like Peter did. But we must learn it. We must learn that no matter how strong we think we are – even if we are physically and mentally strong or if we know our bibles and catechisms from cover to cover – we are not rocks; we are not strong enough to deal with the real problems of life alone (2 Corinthians 12:9). We are not powerful enough to overcome the enticements of sin on our own. We will never be able to go one on one with the devil and win. We may long to be home with our Lord – but none of us are brave enough to face down death alone. The good news is – we don’t have to. Jesus has already crushed those enemies once and for all. Peter wasn’t a rock. I’m not a rock. You’re not a rock. And that’s ok. Because Jesus was and Jesus is our immoveable. And when we watch and pray and stand firm on him, then nothing can move us. Amen.

[1] https://www.bartleby.com/344/262.html

Genesis 3:1-8 - Great Faith Is All About... - March 5, 2023

What comes to mind when you think of great faith? What characteristics or behaviors do you associate with great faith? Who are the people you think of as having great faith? In general, I think we associate great faith with people who do great things. For example, we think of Noah as having great faith because he built an ark on dry ground, Moses because he stood up against the most powerful empire in the world and Daniel because he fearlessly walked into a den of lions. We imagine the apostles had great faith because all of them but one – John – were martyred for confessing their faith. We think of Martin Luther as having great faith because he stood up to the heretical teachings of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church. Today, we might think of the people who are the most active at church or those who are the most generous with their time and money; the people who never seem to struggle with sin, never seem to doubt that God is in control, never waver even when bad things happen. But as we examine God’s call to Abraham, we see that faith isn’t really about us at all.

Even though in Romans Paul called Abram (or Abraham) the Father of believers (Romans 4:1), he was anything but that when God first came into his life. While living in Ur – which was in present-day Syria or Turkey – Abram and his family were (at best) polytheists – they worshipped many false gods in addition to the one true God (Joshua 24:2). Far from being a hero of faith, Abram was an idolater. But in spite of that, God came to Abram, spoke to him, called him to faith and away from his idolatrous surroundings.

Whenever you think about faith, yours or anyone else’s, it’s important to remember that at one time we were all just like Abram – hopeless sinners, pagan idolaters and enemies of God. Paul put it this way: you were dead in your trespasses and sins…formerly, we all lived among them in the passions of our sinful flesh, as we carried out the desires of the sinful flesh and its thoughts. Like all the others, we were by nature objects of God’s wrath…indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:1, 3, 8-9) Whether you came to faith as an infant, a teenager, or an adult – you, like Abram, did not make the first move – God did. God came to you in the waters of Baptism. God spoke to you through a pastor, parent, or friend. By nature, we were all faithless idolaters like Abram, but God in his infinite mercy has called us out of that miserable life to give us a name and place in his family. Great faith, any and all true faith, is only given by God as a gift of his grace, not because we deserved it or sought it out.

Having stepped into Abram’s life and created faith in his heart, God challenged Abram: Get out of your country and away from your relatives and from your father’s house and go to the land that I will show you. Imagine that: leave your hometown, your friends, your family, everything you know and love and go – where? you don’t know, just go. If God had stopped speaking at this point, I suppose Abram may have just ignored this command. But you’ll notice as you read the Bible that God almost always wraps his command up in promises. God overwhelmed Abram with promises – 7 in total. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse anyone who dishonors you. All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you. God promised Abram posterity and prosperity, fame and fortune, blessings for his friends and curses for his enemies, and finally, the greatest blessing of all: one of his descendants would be the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. No conditions, no “if’s”, no basis in Abram’s obedience, these things would all be his simply because God wanted him to have them.

And that’s how God continues to deal with us today. He deals with us primarily in terms of promises not demands. God doesn’t force faith into hearts with threats or with a gun pointed at our heads, instead he gently and quietly invites us to trust his promises. He doesn’t overwhelm us with laws (think about it, God only gave 10 Commandments – compare that to the legal code in our country or state – or even your own house!), rather he piles promise on top of promise – all apart from anything we do or don’t do. And God’s promises to us are no less incredible than his promises to Abram. Here are a few: 1) The sin we were born with as well as the sins we commit every day – God promises that in Christ they are washed away: as distant as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our rebellious acts from us (Psalm 103:12); 2) He promises an eternity in heaven: the undeserved gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23); 3) He promises to take care of us until then: …God will fully supply your every need, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19); 4) He promises that everything that happens in your life, whether you perceive it as good or bad, is for your eternal good: we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). And we could go on and on. Every page of the Bible is filled with God’s unconditional promises to you. Great faith is based on God’s great promises. Promises he never fails to keep.

What is the proper response to God’s promises? So Abram went, as the Lord had told him…they set out to the travel to the land of Canaan…there he built an altar to the Lord and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The emphasis of Abram’s calling is often placed on his willing obedience in the face of daunting, dark uncertainty. But don’t forget those all-important words: As the Lord had told him. Abram didn’t just wake up in the middle of the night and decide to leave his family and homeland – his obedience was prompted by God’s promises and directed by God’s Word. Abram wasn’t taking a blind leap of faith into the unknown (faith is not a blind leap); he was jumping into the safety net of God’s unbreakable promises. Even in his obedience Abram couldn’t take the credit, the credit was all God’s – a fact that Abram acknowledged by building altars and publicly worshipping God every step of the way.

Why is it so hard for us to imitate Abram’s response? What makes us hesitate at jumping into the safety net of God’s promises? First, the devil makes promises too, and his promises seem so tempting and so much easier to attain. God’s promises often require a certain amount of patience and sacrifice; the devil’s promises offer immediate gratification without sacrifice. But the sad truth is that the devil never follows through on his promises; he offers one thing and delivers another. The devil always and only lies (John 8:48). He offers pleasure, we end up in pain. He promises riches, we end up poor. He says that following him will make us perfectly happy, and we end up perfectly miserable. He promises happiness and life – but in the end his path leads to death.

But the devil isn’t the only barrier to faith. Our own reason gets in the way too. Too often we let the obstacles of life block out the beauty of God’s promises. We forget that no matter how incredible or impossible his promises seem, he never breaks them. Instead of confidently leaping into his loving arms we act like he is asking us to step off a cliff. We think “If I commit to giving the first part of my paycheck back to God, there won’t be enough left for the mortgage or car payment.” “If I take time out of my day for meditation on God’s Word or prayer, then I won’t have enough left for all the really important things I need to get done.” We think “If I don’t make sure my kids are on all the best teams, in the best academic and music programs they won’t have a future.” It’s our nature to want to be in control of everything in our lives – while stupidly ignoring the fact that we can’t control our own heartbeat, much less the future. And just like that, our faith shrinks because it’s focused on what I think rather than on what God promises. And that’s why faith is such a challenging and rare thing. Faith is a constant struggle between what we see and what is unseen (Hebrews 11:1); between the present and the future (Romans 8:18). Faith is a constant wrestling match between trusting in God’s promises and trusting in our own reason, strength and abilities.

It’s true that when you look around, you might see a bunch of broken promises. But none of those broken promises are God’s broken promises. Who fails? The people around you fail. Your loved ones fail you. Your coworkers fail you. Your job fails. Your government fails. Your bank account fails. Your health fails. Your pastor fails you. You fail you. God never fails. He never has and he never will. His promises are great and he keeps every one of them. He promises to be your shield and your strength (Genesis 15:1). As your shield and strength he doesn’t promise to take you out of every bad situation you find yourself in, he promises to be with you through them. That doesn’t mean life in this sinful world is going to be easy, but it does mean that through every difficulty you are never alone. He promises that you have eternal life. That doesn’t mean you will never have to face sickness and death, but it does mean that on the other side of death is a new life that is perfect and will last forever. All because God kept his promise to Abram that through his seed, the Savior, all of the families of the earth will be blessed in you. Paul put it this way: as many promises as God has made, they have always been “Yes” in [Christ] (2 Corinthians 1:20). In other words, God’s promises are always “Yes” because all of his promises find their fulfillment in him – that is, if God kept his promise to do the hardest thing, save us from sin and death, then we can surely trust all of his other promises too.

I like to picture the difference between great faith and lack of faith like taking a flight. There are two types of people on every airplane. Those who trust the pilot and the plane and those who don’t. And you can tell by their behavior, can’t you? The faithless person will look anxious and nervous at take-off, perhaps clenching the hand of their spouse or parents, perhaps lifting themselves off of their seat – in hopes of making the plane lighter and giving it a better chance of taking off. The person of great faith will sit back and doze off or calmly start to read a book or magazine – because, in the end, they know that the success of the flight is out of their hands. Our success, now and eternally – just like it was for Abram – is really out of our hands. We have his commands wrapped in his promises and therefore we can have great, calm, confident faith that our great, powerful, loving God will do great things through us.  

Could you do what Abraham did? Can you have great faith too? Well, do you have God’s promises? Do you believe them? Then you can absolutely do what Abram did. You can leave behind whatever hinders you from putting your full trust in God and He can do great things through you too. Like what, you may ask? Well, just 26 years ago Risen Savior was nothing more than a plan on the back of a napkin in someone’s living room – look at what God has done. Can we continue to reach the lost with the Gospel of free forgiveness in Christ – even here in Dane County? Yes, we can! Absolutely. Can God’s promise that everything that happens is for your eternal good give you confidence to face any challenge life throws your way? Certainly. Maybe not in the way you expect, but whatever he provides will be for your best. We can do great things because we have great faith. We have great faith because that faith rests on the great promises of our faithful God. May God keep us all firmly grounded in his promises so that our faith may always be great. Amen.

Luke 22:1-6 - You Know Best - March 1, 2023

America in 2023 has no shortage of problems. Nor does it have any shortage of people willing to offer their own explanations for those problems. Racism. Sexism. Inequality. Inflation. Recession. Climate Change. Russian aggression. Chinese balloons. Derailed trains. Republicans. Democrats. You know them. You’ve heard them. But the truth is that the real reason our world faces the problems it does is none of those reasons; it’s for one reason: lies. At creation, God gave truth to the world – along with every other perfect gift the human heart could ever desire. But when Adam and Eve fell for the devil’s first lie: you certainly will not die (Genesis 3:4) – doubt, death, destruction, depression – and yes, racism, sexism, poverty and natural and man-made disasters – but more importantly, damnation enveloped God’s perfect creation in darkness. Since that moment, the world has been filled with lies. Big ones, small ones, white ones and black ones. Lies that are told with good intentions and lies that have no purpose, rhyme or reason. The 19th century chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck, once stated that “if you want to fool the world, tell the truth.” [1] We know this – we know that lies permeate virtually every aspect of life in this world. We know that when every toothpaste claims to give you the best breath and the whitest teeth and every politician guarantees to lower your taxes and raise your standard of living and every pharmaceutical company promises that their latest drug will cure whatever ails you – we know that they can’t all be true, we know that somebody is must be lying.

Jesus knew this too. That’s why Jesus didn’t mince words when he described the devil’s agenda in John 8: whenever he lies, he speaks from what is his, because he is a liar and the father of lying (John 8:44). Throughout this Lenten season – we will see how the devil’s lies permeate Jesus’ Passion and how he’s still telling the same lies today. What’s surprising tonight is that the devil was able to convince a man who had been hand-picked by Jesus, who – for three years – had been an eyewitness to Jesus’ amazing miracles, compassionate healing and powerful preaching. Tonight, we see how the devil corrupted Judas’ heart with lies to the extent that he proactively went far out of his way to betray Jesus to his enemies.

The big question is: why? Why would Judas do such a thing? Some have suggested that Judas was predestined – like a programmed robot – and that he had no choice in the matter. They point to Acts 1, where Peter said the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David about Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus…and that Judas turned away to go to his own place (Acts 1:16, 25). Is that possible – that Judas was hard-wired by God to sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver? No. God our Savior…wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4) – and that included Judas. Others theorize that Judas was an anarchist and revolutionary – and that this betrayal would somehow “force Jesus’ hand” – in that now he would be forced to use his divine power to finally overthrow the hated Romans – even though Jesus made it clear over and over again that he was not here to lead a political revolution (John 6:15; Luke 17:20-21; John 18:33-37). Scripture itself suggests some other possible motives for Judas’ betrayal. John identified him as a thief who, as the apostles’ treasurer, used to steal what was put into the money box (John 12:6). Or perhaps Judas was out for vengeance after Jesus had embarrassed him by rebuking him for suggesting that the expensive perfume Mary had poured on Jesus’ feet could have been put to better use by being sold and given to the poor (John 12:1-8).

In the end, no one can know with certainty what Judas’ human motivation was. We can’t look into his heart. But we do know that Satan entered Judas and that Judas fell for his lie. It’s a lie we know all too well: “I know best. Better even than the God who created me.” And yet, while Judas may be the most infamous person to fall for this lie – he’s far from the only one. History is littered with the ruins of those who figured that they knew better than God. After the Flood, God commanded Noah’s descendants to fill the earth (Genesis 8:17). They thought, “Nah, we’ll just stay here and build a tower to our own glory” (Genesis 11:1-9). We are still dealing with the consequences of the Tower of Babel today. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah preferred their new, more enlightened view of sexuality to God’s will regarding sex and marriage (Genesis 19:1-29) – and the scorched remnants of those cities shows how well that worked out. In the days of the judges, every man did whatever was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6) instead of God’s – and so they spent decades suffering under foreign tyrants. Peter rebuked Jesus for saying that it was his mission to go to Jerusalem to be betrayed, arrested, convicted and finally murdered – and he found himself on the receiving end of some of the harshest words Jesus ever spoke Get behind me, Satan! (Matthew 16:22-23) Ananias and Sapphira figured they could hide their greed from God – both dropped dead as a result (Acts 5:1-11). We could go on.

In our own time, we can see what happens when the entire world buys into the devil’s lie that “we know best.” We are living in the age of experts – in that we’ve been told to trust the “experts” because they know best. Well, just the other day the “experts” at the CDC released a report called the “Youth Risk Behavior Survey” – which reviews how well all their “expert” advice has worked out. Allow me to cherry pick a few of their findings. In 2021, 30% of high school students reported having had sex. 16% of high school students reported having used marijuana in the past 30 days and 12% admitted to misusing prescription opioids. 42% of high school students felt so sad or hopeless every day for at least two weeks straight that they stopped doing their usual activities. Horrifyingly, 10% of high school students had attempted suicide one or more times in the past year (that’s 1 in 10 of all high school students!). [2] Again, this was just in 2021 – the peak of the era of “trust us, we’re the experts. We know best.” Like Judas, people today think they know what is best. Today’s “experts” have led the charge on banishing God and his truth from public schools and public discourse – and now our children are reaping the lies they’ve sown – as the very experts who instituted the policies have now had to admit.

But it’s not just out there, is it? The devil’s lie that we know best has penetrated these walls and these hearts too. It shows up in our priorities: when we make getting our children into the best sports and other extracurricular programs more important than raising them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4); when we can spend hours each week scrolling on our phones or watching TV but can’t find even a few minutes to read the Bible; when our budgets prove that we think we know better than God how to use and spend the wealth he has given us to manage. When we gather for holidays or other celebrations with family members who are living openly rebellious and ungodly lives or are holding to unbiblical and heretical beliefs or have made a habit of neglecting the means of grace – and pretend that everything is just fine, and don’t say anything – we are listening to the devil’s lie that momentary happiness in this life is more important than the joy of eternal life in heaven – for you and for the people you love. Do you worry? What’s worry other than doubting that God knows what he doing? In general, each and every time we sin, we are falling for the devil’s lie that we know better than God how we are to think, talk and act in a way that is best for us and those around us. And, just as we could see in the case of Judas, just as we could see in the statistics regarding the world out there, we only have to look at our own families, marriages and hearts to know that the results of listening to this lie are absolutely disastrous. 

There’s only one ramp off of this highway of lies which always leads to destruction – it’s call repentance. One of the most important parts of repentance is identifying the devil’s lies, confessing the times we have fallen for them, and then turning (or returning) to God’s truth. And as we gather tonight in repentance and worship tonight, we give thanks that the Holy Spirit has led us to find and follow the Savior, who is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). And this isn’t just a slogan – he proved that unlike Adam and Eve, unlike Judas, unlike the generation out there and unlike this generation in here, he held firm to the truth of God’s plan of salvation and never gave into the devil’s lie that he knew better, even if the lie was easier, more logical, more popular or felt better than the truth.

As we saw last Sunday, Jesus rejected the devil’s lies in the wilderness when any one of us would have been quickly seduced by the devil’s false promises (Luke 4:1-13). Jesus rejected the satanic calls from the crowds (John 6:15) and even his own disciples (Mark 10:37) to assume earthly power and political rule because he trusted the truth: that he hadn’t come to defeat Herod or the Romans but sin, death and the devil. Jesus stood firm in the truth of God’s plan when he allowed Judas to betray him with a kiss, a mob to haul him off to endure an illegal and illegitimate trial, the leaders of the church to cruelly mock and beat him, Pontius Pilate to torture and condemn him, Roman soldiers to nail his hands and feet to a tree and God, his Father, to abandon him to the horrors of hell. The only reason he did all that was because he never fell for the devil’s lie – that everyone from the beginning of time has at one time or another fallen for – that we know better than God; that we don’t really need a Savior – that we can save ourselves. Jesus listened only to the truth – that only his blood, the precious blood of the Son of God (1 Peter 1:19), could redeem this world of damned sinners. It’s been said that many people will die because they believe a lie – but that only a fool would die for something he knew to be a lie. Jesus didn’t die for a lie; he died because he knew the awful, gruesome – and yet wonderful and beautiful truth – that only by his death could we have life. If that doesn’t prove that he – not we – know what’s best for our lives here and now, nothing will.

Maybe Otto von Bismarck was right – maybe you really can fool the world by simply telling the truth. Jesus and his church have been proclaiming the truth of the Gospel for 2000 years and yet Judas was fooled, millions of people have been fooled, you and I have been fooled – fooled into listening to the devil’s lie that we know better than the God who created and redeemed us. Praise be to the God who loved us so much that he not only sent his Son to live, suffer, die and rise for us – but that he has led us tonight to confess and believe the truth: “No, Lord, I don’t know best. You do – and you proved it by sending your Son to bleed and die to save me from the devil’s lies.” Amen.

[1] https://quoteinvestigator.com/2019/06/25/fool-tell/

[2] https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBS_Data-Summary-Trends_Report2023_508.pdf

Matthew 4:1-11 - The War for Your Soul - February 26, 2023

What would you say is the greatest, most vicious conflict in our world today? The war between Russia and Ukraine which has embroiled much of the rest of the world and has cost you and I – American tax-payers – billions of dollars which has been going on for over a year now? The battle to remedy and rectify the effects of the devastating earthquakes that shook Turkey and Syria – killing over 50,000 people? What about in our own country? Is it the vicious battle between conservative and progressive ideas of morality? Is it one of the great ongoing wars our society is waging against crime, violence and drugs? Maybe the battle is closer to home. Are you fighting a sickness or a disease or depression? Are things with your spouse or sibling or child or friend rocky at the moment and the conflict has left you drained? Maybe you are fighting to make ends meet or fighting for every breath. If we were to take a poll of average Americans, it’s probably a safe bet that some of those battles would find a place on their list. Perhaps some have made your list. But do you know what? You would be wrong. The fiercest battle in the world isn’t over any of those things; the greatest battle – one that has been raging ever since Genesis 3 – is the one for human souls – for your soul. Why? Because unlike any of the other conflicts we named, the consequences of this battle extend beyond this life, beyond even death and into eternity. This battle is what Matthew sets before us this morning: Jesus enters the field of battle to engage the devil in the war for your soul and mine.

A bit of context is necessary before we step onto the battlefield. Our lesson follows right on the heels of Jesus’ baptism where He was anointed to be the representative and substitute for the entire human race (Matthew 3:13-17). This means that Jesus enters the wilderness to battle Satan, not for his own benefit, not for his own sake; but for our benefit, for our eternities’ sake. Why? Why did we need a champion to go to war for us? Simply because, like Adam, like Israel, like every human before us, we have failed God’s test. The test of living up to His holiness. The test of subjecting our reason to God’s authoritative Word. The test of putting obedience to his commands before the desires of our flesh. Because humanity had failed God, God’s Son went to war for us.

Matthew begins: then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Notice two things: the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert with the express purpose of facing temptation. Don’t we sometimes think of temptation like we think of junk food if we’re on a diet? Keep it out of the house and it won’t tempt you? Stay away from certain places and certain people – and the devil can’t get you. That’s a very naïve and dangerous way to think of temptation. The fact is that even if you were able to totally isolate yourself from every single source of evil in this world – you wouldn’t be able to avoid temptation. Because the devil’s most powerful ally lives in our own flesh. No matter how hard you try, you can’t avoid his temptations. Which is precisely why Jesus had to enter the desert to be tempted; if he was going to be our substitute, he had to face the exact same temptations we face…with one big difference: where we fail, miserably, repeatedly; he had to emerge absolutely victorious, without even a hint of sin. Second, note how the circumstances differ from Genesis 3: when Adam was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit, he was surrounded by more food than he could ever eat. When Jesus faced down Satan, he was hungrier than you and I can imagine: he had eaten nothing for forty days and forty nights – in other words, the deck was stacked against him.

It was this natural, human need for food that Satan chose to attack first. The Tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” “Jesus, you’re hungry and you’re God’s Son – put those two things together and make yourself some food.” It sounds so harmless that we almost miss the trap, don’t we? What would be wrong with Jesus making himself a sandwich? Nothing…except the biggest thing. The devil was trying to use Jesus’ aching stomach to lead him to distrust God’s loving care and to disobey God’s will – because his Father wanted him to go hungry. If Jesus made himself a meal, he would be sinning against the first commandment – much like Israel did when, after God had brought them out of slavery in Egypt, they suggested that it would be better to have died in Egypt than to starve to death in the wilderness because God wasn’t providing for them (Exodus 16:1-3).

How does Satan lead you to distrust God’s promise to provide for you? Has the loss of a job or the lack of promotion led you to doubt that he really cares? Do you anxiously check your financial portfolio every day because you have begun to trust it to provide for you rather than God? Have you sacrificed your obligations to your spouse, your children or your God on the altar of work for the idol of a paycheck? A life insurance salesman once asked me “what is your most valuable asset?” The answer he was looking for was myself; my potential to work and earn an income over my lifetime. Am I my most valuable asset? Of course not. God and his promises are – but that doesn’t stop me from trusting these hands more than him! Of course, in those ways and many more we, like Israel, have failed the test. We have sinned against the 1st Commandment. We have obeyed our stomachs instead of trusting our God.

For Israel’s failures and ours, Jesus endured a grumbling stomach without grumbling against God. While we often mistake needs for wants and necessities for luxuries, Jesus saw the insidious nature of Satan’s suggestion and he defeated it – not with an army of angels – but with the sword of the Spirit: “It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” So hearing a sermon can serve as a meal replacement? (How’s that for a diet plan – The Feed Your Faith, Not Your Belly Diet – remember, you heard it here first!) No, that’s not what those words mean. Jesus understood and trusted that all the bread in the world would not keep him alive if his Father did not want him to live and that if his Father wanted him to live, he would keep him alive even if he didn’t eat for another forty days. In other words, food or no food, our lives are in God’s hands (Psalm 31:15). Jesus trusted that. Imagine having that kind of faith! Now stop imagining and believe, because Jesus did this for you! His obedience is credited to your account. You have God’s promise and you can have that kind of faith…so act like it. Jesus: 1; Satan: 0.

Then the Devil took him into the holy city. He placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, and he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you. And they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Unless you are very familiar with Scripture, it would be easy to miss the trap – after all, doesn’t God promise to send angels to protect believers? Well, yes, but if you read Psalm 91 carefully, you will see that Satan left out an important phrase. He will give a command to his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways (Psalm 91:11). Psalm 91 is about the protection that God promises to provide from the dangers that come near believers as they are busy carrying out their various God-given callings in life; not taking unnecessary risks to see if he will really do what he says. The trap Satan had laid was to see if Jesus would put his Father’s promise to the test.

Hundreds of years earlier, Israel had failed that test at a place called Massah (“testing”). The Israelites were camped at a place where no water was to be found. So what did they do? The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why are you quarreling with me? Why are you testing the LORD?” (Exodus 17:1-7) But certainly grumbling and complaining would never come out of our mouths and hearts, would it? We would never adopt an attitude that says, “God, you promised to provide for me richly and daily, so where are the riches?!” We would never needlessly expose ourselves to danger or embrace a diet or lifestyle guaranteed to shorten our lives, would we? Honestly? Yes, we would, we have and we do. We, too, are tempted to take Scripture out of context and lodge outrageous claims against God in things he has never promised. God hasn’t promised you a long life if you decide to slowly kill yourself with gluttony or laziness or prescription pills or other substances. God hasn’t promised to send his angels to guard you if you find it thrilling to break the speed limit. God hasn’t promised to keep every hardship, disease, or accident from you. God hasn’t promised to put food on your table if you will not work. God has promised to provide what you need – but on his timetable, not yours. And yet, how often we test God in these things.

But Jesus didn’t. Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written: You shall not test the Lord your God.” Jesus knew that God hadn’t promised to send his angels to catch him if he threw himself off of the temple. He didn’t test his Father. But he also displayed perfect trust in his Father’s protection and plan. We witness that perfect trust when Jesus was calmly sleeping in the boat on the stormy Sea of Galilee, even as his disciples – seasoned sailors themselves – panicked (Matthew 8:23-27). We hear that trust when he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane: Father…not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42). We see it as he is hanging on the cross, flattened under the hammer of God’s wrath we deserved, when he submissively commits his spirit into his Father’s hands (Luke 23:46). Because we have tested God in things he has not promised and failed to trust the promises he has made, Jesus overcame the devil’s temptation. He won. Jesus: 2; Satan: 0.

Finally, the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said to him, “I will give you all the kingdoms of these things, if you will bow down and worship me.” This time, you would have to be sleeping to miss the trap. The devil brazenly tempted Jesus to become a Satanist. Why would this even be a temptation? Because the devil was proposing a shortcut to the glory God had promised Jesus; a shortcut that didn’t involve blood and sweat and tears and suffering and death. The instances in which Israel failed this test are too numerous to list. One of the more memorable ones took place at the foot of Mt. Sinai, right under God’s nose, when Israel decided to worship and praise a golden calf instead of the LORD who had led them out of Egypt (Exodus 32:1-35). What shortcuts to glory has the devil highlighted on your path through life? I know they’re out there, because I know the devil hasn’t given up. Marriage can be hard work – if it gets too difficult, why not get out and find greener pastures? Finding time to have family devotions and pray and study the catechism together is hard – why not just let the church do it for me? Going day after day to a job you can’t stand takes persistent effort – winning millions in Powerball, that’s no sweat. Sincere repentance and battling against the desires of the sinful flesh is really, really hard – why not just find a church where they will tell you that God loves you just the way you are and that you don’t need to change? Whatever the shortcut – if we follow Satan’s path instead of God’s we are no better than the devil himself and deserve to suffer his punishment.

Once again, Jesus didn’t give in. He refused to betray his Father in favor of a shortcut to glory. “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Jesus held out against this third and most attractive temptation even though he fully understood that it would mean a path of rejection and betrayal, blood and tears, suffering and death. As we begin Lent, this battle has given us a pretty good indication of how the war will end on that hill outside Jerusalem. Jesus: 3; Satan: 0.

So, now you have the handbook to defeating Satan and his temptations. Just do what Jesus did. Know your Bible as well as he did. Identify both Satan’s traps and the specific passage that will serve as the perfect sword to cut his lies to pieces. Do that, and you too can be victorious! No, no, no. If you walk out of church this morning thinking that Jesus has done nothing more than give us an example to follow, then I’ve failed you miserably. Jesus didn’t enter the battlefield to simply show us how to fight off temptation (although he does show us that the Word of God is our only sure defense) – he came to defeat Satan and temptation for us. Perfect obedience to God while he was near starvation was how Jesus began his work of destroying the devil’s power over us. And, because we have failed so fully and so frequently, he would continue his march all the way to Calvary to pay for our sins himself. Through faith, his perfect obedience is your perfect obedience. That is the victory Jesus fought and died to win for you. That’s why, as you leave here to go back to your personal battlefield, don’t ever give up the fight. Go armed with Scripture, but above all go armed with the knowledge that even though the battle rages on, because Jesus went to war for you, the victory is won! Amen.

1 Corinthians 15:50-57 - The Story of Her Life - Theora Utke Funeral - February 24, 2023

Some people in this world are good at storytelling. Others have lived lives worth telling stories about. But there are a precious few people in this world who are both good at telling stories and have lived lives worthy of telling stories about. As you all know, Theora was one of those precious few. Almost every time I visited Theora over the past several years, she would have a newspaper clipping or a letter she had written or received or a photograph laid out on the kitchen table – just itching to tell me the backstory. She especially loved telling stories about her time on the farm and her travels around the country and across the world and stories about her family – especially her brother Maurice’s involvement in the space program. In fact, the very last time I visited with Theora a few Mondays ago, she couldn’t help but tell me – I think for the 6th or 7th time – about the experience of purchasing seeds from a vendor in Randolph. Theora lived a storybook life and was very good at telling it.

But that’s not why we’re here today. Today we are faced with the fact that the story of Theora’s life on this earth has ended. She won’t be writing or telling any more stories. The question is: why? Why did Theora’s – why do all of our – stories eventually come to an end? Why can’t this flesh and blood…inherit the kingdom of God? The answer is: because all of our stories are bound up in a much bigger story, one that goes all the way back to the garden of Eden. Our stories all eventually end because of how the story of humanity began. God had created two perfect humans named Adam and Eve. He gave them everything they could ever desire – a beautiful garden to live in, living creatures to take care of, all the food they could eat – and, last but not least, he had given them each other. He also gave them one command: do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Tragically, tempted by Satan and lured by the attraction of the forbidden fruit, Eve ate and gave some to Adam to eat. By this single act of rebellion, Adam and Eve brought God’s curse on this world; a curse that would ultimately end in death for Adam and Eve and all of their descendants.

Or as Paul puts it, our bodies and lives and stories all eventually come to an end because the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. Every human’s story comes to an inevitable end because our bodies are contaminated with the genetic disease called original sin – sin which the law of God brings to light. And as Paul says in Romans the wages of sin is death (Roman 6:23). I know it’s not really something we want to think about this morning – but we have to in order to properly understand why we’re here and how it should impact our lives as we leave here – but the hard truth is that Theora was a sinner. She was guilty of breaking all 10 Commandments. She didn’t always fear, love and trust in God above all things. She misused God’s name and failed to pray faithfully. She didn’t always want to go to church or read her Bible. She disobeyed her parents and disrespected others in authority. She held anger in her heart. She wasn’t the perfect wife. She may not have robbed any convenience stores, but, like all of us at one time or another, she was greedy and covetous of things God hadn’t given her. She told her fair share of lies in her 96 years on this earth. And I’m not making that part of Theora’s story up; I’m not slandering her. Every time she came here for worship or I visited her in her apartment over the past 10 years, she admitted as much herself. She confessed that she was by nature sinful and had disobeyed God in her thoughts, words and actions. It’s for those sins that Theora’s earthly story has ended here in this coffin.

Perhaps the most sobering part of any funeral is coming to grips with the fact that our stories will end in a similar fashion – and for the exact same reasons. We inherited a sinful nature from our sinful parents. We have proved it every day by sinning against God and against others in thought, word and action. We have more than earned God’s wrath and deserve nothing less than the curse of death – both now and eternally.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that Theora’s story doesn’t end here – and ours don’t have to either. Why? How? How can these perishable and mortal bodies become imperishable and immortal? Only because of one man’s story, the most important man to ever live: Jesus Christ. Jesus’ life story was different from any other human’s right from the beginning. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary – so that he didn’t inherit the sinful nature that the rest of us are born with (Matthew 1:20). He lived in this same broken, sin-filled world – but he never sinned, he never broke any of God’s 10 Commandments (Hebrews 4:15). And yet, having lived a perfect life as our substitute, Jesus willingly shouldered each and every one of our sins and the sins of the world where he paid for them all with his holy, precious blood by suffering God’s wrath and hell itself in our place (1 Peter 1:19). But then, having buried the sins of the world out of God’s sight and mind forever, Jesus then did the impossible: he broke out of the grave; he rose from the dead! Theora may have had some good stories – but none of them can top Jesus’ story – the story of the Son of God defeating sin, death and the devil once and for all!

Now, you may ask: “What does the life story of a Jewish man who lived and died 2000 years ago have to do with our beloved Theora?” By God’s grace, Theora knew and believed in Jesus’ life story – that by his life, death and resurrection, he had swallowed up death in victory. And through that faith, Jesus’ life story became hers. His life story which had no errors, no sins at all – became Theora’s. The story of Jesus’ shedding his blood on a cross on Calvary cleansed Theora’s story from all the lies and greed and disobedience that were there. Most importantly, the story of Jesus’ glorious resurrection from the dead – imperishable and immortal – is a preview of where Theora’s story will continue: when Jesus calls this body back to life on the Last Day and invites her to join him forever in the glory of heaven. Which means that today doesn’t mark the end of Theora’s story – but the beginning.

Theora believed that – and she demonstrated that faith with both her lips and her life. She clung to the promises God made her in her baptism. She confessed her sins and her faith in Jesus as her Savior from sin. She faithfully attended worship to hear Jesus’ story as long as she was able. She eagerly received Holy Communion in which Jesus gave imperishability and immortality to Theora’s perishable and mortal body through his own body and blood. We can say with absolute certainty that Theora is now living a brand-new story-filled life – one that will never end – in heaven, because through her reception of Word and Sacrament, Jesus made his story hers. It may seem like today is a day of defeat – that the grave has claimed yet another victim. The reality couldn’t be more different. Today is a day of victory – Theora’s victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Today is a day for us to rejoice that Theora’s life story has the happiest ending of all – she is at peace with her Lord in heaven!

In my experience, next to telling stories about her jobs, education, travels, and other life experiences, the thing Theora loved talking about more than anything was you: her family. Every Christmas, she loved to show me the pictures you had sent her and point out who everyone was and what they were up to. You made her an extremely proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. At the same time, some of you made her a very anxious mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Why? Because she was well aware that many of you have strayed from Jesus’ story. That you have neglected worship and the Word and Sacrament – the ways in which Jesus’ story – the only story that doesn’t end in eternal death – becomes yours. While it’s nice to be able to reminisce about the stories Theora told and made with you – it was always far more important to her that her loved ones be able to continue writing their stories with her forever in heaven. But for that to happen, you need to continue to write – or perhaps, begin to rewrite – your story starting here and now. You need to continue or resume writing Jesus into your story by receiving his grace and forgiveness through faithful worship and reception of the Word and Sacrament. Because when Jesus’ story becomes yours – just like it was for Theora’s – then you can be certain that you will continue to write your story along with Theora and Jesus in heaven forever.

To the eyes of many, today is a tragic story, a day that has ended in defeat for yet another person – a person we knew and loved. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Today doesn’t mark the last page in Theora’s story – but the beginning of a new chapter that will go on through eternity. Today death is swallowed up in victory – so that we can defiantly and joyfully sing and shout: death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? And for someone who was so good at telling stories about her story-filled life, there is truly no happier ending. Thanks be to God, who gave Theora and gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.

2 Peter 1:16-21 - The Transfiguration Teaches About the Bible - February 19, 2023

If you ignored my advice and ended up watching the halftime show of the Superbowl last week, then, from the reviews I read and clips I’ve seen, you witnessed a performance the likes of which had never been seen before; a show which at times seemed to defy reality. The main artist (using the term “artist” very loosely) called Rihanna, appeared to float in the air over the field. Dozens, maybe hundreds of dancers flailed their arms and gyrated their hips in remarkable harmony. Lights and fireworks and sound effects combined to overwhelm your senses. If you didn’t see the halftime show last Sunday, you might be a little skeptical, you might think I’m just making it all up – because what I just described seems too unbelievable to be true. Sadly, that is exactly the way many people approach the Bible. They think it’s a nice book of stories, but that it is too incredible, too unbelievable to be true. Today, the apostle Peter makes a somewhat unexpected but extremely important connection between his experience of our Lord’s Transfiguration and our reading of the Bible.

Sowing doubt in God’s Word is the oldest play in the devil’s playbook. He planted that lie right away in the Garden of Eden with his question to Eve “Did God really say?” Skepticism about the truth and validity of Scripture was widespread in Peter’s day and it is still widespread in ours. Peter takes these skeptics head-on: to be sure, we were not following cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the powerful appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Speaking on behalf of all the writers of the New Testament, Peter defends their work, first by establishing that every word in the Bible points to Jesus and that the good news about Jesus is not a myth. It is not a book of morals like Aesop’s fables. It is not just one of the many religions invented by men to help people deal with the problems in their lives. The Bible is about Jesus and Peter and the other apostles were eyewitnesses of his power and divine majesty. They had eaten the food he miraculously provided for the 5000 (John 6:1-14). They sat in the boat as Jesus walked on water and calmed stormy seas with just a word (John 6:15-21). They talked with and even touched Jesus after he had risen from the grave (John 20:19-29). Both courts of law and common sense tell us that the most trustworthy accounts of an event come from eye-witnesses. The Bible is the work of eyewitnesses. It is historical fact not fiction.

So what’s the problem? Why do so many doubt the Bible? Why do we sometimes doubt the Bible? The problem is that many people like the idea of Jesus, but they don’t really like the parts of the Bible that contradict culturally accepted truths about science and history and morality. They may accept the Jesus who was portrayed in commercials last Sunday – as a Jesus who is relevant because he “gets us” [1] – but they also want the right to pick and choose the parts of the Bible they will keep and which they can do without. For many, this means cutting out the miracle accounts. Peter puts an end to this kind of thinking when he describes the Transfiguration: For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when the voice came to him from within the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We heard this voice, which came out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.    

Peter witnessed Jesus’ miraculous transfiguration with his own eyes. He saw Jesus clothed in heavenly glory from head to toe – a sight more incredible than anything seen last Sunday at the Superbowl. He saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. He listened as the heavens were ripped open and God identified Jesus as his Son and approved of both the work he had done and was about to do when he left that mountain. And Peter wasn’t alone. James and John were with him. Peter could not have gotten away with telling this story if it wasn’t true. The same goes for the miracle that serves as the foundation of our faith: Jesus’ bodily resurrection from death. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesus appeared to no fewer than six different groups or individuals after he returned to life. Jesus walked and talked with his disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), he ate fish and let them touch his resurrected body (Luke 24:36-49), and he appeared in a blinding vision to Paul himself on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). None of that is myth – it is undeniable, historical fact – a fact that even the Jews who killed Jesus couldn’t dispute – but could only try to cover up (Matthew 28:11-15). Despite what other religions teach, despite what the critics of the Bible say, Peter uses the Transfiguration to remind us that the Bible, including every single miracle, is the eyewitness account of true, historical events.

That fact alone would be enough to make the Bible worthy of serious consideration and serious study. But Peter goes on: we also have the completely reliable prophetic word. If eyewitness testimony doesn’t do it for you, Peter says, then do your homework: go back to the Old Testament, search the Scriptures and you will find that nearly every major event contained in the Gospels was foretold hundreds of years before it ever took place. Everyone who knows their Old Testament could verify that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), he would preach in Galilee (Isaiah 49:6), he would be betrayed for precisely 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13), and he would be hung on a cursed tree (Deuteronomy 21:23) – and that only Jesus fulfills all these prophecies. The New Testament is the result of eyewitness testimony, and this testimony in every case agrees with God’s Old Testament prophecies.

The fact that the Bible is true and verifiable, means that you do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts. This really helps us understand the “why” of Jesus’ Transfiguration. Jesus knew what the future held for him. He knew he would soon be suffering at the hands of his enemies and agonizingly dying on a cross. He knew how this would look to his disciples who still expected him to set up a glorious earthly kingdom. He knew they would see his suffering and death as the ultimate defeat. So he gave Peter, James, and John a glimpse of His heavenly glory. He wanted to reassure them that no one; not Judas, not Caiaphas, not Pilate; not even the devil himself could force him to give up his glory, suffer and die. Rather, he would walk to Calvary of his own free will. He would voluntarily give up his power, his glory and his life in order to redeem the world from the clutches of hell. Jesus was transfigured to strengthen his disciples’ faith – to give them one more proof that he was who he claimed to be: the Son of God.

In many ways, the days we live in feel a lot like the last days of Jesus’ life, when it seems like evil is always gaining strength and it doesn’t seem like Jesus can possibly follow through on his promises to take care of us here and now and then to return and take us home. But even these evil days should not surprise us because they are exactly what the Bible predicted. In this same letter, Peter wrote: First, know this: In the last days scoffers will come with their mocking, following their own lusts. They will say, “Where is this promised coming of his? For from the time that our fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have from the beginning of the creation.” …But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: For the Lord, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow to do what he promised…Instead, he is patient for your sakes, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9).

Does it every feel like sin has the upper hand on you? Does it ever seem like the flame of your faith is growing dim? Do you ever feel impatient for Jesus’ return? Keeping the flame of faith brightly lit, holding firm to the hope that might return at any moment is what the Transfiguration is all about. Jesus knows that the world has a way of dragging us down. He, of all people, knows how Satan works to smother our faith every day. He knows how important it is to keep feeding our faith and building up our hope. The Bible is God’s tool for doing just that. (Listen to him (Matthew 17:5) God the Father said!) But we have to be in it, reading it, hearing it preached and taught, paying attention to it so that its light may brighten our lives and invigorate our faith. The world is a dark place – the Greek here is equivalent to “filthy darkness” – but the Bible is God’s flashlight to lead us through, until that glorious day when Jesus – ‘the morning star’ – returns to light the world with his presence. The Bible is factual, eyewitness testimony, it is God’s light in a dark world – use it, let it strengthen your faith and increase your anticipation for our Lord’s return.

Peter closes with a final debate-ending defense of the eternal truth and inerrancy of the Bible. We know this above all else: No prophecy of Scripture comes about from someone’s own interpretation. In fact, no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit. Peter is describing what we call verbal inspiration. Not only is the Bible based on eyewitness testimony, not only does every OT prophecy find its fulfillment in the NT, but God himself – in the person of the Holy Spirit – moved the authors of Scripture to write what they did. The picture here is nautical – the Holy Spirit moved the writers like the wind moves a sailboat. You can be sure that every word – from Genesis to Revelation – came from God himself. And that’s important, especially today when truth seems to be such an unsettled, subjective, constantly changing thing – based on little more than the opinions and theories of so-called “experts.” As Christians, we can be – and we must be! – absolutely certain that our teachings, our doctrines, our faith, and our lives are not based on polling data or political correctness or “what experts say” – but on God’s own truth which never has and never will change. So whether we are talking about abortion or absolution, church or child-raising, evolution or evangelism, life now or life eternal – when we look to Scripture we are being guided by the holy, unchangeable revelation given by God himself.

I’m not sure how many of you watched the Superbowl halftime show last Sunday; and, in my humble opinion, even all the theatrics couldn’t hide the fact that the main performer is not a very talented singer. But today, as we celebrate our Lord’s Transfiguration, Peter reminds us that this miracle and the rest of Scripture are not just a collection of myths and fairy tales. The Bible is so much more than a nice story or a book of morality. The Bible is the account of eyewitnesses, it deserves our full attention, and every word of it is inspired by God himself. Don’t let critics or scientists or Satan mislead you or shake your faith. Instead, cling to the Bible; it is your only sure guide through this dark world. And as we leave this mountain today to descend into the valley of Lent, keep this vision of glory in the back of your mind, for it assures you that Jesus is the Son of God, he is your willing Savior, and one day he will return to take you and me and all believers to be with him in the glory of heaven. Amen.

[1] https://hegetsus.com/en