Luke 5:1-11 - A Strange Fishing Story - February 6, 2022

There’s something about the sport of fishing that lends itself to storytelling. Countless novels and films have been written and produced about fishing and fishermen. Many lake homes and cabins have a sign indicating that “Fishing Stories are Told Here.” Maybe it’s the long hours of waiting and watching, maybe it’s because many days fishermen are left empty handed, or maybe it’s men trying to justify spending hours on a lake instead of completing their honey-do list that leads to the concocting (or fabricating) of stories. I’d love to be able to tell you a spell-binding fishing story from my life, but my track record is probably better described as “worm-drowning” than it is fishing. So it’s a good thing that you’re not here to listen to my fishing story but to Jesus’ – and, as we will see, it’s a rather strange fishing story.

There are two literary details we should cover before we get to the story; details that help us frame the story in its proper context. Where the EHV translates one time, the literal translation is and it happened – the very same phrase used twice in Luke 2, when it happened that the time came for Mary to give birth to the Savior. With this phrase Luke is trying to catch our attention, to tell us that something big is about to happen. The second is that Luke makes it clear that this story isn’t about Jesus fishing for people in general. This is about him fishing for one particular person. Five times Simon (Peter’s Hebrew name) is used. James and John are called Simon’s partners and when Jesus issued the formal call into the apostolic ministry, he addressed Simon directly. This story is about Jesus fishing for Peter, the man who would become the leader and spokesman for the apostles – in good ways and in bad.

Here's the strange part: this wasn’t the first time Jesus had gone fishing for Peter. In fact, this story probably takes place about a year after Jesus had first called Peter (John 1:35-42). That time, on the banks of the Jordan River, Peter had left John the Baptist to follow Jesus because his brother Andrew had told him that Jesus was the Christ and John had pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:36). In the following weeks and months Peter had witnessed Jesus turn water into wine (John 2:1-11), cleanse the temple (John 2:13-25), and reveal himself as the Savior of the world, to the promiscuous Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42). And yet, a year later, when Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (aka, the Sea of Galilee) – where Peter lived and worked – preaching and teaching the word of God, where was Peter? He was among the fishermen who were washing their nets. Jesus is using the net of the Gospel to draw schools of lost souls into the safety of the kingdom of God – and Peter isn’t interested. The Savior was proclaiming the saving Gospel, but Peter didn’t have time to listen or learn. He had left Jesus and gone back to his day job.

So Jesus goes fishing for this fisherman. Like a parent may try to redirect a misbehaving child, saying, “Can you help me with something?” Jesus asked [Peter] to put out a little from the shore. He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. We aren’t given the text of Jesus’ sermon, but we know that he wasn’t teaching them “how to earn God’s favor,” or “how to have a better marriage or better behaved children,” or “how to have your best life now.” No, Jesus was undoubtedly teaching what he always taught: that these people were sinners who were doomed for hell and that there wasn’t anything they could do about it; that they were sadly mistaken if they thought that obedience to the Law of Moses could save them; that only he could and would keep the Law perfectly and offer the perfect sacrifice for sin; that only by trusting in him they could find life after death (John 11:25).

These lost souls eagerly fed on Jesus’ life-giving teaching – but Peter wasn’t biting. So when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.” And the story gets stranger. Peter is a professional fisherman. There were at least three good reasons that he was on the shore washing his nets that morning, not out fishing. First, he knows that you don’t use nets to catch fish in deep water – the deeper the water the more likely they will break as you pull them in (as the story itself proves). Second, he knows that the best time to fish isn’t during the day – when the bright sunlight reveals the net to the fish – but at night, when they can’t see it and swim right into it. Third, Peter had worked hard all through the night and caught nothing – and now that he’s just finished washing his nets, all he wants to do is go home and rest up for another night of fishing.

Two things tell you that Peter is upset; he’s not happy about this situation; he doesn’t want to be caught in the net of the Gospel. First, he calls Jesus Master – a term used in secular language for a slave master. “Ok, Jesus, you’re the boss. I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.” Second, Peter feels like the only reason Jesus has given this command is to berate him, to judge him, to condemn him – in other words, to bring the full force of the Law down on him for abandoning his Savior. Where do we see this? Jesus had commanded them to let down your nets for a catch (plural) and Peter responded (like a bratty child) I (singular) will let down the nets. Peter probably felt like a student who has been called into the principal’s office or a like a church member today when they receive a call or email from the pastor or elder requesting a meeting to talk about their neglect of worship and the means of grace. Ashamed. Guilty. Afraid. He’s adrift in the deep water of his own unworthiness and sinfulness.

Out in the deep water is where you find fish that aren’t hungry. Experienced fishermen know that you need to use different tactics, perhaps a special kind of bait to catch fish that don’t want to eat. And so that’s just what Jesus did with Peter. Peter had seen Jesus heal many diseases. He’d seen Jesus free people from demons (Luke 4:40-41). He’d seen Jesus cure his own mother-in-law’s fever (Luke 4:39). But he had still quit following Jesus. Jesus had been trying to lure him in with his words and works for a year. He had hooked him time and again, but he couldn’t yet land him in the boat. Muskie fishermen, especially, know the feeling. You fight a monster for 45 minutes or an hour, you get him right next to the boat – and then at the last moment, he shakes the hook and gets away. But what the bait of miracles, healings and exorcisms couldn’t do to land Peter – a boatload of fish (actually two boatloads) caught by a simple word from Jesus – did.

It may seem like the great catch of fish would be a good place to end this fishing story – but that’s not the real miracle in this story, and, as we read on, it just gets stranger. When Simon Peter saw [the great catch of fish] he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” Peter acknowledges Jesus as his Lord and God, but he commands – commands – Jesus to go away from him because he’s a sinful man. Isn’t that a strange reaction? Peter simply couldn’t believe what was happening. He was expecting a scolding and received forgiveness; perhaps expecting Jesus to toss him out of the boat in the middle of the lake in judgment and was given a boatload of fish instead. This is the irrationality of unbelief. Peter believed that Jesus had to get away from him because he was such a stinking, miserable sinner. He believed he wasn’t worth catching. He believed that Jesus couldn’t want anything to do with him – after all, he’d already abandoned him once.

Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever feel like the best place for Jesus in your life is far, far away? Do you ever imagine that your relationship with Jesus is that of a slave to his master – that coming to worship is more like reporting for duty, like punching a time-clock – than a break, a chance to rest, a vacation from the mundane work of washing your nets (or whatever your occupation happens to be)? Do you ever feel like Jesus just wants to expose all the things you’ve done wrong, rub your face in them, and then scream and yell at you to do and be better? Do you ever think the Gospel is only for better Christians, not for you? Or, do you know someone who feels that way about Christianity? Who imagines that Christianity is all about shame and guilt and laws and pulpit pounding pastors screaming at you to “be better and try harder”? It’s no surprise that Peter was afraid of Jesus – or that many people today still are. We have every right to be. He is God in human flesh. He is the Lord; he is holy. And we are not (Romans 2:9-18). Like Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8) and like Peter the only thing we deserve when we come here into the boat of the church, into the presence of Jesus, is to be berated, shamed, guilted and eventually condemned to hell. And yet, at the same time, that type of fear, that type of hopelessness has no place in a Christian’s heart. It’s despair – and despair is unbelief. It is a sin. A sin that shouldn’t result in commanding Jesus to get away from us but in repentance.

Repent of thinking that Jesus came to be a new Moses (John 1:17); a new Master with a sharper law and stricter demands. Repent of thinking that Jesus just wants to deprive you of rest on your day off and to double-down in your efforts to earn his love and grace. Repent of thinking that prayer, meditation on the Word, reception of the sacrament, Sunday school and Bible class are just additional tasks that Jesus gives so that you can earn your salvation. Repent of thinking that Jesus is angry with you. Because while Peter was right, that Jesus is the holy Lord of the heavens and earth – the reason he came to earth as a man to go fishing for lost sinners; he didn’t come into the world to condemn the world but to save it (John 1:17).

Have no fear, Jesus tells Peter. These are words of forgiveness, absolution and restoration. That’s the strangest part of this story of all, isn’t it? That while Peter had abandoned Jesus and only reluctantly obeyed Jesus’ command to cast his nets in deep water – that Jesus gave him far more than he ever would have asked or could have expected? Do you know what that strange behavior is called? It’s called grace. And it’s something that we don’t only read about in this strange fishing story – it’s something that we experience each and every day of our lives. We may try to run away from Jesus, but the simple fact that we are here is evidence that we haven’t been able to outrun the blessings of his grace. Just think of the boatload of blessings he has given you as proof of his love. Life and breath, food and drink, spouse and children, house and home. And those aren’t even the best ones. He gives you eyes to read his Word, ears to hear his absolution, skin to feel the cleansing water of Baptism, lips to receive the body and blood that he gave up and shed for your forgiveness. Even though each of us have repeatedly tried to flop out of Jesus’ boat, improperly viewing Jesus as a taskmaster who just wants more and more from us; Jesus hasn’t for one day stopped proving his love to us and casting out the net of his Word to catch us for eternal life.

It's a really strange fishing story, isn’t it? It’s not strange that Peter, that you, that I abandon Jesus, run away from him, tell him to get away from us – because we are miserable, rotten sinners who were born dead in sin, blind to grace and enemies of God, full of ourselves and not hungry for the Gospel. No, the strange part is that Jesus is so persistent in fishing for fish like us, fish that aren’t hungry; that don’t want to be caught – so that we may be brought into the safety of his church, into service in his kingdom, and finally, into the glory of heaven. It might be strange, but it’s the best fishing story that has ever been told – because it's not just Peter’s story, it’s yours and mine as well. Amen.  

Luke 4:14-30 - One Message that Always Gets Two Reactions - January 23, 2022

Here’s a riddle for you: what do the Word of God and Newton’s Third Law of Motion have in common? They both always generate two equal and opposite reactions. In other words, there is no middle ground, no neutral position in relationship to the Gospel. And that’s not just my opinion. Jesus himself says that whoever is not with me is against me (Matthew 12:30). The Gospel never lays there dead, like a cadaver on an exam table, it is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). You either hear the Word and rejoice in God’s mercy to sinners or you try to silence it; try to push it out of your life.

Now, you might be thinking: I’ve heard many sermons and opened up my Bible and read it many times – and quite often, I’ve had no real – much less passionate – reaction; I wasn’t really moved to either joy or anger. Now that’s a problem; a big problem. There are few things God hates more than apathy (Revelation 3:15-16). And who gets the blame for this problem? Well, given that the Gospel is necessarily communicated from one person to another, there are three places we could place the blame: on the message, the speaker or the listener. We can scratch the message from that list; God promises that it will accomplish whatever I please and it will succeed in the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). There’s nothing wrong with the Word. Apathy is a symptom of one of the biggest problems in the Church today: we’ve grown weary of the Word. Complacent. Bored even. As hearers, our ears have been dulled by the noise of the world. Movies and music and media are engineered to make us sit down, turn our brains off and be passively entertained and amused. But hearing the Word of God demands active listening. It’s not supposed to be background noise, it’s supposed to be like listening to the doctor tell you if the test results mean that you will live or die. Then there is “itching ear syndrome” (2 Timothy 4:3). We want the church to have amazing programs and powerful, moving music and messages that are relevant, that give meaning to our lives, that solve all our problems and answer all our questions – and the Word of God doesn’t scratch that itch. Finally, incessant breaking news and weather alerts and viral videos have changed our brains; shortened our attention spans, weakened our ability to focus and concentrate and meditate. And so, if something can’t be expressed in a 30 second video or 144 characters, we turn it off and tune it out. The sad result is that many Christians have a shamefully shallow faith based on theological sound-bites and Facebook memes than a firm and clear understanding of the deep mysteries of God’s grace.

But hearers don’t bear all the blame. You also have preachers who have themselves lost faith in the power of the Word; who instead trust their own wit and wisdom, their own personality and ingenuity to do what only the Word can do. They use the Word as a means to an end rather than the means of grace; as an instrument – or perhaps weapon – to manipulate and mobilize and organize and patronize. Want to start a community service program? There’s a Bible verse for that. Want to raise money? Beat people over the head with your big leather Bible. Want to trumpet your righteous cause and vilify the opposition? Scripture is cited on both sides of almost every social and political issue. And this misuse of the Word can even infect the hearts of we who claim to stand on the Reformation motto of Scripture alone. Preachers preach and hearers hear the Word expecting it to change the world and the people out there rather than do what God promises it will do: change us. It’s stupid really. It’s stupid to sit here for an hour and expect it to change the world out there – instead of changing us. It’s as stupid as taking a Tylenol and expecting someone else’s headache to go away.

Martin Luther warned his generation that the Word of God is like a passing downpour. It falls for a while in one place and the soil soaks it up. But then the soil becomes saturated and the water runs off and the clouds move on. [1] Luther predicted the day when the Gospel shower would move on from Europe to other nations and continents – which has in large part happened. And some might say that the Gospel downpour is leaving our country in our own generation. But for now, God has blessed us with the shower of his blessings in the Word – and let us never take that for granted or grow bored with it. Because the Word remains the living and active wisdom and power of God (Romans 1:16-17). And whenever it goes out from human lips into human ears and minds and hearts, it does things. It kills and makes alive. It knocks us off our thrones and picks us up off of our knees. It fills the starving and sends the rich away empty (Luke 2:53). There is no neutrality when it comes to the Word of God. There is either joy or anger; faith or unbelief.

That was true in already in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (c. 445 BC). In our first lesson we heard that all the people gathered together at the public square that is in front of the Water Gate (Nehemiah 8:1), demanding to hear the Word of God. They listened as Ezra read from the books of Moses and the Levites interpreted it [so that] the people understood what was read (Nehemiah 8:8). Men, women, and children stood – stood! – and listened for six straight hours, from early morning till noon, to hear words that hadn’t been heard in Jerusalem in over 70 years. No comfortably padded chairs. No heating or air conditioning. No roof over their heads. They wept when they heard the Word. It cut them right to the heart. They repented. They believed. They recognized how utterly sinful they were and how incredibly gracious God was. The Word was working just as God had promised. It was a holy day, made holy by the Word.

It was also a holy day in Nazareth, when Jesus, the carpenter’s son turned miracle-working rabbi, returned to his hometown synagogue on the Sabbath. The place was packed. They all wanted to hear from the hometown boy. The attendant handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah to Jesus and he found Isaiah 61. He read it out loud: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. And then he stopped and sat down. The place went silent. You could have heard a pin drop. What was he going to say? People had wondered for centuries who Isaiah was talking about. Was he talking about himself? (Acts 8:34) Was it John? Was it someone else? Who was this Anointed One? Jesus tells them: Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. “This prophecy is about me.” And, at first, they all spoke well of him and were impressed by the words of grace that came from his mouth.

But then the devil elbowed his way into their minds and elevated their reason over the Word. They kept saying, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” They remembered that Jesus had played in their streets with their kids, traveled with them to Jerusalem for the required festivals – that for 30 years Jesus walked and talked and lived like anyone else. “Wait a minute…who does this guy think he is? He leaves home, runs around with that weird, renegade cousin named John, and now he comes back and thinks he’s the Messiah? Well, we’ll see about that. Prove it, Jesus! You’ve done miracles for other people, do one for us. Prove yourself here and we’ll believe you, but until you prove it we are going to reject your message.”

Jesus knew what they were thinking. Amen I tell you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown. He reminded them that there were lots of widows in Israel but God sent Elijah to the widow at Zarephath (Elijah 17:7-24) and there were lots of lepers in Israel but Elisha healed Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5) – both of whom were Gentiles. He was sending them both a fact and a warning: if you reject the Word, don’t expect miracles. Faith doesn’t come from seeing miracles but from hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). If you continue in your unbelief, God will take his Word away from you and give it to people who joyfully receive it. And with that, Jesus’ hometown congregation had heard enough. They were filled to the brim – not with faith, but with rage. “Let’s get rid of this guy! We don’t need to sit here and listen to him call us unbelievers and that we need him to save us from ourselves.” They drove him out of town and tried to throw him off a cliff. If you actually listen to what the Word says to you and about you, you can’t remain neutral. You either hear it with joy or you try to push Jesus out of your life. There is no middle ground.

Of course, Jesus slipped away because it wasn’t the time or place for him to die, but this was a bitter taste of the ultimate rejection to come. He was Anointed by God to save God’s people, but God’s people rejected him. Three years later they would finally succeed in pushing Jesus out of their lives for good – they would arrest and convict and beat and crucify him as a criminal. But only because he willingly allowed them to. Because only by dying could he pay for the world’s sin, death and unbelief (Hebrews 9:22). He had told them God had sent him to save them from their sins – and they wanted to kill him for it. Do you see how irrational unbelief is?

But today isn’t about the people of Nehemiah’s time or Jesus’ childhood neighbors. Today is about you…and me. Are we more like those people in Jerusalem or the people in Nazareth? We are both! We have split personalities when it comes to the Word of God; we are both glad hearers and angry despisers. Our old Adam rises up in rebellion against the Word, rejects its demand to rule our hearts and minds, resents the Law that exposes our sin and the Gospel that says God sent a Savior because we couldn’t save ourselves. It’s our old Adam that just wants to stay in bed on a frigid Sunday morning, that searches for excuses to avoid hearing the Word, that counts the seconds until the “Amen.” The old Adam hates church. He can’t wait to get as far away from the Word as possible because he knows that the Word means his death. He must be coerced, compelled, threatened, forced to hear it. He’s why you and I do not always gladly hear the Word of God and obey it (Romans 7:18).

But the New Man in you is different. The New Man is an eager listener. The New Man would gladly stand in a crowd outside the Water Gate in Jerusalem and listen to the Word of God for six hours – to say nothing of driving through a little snow and cold to sit in a padded chair in a climate-controlled sanctuary for one hour. That’s the real you. The you who was reborn in Baptism. The you that died and rose with Christ. The you who rejoices at every opportunity to hear and study and read God’s Word, who gets a shiver down your spine whenever you hear that God loved you so much that he sent his Son to die for your sins, so that he might call you his child and give you the inheritance of eternal life.

You know what that means, right? It means war. It means that each of our lives is a never-ending war between the old Adam and the new man. It is a weekly struggle to make the trek to church. A minute by minute struggle to pay attention. A daily battle to open up the Bible at home and read it and teach it to our children. An ongoing struggle against the devil’s temptations to become apathetic toward the amazing good news of God’s grace for sinners. It means that we need to repent for allowing the Old Adam to gain the upper hand, for treating God’s grace as old news or irrelevant news or fake news, for refusing to receive the gifts Jesus wants to give us, for treating the Word as something optional or secondary in our lives, even for wanting to shut Jesus up and get rid of him. We need to drag the old Adam here kicking and screaming and repent because that is how God puts him to death.

And then we rejoice. We rejoice not because we have overcome the old Adam. Let’s be honest, none of us have. No, we rejoice because Jesus has overcome where we have failed. We were the captive, blind and oppressed ones Isaiah was talking about – but Jesus is the Anointed one who came to live and die and rise again to set us free. Your sins – even your sins of apathy – are forgiven. You stand justified before God. You are his child through baptism. You have a place in his heavenly mansion. That’s the Gospel. It might make you mad or glad, sad or joyful, you may want to hear more or you might just want me to shut up – because the Word always gets both equal and opposite reactions. But there’s no denying this fact: that this day at Risen Savior is a holy day because this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Amen.

[1] LW 45:352

Titus 3:4-7 - Epiphany Reveals God's Kindness and Love - January 16, 2022

In every nation and culture that has ever existed, kindness and love have been seen as positive virtues, as qualities to be nurtured and encouraged and praised. But there’s a problem with kindness and love; two of them actually. First, these virtues are invisible; you can’t tell that someone is kind and loving just by looking at them. This is true of humans, obviously; but it’s also true of God. We can’t know what’s in God’s heart unless and until he reveals it to us. Second, as a result of sin, our world has perverted the virtues of love and kindness to justify truly evil behaviors. Euthanasia, abortion, same-sex marriage and, more recently, encouraging even children to identify as the opposite gender are all evils that are justified by perverted ideas of kindness and love. We’re not blameless either. How many times have we used kindness or love to justify not saying something to the friend or family member who is caught up in sin or unbelief? If we are honest with ourselves, don’t selfishness and a desire for recognition and glory taint even our kindest and most loving words and actions? Since sin has so ruined our concept of kindness and love, we need a refresher course from the One who is love and kindness (1 John 4:8). As we continue the season of Epiphany, Paul says that God has revealed his kindness and love to us and for us in three very real ways.

Epiphany comes from the Greek word epiphaino which means “to reveal or to appear.” It’s the word Paul uses in verse 4: when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared. This is profound: when Jesus appeared, both in Bethlehem as a baby, and in the Jordan River as the Savior of sinners, he revealed something about God that we could never have discovered by ourselves (Matthew 11:27): namely, that he is kind and loving. It was kindness because Jesus didn’t come for his own benefit, but for ours; not to gain anything for himself but to give up everything in order to gain salvation for us. And Jesus’ appearance reveals God’s love – a very specific kind of love. The word Paul uses here is philanthropia (our word philanthropy) – in that out of all the various parts and pieces of creation, God sent his Son not to save dogs or dolphins, but humans.

Now, it’s easy for us as Christians to take God’s love and kindness for granted – since we are reminded of them every time we open our Bibles, every time we hear the absolution, every time remember our Baptisms or receive Holy Communion. But God’s love and kindness stand in stark contrast Paul’s description of mankind in the verse preceding our text: at one time we ourselves were also foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by many kinds of evil desires and pleasures, living in malice and jealousy, being hated and hating one another. He’s not just describing what the world was like – that is, what unbelievers and pagans and idolaters were like – but that’s what we – Christians, believers – were like. Since it’s so tempting for us to exaggerate how kind and loving we are – God reveals the truth to us. We were not – and often are not – kind and loving. In fact, apart from him we were the complete opposite: foolish, disobedient and filled with hate. That’s what makes Christmas and Epiphany so astounding – not that they came from God, for he is love (1 John 4:8) – but that God loved us; poor, miserable, rotten creatures. Creatures who don’t deserve even an ounce of kindness or love.

That’s what Paul is emphasizing in his next statement: he saved us – not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy. It’s not just that God had to overlook those few times when we didn’t do the right thing, it’s not that we were good most of the time and only failed here or there – no, God didn’t save us because of any of the righteous things we had done…because there weren’t any. Isaiah says that all of our righteous acts look like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). Hebrews says that apart from faith, we can’t do anything good in God’s eyes (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, the primary cause for God to send his Son into this world was not in us, but in him; not in our righteous works, but in his mercy. Mercy is pity or compassion in action for those in a hopeless condition. Our condition was hopeless: we were doomed to a short and miserable life here on earth and an eternity in hell. That’s why God stepped in and in his mercy sent his Son into this world. That’s why Christmas is not just a nice, heart-warming story and Jesus’ baptism is not just a interesting detail from his life. From Bethlehem to the Jordan to Calvary, Jesus’ time on this earth was not a leisurely vacation but the most dramatic rescue mission in human history.

Perhaps this gives us a better appreciation for the structure of the Christian church year. In Advent, we prepared to receive God’s Christmas gift. On Christmas we received God’s Christmas gift once again. But imagine if you received a gift and weren’t allowed to open it. That’s what the Epiphany season is about: unwrapping, unpacking, and understanding God’s Christmas gift to us. As we move from Epiphany into Lent, we will view firsthand Jesus’ path of suffering up to and on the cross – which was the price it cost to pay our debt of sin and earn our forgiveness. And then we leave Calvary to stand outside the empty tomb, where we see proof positive that the appearance of Jesus demonstrates God’s kindness and love which offers salvation to lost sinners (Romans 4:25).

Our faith and our certainty of salvation always start there – with the objective facts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection – but it doesn’t end there. Paul goes on to explain how those facts apply to us: he saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. What is Paul describing here? Washing…rebirth…poured out. He’s talking about baptism. In no uncertain terms, Paul is stating that sinners are saved from hell when they are baptized with water and the Word. Rebirth and renewal are the two results of this washing. The first time you were born, what did you inherit from your parents besides your eye color and lame sense of humor? Sin and death. From the moment you took your first breath you were destined to fight against God’s will for you each and every day until your death. But when you were baptized, you were reborn – not in the image of your parents, but in the image of Jesus (Romans 6:3-5). Baptism is where everything Jesus did – his perfect life and his innocent death – become your personal possession. And along with rebirth, God worked renewal by the Holy Spirit in your Baptism. What is renewal? Well, do you know how every once in a while, one of your devices becomes corrupted and you need to restore the default factory settings. That’s the idea of renewal: the Holy Spirit restores the default settings he had originally given to Adam and Eve, so that we once again want what God wants (Romans 6:4). Through the renewal that God gave us in Baptism, we are again able to be kind and loving; to live not just to serve ourselves, but to serve God and others.

Now, not everyone believes what the Bible says about baptism. Some people think that baptism is something we do for God. They think of baptism as an act of obedience or an outward symbol of an inward commitment they have made. But listen again to Paul’s description of baptism – who is the doer, the active one in baptism? He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the active ones in baptism. He reaches into the dead, godless, lifeless hearts of all ages and creates faith in them and enables them to live for him. If it were up to us, even just a little; we would ruin it. But Epiphany reveals God’s unearned, undeserved kindness and love through the washing of Holy Baptism.

Finally, what is the end goal of all of this – why did God put so much effort into sending his Son into the world and giving us new birth and renewal in baptism? Paul concludes: so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life. Contrary to what many believe and teach today, Jesus didn’t come to this earth so that we could all be rich and happy. He didn’t come to earth merely to give us advice on how we might have healthier marriages and families. He didn’t come to fulfill all of our dreams or so that we would have our best lives now. Everything that Jesus did he did for one reason: so that when we die, we wouldn’t be condemned to hell but instead inherit heaven. Usually, an heir receives an inheritance when someone else dies – but for us, as baptized believers – the inheritance of heaven is what we receive when we die.

This has a profound impact on our worldview, our entire outlook on life. Most people in our world today view life as something to be cherished and enjoyed to its fullest because, well, this is all there is (this pandemic has revealed this in a stark way: it has people behaving in all sorts of irrational and utterly panicked ways because they have no hope of eternal life). Many in our world live by the mantra You Only Live Once. Even Christians can get sucked into making a long and satisfying retirement in which they can check off all the things on their personal bucket lists as the ultimate goal of life. But as Christians, we know (or at least we should know) that this life is nothing more and nothing less than preparation for eternal life (Psalm 90:12). For Christians, the grave doesn’t mark the end of the story, but the beginning – for only when we have finally been freed from our slavery to sin, death and the devil will we truly begin to live life as God intended it to be.

Our hope as we walk out those doors to continue the daily war against Satan and every evil is that we are already victorious; that eternal life is ours. And this hope is not tenuous or uncertain – it’s not like the hope we have that the weather will warm up or that a particular football team will win this afternoon. No. Our hope of heaven is rock solid and certain. It is certainty that is grounded on the appearance of Jesus in this world to live, suffer and die as our perfect substitute. It is certainty that becomes ours when God applies his Son’s work to us personally in the sacrament of Holy Baptism. It is certainty that is sustained and strengthened by the countless promises our Father has given us in his Word, my favorite of which is this one from Isaiah: even if the mountains are removed, and the hills are overthrown, my mercy will not be removed from you, and my covenant of peace will not be overthrown, says the LORD (Isaiah 54:10). Amen.

1 Kings 10:1-9 - You Don't Know the Half of It - January 9, 2022

We’ve all heard some variation of the phrase, “You don’t know the half of it.” It’s usually used to describe something really good or really bad – we’ll use it to describe how terrible the weather was, how amazing our vacation was, or how Covid messed up all our plans – people use that phrase to emphasize that you really had to be there (or be in their shoes) to understand what it was really like. The season of Epiphany has a dual focus of revealing Jesus as true God and Savior of the world and Jesus revealing the one, true God to the world. Paul offers as good a definition of Epiphany as anyone what no eye has seen and no ear has heard and no human mind has conceived – that is what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9). Epiphany reminds us that no matter how many times we’ve heard the Gospel of Christ crucified for sinners, we still don’t even know the half of it.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding this Queen of Sheba who is introduced to us in this account from 1 Kings. Some suggest that she was the famous female Pharoah of Egypt called Hatshepsut. Others argue that Sheba was a region south of Egypt, near present-day Ethiopia. Still others believe that she came from the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, from present-day Yemen. What all Bible believing people must agree on, however, is that this mysterious woman traveled a considerable distance just to see the famous King Solomon. If she was, as most scholars today conclude, from the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula – in modern day Yemen – then she traveled no less than 1200 miles to see Solomon.  This was a bucket-list trip for this woman. A trip which would have taken her away from her throne for months, if not more than a year.

But our text makes it clear that it was worth the time and effort to make the trip. Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he built, and the food on his table. When she saw the council meeting of his officials, the careful attention of his ministers, as well as their attire, his cupbearers, and the whole burnt offerings which he offered at the House of the Lord, it took her breath away. She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your accomplishments and your wisdom is true. I did not believe the report until I came and saw it with my own eyes. The truth is, not even half of it was told to me! Your wisdom and wealth surpass the report which I heard.

A few verses later we are told that she and her servants returned to her country (1 Kings 10:13). This is the last time we hear about the mysterious Queen of Sheba…that is, until roughly 1000 years later when we hear her name uttered by Jesus himself in his condemnation of the unbelieving Pharisees: the Queen of the South will be raised up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. But one even greater than Solomon is here (Matthew 12:42). Jesus wasn’t just bragging. He wasn’t displaying arrogance or insecurity. He was dealing with the very real fact that the chosen people of Israel – the very people who should have been ready and waiting for his arrival – had rejected him in stubborn, hard-hearted unbelief. They had actually accused him of working for Satan (Matthew 12:24). And then they even had the gall to demand that he give them a sign to prove that he was who he claimed to be (Matthew 12:38). Jesus pointed back to this story about the Queen of Sheba because, while she spared no cost or effort to see and listen to Solomon’s wisdom, these Pharisees and experts in the law refused to listen to and believe Jesus’ wisdom even though he was standing right in front of them. They knew that God had promised to send a Savior who would reveal him to the world, they knew half of the story – but when Jesus appeared, they refused to receive him, the fulfillment of those promises.

You all had to travel to be here this morning – some of you a considerable distance. You had to get yourselves and your children out of your warm beds and showered and dressed and venture out into the frigid January air to drive here to church. And I commend you for your commitment and dedication. I thank God that he has led you to spend a portion of your weekend immersing yourself in God’s Word. At the same time, you didn’t have to travel for days or months to get here. None of us traveled 1200 miles. No, it’s relatively convenient for you to be here on Sunday morning. And it’s a fairly short time commitment (an hour, maybe two), considering that, in comparison, many of you probably spend 40 or 50 or 60 hours working each week and might spend 3 or 4 hours on your couch this afternoon watching football or Netflix.

But what happens when it’s not so convenient to come to listen to Jesus and his wisdom that he brings to us from heaven? What happens when it’s just a little too cold, when there’s just a little too much snow on the roads, when you stayed up a little too late on Saturday night? What happens when you have non-WELS family staying at your house, when your children have sports or other activities on Sunday morning, when you’re out of town on vacation? What happens when your employer offers you double time or overtime for working on Sunday? What happens when coming to listen to Jesus is inconvenient? Everyone who has been confirmed knows that God didn’t say, “Remember the Sabbath Day when it’s convenient for you, on your schedule.” But we’re pretty good at justifying our absence, aren’t we? “I’ve heard it all before.” “I can always catch the service video online later in the week.” “I need at least one day to sleep in and rest up.” “I have to provide for my family and weekend overtime pay really helps with that.” “God wants me to love my family and care for my children, doesn’t he?” The devil loves to tempt us to regard this time of worship and Sunday school and Bible study like an optional, leisure activity rather than an absolute necessity; as a choice we’re free to make rather than a command from God. And when he wins; we sin. Whenever we skip worship because it’s inconvenient, we knowingly disobey God’s 3rd commandment and spit in the face of the Savior he sent to die for us. For the times we have despised or neglected opportunities to hear God’s Word – and we all have – we too deserve to have the Queen of the South rise up to condemn us on Judgment Day.

But our disobedience to the 3rd Commandment isn’t the worst part of neglecting worship whenever it’s inconvenient. The worst part is that we are robbing ourselves of a precious opportunity to hear the other half of the story. You know your half. You know how your story is filled with sin: idols of all shapes and sizes, misuse and abuse of God’s name, disrespect for God’s representatives, hatred and lust, theft and slander and covetousness. We know how depressing and broken our half of the story is and that it leaves us deserving only death. That’s the real reason we need to be here: to hear Jesus’ half of the story. Jesus’ half is filled with perfect obedience and atoning sacrifice and the wisdom of God hidden in Word and Sacrament which gives forgiveness and peace, comfort and the hope of eternal life. Where else on earth can you receive those things?

While we can’t say with any degree of certainty that the Queen of Sheba returned to her home as a believer in the one, true God; we can say that she didn’t regret taking the time to travel to see and hear Solomon and his wisdom. Far from it; she gushed over her experience: blessed are your men, blessed are your servants, who stand before you continually hearing your wisdom! May the Lord your God be blessed, who was pleased to put you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loves Israel forever, he made you king to administer justice and righteousness. Is that how you describe your experience here in worship to others? Do you gush over the forgiveness, peace and joy you receive here every week? If not, why not? Let’s just compare what the Queen of Sheba experienced to what we are privileged to experience here on a weekly basis. Sure, the Lord had given Solomon wisdom and riches and fame that surpassed anyone else in human history (1 Kings 3:10-14), but Jesus, the one who meets us here, is the power of God and the wisdom of God in the flesh (1 Corinthians 1:24). Sure, Solomon spoke and wrote wise sayings about topics ranging from government to the economy, from nature to astronomy, from marriage to just finding a way to survive in this fallen world (read Proverbs and Ecclesiastes for a taste of this wisdom), but only Jesus can make us wise for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). Sure, Solomon’s temple was an architectural wonder and his treasuries were overflowing with gold and silver (2 Chronicles 9:13-28), but Jesus offers us a home in the heavenly Jerusalem, where even the streets are paved with gold (Revelation 21:21) and he has prepared mansions for each of us (John 14:2). And that’s only a taste of the other half of the story that Jesus wants to give you each and every week here in his house. Why let anything inconvenience you from seeing and receiving these blessings and promises?

But that’s not even the most exciting, the most unexpected aspect of Jesus’ half of the story. During the season of Epiphany, we focus on the revealing, the unveiling, the “appearance” of Jesus as the Savior of the world. Here’s the thing: it was incredibly inconvenient for Jesus to become the Savior of the world. He was the eternal Son of God; he had been enjoying the glory of heaven at his Father’s right hand; he had everything and needed nothing. But he had been observing humanity spiraling down the drain of sin towards hell for thousands of years, and in his mercy and love, he planned to do something about it. And when the time was right, he made the trip down to earth (Galatians 4:4-5). He didn’t have an entourage; he didn’t pack anything; he left all the riches of heaven behind. And it was much more than a thousand mile round-trip and a year away from home. It was an expedition from the perfection of Paradise to the pit of depravity that lasted 33 years. And it wasn’t luxurious for him in any way. From his birth to his life to his death, it was all extremely humiliating, painful and inconvenient. He was born in a stable (Luke 2:7); had to flee Herod’s murderous hatred (Matthew 2:13-18); he was slandered as the illegitimate son of a carpenter (John 8:39-41). He was mocked and ridiculed and several attempts were made on his life (Luke 4:29-30). Finally, he was unjustly arrested, brutally tortured and nailed to a cross to die. None of it was convenient for him, but Jesus inconvenienced himself for a reason: to save us from the hell our sins deserved.

And now he wants to tell you about it. Every week he wants to give you a break from your half of the story – the half that’s filled with disappointment and pain and sin and sorrow – and tell you his half. He wants to explain to you exactly what he did and how what he did forgives your sins and gives you peace out there in your half of life and clarify what it all means for your past, present and future. And he doesn’t make it difficult at all. He makes himself available in the Bible – a resource you can access 24/7 anywhere on the planet (even on that smartphone you take everywhere with you). He’s worked to ensure that he is available to you in Word and Sacrament in weekly worship services, Bible studies and Sunday school here in your own hometown. You don’t have to travel thousands of miles or take months off of work to learn from Jesus, he is present right here, eager to tell you about the forgiveness, peace, and salvation that he won for you by his life, death and resurrection. That’s true wealth and wisdom. Seeing and receiving these blessings is well worth our time and effort.

Whenever I hear someone say, “You don’t know the half of it,” I generally assume that they’re exaggerating whatever it is they’re talking about. The Queen of Sheba discovered that there was no exaggeration to Solomon’s wisdom or wealth or fame – she admitted that she hadn’t even heard the half of it. But what Solomon had to offer pales in comparison to what Jesus offers to us here and now. You don’t know the half of what Jesus wants to give you: so in this new year don’t let any inconvenience get in the way of seeing and receiving your Lord’s blessings. Amen.

Luke 2:21 - Because a Baby Boy Bled - January 2, 2022

This weekend the world held the biggest party of the year. My question is: why? I guess because we turned a page of the calendar. Is that really any reason to celebrate? We’re all a year older than we were 365 days ago, with more aches and pains, more gray hair and wrinkles, we’re all one year closer to death. Sure, you always hear people saying that they hope the new year will be better than the last. But do we really have any reason to hold out that hope this year? Between runaway inflation, new variants of Covid, rising crime rates, political polarization, rampant immorality, and animosity between nations – do we have any reason or right to be optimistic about 2022? Well, actually, yes. That is, Christians – those who have received and believed in Christ this Christmas – have every reason and right to wish a fond farewell to 2021 and have confident optimism as we step into 2022. Why? Because a baby boy bled.

The obvious question is: why did Mary and Joseph circumcise Jesus? Bible scholars have twisted themselves into knots trying to explain this, but the answer is very simple: because God said so. 2000 years earlier, God had told Abraham: this is my covenant, which you shall keep, a covenant between me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised by cutting the foreskin off your flesh. It will be a sign of the covenant between me and you (Genesis 17:10-12). For Abraham and his descendants, circumcision was a sign of God’s unilateral (one-sided) promise to save them. God repeated this covenantal agreement with Moses and the Israelites years later (Leviticus 12:1-3). In this way circumcision proclaimed both law and gospel. It was law in that it was a painful, bloody reminder that infants – which most people, even many Christians, mistakenly consider to be innocent and blameless – are, in fact, tainted with the terminal infection of original sin (Psalm 51:5). Babies are born with black, rebellious, ungodly, unbelieving hearts. Babies are born to curse and hate and murder and steal and lie and covet. (And if you doubt that, just remember that you were once a baby, too.) And because of original sin, babies are born to die now and forever in hell. Thus, circumcision was a visible, physical reminder of where the total depravity of humanity comes from.

Martin Luther put it this way: Why did God not command to circumcise the finger, hand, foot, ear, eye or some other member of the body? Rather he selects that member which serves no other work and practice in human life and was created by God only for the procreation and increase of mankind. If the evil was to be lopped off, then the hand or the tongue should in fairness have been circumcised before all the other members, since all wickedness among men is performed by the tongue and the hand…Circumcision is to picture what we are always saying: that God does not condemn or save the person because of the works but the works because of the person. Therefore our fault does not lie in the works but in our nature. Our person, nature, and entire being are corrupted in us through Adam’s fall…If, then, he had commanded the hand or the tongue to be circumcised, this would have been an indication that the fault lay in the words and works, that he is favorably disposed toward the nature and the person and hates only the words and the works. But now, since he takes that member which performs no other work than the procreation of human nature and personal being, he makes it clear that the fault lies in the entire essence of human nature, that its birth and the entire origin is corrupt and sinful. [1] Circumcision shows us that our biggest problem – no matter what year the calendar says it is – is not that we sin; our biggest problem is that down to our very core, we are sinful.

But circumcision was also a visible declaration of the Gospel. It was a reminder to Israel that God had promised to send a Savior and that this Savior would come from the seed of Abraham (Genesis 22:18). Every time a baby boy bled on the eighth day of his life in Israel, God was reminding his people of his promise that when the time was just right, he would send his only-begotten Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law (Galatians 4:4).

But we still haven’t really answered the question, have we? Why was Jesus – who, by virtue of his conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:20) didn’t have a sinful nature – circumcised? Because of us. Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day of his life because we haven’t lived up to God’s expectations even one day of our lives. Jesus bled to obey God in our place, on our behalf. And because Jesus bled we are assured that we don’t have to pay for our sins of 2021 – or 2022 for that matter – with an eternity in hell. Jesus’ circumcision is a reminder that he didn’t just die for us, he lived for us too. When we are talking about redemption and salvation, we often focus on Jesus’ passive obedience to the law: his suffering and death. Here we see an example of Jesus’ active obedience to the law. Jesus actively did something that he didn’t have to do as God’s perfect Son; but something he did to serve as our perfect substitute. Jesus obeyed his Father’s will even as an eight-day old infant. He did it, so that even though each of us were totally depraved, polluted with sin inherited from our parents that no soap will scrub off and no effort can sweat away – we might be saved. Through faith, you receive what Jesus did so that when God looks at you he only sees Jesus – perfect in every way. Through faith you will receive evidence and assurance of this good news through Jesus’ body and blood in His Supper. Today is a day for celebration; because baby Jesus bled, we have forgiveness in his name.

We don’t have to practice circumcision out of obedience to God’s Law anymore because Jesus has fulfilled (i.e. he kept it perfectly and therefore removed the need for it) that element of God’s ceremonial law (1 Corinthians 7:17-19). But God still confirms his promise to save us in a visible and physical way today through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Law and Gospel are both still preached at the font; baptism continues to remind us that babies are born sinful and in need of a Savior. Baptism is also a continual reminder to us that salvation is unilateral – God saves us without any participation on our part – he puts the sinful nature to death by drowning it in Jesus’ blood and he creates a new life of faith through the power of the His Word. Because baby Jesus bled – both eight days after his birth and three decades later on Calvary’s cross – we can be confident that our children are saved through water and the Word even before they can walk, talk, or confess their faith.

And just like circumcision marked a baby boy for the rest of his life, God intends for baptism to have life-long effects. Picture it this way: when God found us we were like fish flopping around on the beach doomed to die, with no hope of saving ourselves. In Baptism, God picked us up, breathed life into us and placed us into his living water. As Christians, we continue to swim in the waters of Baptism by daily confessing our sins and receiving forgiveness. Our Baptism into Christ is the reason we can be hopeful and joyful as we stand on the brink of another new year – even though we don’t know where or how or if we will make it to 2023. Because Jesus bled not only has our slate of sins from 2021 been wiped clean but wherever we go and whatever we do in 2022 we do it all in Jesus’ name and with God’s blessing. And because we are so quick to forget that, God regularly reminds us right when we enter his house in the invocation and again when we leave his house by placing his name and his blessing on us. Our world likes to make resolutions this time of year to be better, healthier, kinder, more generous. Sadly, statistics say that only about 8% of New Year’s resolutions are kept [2] – which means that for the vast majority of the world 2022 will not really be any better than 2021. But because Jesus resolved to be born for us, to bleed for us, to live for us, to die and rise again for us – we can be sure that wherever life takes us in 2022, we will live it in Jesus’ name.

Finally, Luke reminds us that this news is too good for us to keep to ourselves, he encourages us to resolve to spend 2022 proclaiming Jesus’ name. Now you might ask: how does Luke do that? Where in this single verse is there anything about sharing and spreading the Gospel? Let’s read it again: after eight days passed, when the child was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Much like today, when parents will post pictures of their newborns on Facebook or send out cute postcards listing the height and weight of the next Packer’s linebacker – on the eighth day after he was born, Mary and Joseph made the bold, public announcement that the name of their baby would be Jesus – which means, the Lord saves (Matthew 1:21).

Understand what a remarkable act of faith this was for Mary and Joseph. They hadn’t been married when the angel showed up to tell them that they would be having a child (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38). They weren’t in the same bed when this child was conceived. They had been compelled by the Roman government to travel to Bethlehem at the very point when traveling was the last thing Mary should have been doing. There were no vacancies at the motels in Bethlehem and so they stayed in a stable. Strange shepherds were the only ones to come to congratulate them on the birth of their child. By all appearances, this was an illegitimate child born to poor, homeless, nameless Jews. By all appearances, there was nothing special about this child. By all appearances the world could care less about the birth of this child. But Mary and Joseph believed what the angel told them. They trusted that this child was more than he appeared, they believed he was their Savior and the Savior of the world. So they obeyed God by having him circumcised and by giving him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

What does this mean for us? Well, it means that we don’t need a voter’s meeting or polling data or the newest How to Make Your Church Grow book to determine our direction for the New Year. Proclaiming this name, Jesus – the Lord saves – has been the church’s mission since the beginning and will continue to be our mission in 2022. We will preach Jesus’ name to a world that has already moved on from the baby born in Bethlehem. We will baptize little depraved sinners in Jesus’ name and into his family. We will teach Jesus’ words and works to a new generation of young believers. We will feed and fortify the faith of all ages against the attacks of Satan and the world with Bible study and the Lord’s Supper. We may commit the bodies of fellow believers to the dust but we will commit their souls to the Father’s care in Jesus’ name. The name of Jesus is what we will tell our grandchildren and our coworkers and our neighbors – even if they don’t want to hear it. Proclaiming Jesus’ name is not an easy, and lately it seems an unpopular, resolution for the New Year. The world will not like it that we take the attention off of them and their accomplishments and point the spotlight at Jesus and what he has accomplished for us. But it is the only resolution that will save souls for all eternity. So here in our little corner of creation, because a baby boy bled for us, 2022 will find us proclaiming Jesus’ saving name.

The world around us had a huge party this weekend to celebrate little more than the turning of a page of the calendar. The church has much more to celebrate. We celebrate Sunday – not coincidentally, the 8th day of the week – as the day on which Jesus rose from the dead, we still stand in the glow of God’s Christmas gift to us, and today in particular we rejoice that because Jesus bled for us, we can look forward to 2022 with optimism, hope and joy because we are forgiven in his name, we live in his name, and we proclaim his name. Amen.

[1] Plass, Ewald M., What Luther Says, 321

[2] https://nypost.com/2018/12/21/new-years-resolutions-last-exactly-this-long/

Acts 6:8-7:2a, 51-60 - God Is with Us - December 26, 2021

If I were to ask you to summarize the true meaning of Christmas with just one word, what would it be? (And no, you can’t say “Jesus”). I know, because you are here again on the day after Christmas, that you wouldn’t say, “cheer,” or “gifts,” or “family.” But what would you say? How about Immanuel? Immanuel is the name the Lord gave to the baby born to Mary and Joseph through the prophet Isaiah; a name which means God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23). Isn’t that the real meaning of Christmas – that in that little baby named Jesus, God is with us? Even more, isn’t that the only way we can handle day-to-day life in this world, standing on Jesus’ promise: surely I am with you always until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). This is the truth of Christmas that comforts us all year long and the message that we proclaim to the world: God is with us.

So what does that have to do with today? Today is the day the church has chosen to remember the first person to die for confessing this truth after Jesus’ Ascension: Stephen. I know it may seem that the day after Christmas is a somewhat strange time to focus on something as gloomy as persecution and martyrdom – but Stephen’s story helps us better understand what that core truth of Christmas means, that God is with us.

Ever since God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden for their rebellion (Genesis 3:24), it’s been difficult – if not impossible – for the average believer to discern God’s presence in their daily lives. (Yes, God spoke once in a while to a patriarch or prophet – but that was a very rare occurrence.) A Romanian priest named Richard Wurmbrand tells of a Yugoslavian man who was arrested and tortured for his faith. In time, his hope and courage changed to doubt and despair. He eventually hanged himself and left the following note for his wife: “I have gone to remind God of a world he has forgotten.” [1] He’s not alone in thinking that God has abandoned this world, is he? If God is with us, why is there so much suffering and sadness in our lives and the lives of those we love? If God is in control, why did he allow tornados to take dozens of lives a few weeks ago? If God is good, why did he allow those Christian missionaries to be kidnapped in Haiti? [2] Where is God in a country where murdering your own child is legal but requiring someone to use the restroom that matches their biological gender is increasingly illegal?

The Christians in Stephen’s day must have wondered the same thing. Stephen was one of seven deacons who were chosen to assist the apostles with the daily distribution of food so that the apostles could focus on preaching and teaching (Acts 6:1-2). Scripture describes him as full of grace and power; a man who did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people (Acts 6:8). He was also a courageous man – a man who boldly confessed Christ crucified for sinners before hostile audiences and even the Sanhedrin itself (Acts 6:12).

And that’s what got him into trouble. Stephen’s opponents were unable to stand up against the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking (Acts 6:10). So they resorted to a smear campaign. They presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops making threats against this holy place and the law. In fact, we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs Moses handed down to us.” Stephen was placed on trial for blasphemy – a capital crime under God’s OT Law (Leviticus 24:13-16) – but even the threat of death could not stifle his bold confession of the truth. He used Israel’s infamous history of persecuting prophets as his defense and as evidence that the men who were accusing him of blasphemy were no different than their fathers: you stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit! You are doing just what your fathers did. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? This is when things reached the breaking point: when they heard these things, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him…they screamed at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and rushed at him with one purpose in mind. They threw him out of the city and stoned him. I don’t think anyone could blame the Christians at that time for wondering: “Is God really with us?”

Stephen’s death reminds us of two important truths. First, this is a fallen, broken, sinful world and it is ruled by the devil himself (John 12:31). It is a world which will never, ever love the truth of Christ crucified for sinners, but will always despise it, try to silence it, and persecute those who confess it (John 15:18). It will never be “safe” to be a Christian in this world. Second, Stephen’s death reminds us that the same may happen to us. Now I don’t think any of us have ever been kidnapped for our confession and clearly none of us have given our lives – but how many of us have died “little deaths” for the sake of the Christ? How many of us have had a vicious argument or a falling out with a family member who views the historic Christian faith as antiquated and bigoted today? How many of us have chafed as we hear celebrities and politicians mock and ridicule Christians as ignorant and stupid? On the other hand, maybe we’ve never felt pressured or persecuted for our confession. Then the question should be: why not? Is it because we have an unwritten agreement that we won’t discuss sensitive “religious” topics at holiday gatherings? Is it because we’ve given into the pressure of our godless society and simply kept our mouths shut? I’m sure we would all have to confess that there have been times when we haven’t been bold and courageous like Stephen, when we’ve been cowardly and quiet – and for that we need to repent.

Here’s the good news, whether you’ve gotten into trouble with the world because you’ve opened your mouth or offended your holy God because you kept it shut, Stephen’s story assures us that God is with us. Listen again as Stephen’s story reached it’s climax: Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed up into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. In that dark moment, even as Stephen’s enemies were pelting the life out of him, Stephen looked up and saw Jesus. Jesus, who had given up the riches of heaven to come to earth to be born in a manger. Jesus, who had lived a perfect life in Stephen’s place. Jesus, who had suffered and died to atone for Stephen’s sins. Jesus, who did not stay dead, but rose to life. This same Jesus was now standing at God’s right hand – and seeing Jesus with all power and glory assured Stephen that God was still with him.

“Good for him, but I’ve never seen Jesus in the dark and lonely moments of my life,” you may be thinking. Oh, yes you have! You may have noticed that some churches have placed the baptismal font right at the entrance to the sanctuary – that is to be a visible reminder that while you may not have seen Jesus when you were baptized, he saw you and claimed you as his possession. You see Jesus every time you open your Bible or hear a sermon. You know how looking at a photo album (or today, scrolling through pictures on your phone) tells a story about your life and the lives of the people you love? This book is God’s love letter to you – detailing all that he did to save you through Jesus. When you receive Holy Communion Jesus is coming to you in a physical, tangible form – telling you, “I haven’t forgotten you, here I am with you, for you, to save you.” And, for all those times that we have folded under the pressure and failed to confess Christ, Jesus comes in the Absolution to assure us that he has paid for even those sins.

And when we see Jesus in these means of grace as proof that God is still with us, then we can also see one of the most difficult things it is for any Christian to see. Christians love to create and purchase art containing Romans 8:28: 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 that’s fine. But I think a lot of Christians don’t understand what that passage means. They think it means that everything in life will be good for believers. That’s not what it means. It means that God will use everything – both good and bad things – for the eternal good of his people. But doesn’t that just beg the question: how can God use evil for our good? How can God possibly use things like sickness, sadness, depression, and persecution for our good?

Let’s go back to Stephen’s story. After Stephen was martyred, the Jews began an intense persecution of the Christians in Jerusalem, forcing them to flee to Judea and Samaria – and, eventually, throughout the entire ancient world (Acts 8:1-3). I’m pretty sure that none of these Christians thought it was “good” that they were forced to leave their homes and friends and jobs. But remember this: Jesus had promised his disciples you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) and as these Christians fled the Gospel spread with them like a virus throughout the entire ancient world. (Maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words.) Wherever these Christians went they boldly proclaimed the Gospel and established churches.

How many thousands of people were brought to faith as a result of Stephen’s death, the intense persecution and the dispersion of these Christians throughout the world? Only God knows. But think of the impact that Stephen’s courageous confession must have had on at least one man: a young man named Saul. How often do you think that the Pharisee Saul – forcibly converted by Jesus into a Christian missionary named Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-18) – thought about Stephen’s fearless confession as he faced danger and persecution and death himself in his ministry for Christ? How much do you think Stephen’s faithful confession of Christ influenced the letters Paul wrote to numerous congregations – letters which still speak to us today? Would there have ever been an Apostle Paul if it weren’t for the martyred Stephen? Would there have ever been a Martin Luther if it weren’t for Paul’s letter to the Romans – which played a huge role in opening Luther’s eyes to the foundational truths of grace alone, faith alone, and Scripture alone? Would we have ever heard the Gospel if the Lord hadn’t worked from Stephen to Paul to Martin Luther to a parent or grandparent or pastor or teacher in our own lives? Again, only God knows.

The point is that God can (and does) use our courageous confession in the face of hostility and suffering to make an incredible impact on others and to bring glory to his name. I don’t know when or where you will face pressure and hostility and suffering for confessing Christ. It might be with your family and friends this holiday season when you courageously call them out for their openly sinful lifestyles. It might be in the office when you refuse to abide by immoral, politically correct policies. It might be on social media when you refuse to condone homosexuality and transgenderism as acceptable lifestyles. But what I do know is that even if its hard and even if it hurts, God can and will use your bold confession for good – the greatest of which would be to lead others to repentance, faith and salvation.

It may seem strange to be considering the violent death of a Christian the day after Christmas – but I hope it helps you to see that that single word summary of the core truth of Christmas – Immanuel – is not just a cute name, but is the guarantee that in good times and bad, when faced with warmth or hostility, this fact remains true: God is with us. Amen.   

[1] Richard Wurmbrand, Reaching Toward the Heights, 1977

[2] https://people.com/human-interest/missionaries-who-were-held-captive-by-gang-in-haiti-detail-their-escape/

Luke 2:9-11 - An Angel Delivers the Real News of Christmas - December 25, 2021

Why do you think God chose an angel to deliver the news of the Savior’s birth in Bethlehem? Were there no prophets available? Were the priests and Levites all on vacation? Did the sheep and donkeys reject the task (Numbers 22:21-35)? Were all of the Bethlehem Bee reporters busy covering the aftermath of multi-camel pileup? No, I think God chose an angel to be his mouthpiece because he wanted those shepherds, the world and us to have a clear understanding of the real good news of Christmas.

Let’s imagine, for a moment, that we had to rely on today’s media to cover and communicate the real news of Christmas. The one thing that no one will argue about the priorities of the media is that “if it bleeds, it leads;” – meaning that the media tends to promote and even fabricate negative aspects of any given story. For example, if the media is reporting on a hurricane – even if no one is hurt and no property is damaged, the headline might be “Experts say that recent hurricane is sure sign of future catastrophic weather events.” A story on a booming sales season for Christmas retailers will close with, “But a slow January is expected to offset those gains,” or “A good 4th quarter can’t make up for a dismal 3rd quarter.” When it comes to Covid, media alarmism is probably more responsible for the fear and panic that remains out there more than the actual facts and science do.

Given the media’s tendency toward alarmism and negativity, just imagine how they would have reported the first Christmas: “Census Forces Thousands to Crowd Little Town of Bethlehem – Experts Warn of Super Spreader Event;” “Alleged “Virgin” Gives Birth – Sexual Assault being Investigated;” “Shepherds Claim to Have Witnessed a Multitude of Angels Singing God’s Praises – Drug Use Suspected;” “Newborn Infant Found in Feed Trough – Child Protective Services has Been Notified.”

If it was the media’s job to announce the birth of Jesus, they’d make his birth bad – or at least, tainted news. Do we ever do the same? We’ve spent weeks and maybe months planning our travel schedules, buying gifts, baking and cooking and celebrating with family and friends – and how many of us are, by today – which is actually the first day of the Christmas season, not the last – feeling a bit like Ebenezer Scrooge: just ready for it all to be over with. Is Christmas tainted because we are stressed out over the gift we forgot to buy or the cookies we forgot to bake or the card we forgot to send? When people ask us how our Christmas was, don’t we tend to highlight the negatives too: the sickness, the bad weather, the rate of inflation, the wrong-sized gift? The only possible reason a Christian would have for making the news of Christmas bad or tainted news is if we begin to believe that Christmas is about us.

If today’s media were reporting on the news from Bethlehem, not only would they make the news negative, they’d get the details wrong. If we’ve learned nothing else over the past several years, it’s that the media isn’t as interested in the facts as they are in forwarding a specific narrative. I could cite dozens of examples, but here’s just one: On November 22, CNN reported, “At Least 5 Killed After SUV Plows Into Wisconsin Holiday Parade” [1] No, an SUV didn’t just drive itself into a crowd of people. And that “holiday parade” was not celebrating Hanukkah or Kwanza, it was a “Christmas Parade.” [2] And that’s just one example of how our contemporary media cares less about factual accuracy than their politically correct narrative.

If today’s media were covering the first Christmas, I imagine that they’d get most of the details wrong. Instead of being born in Bethlehem, Jesus would have been born in Bethany. Instead of Jesus being placed in a manger they’d have placed him in the manager’s office of the inn. Instead of being wrapped in swaddling clothes they’d have wrapped him in a straight jacket – or something along those lines.

Well, we don’t do anything like that, do we? We would never skip over the factual details of Christmas in the interest of forwarding a false narrative, would we? Have we dropped some change into one of those red kettles outside the grocery store thinking we were doing something good when in truth we’re aiding and abetting a false-teaching church – John says the one who wishes him well shares in his wicked works (2 John 11)? How many of us have deceived our children with the work-righteous lie of “do good, get good” that lies at the heart of the fat man in the red suit and the elf on the shelf? How many of us deep down think that Christmas is really about family and being kinder to strangers? That’s getting the actually important details of Christmas wrong just as much as if you thought or taught that Jesus was born at the North Pole, wrapped in a stocking, and hung by the chimney.

If today’s media reported the news of Christmas, they would make it bad news, they’d screw up the details, and they’d ignore or censor the real good news. The real good news of Christmas is the miracle of the incarnation – and the media doesn’t report on miracles. Well, I shouldn’t say that. They will report on “reported” miracles – meaning that the media doesn’t actually believe that a miracle happened but that someone or some group believes that a miracle happened. Today’s media may report that “Today Christians Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Whom They Believe to Be Their Savior;” or “Today Christians Believe that a Virgin Conceived and Then Gave Birth to the Son of God.” In the eyes of the media, miracles never objectively happen. The media must locate miracles in the one who believes them.  

We Christians cannot and must not base Christmas on our faith or feelings. If we do, we lose the comfort of the objective Good News. If the Good News of Christmas depends on our believing, then all of the peripheral elements of Christmas must be perfect. Then it must be a white Christmas. Then the kids have to get along and absolutely love their presents. Then, if you happen to have family, work, health, or financial struggles – it’s impossible for Christmas to be genuinely good. If the good news of Christmas depends on whether you believe that it’s a good Christmas or not, then you’ll never find the real good news of Christmas.

Today’s news media would never report Christmas as being the greatest miracle God ever performed. According to them, virgins don’t give birth (although they will lobby for women to retain the right to murder their unborn babies) and angels don’t make public announcements (this angel probably would have had his Twitter account suspended today). “This can’t be anything more than the birth of another baby. Nothing special. God in human flesh? The Creator of everything a helpless baby in the arms of one of his creatures? The sinless Son of God going through the blood, sweat and tears of a sinner’s birth? Yeah, right, follow the science – miracles don’t happen. Some people may believe they do, but that doesn’t make them real.”

Here’s the thing: that last part is true. You and I confessing our faith in the virgin birth of the Son of God who came to suffer and die for the sins of the world doesn’t make it real. Neither did the shepherd’s quick-acting faith in and response to the angel’s announcement make the good news real. It would still have been true if they had just rolled over and went back to sleep in the fields with their flocks. Mary and Joseph’s obedience to the Lord’s command didn’t make Christmas real. It would have been just as real if Joseph had quietly divorced Mary and Mary didn’t ponder all these things in her heart. If the reality of the Christmas miracle depended on faith – ours or anyone else’s – then the angel would’ve said, “If you believe, then I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people;” or “If you trust me enough to leave your flocks and go to Bethlehem, then a Savior has been born for you.”

Here's the truth: the Good News does not rely on the media’s chosen narrative or even on our feelings or our faith. The Good News is in the facts. The Good News is that Jesus was born in the town of David – just as God had promised centuries earlier (Micah 5:2). The Good News is the angel telling the world do not be afraid – because Christmas proves that God didn’t come to destroy us but to save us (1 Timothy 2:3-4). The Good News is that the great joy of Christmas is for all people no matter who they are or what they’ve done – and that means you, too! The Good News is that Jesus came to die on a cross and suffer God’s wrath to save us from our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Good News is that Jesus can be our Savior because he is Christ the Lord – he is the one God anointed and appointed to save the human race from sin, death and the devil, and he is nothing less than the eternal God clothed in human flesh and blood (1 Peter 1:18-20).

The real news, the best news is that the Good News of Christmas happens outside of us; outside of our hearts, our heads, our experience and our circumstances. The Good News that the baby born to the virgin Mary in a stable in Bethlehem is the Son of God in human flesh, who came to live a perfect life of obedience to God’s holy Law, to suffer and die for our sins, to endure death and hell in our place, to rise again for our salvation, to ascend to his Father’s right hand in heaven where he lives and rules over all things – that’s all true no matter what we believe or feel, and no matter what our medical or financial or family circumstances are today.

Do you see now why God chose an angel to deliver the real news of Christmas? Not only would the media have distorted and corrupted the message – but the devil and our own sinful flesh would have been able to distort and corrupt it. The Good News is that it doesn’t matter what the media says, what your friends and family say, what your own heart and conscience say – because the real news of Christmas is exactly what the angel said it is: today in the town of David, a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. This is Christmas – and Christmas is all good news! Amen.

[1] https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/wisconsin-waukesha-christmas-parade-car-plow-11-22-21/index.html

[2] https://lakecountryfamilyfun.com/event/waukesha-christmas-parade/

Jesus Is the Light of the World - December 24, 2021

I.                    The Prophecy Candle

“Let there be light,” God said on the first day of history and there was light; a glorious, heavenly light which filled a universe that didn’t yet have a sun, moon or stars (Genesis 1:3). But the world that God had filled with light did not remain that way for very long. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they brought a darkness into the world that all but extinguished the brilliant light of God. Adam and Eve had plunged God’s perfect creation into the darkness of sin, guilt, fear and death. But even in a world filled with the deep darkness of sin, God held out hope. His promise of a Savior who would crush Satan’s head was one small glimmer of light in a big, dark world (Genesis 3:15). And God kept this flame, this promise, burning brightly even though the armies of darkness tried their best to snuff it out. God soon narrowed down the promise – that the Savior would come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through prophets like Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah and Malachi, God revealed even more details about the Savior’s person, work, and birth. And on Christmas, God fulfilled each and every one of these promises and prophecies. And that is good news for us whose hearts and lives are still filled with darkness. We were born into darkness and belonged to darkness, but God has called us out of that darkness into his wonderful light. God kept his promise to send a Savior from sin, and he will keep every other promise he has made to you as well. Keep your eyes on God’s promises – they shine like this one flame in a big, dark room filling our hearts with joy and hope. Join me in reading several of these amazing promises.

II.                  The Bethlehem Candle

1 Corinthians 1 (Read 1st)

The second candle is called the Bethlehem candle. Many people know Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, but not so many people realize the big sermon that little village preaches. When Jesus was born, Bethlehem was so insignificant that Micah needed to add the word Ephrathah to distinguish it from another, more famous Bethlehem in northern Israel (Micah 5:2; Joshua 19:15). While God could have chosen a big, important city like Jerusalem, Rome, or Egypt as the birthplace for his Son, he chose the tiny village of Bethlehem. Why? Paul tells us: God chose foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). God chose Bethlehem because his policy has always been to raise up the humble and humble the proud. He did that by choosing Mary, by choosing Bethlehem, by coming to earth as a baby – he did that by choosing unworthy sinners like us. He still does this through the lowly means of grace – making saints using nothing more than his Word, water, bread and wine. May the little town of Bethlehem be a warning to us against thinking that we are something great in God’s eyes. Let us never come before God proud of our own goodness, rather, let us come in humility recognizing with Mary that because of our sins, we are nothing and we deserve nothing. That’s why we come here to the manger in lowly Bethlehem, because we need the Savior God sent to this earth to live and die for lowly sinners like us. Let’s join with Mary in her humble hymn of praise…

III.                The Shepherd Candle

Romans 10

The third candle, the pink candle, has traditionally been called the Shepherd candle. It might seem strange that we would focus on such minor characters in the Christmas story, but the shepherds serve as fine examples of faith and action. First, by their confident, unwavering faith. When the angel hosts filled the skies and proclaimed the Savior’s birth, the shepherds were terrified. But when the angel invited them to go to Bethlehem to see the Christ child – they didn’t hesitate. They didn’t say, let’s go see if this thing has happened. They didn’t go back to sleep or back to their jobs thinking “who cares about a baby?” They said, “Let’s go see it, we know this is important for us and we know it has happened because God told us.” May we, too, celebrate Christmas with that kind of confident faith in the Word. May we look into the manger and see a Savior born for us, a baby who has an impact on every day of our lives. May we remember that through faith in this baby our sins are forgiven, we have peace with God, heaven is our eternal home. There’s no if about it. Confident faith is the first key to a joyful Christmas. And then, may we imitate the shepherds in what they did with this good news. When they had seen the Savior lying in a manger, they couldn’t keep it to themselves – they had to go and tell everyone they met what they had heard and seen. Do you know anyone who could use a little Christmas joy? Do you know someone who needs to hear that God’s gift of his Son is for them too? Do you have a friend or relative who needs a Savior, a Friend, the source of light in this dark world? The good news of a Christmas Savior is now your possession, what are you going to do with it? May the example of the shepherds give us confident faith and a willingness to tells others everything we have heard and seen in Bethlehem.

IV.                The Angel Candle

Hebrews 2

The fourth candle is called the angel candle. It reminds us of the angel who proclaimed the Savior’s birth and was then joined by an army of angels who sang the very first Christmas carol: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind (Luke 2:14). Think about how different that song of praise is from the world’s shallow, meaningless carols about a jolly fat man and reindeer; snow and snowmen. The reason is that this angelic hymn wasn’t intended to entertain, it was to praise God for showing grace and goodwill to mankind by sending a Savior for sinners. As a result of this glorious act, we have peace with God, we have consciences free from guilt, our record of sin has been wiped clean. But what’s really remarkable that this carol came from – of all creatures – angels. The Bible tells us very clearly that Jesus did not come to save angels – for holy angels don’t need a Savior, and the wicked angels are beyond saving. And yet the angels are the first to praise God for his goodness to us. If the holy angels praise God for a Savior, don’t we have even more reason to? Jesus came to this earth for you and for me. He suffered torture and crucifixion for you and me. He endured the wrath of God and the pain of hell for you and for me. He rose again three days later for you and for me. With humble hearts, let us show our thankfulness for God’s Christmas gift of light through Jesus with joyful songs and with our lives of obedience and service, today, tomorrow and forever with the angels in heaven.

Micah 5:2-5a - Christmas Paradoxes - December 19, 2021

These days leading up to Christmas are always kind of weird, aren’t they? They’re filled with conflicting actions and emotions and attitudes? We might even call these days paradoxical. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the darkest time of year – and so we try to chase away the darkness by hanging lights on our homes. This is supposedly the happiest time of the year and yet studies shows that more people are depressed now than any other time of year. Christmas is idealized in movies as being a calm and relaxing time with family – when the reality is that for many of us it’s the most frantic and busy time of year and sometimes all we really want is to be alone. And who do we call to preach about the most important event in human history? Little children. As paradoxical as our experience of Christmas may be, it pales in comparison to the first Christmas. Micah walks us through three of these paradoxes.

The first involves the location of that first Christmas: but you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, from you, will go out the one who will be the ruler for me in Israel. That means exactly what you think it means: Bethlehem was a small village – a “clan” in military terms was 1000 soldiers (1 Samuel 8:12) – so the population of Bethlehem was less than 1000 families. And God’s chosen ruler is supposed to come out of this small, insignificant, backwater town? People living at the time didn’t think it possible. The wise men didn’t travel to Bethlehem to find the new king that the star told them had been born – they went to the capital, to Jerusalem, because everyone knows that important people come from important places (Matthew 2:1-12). Mary and Joseph didn’t even voluntarily travel to Bethlehem – they were compelled to by Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1-5).

And yet it’s not the first time that God chose to raise up a ruler for Israel from the little town of Bethlehem. 1000 years earlier, God sent Samuel to Bethlehem, to the family of Jesse, to anoint not one of Jesse’s seven older sons, but his youngest, David, a little boy, a lowly shepherd (1 Samuel 16:1-13). And yet, by God’s grace and power, David became the greatest King Israel would ever know (1 Chronicles 18:14; Acts 13:22; 1 Chronicles 14:17). Therefore, God’s choice of this little town was no accident. That’s our first Christmas paradox: a big thing, a mighty ruler of Israel will come from the lowly town of Bethlehem.

The second paradox has to do with this ruler’s hidden identity: his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity. We have a beginning; it’s called our conception. So did this baby, and yet Micah says that his origins go back far beyond Bethlehem 2000 years ago, beyond his ancestor David 3000 years ago, even before the very creation of the world. Why does this matter? It matters because the Bible says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). It matters because Psalm 49 says no one can by any means redeem himself. He cannot give God a ransom for himself – (Yes, the ransom for their souls is costly. Any payment would fall short.) (Psalm 49:7-8). Did I really have to bring sin and death and judgment up on this happy day? In front of the children? Why can’t we just ignore our sins at this happiest time of the year and deal with them later? Because unless we realize our sins we will never really understand Christmas. You might be able to convince the fat man in the red suit to take you off his naughty list – but our holy God can’t and won’t simply ignore the fact that we have placed things and people before him, misused his name, despised his Word, disrespected his authorities, hurt and hated and lusted, stolen time and defrauded people, ruined reputations, and been discontent with what God has given us. And it doesn’t matter how good you or I try to be this Christmas – we can never make up for the evil things we’ve done every day of our lives.

That’s why the eternal One, the Son of God, stepped down from his throne in heaven and humbled himself to be born of a peasant woman in a dirty stable in the lowly town of Bethlehem. He was born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, in order to redeem those under the law (Galatians 4:4-5). Nothing we could ever do could appease God’s righteous wrath at our disobedience and sin. Nothing less than the precious blood of Christ…a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:19) could atone for our sins. And that’s our second Christmas paradox: the eternal One, the Son of God himself, became a child for us, to save us.

The third paradox involves what the eternal One, the Son of God, came to this earth to do. Micah says he will stand and shepherd with the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. They will dwell securely, for at that time he will be great to the ends of the earth. This one will be their peace. Most of us have never raised sheep or goats – and therefore we tend to picture shepherds like that stained glass window over there: calm, clean and snuggling a cute little lamb. That’s not what the occupation of shepherd looked like then – or even now. A shepherd’s life was dirty and bloody, dangerous and often violent. More importantly, that is not what Jesus came here to be or do: the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). In a few moments the children will repeat the angel’s announcement to the shepherds: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind (Luke 2:14). Peace between God and mankind is the ultimate message of Christmas. But don’t ever forget what that peace – peace with God – cost. As you celebrate with your families, as you look at nativity scenes, as you sing your favorite Christmas carols – remember that the shepherd’s praises would soon become cries of crucify him (Luke 23:21); that the same Mary who cradled her newborn’s head would live to see a crown of thorns viciously pressed into his skull (John 19:2); that the tiny hands and feet that were once wrapped in swaddling clothes would be nailed to a tree; and that the one who came from heaven on Christmas would willingly suffer hell for us on Good Friday (Mark 15:34). Don’t ever forget that in the background of that peaceful manger in Bethlehem is the unimaginable violence of Calvary’s cross.

But also never forget that because Jesus endured the violence of men’s words and whips and nails and God’s wrath and hell’s fury – you now have peace. Perfect peace. Peace that nothing in the world can take away. The violence that Jesus endured means that you have peace with God. You are right with him. Heaven is open to you. Isn’t that the greatest Christmas paradox of all? That Jesus endured hell to give us heaven? That he suffered the violence of men and the judgment of God to give us peace? And this paradox is why no matter what is happening in our world, in your family, or with your health – this will be a Merry Christmas, because through the miracle of Jesus’ birth and the violence of his death, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1).

Christmas is often weird – there are so many contradictory and paradoxical things about it. The first Christmas was no different. God chooses small towns, little babies, and the hatred of evil, violent men to carry out his plan of salvation. He still does. He uses unimpressive means – an ordinary man, ordinary water, and ordinary bread and wine – to bring people to Christ, to forgive their sins and to give them everlasting life. This morning, he will use these ordinary children to proclaim the best and most important news the world has ever heard: today in the town of David, a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). Don’t let the many paradoxes of Christmas trouble you; cherish them, for God always chooses to give his best gifts in the most paradoxical ways. Merry Christmas! Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 - God Is Faithful; He Will Do It - So... - December 15, 2021

Do you think that most of our neighbors outside of those doors know that we are in the season of Advent? I don’t. And even if they do, I’d be willing to bet that they think of Advent as nothing more than a time to prepare for Christmas. And while that is probably true even in our everyday lives, in here, Advent isn’t primarily about Jesus’ coming at Christmas – his First Coming – this time is about preparing for his Second Coming in Judgment. That’s why our theme this year has been: Waiting for the Day of the Lord. Two weeks ago we defined the Day of the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:3-9). Last week we explored what it means to wait for the Day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:8-14). Tonight we will put both concepts together to see that how we live now relates to being ready for the Day of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians is a fairly short read, it’s only 5 chapters long, but Paul covers a lot of ground in these chapters. He gives thanks to God for bringing the Thessalonian Christians to faith (1 Thessalonians 1); he defends his ministry against unnamed opponents who had been slandering his reputation and undermining the Gospel and expresses his desire to once again visit Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2); he explains his rationale for sending Timothy to Thessalonica and thanks God for his good report of their faith and love (1 Thessalonians 3); through chapter 4 and into chapter 5 he gives clear and specific instructions regarding sexual propriety and brotherly love; specifically the need to mind your own business and work with your own hands, and he corrected some misunderstandings the Thessalonians had regarding Jesus’ Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4-5:11). All of which leads to Paul’s closing words which we are considering tonight. A fair way to characterize these verses is to see them as summarizing the basic worldview, the default setting of a Christian – and it’s a somewhat paradoxical worldview: we live as God’s people here and now with our eyes, our focus, always set on the Day of the Lord to come.

Paul starts with the “living now” part. He concludes his list of brief commands with the prayer: may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. Could you answer the distinctively Lutheran question: what does this mean? What does it mean to be “sanctified?” To “sanctify” means to be set apart, to be made holy. In confirmation class I use this building as an illustration of sanctification. We don’t use this space to screen secular movies or Packer games or to host yoga classes or bake sales – it is set apart from the mundane things of this world; it is set apart for the worship of the one true God. In the same way, we, in both our private and public lives, are to be set apart from this sinful world; set apart for service to God alone.

But what does this mean, practically speaking? That’s what Paul was describing in the previous verses: rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not extinguish the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt. But test everything. Hold on to the good. Keep away from every kind of evil. Does that describe you? I often find it hard to be joyful and to find time to pray – especially in this busy and stressful time of year. I probably tend to gripe and complain as much as – and probably more than – I take time to give thanks. And even though I know that God wants me to be joyful, prayerful and thankful I often prefer my will over God’s. Extinguish the Spirit? I know that my sinful flesh would much rather sit on the couch and turn on Netflix or a football game than engage in serious Bible study – and in that way I’m snuffing out the Spirit’s fire and treating God’s Word and prophecies with contempt. I’m lazy in testing the things I see and hear and read in the media; I find that the good things of God easily slip out of my hands and that I’m magnetically drawn toward every kind of evil. I don’t think I could honestly describe myself as “sanctified,” “set apart,” and “holy,” – could you? Would you be bold enough to claim that you embody Paul’s description of what it means to live as a justified and sanctified Christian?

That’s why Paul prays…both for the Thessalonians and for us. He prays for God to do the sanctifying, the setting apart – because we are incapable of doing it ourselves. And this isn’t the first time Paul prayed this prayer. Back in chapter 3, he wrote: may the Lord increase your love and make it overflow for each other and for all people, just as ours does for you, so that he may establish your hearts as blameless in holiness before our God and Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his saints (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). How does God do this sanctifying? Through the means of grace – and specifically through Holy Baptism. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians: Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, by cleansing her with the washing of water in connection with the Word. He did this so that he could present her to himself as a glorious church, having no stain or wrinkle or any such thing, but so that she would be holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:25-27). One of the rituals that have traditionally been associated with baptism and confirmation have reflected this fact. When infants and confirmands are clothed in white gowns it is a visible illustration of the invisible truth that through Baptism Jesus’ blood has cleansed us from all sin, has washed away all of our impurities, has sanctified us and set us apart from this sinful world for God.

But God’s sanctifying work in our lives doesn’t end there. In Baptism God not only washes away our sinfulness but empowers us to live in holiness. Luther described it this way in his Small Catechism: “Baptism means that the old Adam in us should be drowned by daily contrition and repentance, and that all its evil deeds and desires be put to death. It also means that a new person should daily arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever” (SC Baptism: IV). This is the work of the Holy Spirit. From the moment you were baptized the Holy Spirit has been working in your heart, giving you a new will, new impulses, an inner desire to live for God and others – not only for yourself. Because you’ve been baptized – that is what you are. That is why I don’t have to yell and scream at you to be joyful and prayerful and thankful; to hold onto the good and avoid every kind of evil. No, even your presence here in God’s house on a dark December night is proof that the Holy Spirit is at work in your heart – setting you in thought, word, and action apart from the sinful world. You are living proof that Paul was right when he said the one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

That’s the “living now” part. The other part, the “setting your sights on the Day to come,” is this: and may your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s trendy these days for people to describe themselves on social media with a simple string of nouns and adjectives. For example, Wisconsin governor Tony Evers describes himself this way on his Twitter account: “Husband to Kathy, lifelong educator, Euchre and bobblehead enthusiast, and 46th Governor of the State of Wisconsin.” [1] With all due respect to Governor Evers, he’s missing one important adjective, the one adjective that will matter most on the Day of the Lord – he doesn’t describe himself as “blameless.” (In the Greek, it’s actually an adverb: “blamelessly”). Would you? Do you consider yourself blameless – that on Judgment Day no one, not even God, would be able to blame you for any evil?

You should, because that how God considers you. He considers you utterly blameless. When he sits down on his judgment seat and opens up the file folder containing the charges against you – do you know what he finds? Nothing. Not a single lie, dirty thought, or loveless action – not even a parking ticket. Of course, you and I know better. We know that an Amazon warehouse full of filing cabinets couldn’t contain all of the valid charges against us. How can God possibly find us blameless on any day, much less on the Day of the Lord?

Make no mistake, God is perfectly holy and just. He couldn’t just sweep our sins under the rug. He couldn’t just shrug and say that the awful things we’ve thought, said and done are no big deal. So what did he do? He blamed his Son our sins. He charged Jesus with committing every sin that has ever been committed and then punished him with the hell those sins deserved. Because Jesus shouldered your blame – you can feel free to describe yourself as blameless on social media, if you so choose (how’s that for an “outreach” strategy?). And the same God who didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up to take away your sins is committed to keeping you blameless until his Son returns in glory. That’s part of the mission God has given his Church; that’s what these means of grace are all about – Jesus coming here week after week to you to cleanse your sins and wipe away your guilt so that you will be found blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, when you set your sights on these means of grace, then you’re also setting your sights on the Day of the Lord to come. As we remember every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper: as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).

So that’s it for our 2021 Midweek Advent series entitled “Waiting for the Day of the Lord.” If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this series it’s this: that Jesus’ First Coming – as a baby to a virgin mother in a manger in Bethlehem, who would go on to live a perfect life and die a perfectly atoning death on a cross on Calvary – is the reason that we can wait with confidence and hope for his Second Coming. Because of Jesus we know that we will be found blameless on that Day. And until then we know that he is actively enabling and empowering us to live blameless lives, set apart from this filthy world for service to God and others. I can say that with certainty because in the end it’s not really about us or our efforts, it’s about God. [He] is faithful, and he will do it! Amen.  

[1] https://twitter.com/GovEvers?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Luke 3:7-18 - The Forerunner Prepares Us for Christmas - December 12, 2021

Time is running out. Whether we like it or not, Christmas is only 13 days away. Delivery companies are warning that if you don’t have your gifts shipped by December 15, this coming Wednesday, they may not arrive by the 25th. Every year at this time, you hear people saying things like: “where has all the time gone?” “Christmas really snuck up on us this year.” “I have so much left to do and so little time to do it in.” We hear and maybe even say those things, but, really, the truth is that if we aren’t ready for Christmas, if we don’t get everything done – it’s not because this December was shorter than any other or that God took some time out of our days – if we’re not ready, the only one we can really blame is ourselves. The same is true of preparing to receive our Savior – both at Christmas and in his return in glory – if we’re not ready, we have no one but ourselves to blame. The good news this morning is that God has sent a forerunner, John the Baptist, to prepare us to receive our Savior.

Many aspects of John’s ministry strike us today as odd. He didn’t set up shop in Jerusalem, where the people were, but in the desert, where they were not. He didn’t wear the attire of a priest or a rabbi (he could have, given that he was from the priestly line of Aaron (Luke 1)), he dressed up in camel’s hair and survived on locusts and honey (Matthew 3:4). In spite of the fact that John’s appearance proclaimed desperation, not glory – the people came, hundreds and hundreds of them (Matthew 3:5). But perhaps that makes his greeting to them even odder: You offspring of vipers!

Is that any way to talk to people? I can’t imagine any evangelism book encouraging you to use this line when you’re trying to strike up a conversation about Jesus. Why did John speak with such venom? If he’s trying to bring people into God’s kingdom, why does he call them the children of Satan? It seems odd. It doesn’t make much sense. That is, until you understand John’s audience. He was preaching to people who were practically begging for God to rain down his judgment on them. For hundreds of years – it had been 400 years since Malachi’s last call to repentance – the people of Israel, and especially the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 3:7) – had made all kinds of excuses to avoid true repentance. Now, their time was up. The Lord’s arrival was imminent. And John’s mission was to expose the excuses that prevented the people from being ready to receive their Savior.

Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruits in keeping with repentance. Who had told the Pharisees and and Sadducees and their followers that God’s judgment was coming? Well, God had, but they had ignored and rejected his repeated warnings. John was really asking: why are you out here for my baptism for the forgiveness of sins? He knew that they didn’t really believe that they needed forgiveness. They had accumulated all kinds of good works: circumcision, washings, fasting, tithing. But their outward actions only served to cover up rotten, selfish, greedy, idolatrous hearts. They were hypocrites (Matthew 23:13-39). They appeared godly, but it was just a façade. That’s why John greets them in such a harsh manner. And that’s why he tells them to abandon their works and instead examine their lives under God’s Word and live according to it. The excuse that they were outwardly “good” people wouldn’t hold up under the fire of judgment.

Next, John set his sights on the empty excuse of heritage: Do not even think of saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ Throughout its history, this was Israel’s trump card when God sent prophets to call them to repentance and faith. Like spoiled children they would cry out, “Abraham is our father! We are God’s chosen people! Salvation is ours!” Yet, even as these claims left their lips they continued to live as godless unbelievers. They used God’s grace as a license to sin. John put their false claims in perspective: I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones (these stones being non-Jewish Gentiles, like us (1 Peter 2:5)). God didn’t need them. God didn’t owe them anything. Grace alone was the reason God has picked them to be his chosen people. And if they continued to abuse his grace by their sinful behavior – they risked losing it!

And there was one final excuse that needed exposing. Essentially, the Israelites had spent the last 400 years saying, “Repentance and bearing good fruit…yeah, we’ll take care of that later.” There was always something more important to do than listen to God’s Word. But time had run out. Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire. The Messiah was coming and anyone who was not ready would only have themselves to blame. Hypocritical good works, bloodlines and heritage, laziness and procrastination – all excuses, all sins, all exposed by John.

Would John have any reason to call us the offspring of vipers this advent season? In other words: do we cling to any excuses to avoid true, heartfelt repentance and produce the fruits of repentance? Would John see us as hypocrites just like the Pharisees and Sadducees – imagining that our outwardly “good” works of tossing some change into a red kettle outside of the grocery store or being a little kinder to strangers can make up for all the evil we have done? That doing good things for friends and family can replace the necessity of heartfelt contrition and repentance? Or do we ever hide behind the excuse of heritage? I don’t believe any of us have Abraham’s blood flowing through our veins, but we are Lutheran. Do we ever imagine that just because we have the pure Gospel, that because our names are written on a very official looking Lutheran membership directory – that we deserve God’s grace, that God owes us? Jesus will not stop by the church office on judgment day to read our membership list because he can read hearts (John 21:17). Or maybe it’s sheer laziness and procrastination. I can get serious about repentance, about my devotional life, prayer, raising my children to know and fear the Lord, growing in my knowledge of God’s Word later – there’s more important stuff to do now. All of those things are empty excuses. The time is now to repent and produce fruits of repentance. The ax is ready to strike the root of the trees.

It’s not a comfortable place to be, is it? When the Law has pinned us down and stripped away our excuses, then we’re forced to ask with the crowd: what should we do then? John’s response is simple. Notice, however, that the audience is different now. Now he’s speaking to those who did repent and were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. In fact, from the way the Pharisees and Sadducees responded to Jesus, it would seem that they never did submit to John’s baptism. That’s why John turned the attention away from the hypocritical, showy works of the Pharisees that only seemed good but benefited no one and encouraged the crowd put the repentance in their hearts into action in their everyday lives. “Share your blessings with those in need,” was his advice to the people in general. “Don’t be dishonest as you collect taxes,” he told the tax collectors. “Don’t use your power or authority to extort bribes,” he told the soldiers. In other words, John told the people who truly were penitent and wanted to produce fruits of repentance, be what you are: live and act like repentant children of God.

That’s his guidance to us as well; be what you are – because by virtue of your baptism, whatever else you are, you are a forgiven child of God. Confess your sinfulness and rejoice that Jesus came to save sinners like you. Give thanks that God comes to you through the means of grace to wash away your sins and strengthen your faith – make faithful use of them. And then, be who you are in the place in life he has given you. Are you a parent? Be a godly example to your children and raise them using the tools God has given you: law and gospel. Are you married? Sacrifice your own needs for your spouse’s and keep yourself free from lust. Are you an employee? Don’t steal from your employer through laziness but instead work as if the Lord was your boss – because he is (Colossians 3:23). Has God blessed you materially? Share what he has given you with your neighbors who are in need. It is that simple. If you want to produce fruit in keeping with repentance you don’t have to search for big showy works that so often wind up being empty and rotten. Compare your life to the 10 commandments. Confess those times you have failed to measure up. And then let those same commandments be your guide in how to live a life that produces fruit pleasing to God.

John’s simple yet profoundly powerful message led to some speculation among the people: the people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might be the Christ. John, again with his characteristic bluntness, corrected their thinking. I baptize you with water. But someone mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Having prepared the people’s hearts by exposing their excuses he turns to his second job: to exalt Christ. John was not the Christ. He was only the forerunner. He was sent to prepare the way. In case you’re curious about the different baptisms, John is comparing apples to oranges. He’s using the term baptism to refer to two different things. John’s baptism with water was effective as a means of grace to offer forgiveness to penitent sinners by Christ’s authority. In that sense, John’s baptism was no different than ours. But Jesus, the more powerful one, would, of his own authority, pour out the Holy Spirit on his people – a reference not to Christian baptism, but to the miracles of Pentecost.

This mightier one would demonstrate his power in what he came to do: His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. In one sentence, John summarizes the sum total of Jesus’ work in this world. There are two questions that arise, though. Is this law or gospel? Well, it’s both, isn’t it? It’s good news that when Jesus comes he will gather the wheat, the believers, into the barn of heaven. It’s the ultimate warning of the law to know that he will simultaneously burn up the chaff, the unbelievers, in the fire of hell. Second, when is this taking place? I don’t seem to recall Jesus burning anyone up during his earthly ministry. And that’s true. What John appears to be doing is combining Jesus’ first and second coming into one. Which means that this reaping and separating is taking place right now. Right now, Jesus is working through the Law and Gospel to separate the wheat from the chaff. Right now, those who are penitent are being comforted with the message of forgiveness. Right now, the impenitent are determining their own destiny in hell. This world is the threshing floor and Jesus’ judgment is ongoing.

And that’s where our hope and joy are found this Advent: the time is short, but Jesus has already come once as a baby and is coming now to us through the means of grace – and he is the only excuse that God will accept; he is the only excuse we need. His perfect life excuses our sins of spiritual indifference, laziness and hypocritical good works. His innocent death excuses us from ever having to suffer the hell our sins deserve. His glorious resurrection gives us no excuse to doubt that when he returns to clear his threshing floor we will be among the wheat that he gathers into the barn of heaven. That’s why for Christians in Advent, humility and joy go hand in hand.

There’s no question, time is running out. Christmas is 13 days away. But more importantly, our Lord is coming soon. Where do we begin? The forerunner prepares us. We start in the only place we can: with ourselves. We listen to the Law that exposes our excuses for laziness and indifference. We stop hiding behind them. We repent from our hearts. We listen to the Gospel that exalts Christ. We trust him for pardon and for peace. And then…well then, we live as the blood-bought children of God in humility and joy. Amen.

Luke 3:1-6 - Nothing Can Stop Christmas - December 5, 2021

Have you ever noticed that pretty much every Christmas movie ever made has the exact same storyline? Whether it’s Scrooge or the Grinch or some silly contrived crisis in a Hallmark movie – it always seems like Christmas is in danger of not happening. Of course, in the end, Christmas always comes – because who would ever write or watch a movie where Christmas doesn’t come? In entertainment, nothing can stop Christmas. Here’s the good news: what’s true of the artificial, worldly, Hollywood version of Christmas is true of the real Christmas, too! The real Christmas is about the Son of God being born to be our Prophet, Priest and King. And nothing can stop him!

Not that people didn’t try to stop him. In the first two verses of our text Luke lists seven men who were in power when Jesus began his mission of becoming our Prophet, Priest and King. He does this for two reasons. First, to anchor these events in history. This was not some “once upon a time” fairy tale. Secondly, to reveal the evil that Jesus was up against. These were reprehensible men. Some of what they did I can’t even describe for you from this pulpit – it would get us censored on YouTube. Tiberius was an evil, vindictive, antisemitic, murderous pervert. Herod had John the Baptist beheaded because of a foolish oath (Mark 6:14-29). The high priests, the supposed spiritual leaders of Israel, Annas and Caiaphas, arranged for perjury against Jesus (Mark 14:55-59), beat him, ridiculed him, and demanded that he be put to death for being what he came to be: the Son of God and our Savior (Mark 14:62). Pontius Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent of any sin – he admitted as much publicly (Luke 23:4) – and yet he not only had Jesus illegally whipped, beaten, and ridiculed, he condemned him to be nailed hand and foot to a cross. But even with their positions and power, they couldn’t stop Christmas.

What sort of evil stands between you and Christmas this year? Does the evil of yet another variant or some other medical issue threaten your health and happiness? Does physical or emotional distance keep you from happily gathering with your loved ones? Does the evil of inflation threaten your ability to place a pile of gifts under your tree? Do you see the very real spiritual threats that materialism and false belief in a fat man in a red suit pose to faith in the one, true God and the one, true Savior?

Well, don’t worry about those evils. They can’t stop Christmas because Christmas is proof that God uses even evil for his good purposes – just as he promises (Romans 8:28). Consider the evil that stood against Jesus the first time around. Herod the Great tried to kill him while he was still a baby (Matthew 2:16-18). Annas and Caiaphas formed a lynch mob to force Pilate to execute Jesus (Matthew 27:15-26). And how did God use the evil hearts and actions of these evil men? You know. The pain that Annas and Caiaphas caused Jesus paid for your sins. The innocent blood that Pilate shed covered your sins. Even though these evil men did everything they could to prevent Jesus from serving as your Savior, they couldn’t stop him from preaching God’s grace, offering himself as the atoning sacrifice for your sins and reigning forever over all things (Matthew 28:18).

In light of what God worked through the evil surrounding Jesus’ first Coming – do you really think that he will allow the evil around you today to stop Christmas from coming to you? There’s no denying that evil may put a damper on your Christmas – but the evil you see in politics, in your personal finances, or in the spiritual evil prowling around you can’t really stop Christmas. No matter what happens, it will be a fact that Jesus was born to teach you what you need to know for eternal life, to offer himself as the sacrifice for your sins and to reign over this world – even over the evil. Nothing – not even the evil we see around us – can stop Christmas.

But what about when God seems far away; totally unconcerned with what’s going on around us. Faithful believers who lived during the days of John the Baptist must have felt that way; that God was distant and disinterested. Again, Luke lists seven powerful rulers. Everyone knew who they were. Everyone felt their authority and power in the laws they wrote and enforced and the policies they enacted. There was no question who was in control – it was printed on their money (Mark 12:16-17) and right in their face. But where was God in all of this? I think we sometimes imagine that God was constantly speaking to his OT people. The truth is that God only rarely spoke to his OT people – and for the previous 400 years he hadn’t spoken to them at all. All they had was the Old Testament Scriptures to hold onto. And then, out of the blue, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.

We know what that feels like, don’t we? Doesn’t it feel like God is far away this Christmas season? We drive through our neighborhoods and see far more snowmen and reindeer than nativity scenes. Where is God when whether or not a woman has the right to kill her own unborn baby is even up for debate? Where is God when a convicted felon is set free to mow down people at a parade? Where is God in a nation that is so deeply divided politically, morally and ethically? There doesn’t seem to be much peace or good will here on earth. Where is God in this mess?

But even God’s apparent distance and disinterest cannot stop Christmas. Hebrews tells us: in the past, God spoke to our forefathers by the prophets at many times and in many ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). God has always chosen to bridge the gap between heaven and earth by means of his Word. Even in the Garden of Eden God communicated to mankind with his Word (Genesis 1-2). And then, on Christmas, an incredible thing happened: the Word became flesh and dwelled among us (John 1:14). You understand why that’s so incredible, don’t you? No one, not even John the Baptist, could bridge the gap between God and sinners – our sins have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). We can call out to God, but we can’t make God speak to us. But when God decides to speak, nothing in heaven, on earth or even in hell can stop him. And Christmas, real Christmas – not the artificial lights and gifts and cheer – is God speaking his final Word to mankind through his one and only Son. And when God speaks, things happen.

And – unlike many of the things that we are told to believe today – the evidence of this truth is overwhelming. God spoke and the world came into existence (Genesis 1). God spoke and the world was destroyed in a flood (Genesis 7-8). God spoke and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down (Joshua 6). God spoke to a virgin’s womb and she conceived the Word of God (Luke 1:26-38). God spoke and you became his child in the waters of Baptism (Galatians 4:4-7). God speaks through his called servants and your sins are sent away forever (John 20:23). God speaks and his body and blood are united with regular bread and wine – and, as a result, you have everything that Mary had – your Savior, physically present with you and for you. And if that’s not a real Christmas gift, then what is? Yes, God may appear to be distant and disinterested out there, but in here, he’s as close as his Word, water, bread and wine.

Nothing can stop Christmas – not the evil around us, not God’s apparent distance from us, and, not even our own failed preparations. If I were to ask you, “Are you ready for Christmas?” what would you say? I’m guessing that 100% of us would say, “No, I’m not ready.” Why would you say that? Because you’re not thinking about the real Christmas – you’re thinking about the gift-giving, food-eating, family-gathering imitation of Christmas. You can be ready for that Christmas – you just need more time. But here’s the thing: you can never prepare yourself for the Real Christmas.

Consider what Isaiah said would be necessary for the first Christmas: prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways made smooth. Even with all of our technologically advanced construction techniques, we can’t fill every valley or lower every mountain – just think of how impossible this had to have sounded to John’s first listeners. The only conclusion you can come to is that if we have to fill in valleys and lower mountains in order for Jesus to come, then he’s never coming.

Here’s the reality: you can never be fully prepared to receive Jesus on Christmas. By nature your ears are deaf to the good news that Jesus came as a Prophet to proclaim, the valleys of doubt and unbelief in your heart are too deep. You can never be ready to receive a Priest who will serve as both your sacrifice and your mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), the mountain of pride in you is too high for that. You will never be ready to kneel before Jesus as King – not as long as you continue to imagine that you’re the king of your life. That’s just a taste of the Law that John came to the region around the Jordan preaching. It wasn’t a “try harder, be better”; it was a “you’re a damned sinner beyond all hope.” He didn’t come to tell people how to get themselves ready to receive Jesus; he told them to repent. And that’s exactly what I’m here to tell you today. You cannot and will never be ready to receive Jesus on your own – the valleys and mountains in your heart are too deep and too high. That’s God’s Word.

Prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight are imperatives, they are commands. Whenever God commands you to do something – that’s the Law. The primary purpose of the Law is not to show you how you can satisfy God’s demands but to show you that you can’t, to convict you of your sins and to show you that you can never save yourself (Romans 3:20). But did you notice that the rest of Isaiah’s prophecy doesn’t consist of commands but indicatives? It doesn’t tell us what we must do but what God WILL do for us! Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. And everyone will see the salvation of God. Do you know what this means? It means that God is promising to do for us what he demands from us. It means that not even our own sinfully corrupted hearts can prevent Jesus from coming to us to save us. Again, that’s not my opinion, that’s God’s promise; he says that just as the rain and snow come down and water the earth, so in the same way my word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty. Rather, it will accomplish whatever I please, and it will succeed in the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Catch this Christmas Spirit, the real Spirit of real Christmas. Rather than trying to gin up artificial joy this year, let the Holy Spirit create true joy in your heart through meditation on God’s Word and prayer. Rather than trying to find a way to God, remember that God chose, called and justified you in your Baptism. Rather than trying to do a little more good this month to make up for all the bad you’ve done, confess your sins and cherish your absolution (John 20:22-23). Rather than stress out over how much food you need to prepare and how many gifts you have to buy, savor the free gift of the body and blood of Jesus you will receive in the Lord’s Supper for the forgiveness of your sins. That’s how God prepares you, raising your valleys of depression and doubt and cutting down your mountains of pride and self-righteousness, to receive his Son.

In the movies, it’s the artificial Christmas that nothing can stop. But what if it was stopped? What if Scrooge never got the Christmas spirit; the Grinch never gave Christmas back; the Hallmark movie didn’t end with everyone laughing and hugging around a crackling fire? What if this year your tree caught fire and your house and all the presents in it burned down and your family was left homeless on December 25? That would be tragic, but even that wouldn’t stop Christmas – because that’s not really Christmas. Christmas is about God coming to us in Jesus to save us from our sins – and nothing in heaven or on earth can stop the real Christmas. Amen.  

What Is Lutheran Worship? - November 28, 2021

Service Introduction: Have you ever wondered, “Why do we worship the way we do? Why is our worship service so different from anything else we do in life? Why is it even so different from the way other churches worship? What are we doing and why are we doing it?” Some may think that we worship the way we do because it’s what we’ve always done, and that Lutherans just don’t like to change. But doing something just because it’s what we’ve always done is not a good reason to do anything. That’s why on this first Sunday of the church year, our service is going to be a little different. Instead of assuming that we all know why we worship the way we do, we’re going to pause at each point in the service and understand what it is and where it came from. My prayer is that, as we better understand Lutheran worship, we can better appreciate Lutheran worship and worship our Savior and Lord in spirit and in truth, (John 4:23) as our Savior desires.

The Liturgy: The basic framework, or order of service, is called the liturgy. The word liturgy comes from two Greek words “people” and “work”. In the Bible this word is used for the formal, organized worship of both Christians and non-Christians (Philippians 2:17) – but also for the everyday lives of believers – lives that they live to the glory of God no matter what they are doing (2 Corinthians 9:12). We use the liturgy for three main reasons. First and most importantly, the liturgy keeps us focused on Jesus. (Both the cover of our bulletin and the cover of our hymnal contain two Greek letters – chi and rho – the first two letters in the name of Christ). Second, the liturgy allows everyone to participate with joy and confidence instead of merely being passive spectators – like we are at a football game or movie. (Part of being confident to participate in worship means that we use repetition – so that everyone, from the two-year-old to the 92-year-old – can join in.) Third, the liturgy honors the experience of the believers who have gone before us. Some parts of the liturgy have been used by believers for over 3000 years to worship the LORD. We use these ancient words and songs, not just because they are old, but because they have been time tested by generations of believers to be faithful to the truth of God’s Word and educates and edifies all people. While we use a different version of the liturgy almost every week for variety, the Divine Service most closely reflects the style of worship used by the earliest Christians. One more thing. Each worship service has a unifying theme. Our theme today, the first Sunday in Advent, is: Our Lord Comes to Save Us.

Invocation: This opening response is taken directly from Matthew 28:19, the passage in which Jesus gave his church its mission and instituted the sacrament of Baptism. We begin our worship by calling on the name of the Triune God, not only to clarify who we are worshipping but to remind ourselves that we are his baptized children. The word, “amen,” which you see at many parts of the service comes from a Hebrew word which means, “truth.” Whenever you say or sing this word, you mean, “that’s the truth. I agree with it.”

Confession of Sins: 1 John chapter 1 says, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness…If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world (1 John 1:8-9; 2:1-2). Before we can come before God to offer him our worship and praise, God must do something for us. He washes us clean of our sins and assures us that we are forgiven for Jesus’ sake. You should note that the pastor always leads the confession of sins, for he too is a sinner in need of Jesus’ forgiveness. The words of our confession come from Romans 8, James 2 and Luke 18. The words of the absolution – or release from sin and guilt – are from 1 John 2 and Matthew 28. The song, Lord, Have Mercy, “Kyrie” in Latin, is one of the oldest songs of the Christian church. It is taken from the prayer of the tax collector in Luke 18. He came to the temple of the Lord, but when he prayed, he did not look up to heaven but beat his chest and said, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13).  

Glory Be to God: This song of praise is taken from Luke 2, the words the angels sang to the shepherds announcing the birth of the Savior. Each and every Sunday we remember Christmas, that monumental moment in history when God became one of us to save us from our sins.

Prayer of the Day: It doesn’t take too long to notice that liturgical Lutheran pastors turn around quite a bit – sometimes facing the altar, sometimes facing the congregation. There’s a reason for this. When the pastor is speaking for the people or as one of the people: confessing sins, praying, praising – he faces the altar. When the pastor is speaking as God’s spokesman to the people: the absolution, the reading or preaching of God’s Word, he faces the people. The prayer of the day is formulated according to the theme of the service and presents God with a specific request in line with that theme.

Scripture Lessons: Almost every Sunday, we read three Scripture lessons: one from the Old Testament, one from the Gospels, and one from the New Testament Epistles. These lessons are carefully chosen both to emphasize one common theme and to cover all the main teachings of the Bible. When we sing a Psalm, we are using the oldest hymnal in the world – the hymnal God gave to his OT people. Some of these songs are over 3000 years old and connect us with believers who lived by faith in God’s promises hundreds of years before Jesus was born. The sermon text is usually taken from one of these three lessons.

The Creed: A creed is a statement of what a person or group of people teach and believe. The creeds we use most regularly, the Apostles’ and Nicene, have been and continue to be used by Christians of all denominations all over the world. The Nicene Creed dates back to 325 AD and was formulated as a defense of the Biblical teaching of the Trinity, emphasizing that Jesus is truly God. We begin by saying “we believe” to stress that we gather as people who have a common confession, which is especially significant when we come forward together to receive our Savior’ body and blood. The Apostles’ Creed is a simple statement of personal faith in the Triune God. In the early Christian church, adults would confess this faith before they were baptized in the name of the triune God. When children and adults are confirmed today, this creed serves as their public confession of their personal faith.

Hymn of the Day: The hymn of the day is specially chosen to reflect the theme of the sermon. Even though it isn’t always the most familiar or easiest to sing, the text usually corresponds well to the sermon text. Most of our hymns have words and phrases taken directly from Scripture. Many of them have also been sung by Christians for centuries. Their age doesn’t make them stale or irrelevant, instead, their age means that they have been tested and proven to clearly proclaim the truths of God’s Word. When new hymns are written that proclaim the Gospel clearly, we incorporate them as well. The Lutheran Church has been called the singing church because it encourages everyone to participate in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs – as Paul encourages in Colossians 3. You may never walk out of church reciting a line of the sermon, but you just might leave humming a line from a hymn. That is why hymns are such a great tool for preaching and teaching the Gospel.

Gospel: We stand for the reading of the Gospel to show our honor and respect for the words and works of Jesus. The word Gospel means “good news.” The hearing of the good news that Jesus has come to reveal God to us and to live and die as our substitute is one of the high points of our worship.

The sermon: In most other areas of life, if someone is “preaching” at you, it’s not a good thing. But here in God’s house, the sermon is a special opportunity to proclaim Christ crucified and to build up the faith of people for whom Christ has died. We won’t have a full sermon this morning, but rather an explanation of what makes Christians of all ages treasure preaching. Every sermon has a different emphasis, but in general the sermon has three main parts: it should contain specific law (which shows us our sins and our need for a Savior), it should contain specific gospel (which tells us what Jesus has done to save us from our sins), and it contains a specific application of how we can put the law and gospel into practice in our own lives.

How does Luke’s account of Palm Sunday provide the basis for this kind of sermon? Well, why were these crowds of people there in Jerusalem in the first place? They were there to celebrate the Passover – the annual reminder that God had freed his people from their slavery in Egypt hundreds of years before. We are also slaves – whether we care to admit it or not: slaves to sin, death and the devil. The evidence litters our lives in the sins we commit with our thoughts, words and actions. That’s specific law. But that’s why Jesus came both to Bethlehem and to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday – to free us from our enslavement. But doing so required him to die on a cross, to suffer hell, and to be buried in a tomb. That’s the specific Gospel. How does this apply to our daily lives? Well, it may seem odd to read about Palm Sunday on the first Sunday in Advent (as we’re preparing for Christmas) – but I think the Church did this intentionally. It did us to knock the Christmas spirit out of us, to disrupt our focus on worldly things this time of year. This lesson reminds us that Christmas isn’t really about lights or gifts or cookies or even family and friends. Christmas is about Christ. And Christ didn’t come to give us an excuse to exchange gifts or gather with family – but to die on a cross for our sins. And when you remember that, then not only will the stress of these weeks be lifted from your shoulders (because Christmas is not really about anything you do or buy) but you will truly be filled with joy and peace when December 25 arrives because you will know that Jesus came for you, to die for you, to save you.

Create In Me: This response is taken from Psalm 51. We ask God to purify our hearts so that we may empowered and energized to believe what he has promised and do what he has commanded in his Word.

Offering: We gather the offering at this point in the service, not merely to pay the bills (we could just send out invoices if that were the only reason), but to show our gratitude to God, to exercise our faith in his power to provide, to support the preaching of the Gospel here and around the world and to have a few quiet moments to reflect on the truths of the sermon. The offering is also a good time to turn to page 156 in the front of the hymnal to examine yourself in preparation for the reception of Holy Communion.

The Prayer of the Church: The church is not a building, not a synod, not even a printed list of people. The church is everyone, everywhere who believes in Jesus as their Savior from sin, so in the prayer of the Church we join to pray for people in various circumstances of life. We conclude with the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus himself taught the church almost 2000 years ago. The Lord’s prayer can be found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11.

Holy, Holy, Holy: The Santcus is taken from Isaiah 6. Isaiah saw a vision of angels and a glimpse of the glory of the LORD. He was terrified and felt ruined because of his sin. But an angel took a coal from the altar, touched his lips, and said look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven (Isaiah 6:7). Isaiah’s song is the perfect song for us to sing as we are preparing to meet our Savior face to face. We approach God as sinners, deserving only death and damnation because of our sins. But receiving Jesus’ body and blood with our lips with penitent hearts, we are cleansed so that as we depart this table the pastor assures us: “Go in peace, your sins are forgiven.”

The Words of Institution: You have probably noticed that this is the only time the pastor stands on the other side of the altar. This is intentional. As a called servant of Christ, the pastor humbly stands in the place of Christ at this holy meal and is able to speak the very words of Christ face to face with God’s people.

O Christ, Lamb of God: Agnus Dei is Latin for “Lamb of God.” This song comes from John 1:29, where John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In the OT, lambs and other animals were sacrificed for the sins of the people. Christ is our perfect lamb, sacrificed one time for the sins of the world, including yours and mine, and is now given to us, in, with, and under the bread and the wine.

Prayer and Blessing: We close with prayer to thank God for his plan and his work for our salvation. Everything that Jesus has done for us has been delivered to us personally through Word and Sacrament. We came here as broken sinners. We leave as healed, holy, and blameless saints. And as we leave, we go with God’s blessing. These words are taken from Numbers 6. They are over 3500 years old. God himself told Moses tell Aaron and his sons, ‘this is how you are to bless the [people]…so they will put my name on the [people], and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:22, 27) We sing three amens because of the three-part blessing and to remember the Triune God in whose name we began our worship.

Post Worship: This service may have felt like trying to take a drink from a fire hose with all the information that has been thrown at you. But I pray that this service helps you to see that Jesus is at the center of every part of our worship service, that you feel like an active participant when you come to worship, and that this new church year, another year of God’s grace, might be another year of blessing as you journey through this world on your way to heaven. As we begin another church year, let us remember to thank God for the blessing of Bible-based, Christ-centered, Lutheran Worship.  

Mark 13:32-37 - Because No One Knows - November 21, 2021

The Bible contains many passages that describe the end of the world. Some of them are troubling – even to Christians. One of the more troubling is before us this morning. Jesus says no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. That’s pretty troubling, isn’t it? How can God the Son not know the time of his own return? Is he, therefore, not really equal to God the Father in regard to his knowledge of all things? (Is he not really God?) Most of all, how is Jesus’ apparent ignorance of the most important Day in human history supposed to be comforting? Didn’t he come to give comfort and peace; not fear and uncertainty? How are we to handle the known unknown of Judgment Day?

It’s called xenophobia – that is, the fear of the unknown. While you may not have known the psychological term for it, I’m sure we’ve all experienced this fear in our lives. When we’re facing a new job, a new home, a different teacher, a different schedule, a new or different anything, we justify our jitters by calling it “the fear of the unknown.” Just five words can send the heart of a person of almost any age racing. “The test results are in.” If you’re young and in school, you may think of a test you took. If you’re a bit older, you may think of a medical test and what it will reveal about the status of your health. As we get older, we gain experience, we know more things – but there will always be things that we don’t know – and what we don’t know can be scary.

In fact, there is one thing that no one, no doctor, no teacher, not even your president knows – it’s called the future. No matter how hard we try, we cannot see or know anything for certain beyond this moment in which we are living. We all live with this unknown every day of our lives. What will school be like? What college and what major will I choose? What will I wind up doing for a living? Who will I marry? What’s happening to our country? What will happen to my kids or grandkids? What will retirement be like? What will I do when my spouse dies? Will I end up living in a nursing home? Questions like these can drive people to the point of insanity. Even worse, it can drive them to the point of idolatry – sending them to psychics or horoscopes or false teachers to find insight. People will run to these idols because they imagine that if they know what the future holds, even if it’s bad, at least they can prepare for it.

The truth is that the future isn’t ours to know. This is offensive to “sophisticated” people like us who think we know so much (and that if we don’t know something, we can just Google it). We can send rockets into space and develop vaccines. We have smart calendars on our phones that we think can tell us what we are going to do tomorrow, next week, and even next summer. And yet, the reality is that we don’t really know if we will have a tomorrow at all. James issued a strong warning against anyone who thinks that they know what the future holds: come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that city, spend a year there, do business, and make a profit.” You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? Indeed, it is a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears (James 4:13-14). We don’t and we cannot know what the future holds. All we know for sure is that our time on this earth is short, that our time here is running out (Psalm 90). A short life and certain death are known knowns.

Knowing that, at some point we all wind up asking: “How much time do I have?” That’s the question everyone asks sooner or later, isn’t it? Especially when sickness or disease strike. When your doctor calls to give you the test results, you might find some peace in knowing in the specific type of disease, the prognosis, the suggested treatment – but, let’s be honest, in the end only one question matters: “am I going to live or die?” The problem is that no one; not your doctor, not your pastor, not even Anthony Fauci himself can tell you how much time you have on this earth. They might be able to prescribe a certain treatment or medication that may delay death, but they can’t promise that you won’t be killed in a car accident today or that Jesus won’t return tomorrow. These are the known unknowns: I know that I will die and face judgment – but I don’t know when, where or how.

And what does my Savior say to comfort me as I face these known unknowns? He throws up his hands and says, “I don’t know either!” It’s kind of like a sad game of “Follow the Leader,” where the leader has no idea where is going. Wouldn’t it have been better for us if Jesus just kept quiet about it? If he had just continued teaching and said nothing about the end of our lives or the end of time rather than say, “Even I, the Son of God, don’t know when that will occur.”

Maybe from our perspective – but, as we know, ours is often not the best perspective…Jesus’ is. Jesus did say this and what Jesus says is always for our benefit. Let’s take one big theological step backwards. From all eternity, God the Son most certainly knows everything that the Father and Holy Spirit do. There are no secrets within the Holy Trinity. As true man, however, Jesus didn’t always make full use of his divine knowledge. These are the known knowns that God has revealed in his Word about Jesus: He gave up the full and constant use of his divine power and glory so that he could live on this earth in our place under the Law – obeying it perfectly as our substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21). He did this so that he could die for our sins (Philippians 2:5-11). When Jesus says that he doesn’t know the day or hour he will return, it’s an example of the depths to which he humbled himself for us. His life was just like ours. He had known knowns and known unknowns right in front of him – just like we do. He knows what it’s like to live with fear of the future. We need look no further than the Garden of Gethsemane for proof (Luke 22:39-46).

So where’s the comfort here? While Jesus in his humility didn’t know the date of his return, he knows who does: the Father. In John 12, Jesus tells us just what type of things the Father was interested in telling him – and in telling him, telling us: I have not spoken on my own, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a command regarding what I am to say and what I am to speak. And I know that his command is eternal life (John 12:49-50). Jesus knows that even in the face of an unknowable future, everything he does tell us has one certain, known goal: eternal life.

Therefore, if Jesus doesn’t tell us something – like the day or hour of his return in judgment – what must we conclude? That it isn’t important for our salvation! That’s good news, isn’t it? While Jesus says that he is like a man going away on a journey, and that we are to keep watch for his return, he doesn’t tell us to know the day or time when he will return. In fact, he tells us just the opposite: that you do not know when the owner of the house is coming: whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning. This means that you don’t have to nail down the “when” of your salvation! That’s unknown. Here’s what we do know: 1) We are saved by God’s grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9); 2) Jesus purchased our salvation by his death on Calvary’s cross 2000 years ago (John 19:30); 3) this salvation is delivered to us personally through the means of Baptism, Absolution and Holy Communion here and now (Romans 10:17). This means that knowing exactly when Jesus will return has nothing to do with our salvation.

I know it’s a strange idea, but isn’t Jesus’ ignorance comforting? During his humiliation on this earth Jesus didn’t know the timing of the Last Day – but now, even in his exaltation, he doesn’t have a clue about your sins of yesterday, last week, or last year. The Bible says that he has thrown those behind his back (Isaiah 38:17) and into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19), and he doesn’t know where they landed. Jesus doesn’t even know what you were like before you were baptized, absolved and communed. When he – who, incidentally, happens to be the Judge – sees you, all he sees is a new creation, created like he is in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24). Therefore, don’t mistake what you know for what Jesus says he doesn’t know: you may never forget the sins you’ve committed or that have been committed against you – but Jesus has; when he said it is finished (John 19:30), he forgot those sins – and so should you. Cherish Jesus’ ignorance – because what Jesus doesn’t know will save you!

So here’s what we know: the future isn’t ours to know and Jesus’ ignorance is comforting. But what about the elephant in the room: what can or should we do about the fact that we don’t know when our Lord will return to take us home – either through death or through his coming on the Last Day? Make no mistake, no one on earth knows when this will happen. You might be here next year to celebrate the Last Sunday in the Church year – or you might not. Same with me. What can we do about this final great known unknown? Well, you can do one of two things: you can either worry or watch.

It’s understandable that unbelievers would worry about the “when” of the Last Day. They should be worried. They have no “knowns” to place against this last, greatest “unknown.” By definition, unbelievers refuse to acknowledge who they are, where they came from, where they are going – more importantly, they are blind to God – who God is, what he’s done for them, and what he’s preparing to do. And because of this unbelieving blindness they haven’t a clue as to what they should be doing or believing during their brief lives on earth. And isn’t that ignorance glaringly obvious today? The only thing unbelievers appear to know today is that they are against anything and everything God has instituted. They have taken their stand against creation, against marriage, against the church, against law and order, against the family and even against gender itself. And yet, in their battle against God, in their search for comfort from their worry, what have they actually achieved? They’ve only succeeded in replacing God’s “known” institutions with their own “unknown,” undefined, and aimless lives here on earth. Don’t let the media fool you: LGBTQ individuals are not happy; divorce is always tragic; and trying your best to be “environmentally responsible” does absolutely nothing to alleviate the fear of knowing that a Day of Judgment is coming. Unbelievers can only and always worry about the Last Day because they know nothing about the One who is coming.

But that’s not you. You don’t have to be worried. You know who is coming and you know why he’s coming – to take you to heaven. That’s why instead of worrying you do something far more productive and beneficial: you watch. During his humiliation Jesus didn’t know when the Last Day would come, but he did know what his servants should be doing: it is like a man going away on a journey. When he left his home, he put his servants in charge and assigned what each one was to do. He also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. Therefore, keep watch.

Don’t worry; keep watch. How? Many have severely misinterpreted (or maybe overinterpreted) what Jesus means when he tells us to keep watch. But Jesus is simply using this parable to illustrate that as we await his return we are simply to be doing what he has told us to do – thereby placing what the Lord has given us as “known” against the “unknown” of the timing of his return. What do we know? We know where God has placed us: are you a father or mother, a husband or wife, a son or daughter, an employer or employee? Then you know what God has given you to do here and now. Most importantly, you know that God has given you his Baptism, Absolution and Communion as tangible signs of his eternal love for you. So even if we don’t know the “when,” we do know the “who” and the “why.” We know that the same Jesus who was born in a manger for us, who lived a perfect life for us, who died on the cross for our sins and who rose again is coming to take us to live with him in heaven forever. And when you know the “who” and the “why” – the “when” doesn’t really matter, does it?

So what should we do in the meantime as we wait for the unknown day of Jesus’ return? Stick to what you know! Watch. Work. Live. Love God and the people around you. And trust that through the means of grace Jesus is preparing you to receive him whenever he returns. In the end, that’s all we really need to know. Amen.  

Mark 13:24-31 - See (and Understand) the Signs - November 14, 2021

When it comes to signs, it’s one thing to see them; it’s another thing to understand them. For example, traffic signs are intentionally positioned so that you can’t help but see them – that is, unless you have your head buried in your phone like many of the drivers on the road. It seems to me that even though you can’t help but see the red, upside-down triangle at each entrance to a roundabout, a good number of drivers don’t understand that the “yield” sign means that unless there is a car coming from your left, you don’t have to stop. Also, if you’ve driven on the beltline lately you’ve no doubt noticed that they’ve begun installing the signs that will regulate the left-hand shoulder for an additional lane of traffic – I’m just guessing that there’s going to be a pretty lengthy learning curve – not for people to begin seeing the signs, but for them to understand and obey them. Today our Lord points out signs of his Second Coming; signs which everyone will see, but only those his listen to his Word will understand.

The first signs Jesus describes have been seen by all people of all time. Solar and lunar eclipses are world-wide events that have been observed for at least 4500 years, according to records from Babylonia and China. [1] NASA estimates that in the 5000 years between 2000 BC and 3000 AD there will have been almost 12,000 solar and lunar eclipses. [2] It’s safe to say that every adult on earth has seen an eclipse. (Fun fact, our second child, Joel, was born on the day we in Wisconsin were able to view a solar eclipse – August 21, 2017.) The same can be said about the shooting stars and comets that streak through the vacuum of space. If you look back in history, almost every ancient people viewed these astronomical events as signs of something big.

Of course, we aren’t ancient people. We are sophisticated, intelligent, scientific people. We might find it interesting that ancient people found meaning in a solar eclipse or a shooting star – but we have computers and big, fancy telescopes in space; we know better today. We know what shooting stars really are. We know that comets don’t really just appear out of nowhere. We can predict down to the second how long an eclipse will last and where and when it will be visible. We aren’t foolish, simpleminded barbarians who think that these signs in the heavens above us actually mean something.

But who’s really the simpleminded fool in this situation? Person who sees the signs and knows they mean something or the person who sees the signs but regards them as utterly meaningless? (Which type of person would you like to meet at a roundabout?) Jesus says that after that distress in those days (that is, the period of time after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (Mark 13:1-23), the rest of the NT era), the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Everyone on earth sees these signs. But few, even very few Christians, really understand what they mean. We don’t have any excuse, though. In Genesis: God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night, and let them serve as markers to indicate seasons, days, and years (Genesis 1:14). From the very beginning God said that the sun, moon and stars are markers or signs of time – now Jesus gives them a deeper meaning (perhaps similar to what the Lord did with rainbows for Noah (Genesis 9:12-17)). Jesus says that when they fall out of the sky or go dark we shouldn’t just look at them as neat phenomena that can be explained away scientifically; but that we must understand that they are not only signs that he will indeed return, but as visible – yes, scientific – evidence that this world, this universe, won’t endure.

There are other signs that everyone sees, but that even many Christians do not understand. Jesus says that even as the powers of the heavens are shaken you will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great power and glory. Have you seen this? Do you understand it? I’ll give you a hint: you’ve seen it if you’ve heard these promises from Jesus’ own lips where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them (Matthew 18:20); and, surely I am with you always until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Do those verses clarify this sign for you?

Here’s the reason so many can’t see this sign and even fewer can understand it: you can only see Jesus with great power and glory if you understand – and believe – what the Bible says about his work. Most important is what Jesus himself declared from the cross: it is finished (John 19:30). Jesus only rarely displayed his great power and glory at his First Coming. He humbled himself to be born as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem (Luke 2). He went through a lifetime of humiliation so that he could take your place under God’s Law and keep it in your place (Matthew 5:17). He took the nature of a servant, humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross for our sins (Philippians 2:7-8). But as he said, that’s over and done with. Since Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, he has resumed the full and constant use of his divine power and glory. Easter Sunday introduced the last days, the end times. That’s why 50 days later, on Pentecost, Peter told the crowd that the last days which Joel had predicted were now here (Acts 2:14-41). That’s why Paul told the Corinthians that the end of the ages has come (1 Corinthians 10:11). Right now is when Jesus can be seen coming in great power and glory.

Here's the catch: this sign can only be understood with eyes of faith. Those with eyes that remain darkened by unbelief may see this sign, but (like those roundabout drivers) drive right past it without understanding the significance. Unbelief doesn’t see Jesus coming to earth in great power and glory to raise the dead to life in the water of Baptism (Romans 6:3-4). Nope, they just see plain tap water – or, at best a sign of a person’s commitment to Jesus. Unbelief doesn’t see the Judge of mankind (John 5:22) declaring his final verdict in the words of Absolution (John 20:23). They just see some lunatic in a robe pretending to play God. Unbelief doesn’t see Holy Communion as the first course of the wedding banquet that will be served in heaven (Matthew 26:27-28; Revelation 19:6-10). Nope, that’s just a piece of stale bread and a cup of cheap wine – or, at best a symbol which makes us think about what Jesus did on Calvary 2000 years ago. Faith not only sees and receives and believes in these means of grace but also understands that Jesus is coming in great power and glory right here and now through them!

The signs are all there: in the heavens, here at this font and altar. Does that mean that we should pack our bags and cancel our Thanksgiving plans? No. These signs don’t tell us when Jesus will return but rather that his return is certain. How can I be so sure that these signs don’t indicate timing but certainty – that these aren’t signs at the end but of the end? Because an angel told me. No, really. Here we must let Scripture interpret Scripture. In Matthew 13 and Revelation 14 – sections which are undoubtedly describing the Last Day, Jesus doesn’t only send out his angels to gather the elect. He also sends out other angels to gather unbelievers for judgment (Matthew 13:47-51; Revelation 14:14-20). This isn’t the Final Judgment here. It’s something else. This is Jesus sending out human messengers (the Greek word angelos means “messenger) with the Gospel during the New Testament era to gather his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the sky.

During his earthly ministry Jesus had restricted the scope of his disciple’s mission to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6). But after his resurrection he sent them out to all nations (Mark 16:15). This is still going on today. It’s been going on worldwide for 2000 years wherever and whenever the Gospel of forgiveness, life and salvation is proclaimed to people dead in sin and they believe it. Right then and there Jesus’ messengers, his angels, are gathering his elect. This happened at some point in your life – and, by God’s grace, this happened in my life. See – an angel told me! Jesus is coming in great power and glory right here and now!

Can you see all these signs? More importantly, do you understand them? Can you not only see eclipses and shooting stars but understand that these signs indicate that this world is passing away? Can you not only see Baptism, Absolution and Communion but understand that through these means the Son of Man is coming with great power and glory to forgive and save? Can you not only see but understand that we as a Christian congregation; that Christian pastors and teachers, parents and grandparents are doing more than instilling morality or teaching Bible history – that they are actually God’s messengers gathering God’s elect?

Then listen as Jesus tells us what these signs mean: Learn this illustration of the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. So also when you see these things happening, you will know that he is near – at the doors! I know that in the 21st century we tend to look to groundhogs and meteorologists to tell us when spring is coming – but they can be and are often wrong. But when certain trees – like fig or pecan trees – begin to bloom, you can be sure that summer is near. In the same way, every generation since our Lord’s first coming has seen these definite signs of his Second Coming. Every generation has seen the eclipses, the shooting stars, the passing comets and the worldwide proclamation of the Gospel gathering the elect. Every generation gets all the warning signs that eternity will soon smash the clock of time; that the created order is about to become extremely disordered; that this heaven and earth are passing away. No matter what the skeptics, the unbelievers, the scientists say about these signs – we need to understand that Jesus’ return is as sure as the changing of the seasons; and that even now he is near – right at the door!

And for that reason, we need to find a sure foundation to stand on – so that we will be ready to welcome him with joy when he comes; not cower in fear. By nature, we’ve got it all backwards. We think that this world we can see, touch and rely on will always be there. Jesus swears here that it will not. We think that we can find safety and security for ourselves and our families in things like money and real estate and insurance policies – but all of those things will pass away. Jesus swears that while the stars above your head and the earth beneath your feet will pass away, [his] words will never pass away.

Human words don’t last forever. Copyright protections only last 70 after the death of the author. [3] Pharmaceutical drug patents only last 20 years. [4] Even the vows you made on your wedding day don’t last forever – they expire upon death (Romans 7:2). But Jesus’ words – they will never pass away. The words of Baptism that were spoken over you 5 or 15 or 55 years ago are just as true today as the day you got wet; you have been joined with Christ in both his death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). The Words of Absolution constitute your Judge’s unchanging verdict: you are not guilty (John 20:23). The life Jesus gives you through his body and blood from this altar doesn’t end when your heart stops beating – in fact, that’s when your true life begins. Yes, heaven and earth and everything in them are passing away. But of this you can be sure: [Jesus’] words will never pass away.

There are signs of Jesus’ Second Coming all around us. And yet it’s one thing to see the signs, it’s another to understand them. Many who see these signs see in them a reason to cling all the tighter to the things of this world. By God’s grace, we don’t just see these signs, we understand them – and instead of clinging to this fading and decaying world we cling to Jesus’ words, which will never, ever pass away. Amen.

[1] https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar-eclipse-history.html

[2] https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SEcatalog.html

[3] https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-duration.html#:~:text=The%20term%20of%20copyright%20for,plus%20an%20additional%2070%20years.

[4] https://hmsa.com/help-center/what-are-generic-drugs/

Mark 12:38-44 - A Widow's Faith - November 7, 2021

It’s Tuesday of Holy Week, just days before he will be arrested, beaten and nailed hand and foot to a tree – and what Jesus is up to? He’s not worrying about himself, preparing himself mentally and spiritually for the spit and the shame and the cross – but teaching his disciples. That in itself is pretty shocking, but perhaps even more shocking is what Jesus chooses for his object lesson. Today’s “teachers” – politicians, news anchors, celebrities – tend to focus on the big and notable issues of the day: What has Covid been up to lately? What do these past week’s elections mean for America? What’s going on with Aaron Rodgers? As we’ve worked our way through Mark’s Gospel this year, it’s hard not to notice that Jesus has a radically different style of teaching. Instead of choosing to focus on the big, important things of the world, he directs his disciples – and our – eyes and ears to small, unimportant things – in order to teach us big, important lessons: he uses mustard seeds (Mark 4:30-34); a young boy’s lunch (Mark 6:30-44); little children (Mark 10:13-16); and a withered fig tree (Mark 10:46-52). Small, insignificant things and people seemed to be important to Jesus – in his hands, they teach the biggest lessons.

Today he chooses a widow. Widows seem to be the theme of the day, don’t they? We had the widow at Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16). Widows serve as evidence of the Jewish leaders’ hypocrisy – in that they devour widows’ houses and then try to cover it up by offer[ing] long prayers (compare them to today’s televangelists who speak and act very piously and sanctimoniously – but what they really want is for you to buy their latest video or book). And, last but not least, Jesus draws the attention of his disciples to a poor widow who drops her last two coins into the offering box at the temple. Widows may seem insignificant to the world, but they have a special place in God’s heart – and in his Word. Think of Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi – God caused an entire book of the Bible to be written about them! Or Anna, who was one of the few people in Israel to celebrate the birth of Jesus; and who was also a widow of eighty-four years – her name will forever be linked to Jesus (Luke 2:37). Paul spent a good portion of his first letter to Timothy urging him to honor widows (1 Timothy 5:3-16). And James writes: religion that is pure and undefiled in the sight of God the Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their affliction (James 1:27). Clearly, our Lord has a special place in his heart for widows.

And for good reason. In Biblical times, women couldn’t normally go out and get jobs – and therefore they couldn’t support themselves. With no real social safety net, they were left with few options. If a woman was widowed at a young age, she could remarry – like Ruth did (Ruth 4:10). Ideally, older widows would be taken in by other friends or relatives – like Jesus commending his mother Mary to John at the cross (John 19:26-27). But if a widow had no one to take care of her, she was virtually helpless. She was one notch below a beggar – not only did she have nothing but she had no socially acceptable way to get anything. That was the situation in which the widow at Zarephath found herself and her son. Zarephath was a town in Sidon, located over 100 miles north of Jerusalem on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. She wasn’t an Israelite, she wasn’t one of God’s people, not one of the insiders. She was what the Israelites called the “goyim,” an outsider. And that’s what makes the Lord’s command to Elijah to go to her so noteworthy: it proves that God’s mercy knows no boundaries; that the blessings and Savior that were to come through Israel weren’t only for Israel but for all nations, even for widows…even for “goyim” like us.

She had enough for one last meal and no assurances that another could be found. Sadly, how many single mothers in our own wealthy nation have faced a similar situation? And then Elijah shows up…another mouth to feed. Her pantry is bare, where was she going to find enough food for everyone? Elijah offers her nothing more than the Word of the Lord: do not be afraid. Go and do just as you said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from the flour and bring it out to me. Then go and make another for you and your son. (1 Kings 17:13-14). She could have said no. She could have done the responsible thing and taken care of herself and her son and told this strange, foreign prophet to buzz off. But she didn’t. She did what Elijah told her. Imagine what must have been going through her mind after she gave Elijah his bread and went back inside hoping there was just a pinch of flour and a drop of oil remaining for herself and her son. And then, imagine her surprise when she reached into the jar of flour and shook the jug and felt that they were full again! More than enough for herself and her son for that day – and, not only that, but day after day, there was always enough. Every time she reached into that cupboard, there’s enough for her to bake her daily bread.

What does this teach us? We pray – at least weekly, and hopefully daily – “give us this day our daily bread.” You understand what we’re praying for, right? Just enough bread for this day, for today – and nothing more. Unfortunately, outside of the 4th petition I don’t think that we limit our prayers and petitions to God to just the necessities for today. We often pray that the Lord would give us enough bread for a month, a year, our retirement, a lifetime – enough so that we don’t have to work (or at least worry) anymore. While we may take 10 seconds to thank God for the meals we eat three (or more) times a day, we spend far more time thinking about saving for our children’s education, our own retirement, and the estate we will leave behind when we’re dead. Instead of appreciating the bread that’s on our plate we lose sleep over the volatility of the stock market and its impact on our investments. Like the rich fool in Jesus’ parable, we spend a lifetime working and saving to build barns (or bank accounts) we don’t need to store grain (or money) we will never use (Luke 12:13-21). We buy and store and hoard until we’re tripping over all our stuff and complain about having to organize so much junk (and if you doubt that, just try moving!). You know what that is, right? That’s greed. And Paul says that greed is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). It’s idolatry because it reveals that instead of trusting God to provide our daily bread we are placing our trust in our our wealth, our investments, our nest egg – in whatever promises to keep us safe, secure, well-fed and happy. What’s the cure for this insatiable greed, for this soul-destroying idolatry – not to mention, the cure for the stress, the anxiety, the heart-burn, the sleepless nights that come from placing your trust and hope in things that can never satisfy?

Let’s go back to Zarephath for a moment: The jar of flour did not run out, and the pitcher of oil did not become empty, just as the Lord had said through Elijah. In my mind this miracle was a lot like Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6:30-44). I imagine that Jesus just kept putting his hand into that little boy’s basket and kept pulling out more bread and more fish – but his disciples never would have seen a big pile of bread and fish. All they would have ever seen was those five loaves and two fish. I imagine that all that widow ever saw was that same jar of flour and that same jug of olive oil – no Costco pallet of flour or oil – but every time she reached for them there was more – just as the Lord had said. There’s the key. There’s the solution to the idolatry of greed. The Word of God. It not only exposes our sin and leads us to repentance, but it provides the cure. The creates everything out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3). It makes enough out of too little. The Word of the Lord provides daily bread. And that poor Gentile widow, who had nothing, trusted that Word of the Lord spoken by Elijah and found that the Lord gave her enough, and more than enough, for her and her son.

Which brings us our Gospel lesson. After Jesus had warned his disciples against the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders, Jesus was sitting in the temple courtyard, watching how (note that little word how!) the crowd put money into it, a nameless widow walked in to deposit her offering. Offerings were placed into these metal “trumpets” with long necks (something similar to the one you see on the bulletin cover). You can imagine, then, that when the wealthy came with their many coins it made a whole lot of noise when they dropped them into the offering box. And then this poor woman came. And there was no great clattering, nothing to draw anyone’s attention. Two little copper pennies, worth just a fraction of a day’s wages. If anyone heard anything at all, it was a quiet “plink, plink.” Nothing much to see; even less to hear.

But Jesus saw and heard something. He heard that barely audible “plink, plink.” And what he heard was a window into this widow’s heart. Now, admittedly, Jesus’ accounting standards would seem dubious to even a five-year-old: this poor widow put more into the offering box than all the others. No, she didn’t! She only put in on a fraction of a day’s wages. What’s wrong with Jesus’ ears? What Jesus heard wasn’t the clang of coins; it was faith and trust; a poor widow’s trust in the goodness and mercy of a God. For Jesus, it’s not the quantity that counts – it’s how that amount is given! It’s not about coins or cash or checks or direct deposits – it’s about faith. Sola fide – faith alone. That’s all that matters before God (Romans 3:28).

But faith is never alone. Faith, as Paul says, is always working itself out through love (Galatians 5:6). That’s what this widow was doing. Out of gratitude to God for his gifts to her, this poor widow was obeying the 1st Commandment: loving and trusting God above all things! This poor widow held those two tiny coins with the dead hands of faith. Dead hands, because that’s how easily she could let them go. She was dead to them and alive to God. Hers was a true sacrifice of love: For they all gave out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all that she had to live on. In those two plinking pennies – that had emptied this poor widow’s bank account – Jesus saw a heart filled with faith. So what’s the point? Is this about proportional giving? Is it that unless you’re giving everything, giving until your financial advisor fires you because you don’t have any more money to manage, that it doesn’t really count in God’s eyes? In working through this text over the past week one of my biggest questions was: why did the Holy Spirit even include this story in Mark’s Gospel? It seems to be a rather trivial event to record during the most important week in human history: Holy Week. And maybe that’s the point. With God, it’s never about the things the world deems to be so important. It’s about your heart. It’s about faith.

I doubt that any of us are putting every last cent into the offering plate this morning. I know I’m not. And while our offerings may amount to more than a couple of pennies – it’s definitely not enough to buy our way into heaven. You could give until the sheriff showed up at your house with a representative from the bank to repossess it – and it still wouldn’t make you right with God. God doesn’t really care about your money – he cares about your heart. But, for our sake, he recorded this story to show us that how we spend our money IS a window into our hearts; that is, that it shows us – us, not others, not the church council, not the pastor – whether our trust is in the Giver (James 1:17) or his gifts.

Two weeks ago we agreed with Martin Luther’s assessment that “we are all beggars.” Today we might say, “we are all widows.” We have nothing to give to God and we have no way to get anything to give to him. And yet God in his grace fills our empty hands with things we could never earn for ourselves. He redeemed us – bought us back from sin, death and the devil – not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). He baptizes us into an inheritance that is undying, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:4). He feeds us with food we cannot purchase at any grocery store – his own body and blood – food that doesn’t just sustain your life today but forever. And he invites us to receive all of his gifts without money and without cost (Isaiah 55:1). And when you believe that, no matter your net worth, you are truly rich.

This text leaves us with many unanswered questions: How did that poor widow survive when she returned home from the temple? What did she eat? How did she pay her mortgage? I don’t know. But Jesus knows. And Jesus knows you, too. And he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Learn this big lesson from these poor, insignificant widows: God doesn’t need your offerings but he does give us the privilege of giving them as a window into our hearts – so we can see whether our hearts are set on the Giver or his gifts. Worrying about money will never put a single slice of bread on your kitchen table, but through faith created by the Word of God you already have the Bread of Life (John 6:35) forever – and your offerings allow you to put this faith into action. God grant us a widow’s faith. Amen.  

Mark 13:5-13 - Stand Firm in God's Word - October 31, 2021

Standing firm in God’s Word – and facing the consequences for it – has a long and storied history. In fact, that’s exactly what many of the best-known Bible stories are about. Think of Elijah taking his stand against the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18-19:3). Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego choosing to be roasted alive rather than bend the knee to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol (Daniel 3:16-28). Daniel choosing to face hungry lions rather than pray to King Darius (Daniel 6). Skip ahead to the New Testament and you see Stephen taking his stand against the Sanhedrin and being stoned to death for it (Acts 6:8-7:60). Or Paul, one of the men who approved of Stephen’s death, later facing trial before numerous officials and kings and finally losing his life for his testimony. And this theme transcends even Bible history. Fast forward 1500 years and you will hear another Christian give his own testimony, not in Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek – but in German: Heir stehe ich; ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir.” [1] These were Martin Luther’s final words at his trial in the German town of Worms 500 years ago as he refused to deny or recant the three core truths of Christianity: faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone. He said: “Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me.”

As Lutheran Christians, its easy to take these stories of bold and fearless confession for granted. But in view of the culture in which we live, it’s kind of shocking, isn’t it? That these men would give themselves over to torture and death rather than give up their faith and confession? I’m sure we can all think of famous people – especially famous politicians – who have reversed their supposedly strongly held principles the moment their principles became unpopular or politically incorrect. But perhaps we don’t even have to look out there for example of breaking under pressure. We all know people who stood before an altar like this and swore to endure all things, even death, rather than fall away from the Gospel – and yet now have no regard for the means of grace. And yet, for all those who have denied the faith – thousands more have stood firm in spite of public and private pressure and even threats to their wealth, families and life. The question is: how will we react when we are put on the spot, when we are pressured to either deny Christ or confess him and face the consequences – whatever the consequences may be? First, we need to know what to look for and second, we need to have a firm foundation on which to stand. Jesus gives us both in the words before us this morning.   

It’s Tuesday of Holy Week. Jesus has made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11). In a matter of days he would be betrayed, put on trial, tortured, and crucified. And yet, even knowing all this, Jesus’ concern was for his disciples who would very soon be questioned, put on trial, tortured and put to death themselves. It’s out of this compassionate concern for his disciples – and for us – that Jesus says: be careful that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. It may seem like detecting false teaching and false teachers is a big, complicated task – best left to trained theologians – but it’s really not complicated at all. Both Old and New Testaments identify exactly what false teachers will do: they will either add to, subtract from, or twist the Word of God (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19). If you know your Bible, then you are equipped to detect false teaching. And there always have been and always will be false teachers. In Jesus’ day, there were already false prophets trying to deceive many – in the form of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Experts in the Law – by adding their own manmade rules to God’s Law and telling people that their works could save them. In Luther’s day, the Roman Catholic church had added the purchase of indulgences and prescribed “satisfactions” to Christ’s all-atoning sacrifice. In our day, there are still false prophets trying to deceive many – in churches that proclaim a gospel other than “Christ crucified for sinners;” that give in to public pressure to support movements and morals which trample all over God’s will and natural law; in those that teach that all roads, all religions lead to heaven. Confronted by these threats, we stand firm on God’s Word – like those of the Apostle Paul: even if we or an angel from heaven would preach any gospel other than the one we preached to you – a curse on him (Galatians 1:8).

Jesus also warns that there will be signs in society which we must be on guard for: whenever you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but the end is not yet. In fact, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. Jesus could be reading off the news ticker at the bottom of the TV screen, couldn’t he? Wars and rumors of wars? While America’s longest war in Afghanistan is over, it seems like the real wars are taking place on our own soil. The gang and drug wars of Chicago and Milwaukee have been migrating here to Madison. Nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom doesn’t just mean the United States versus China or Russia or Iran – it’s school boards against parents; prolife against pro-abortion; supposed LGBTQ rights versus freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Earthquakes and famines? I’m not aware of any recent earthquakes – but famines: is there any practical difference today between having a farm on which nothing will grow or grocery stores in which shelves are empty? And yet, we stand firm in two of God’s promises: first, never will I leave you and never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5); and, second, such things must happen, but the end is not yet…these are the beginning of birth pains.

Finally, Jesus warns us that we will be persecuted and prosecuted, in public and in private, for his name. People will hand you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand in the presence of rulers and kings for my sake as a witness to them…brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against their parents and put them to death. Elijah, Shadrak, Meshak and Abednego, Daniel, Stephen and Paul all stood trial before rulers and kings for Jesus’ sake. So did Luther. And still today Christians around the world are persecuted and prosecuted for Jesus’ sake. So be on your guard Jesus says. How? Remember that Jesus was originally speaking to Peter, James, John and Andrew (Mark 13:3-4). Was he telling them to arm themselves, to run for the hills or lock the doors and hide? No, while Jesus did tell the disciples to bring their swords to Gethsemane, he told Peter to sheathe it, not use it (John 18:11). After his resurrection, Jesus didn’t tell his disciples to hide in their homes but to take the Gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). He was telling them to guard the faith – to closely guard what he had taught them over the previous three years and to closely guard the suffering, death and resurrection they would soon witness.

So too today, we don’t remain on guard by arming ourselves or by hiding from the world – we remain on guard by guarding our faith – by going again and again to our Baptisms in which God has claimed us as his own, by hearing again and again that our sins are forgiven in the Absolution, by receiving our Lord’s body and blood in Holy Communion, and by becoming ever more deeply rooted in God’s Word. I don’t know where you’re going to face persecution in your life – it may be at home or at work; it may be on social media; your confession of Christ may cut you off from a friend or family member; it may be that someday your church or pastor are prosecuted for alleged “hate speech” – but whatever form the persecution takes, remember that you remain on guard not by arming yourself or hiding your faith but by carrying the saving truths of the Gospel in your heart and mind and having them always on your lips.  

“But that seems so trite, so ineffective, so weak – in the face of such strong opposition and persecution. That doesn’t seem to be standing firm; that seems to be cowering in a corner.” I know that’s the way it seems, but that’s not the way it is. Jesus arms us with several more promises which provide the foundation on which we will stand. First, in the midst of his warnings, Jesus said the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. What a promise to make knowing that in just days he will be lying in a tomb, stone-cold dead! The Gospel must, the Gospel will be preached to all nations. And yet, Jesus has kept his promise, hasn’t he? The Christian Church has survived 2000 years of persecution by the devil and his earthly minions. The Lutheran church has thrived for over 500 years. Our own Wisconsin Synod has been proclaiming the Gospel in our country and around the world for more than 170 years. The Gospel has been preached, Absolution has been proclaimed, and the Sacraments have been administered right here at Risen Savior for 22 years. Previous generations have preached the Gospel to you and now you are preaching it to the next generation. Yes, it may happen that you will be slandered or attacked as being bigoted or closeminded or intolerant for confessing the faith – but the Gospel will be preached to all nations. And when you face opposition, here is Jesus’ promise to you: whenever they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what you should say. Say whatever is given to you in that hour, because you will not be the ones speaking; instead it will be the Holy Spirit.

How could Elijah, Shadrak, Meshak and Abednego, Stephen, Paul and Luther stand so firm in the face of such fierce opposition? It wasn’t because they were especially bold or courageous – if you read through Luther’s Works, you will hear about the spiritual, mental and emotional anguish he went through as God used him to reform his church. In fact, when he stood before the imperial court at Worms, and was commanded to recant, Luther initially wavered and asked for time to think about it (not exactly the bold, fearless picture of the reformer we often have). No, these men stood firm only because the Holy Spirit held them firm in his unchanging Word and unshakeable promises and gave them the words to speak. Standing firm today – at home, at work, on social media – isn’t about us either – it’s about God and his promises to us.

Which brings us to two final promises on which we can take our stand; promises that may just have been on Luther’s mind as he wrote A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Jesus said: You will be hated by everyone because of my name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved; and Luther wrote “and do what they will – hate, steal, hurt, or kill – though all may be gone, our victory is won; the kingdom’s ours forever!” (CW 200:4) Here are the two promises on which we can stand firm in life and in death. First, everyone hates Christians. Don’t be surprised by it, expect it – even embrace it for it puts you the good company of the faithful saints who have gone before you. Second, the word endures here doesn’t mean that our salvation depends on our unfailing, fearless, bold confession of Christ – if that were true then all of the men we’ve mentioned would be lost. No, it means that even when we fail to boldly stand firm in Christ, we are forgiven and salvation is ours – because we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Scripture alone. Clinging to those truths – especially in times of weakness, even in times of denial – is what it means to endure to the end – because even if you and I waver, they never will.  

I’d like to end this Reformation sermon with one more word. Tetelestai, it is finished (John 19:30) In the end, if this is the only Word you had, you would have enough to stand firm. This word assures you that there is nothing more you need to do for your salvation. You are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, found in Scripture alone. That’s where Elijah, Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego, Daniel, Stephen, Paul and Martin Luther stood. That’s where we stand. God help us. Amen.

[1] Kittelson, Luther the Reformer 161

Mark 10:46-52 - We Are All Beggars - October 24, 2021

While few men in history have written more or had more written about them than Martin Luther; there is surprisingly little written about the last days of his life. One of the only noteworthy items from his last days comes from a scrap of paper his friends found near his deathbed. In this note Luther had written two short phrases, one in Latin, one in German. What was this man – who went from being the son of a copper miner in Eisleben, Germany to the 3rd most influential of the 2nd millennium AD; this German monk – through whom God had brought the mighty church of Rome to its knees; this theologian – to whom God had granted extraordinary gifts to translate, interpret, communicate and rightly divide the Word of truth – what was on his mind as his life drew to a close? “Hoc est verum. Wir sind alle Bettler.” “This is true. We are all beggars.” [1] Is he right? Are we all beggars? The beggar we find in our text will help us answer this question today.

Let’s set the stage. It was just days before Holy Week; just days before Jesus would ride into Jerusalem to shouts of “hosanna” (Mark 11:9) and be marched out to cries of “crucify him!” (Mark 15:13) Mark picks up his account as Jesus was passing through Jericho – a city roughly 15 miles from Jerusalem. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind man, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road begging. Partially due to poor hygiene and unsanitary conditions, partially due to a lack of sound medical advice [2], blindness was very common in Jesus’ day. Blindness is a terrible affliction in any age, but it was especially so in the 1st century. There were no guide dogs, no talking traffic lights, no braille, no specialized schools or homes or services. Because no one would hire them for work – they were inevitably left to beg for their daily bread. To add insult to injury, the blind also lived under the social stigma that their blindness was God’s punishment for some sin either they or their ancestors had committed (John 9:1-2). These were the conditions under which Bartimaeus lived. He may have been blind, but he was under no illusion: he knew he was completely dependent on the mercy of others for his very existence; he identified as utterly helpless.

But as blind as Bartimaeus was, there was one thing that, by God’s grace, he could see more clearly than many who had 20/20 vision. He was unable to work, unable to get to the temple by himself to present any sacrifices – but his ears worked just fine and he used them. And what he had heard was people talking about a man, Jesus of Nazareth, who had traveled throughout Israel preaching a message of God’s grace and mercy and forgiveness for sinners and performing miracles of healing that had never been seen before. And while many people saw nothing more than a mere man, the son of Joseph and Mary (Mark 6:3) – Bartimaeus saw the promised Messiah, the Son God had promised to David 1000 years earlier, who would establish God’s kingdom on earth and rescue his people from the misery of sin (2 Samuel 7:11-16). Because Bartimaeus believed that this was the one man who could help him, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

There are several lessons we can learn from this blind beggar. First, while our world demands to see before it will believe, Bartimaeus believed without having seen anything! Just think – at least some of those in that crowd in Jericho had probably seen Jesus’ miracles with their own eyes – and we know for certain that many of the Jewish leaders who crucified Jesus did – but they still did not believe that he was the Son of God, the promised Savior. That’s because faith does not come from seeing, faith comes from hearing the message (Romans 10:17) – still today. In the absolution, I cannot show you your rap sheet that has been cleansed of all your sins by Jesus’ precious blood– you can only hear and trust Jesus’ promise in John 20: whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven (John 20:23). In Baptism, to our eyes nothing more dramatic happens than someone gets wet. But Peter testifies that baptism now saves you (1 Peter 3:21). The bread and wine you receive look like normal bread and wine but don’t believe your eyes, believe Jesus’ words: this is my body…this is my blood…which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26, 28). Many are waiting and demanding to see proof before they believe in Jesus, and they will be waiting all the way until Judgment Day – and the only thing they will see is Jesus’ wrath at their unbelief. Let us learn from Bartimaeus: faith comes from hearing, not from seeing.

Second, whether we care to admit it or not, we are no different than Bartimaeus, we are all beggars before God. Scripture is crystal clear in teaching that we are all completely helpless to save ourselves (Romans 3:28; Galatians 3:10). We are conceived and born without true fear of God or true faith in God; dead in sin, blind to the Gospel, enemies of God; doomed to damnation in hell. Left to ourselves we cannot even obey the least of God’s commands, much less obey all of them to God’s standard of perfection. We are miserable beggars before God who can do nothing but cry for mercy. That’s why one of the first things we do each week is sing the Kyrie: “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.” [3] These words not only remind us that we are beggars; they also direct our focus to the only one who can and will show us saving mercy: Jesus the Son of David.

Bartimaeus believed that Jesus would be merciful to him, and so he persistently kept shouting all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” They called the blind man, saying, “Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!” You would think that Jesus would have better things to do, people to see, preparations to make as he walked the lonely road to the cross than be bothered with a miserable, blind beggar, wouldn’t you? In times of suffering and times of weakness Satan tempts us to think that Jesus has better things to do than concern himself with us and our problems. We might think that we shouldn’t bother him – that he must be too busy taking care of the great, big, important problems and people in the world. And we would be wrong. There is no problem too big and no believer too small for Jesus – because he came to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:10). The whole reason Jesus came was to help beggars – beggars like Bartimaeus…beggars like you and me.

Fourth, when Jesus called, Bartimaeus didn’t waste any time. He tossed aside his outer garment, jumped up, and went to Jesus. That cloak was quite possibly Bartimaeus’ only earthly possession. It was the roof over his head and the mattress under his back, it was his shade tree and his pantry. And yet, at Jesus’ invitation, he threw it all aside to run to Jesus who he believed could give him everything he needed and more. He would let nothing keep him from Jesus. We, too, have a standing invitation from Jesus: come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:30) Is there anything hindering you? Why aren’t we jumping up and running to Jesus in prayer weekly, daily, hourly? Is pride getting in the way? “I can handle this myself.” Is it embarrassment? “I shouldn’t have to beg for help.” Is an unhealthy trust in earthly helpers keeping you from Jesus? “My doctor, my financial adviser, my lawyer can figure this out for me – I don’t need Jesus.” Is it doubt or unbelief? “Jesus couldn’t possibly help me in this situation.” Or maybe, is it guilt or shame? “Jesus knows what I’ve said, done, thought, why in the world would he help a miserable sinner like me?” Whatever it is, remember this: coming to Jesus for help is not about you, your worthiness or unworthiness; it’s all about him – his mercy, his power, his promises, his love. Remember: we are all beggars with nothing to offer, and everything to ask – and Jesus welcomes beggars.

Here’s the proof: “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man replied, “Rabboni, I want to see again.” Think about the guts it took to make that request. Bartimaeus wasn’t merely asking for money for gas or beer, or for some food – he was asking for an impossible miracle. But he was convinced that this was God’s Son standing before him – the Son of David God had promised who would open eyes that are blind and…release…those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:7). Jesus answered Bartimaeus’ bold and impossible request. “Go. Your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight.

Why did Bartimaeus receive his sight? Jesus said your faith has made you well. In what way did Bartimaeus’ faith heal him? Well, not in the way that “faith-healers” claim today – that it was because Bartimaeus’ faith was so strong, so powerful that he was healed. If that were true, why didn’t Bartimaeus simply “believe” himself restored sight sooner, why did he have to wait for Jesus to come walking past him? (“Faith healing” is a dangerous false teaching that turns faith into a work and grace into something we earn from God!) Bartimaeus’ faith was nothing more (and nothing less) than a beggar’s open hand (organon leptikon – “receiving organ”) that would receive the gift Jesus would graciously give. Bartimaeus’ faith only saved him because, to put it bluntly: he asked, he begged the right person – he extended his empty hand in the right direction. Saving, healing, justifying faith doesn’t “do” anything; saving faith saves because it humbly receives what Jesus freely gives.

But Bartimaeus’ faith didn’t stop there, he began following Jesus on the road. It’s still just days before Holy Week. Jesus’ road is still leading to Jerusalem, to the hornet’s nest of Jesus’ enemies who wanted him dead – which Bartimaeus was likely aware of. Jesus’ road led directly to the cross. It would lead to suffering and pain and persecution – not only for Jesus but for all who were bold enough to follow him and confess his name. But Bartimaeus did it – because even though he would no longer have to beg for his daily bread – he still needed Jesus to suffer and die for his sins; he was still a spiritual beggar, he still needed what only Jesus could give him.

Unfortunately, that’s a lesson that so many people forget. Many people in every age behave like nine of the ten lepers in Luke 17 who, once they get what they want from Jesus, walk away from him and go their own way. Let us never forget that after we have come to Jesus in our time of need, after he has answered our cry for mercy, after he has assured us that our sins are forgiven and heaven is ours – that we are still, and will always be beggars. We never graduate beyond begging Jesus to provide everything from clothing and food to forgiveness and salvation. From the day we were brought to the font as helpless infants to the day we breathe our last – we remain beggars who must rely fully on Jesus’ mercy. The good news is that Jesus’ invitation to receive his gifts still stands! Even though we won’t see him walking by on the street, he does promise to meet us right here, where his Word is proclaimed, his Absolution is declared and his Sacraments are distributed. This is why we come to church: this is where beggars like us come to receive the gifts Jesus freely gives – and receiving those gifts gratefully and faithfully is how we joyfully follow Jesus.

Martin Luther made huge contributions to the world in many areas – even beyond religion. He protested injustice when he saw it. He was a strong advocate of law and order. Some call him the inventor of social media for his use of the printing press to spread his reforming message. But today we thank God for Luther’s help in understanding our own personal identity. “We are all beggars.” Beggars who can do nothing but cry for mercy; who must do nothing but receive what he wants to give; and beggars who joyfully want to follow Jesus to eternal life. Thank God that Jesus has time and mercy in abundance for beggars like us. Amen.  

[1] Kittleson, James A. Luther The Reformer Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 1986. (296-297) – LW 54:474

[2] “Mothers, in fact, allow [flies] to cling in half-dozens round the eyes of their babies, to ward off the ‘evil eye’…” (Wenzel, 556)

[3] CWS p. 15

Mark 10:35-45 - In God's Kingdom, What Is the Difference Between Irrelevance and Importance? - October 17, 2021

Does the name Grant Stuard mean anything to you? Probably not – unless you happen to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan – there’s no reason you should know who he is. Grant Stuard is this year’s Mr. Irrelevant. Mr. Irrelevant is the award, if you can call it that, that is given to the very last player chosen in the NFL draft each year. Occasionally, the winner of this less-than-prestigious award will enjoy some success and fame in professional football. But far more often, he will quickly fade even deeper into obscurity. Obviously, no one really wants to win the Mr. Irrelevant award – football players would much prefer to be drafted in the first round, fought over by teams, the recipient of a huge contract and signing bonus. And we understand that, don’t we? Who strives to be irrelevant? Who is ambitious to be unimportant and forgettable? In our homes, classrooms, workplaces, even in our church, we want to think that we’re doing important and glorious things, things that will be seen and praised and admired by others. By nature, we want to be Mr. or Mrs. Important, not Mr. or Mrs. Irrelevant. Today, Jesus overturns our understanding of the difference between irrelevance and importance in God’s kingdom.

It all started when two of Jesus’ inner circle – James and John, whom Jesus had labeled the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17) – once again made waves by asking the wrong question at the wrong time. Jesus had just, for the third time, poured his heart out to his disciples, telling them that he was about to be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again. (Mark 10:33-34) You would think the disciples would be shocked and humbled, offering “Lord, how can we help?” Nope. Instead, it’s Teacher, we wish that you would do for us whatever we ask. Most parents have been in Jesus’ shoes, “so…you want me to say yes before you tell me what you want…do you think I was born yesterday?” But Jesus is not us and he patiently allows them to make their request: Promise that we may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your glory.

James and John clearly had ambitious plans for themselves when Jesus began his reign in Jerusalem. If this petty power struggle among the disciples sounds familiar – that’s because it is. Just a few chapters earlier, shortly after Jesus was transfigured before their eyes, they were caught up in arguing over which of them was greatest (Mark 9:30-37). And on the very night Jesus was betrayed to his enemies, same story (Mark 22:24). And it wasn’t just James and John either. When the ten heard this, they were angry with James and John. This selfish, ambitious drive for personal glory is one of the more prevalent themes throughout the pages of Scripture. Satan was cast out of heaven and sin entered the human race through Adam and Eve because all three coveted the glory God had reserved for himself (Isaiah 14:12-15). God confused human language at Babel because the human race was determined to build a monument to their own glory (Genesis 11:1-9). God struck Moses’ sister, Miriam, with leprosy because of her desire for honor and glory (Numbers 12:10).

Is it any different today? Are we still ambitious for glory and honor for ourselves? Our sinful nature doesn’t want to serve anyone but ourselves – not even God. Maybe we don’t, like James and John, envision ourselves as kings and queens. But we do like to receive glory and praise, we like to have power, we want things done our way. We carefully protect our “downtime” or “me time” and how dare anyone ever try to take that away from us. The sinful nature rationalizes this attitude, “I have to look out for number 1, because if I don’t, who will?” Not to mention the fact that serving others is often dirty work. Serving usually means having to make a commitment and a sacrifice, serving may mean having to do something that’s unpleasant, serving may mean doing something that is beneath me, uncomfortable, unimportant or even seemingly irrelevant. Unfortunately, this selfishness, this reluctance to commit, this desire for glory often brings disharmony, conflict and even outright arguments to our marriages, families and church.

So Jesus sits us down with the Twelve and tells us, “you know those things that you feel are beneath you, uncomfortable, unworthy of your precious time, and irrelevant? Those are the things that are truly important in God’s eyes.” Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave of all. With the benefit of 2000 years of hindsight, we can see just how timely Jesus’ words were. Even as Jesus is telling his disciples they must plan to be servants, not lords, he was in the process of humbling himself to become their servant!

Jesus is echoing what Isaiah had prophesied about him 700 years earlier. That it was the Lord’s will to crush him and allow him to suffer…that he would [pour] out his life to death, and let himself be counted with rebellious sinners. (Isaiah 53:10-12) Whenever resentment rises in your gut, whenever you begin to think that any kind of service is “beneath you” remember how Jesus poured himself out for you. He let the soldiers strip him of his dignity and his clothing while wrapping him in a contemptuous purple robe. He let the spitters spit on him and the liars lie about him, even though he knew it would trash his reputation. He let them press a crown of thorns into his skull and drive nails through his hands and feet, even though he knew the pain would be indescribable. He let our mountain of sin be piled on his shoulders, knowing that the guilt of the world would buckle his knees and drag him down to the depths of hell. He willingly let all those things be done to him – because he knew it wasn’t about him. It wasn’t about saving himself or preserving his life or striving for glory. It was about serving and saving us.

James and John had requested seats at Jesus’ right and left – but Jesus told them that these positions had been reserved for others. Do you know whom they were reserved for? Two thieves – who weren’t sitting on thrones but were nailed to crosses (Mark 15:27). When Jesus let himself be counted with rebellious sinners (Isaiah 53:12), it wasn’t just with two thieves; it was with us. The Son of God humbled himself to be counted as one of us with all of our selfishness, arrogance and sinful ambition. On Good Friday, Jesus willingly gave up his life as a substitute for rebellious sinners like us. And this was his mission all along: even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

We generally look at serving others as a humbling experience, but often isn’t the opposite more often true: that being served can be even more humbling – especially when the one serving us is greater than us, especially when it’s Jesus. Like Peter in the Upper Room, we look with wonder at all he has done for us, all he continues to do for us, and we say, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? (John 13:6) It’s truly humbling to remember that just as Jesus once stooped to wash dirty feet, so he still stoops to wash the sin from our hearts today. In fact, he’s doing it right now. We call this a worship service. Who is serving whom here? It’s not really me, it’s not really you. It’s Jesus. It’s Jesus who stoops down out of heaven to be present with two or three or 85 who have gathered in his name (Matthew 18:20). It’s Jesus bending down through the water of Baptism and words of Absolution to wash away our sins. It’s really Jesus who is serving us with his true body and blood – that’s why we call it the Lord’s Supper. Through these humble means of grace the Son of God serves the sons and daughters of sinful men, the immortal serves the mortal, the Creator serves his creatures.

And so it’s not the demand of a tyrant, but the gentle invitation of our suffering Savior that helps us redirect our own personal ambition. The words of our closing hymn for today provide a perfect summary: I gave my life for thee; my precious blood I shed, that thou might’st ransomed be and quickened from the dead. I gave my life for thee; come, give thyself to me! (CW 454:1) To first be served by our Savior and then to leave here to serve others – that’s the heartbeat, the rhythm of Christianity. To first receive the forgiveness of sins, the promises, the sure hope of eternal life; to then respond with our confession, our offerings, our attention, our prayer and praise. And then to serve our Lord when we leave. How can we serve a Lord we can’t see? By serving the people we can see. By putting the needs of others ahead of our own. In yet another example of his abundant grace, Jesus welcomes our small, even seemingly unimportant and irrelevant service to others as service to himself (Matthew 25:40). What a glorious and honorable privilege we have: to serve the one who served us first!

Maybe now is a good time to recognize exactly how much service goes on around here on a daily and weekly basis. Every week our janitor comes here to take out the trash, mop the floors, vacuum the carpets and clean the toilets – when’s the last time we recognized or thanked him for his service? All summer long individuals have sacrificed their free time to take up the dusty and teeth-rattling job of cutting the grass. Sunday school teachers spend hours preparing and teaching our children about their Lord and Savior. Organists prepare hymns and liturgies to beautify our worship. Councils and committees meet to ensure that Risen Savior’s mission can be carried out in the best and most efficient way possible. Parents rouse themselves and their children early on their day off. Friends and family provide encouragement and support. Snacks are provided, enjoyed and cleaned up and no one leaves hungry. I could go on. But all of these things can only happen because you are willing to serve. And here’s the difference between Christian service and the world’s idea of charity: you don’t do it to be noticed or thanked or glorified, you do it because you love your Savior and because it needs to be done.

But please don’t leave here thinking that the only place you can serve your Savior is here at church. That’s not the point, and really, most of the opportunities you have to serve are not here but in the places you spend the other 167 hours of your week: your homes, classrooms, offices. I can’t enumerate all of them here. But I can encourage you to look for those opportunities. Look for chances to serve your spouse, your family, your neighbors, your coworkers, yes, even your enemies. Don’t just look for the things that are important, that will bring you glory or honor or gratitude. Look for the unimportant and irrelevant things – because those are the important things in God’s eyes, and rest assured that even if no one else knows, Jesus does and he approves.

We know that the world won’t get it. Jesus said as much: you know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But Jesus says it’s different for Christians; not that it should be or must be different, but it IS different. It’s different because we know and believe that Jesus served us first with his life, death, and resurrection. That’s why I don’t have to scream at you or shame you into serving others. You will – often without even realizing it. Yes, it will require sacrifice. Yes, some of the things you do may go unappreciated or unnoticed. But you’re not doing them to be appreciated or noticed. You’re doing them out of appreciation and imitation of your Savior. No matter how irrelevant they may seem, works of humble service done in his name – those are the things that are really, eternally important. Amen.  

Mark 10:17-27 - What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life? - October 10, 2021

The individual we meet in these verses appeared to be in possession of the three secret ingredients necessary for human happiness. Mark tells us that he was wealthy (10:22). Luke tells us that he was powerful, a ruler (Luke 18:18). Matthew tells us that he was young (Matthew 19:20). To be young, rich and powerful – that’s what the world tells us will make us happy. His wealth and powerful position were likely inherited. In Jesus’ day, you didn’t ordinarily acquire wealth and power at a young age unless you inherited it. That’s why while his question might sound strange to us, it makes sense, given his circumstances: Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? It’s a good question. Actually, it’s more than that; it’s THE most important question anyone can ask.

There is something curious though: if this man already possessed everything necessary for human happiness, why was he here on his knees before Jesus? Well, why – as inhabitants of the wealthiest nation in human history – are so many Americans so terribly unhappy and depressed? Why do the wealthiest and most powerful people in our world – the Elon Musk’s, the Jeff Bezos’, the Richard Branson’s – spend billions of dollars rocketing off to space? He’s there because he still felt an emptiness, a hollowness, a lack of something that his money couldn’t buy and power couldn’t grab. Do you know what it was? An answer to his own mortality; an assurance that this life is not all there is. It’s no accident that what nagged at this young man’s heart nags at the heart of every human being. Ecclesiastes tells us that [God] has…put eternity in [our] hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We can try to deny it or ignore it, but we all sense that there’s something more, something bigger than us, something beyond our five senses.

There are a couple positive things that should be said about this rich young ruler. He’s not like the Pharisees and the experts in the Law who spent all of their time concocting ridiculous hypotheticals (Matthew 22:23-33) and trick questions to trap Jesus (Mark 10:2). He’s sincere. And he’s not messing around with foolish questions. He gets right to the heart of the human condition with the most important question that can ever be asked: What must I do to inherit eternal life?

Now, he has an idea of what it might involve: what must I do… Doing something – that’s how you get eternal life. You also see this in how he addresses Jesus: Good teacher. He recognizes that Jesus is a wise teacher who might be able to tell him what good thing he can do to guarantee that he will get eternal life. But Jesus will have none of his flattery. Why do you call me good? No one is good except one – God. Why would Jesus respond this way? Two reasons. First, because, according to Scripture, no one is good. Everyone is conceived and born in sin (Psalm 51:5). Paul states it categorically: there is no one who does what is good; there is not even one (Romans 3:12). And second, because while this rich young ruler may have recognized that Jesus was a good teacher, he didn’t yet acknowledge him as his God and Savior. Only God is inherently good. To call Jesus “good,” you must first call him God.

But let’s take a closer look at his question: what must I do to inherit eternal life? How do you inherit something? Is there something you must do? I suppose you could try. Maybe you butter up a wealthy relative to ensure that your name finds its way into their will. But really inheriting something involves two things: 1) someone to freely decide to give you their stuff; and 2) that someone to die. That’s probably how this man became so rich and powerful at such a young age: someone, presumably his father, died and left him a fortune and a position of power. But this man wants to know what [he] must do. Questions shape answers. This is a law question – and so Jesus gives him a law answer. He tells this rich young ruler exactly what he must do: you shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother. There’s plenty to do there! Enough to keep you busy for a lifetime.

Though, apparently not enough for this guy: Teacher, I have kept all these since I was a child. This guy is like far too many people – even far too many Christians – today: he was sincere but inexcusably ignorant. Clearly he had never studied Luther’s Small Catechism. He seems not to have been there to hear Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). If he had, he’d know that murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, fraud and insubordination live in every heart. You and I are guilty of these sins, even if we’ve never been charged with them in a criminal court. Neglecting a neighbor in need, racism, prejudice and hatred are murder. Merely thinking about adultery is adultery in God’s eyes (Matthew 5:28). False testimony is not only offered in a courtroom, it’s served up at the dinner table and spread on social media. Fraud includes “forgetting” to scan an item at the self-checkout or filing a shady tax return. As much as we may disagree, honoring father and mother includes public health officials.

Jesus’ response is fascinating, isn’t it? He doesn’t argue with him; he doesn’t give an encore of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus looked at him [and] loved him. This is what love looks like. And, for someone who is blind to their sin and speeding down the highway to hell, this is what love sounds like: one thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. Jesus goes right to the heart of this rich young ruler that he loves. He sees his heart the way only God can (John 2:25), he sees a heart consumed by greed, enslaved by the idol called “Money.” He sees someone who has failed to keep the 1st and most important commandment: you shall have no other gods (Exodus 20:3).

Martin Luther summarized the essence of the First Commandment like this: we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. An idol is anything and everything we fear, love or trust more than God. The scary thing is that an idol doesn’t have to be a statue or live in a temple; most idols are invisible, they live in our hearts. Probably the most prevalent idol in our society is the idol of “Happiness.” Ask almost anyone what they want most today for themselves and their families and there’s a good chance you’ll hear: “I just want to be happy.” Are there any idols lurking in your heart? A good test for idols is to assess what makes you anxious, worried – what keeps you up at night. It’s been said that anxiety is the liturgy, the service, the sacrifice we offer to idols when they (inevitably) fail to deliver on their promises. We fear the loss of our health, we love our riches, we trust our power to control not only our lives but the lives of others as well. And when they fail, we worry, we get anxious. And yet, in the backlash that always results from idolatry, the blame ends up falling on us instead of the idols. We fear death and so we worship the idols that promise life and health – whether that involves wearing a mask, getting a shot or running dozens of miles each week and meticulously watching what we eat. But no matter how devoted we are – our bodies always end up breaking down, we end up getting sick and eventually dying. And who’s to blame: you are! You didn’t serve your idol with the right procedure, the right diet, enough exercise, etc. We love Money because money seems to be able to make life easier and happier. But then we realize that the more stuff we have the more problems come with it or that we never have enough money. And whose fault is it? Money doesn’t take the blame. It’s you. You didn’t buy the right thing, save enough, invest in the right way. One of the most prevalent idols in our world is named Power. We strive for power and when we have it we think we can control our lives and the lives of those around us. But then we try it. Especially as parents and grandparents, we try to use our power to convince our families to do the right thing; for example, making worship a priority. But they ignore our pleas. They stubbornly despise the means of grace. And Power says that the problem is that you weren’t persuasive, passionate or convincing enough. It leaves us anxious and empty. It exposes the idol living in our hearts. That’s the Law. The Law doesn’t take prisoners. The Law – especially as it is expressed in the 1st Commandment – only and always kills.

Jesus loved this rich young ruler. He wanted to give him the one thing he lacked. What he lacked was not poverty or sincerity. What he lacked was an understanding that he couldn’t earn eternal life; that he needed a Savior. And what got in his way was his wealth. And so Jesus gives him a law solution: give it all away. Give it away to the poor who need it far more than you do. Tear your heart away from the riches of this world – which will eventually rust and rot anyway – and place it on the riches of heaven which will never decay (Matthew 6:19-20). Would that have worked? If he had given everything away would he have earned a ticket to heaven? No. You could easily empty your bank account, quit your job, leave your family and society behind and go to live as a hermit somewhere – and still wind up in hell. Because while the Law can – and does – kill, it cannot give eternal life (Galatians 3:21).

Did you catch the real answer? It’s easy to miss. It’s just two words: follow me. The young man missed it. All he heard was Jesus’ command to sell all his stuff and give it to the poor – another commandment, more law – this time, law he hadn’t and couldn’t keep. But because his heart was still captive to money, he missed the answer. Mark tells us that the young man went away sad. Did he hear and believe? Did he go home and do what Jesus said? Did he look at all his stuff and say, “This isn’t worth it” and give it all away? Did he eventually repent and come back to Jesus to receive the inheritance of eternal life? There’s some speculation that this rich young ruler was actually Mark, the author of this Gospel. It’s an interesting thought, but the fact is that we just don’t know the rest of this man’s story. And that’s a good thing, because it forces us to examine our own hearts; to ask “what would I do?”

To be clear, the point of this text is not that money is evil or that rich people can’t be saved. The point is that no one, not even rich, young, powerful people – can earn eternal life. That’s what had the disciples so worried. That’s the point of Jesus’ image of trying to push a camel through the eye of a needle: it’s not merely hard; it’s impossible. What that young man hopefully realized what that it wasn’t really his wealth but his determination to earn his way into heaven that was preventing him from getting there. The real good news is that while we can’t earn eternal life – Jesus can and Jesus did. Jesus calls to us, just as he did to that young man, to follow him to the cross, to the tomb, to his resurrection to receive the gift of eternal life he has earned for us. He issued that invitation first to us in his Baptism and he does it daily through his Word. And remember that to follow Jesus does not mean to keep his rules, to follow his example, to ask what would Jesus do – and then do it. To follow Jesus means to trust that he has kept all the rules for you, that he has satisfied his Father’s demand for a perfectly good life, that he has suffered the punishment for your idolatry and greed so that you never will, that he died so that you might have eternal life.

In the end, this rich young ruler was so close to eternal life. He was right: eternal life is an inheritance. Someone else has to freely decide to give you their stuff and then that same someone has to die. And that’s exactly what Jesus did. He wrote you into his will before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-6). He sealed you as his heir in Baptism (Romans 6:1-5). He gives you a down-payment on your heavenly inheritance every time you eat his body and drink his blood in Holy Communion (Matthew 26:17-29). In his Word he gives promises that are infinitely better than anything any idol can promise – and the best part is that you do have to do anything to receive them. Don’t ask what you can or must do to earn eternal life, instead follow Jesus to heaven by grace through faith. And if there’s anything, any idol, anything at all that gets in between you and Jesus – well, then it just has to go. Compared to the riches of heaven Jesus has promised to you no idol is worth serving for even a minute. Don’t take my word for it, just ask that sad young man – or better yet, ask Jesus and then follow him to life. Amen.