Ezekiel 33:7-11 - Appointed to Listen, Watch, and Warn that They Might Turn and Live

Text: Ezekiel 33:7–11

7But I have appointed you, son of man, to be a watchman for the house of Israel. So whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you are to warn them from me. 8When I say to a wicked man, “Wicked man, you shall surely die,” if you do not speak to warn the wicked man against his way, that wicked man will die because of his guilt, but I will also hold you responsible for his blood. 9But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he will die because of his guilt, but you will have saved your life.

10 So you, son of man, say the following to the house of Israel.

This is what you people are saying: “Certainly our rebellion and our sins weigh us down, and because of them we are rotting away. How then can we live?” 11Say to them, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?”

Prayer of the Day: 

O Lord Jesus Christ, preserve the congregation of believers with your never-failing mercy. Help us avoid whatever is wicked and harmful, and guide us in the way that leads to our salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Verse of the Day: 1 Timothy 2:4

Alleluia! God wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. Alleluia!

Sermon Text:

In Genesis chapter 4, we are introduced to the first naturally born human beings.  Cain was the first offspring of Adam and Eve and Abel the second. But the results of sin abound. No longer born in the image of God but the image of sinful humankind (5:3), it doesn’t take long for unbelief to rear its ugly head.  Cain and his offerings are rejected by God, not only because of his sin but because of the anger and resentment he harbored against God in his heart, withholding the best of the first fruits of his crops only deepened the rift. God reaches out with the first sermon on sanctification (4:6-7), a call to repentance appealing to any faith no matter how small and faltering it may have been. 

Years in Sunday School teach us what happens next.  Instead of repentance, Cain lures Abel out into the field and murders him in anger.  Still God gives Cain a chance to repent. It sounds reminiscent of the call in the Garden to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” only now, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain’s answer is so cold blooded it gives us chills in the hearing of it.  “I don’t know”, he replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

The answer is, of course, easy and obvious.  “Yes, Cain, there are literally four of you! You are supposed to be watching out for one another.” Ah, but then as humanity flourished and sin along with it humanity hasn’t really stopped bucking that obvious truth. We form divisions, choose sides, and solve disagreements with about as much tact as old Cain did.  Sin, it turns out, is the worse disease ever unleashed.  Fast Forward through the pages of history to the times of Ezekiel the prophet, in our first lesson this morning and God says there is a way to battle back however.  He tells his prophet that he has been Appointed to Listen, Watch, and Warn that They Might Turn and Live.

I know, I know.  Nobody really wants to do this work.  It feels intrusive, judgmental, uncomfortable.  Our world today has even come up with all kinds of phrases to say that it’s not our problem and we don’t have to deal with it. "That is someone else's headache." "Sounds like a you issue." "That is above my pay grade." "Not my circus, not my monkeys." And frankly, as we seek to deal with things the way our Lord has asked us too, there may even be some truth to those statements, at least in the very beginning of the conversations if they don’t involve us.  But ultimately, they will always involve us if not directly then indirectly, so God says to Ezekiel,

I have appointed you, son of man, to be a watchman for the house of Israel. So whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you are to warn them from me. 8When I say to a wicked man, “Wicked man, you shall surely die,” if you do not speak to warn the wicked man against his way, that wicked man will die because of his guilt, but I will also hold you responsible for his blood. 9But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he will die because of his guilt, but you will have saved your life. (Ezekiel 33:7-9)

Well, pastor, God appointed Ezekiel to do that work. His public servant to speak to the nation of Israel to call out the sins of the nation and shepherd them. I don’t have that call!  Fair enough.  But then what did Jesus say in our Gospel Lesson today,

15“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And, if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector. 18Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 20In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them. (Matthew 18:15-20)”

There isn’t a whole lot of wiggle room there.  Looks like we have all been appointed to be watchmen.  Yes, scope of call will vary and that is not without significance, but those words God speaks to Ezekiel shouldn’t be side stepped by the rest of us.  Oh, and the judgmental, intrusive, uncomfortableness of it all.  Well, I’ll grant you some of that never really goes away but it is important to note why we are doing it, and I would go so far as to say, if we loose sight of that we better stop and regain it before we take another step.  What is it?  It’s love. 

Consider again the words of our Gospel Acclamation.  Paul told young pastor Timothy, “God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy2:4)”  It’s why as you read through the pages of God’s Word time and time again you see Him reaching out before disaster strikes.  He calls to repentance again and again in the hope that nations, people, individuals will listen.  This is not to be vindicative, in anger, or with malice but always in the hope of salvation. With the understanding that if it were me trapped in sin, I would want someone to come to me and help and so I need to help them. 

Ah, but then because we needed exactly that.  Because Ezekiel needed exactly that as he ministered to Israel, to combat the “not my circus not my monkeys” moments of mental frustration, God warned Ezekiel if you don’t warn them … I’ll hold you responsible. Hey Cain, you are your brother’s keeper.  Don’t kill them … don’t let them die without lifting a finger to help.

So God gives His Word of warning in our first lesson.

10So you, son of man, say the following to the house of Israel.

     This is what you people are saying: “Certainly our rebellion and our sins weigh us down, and because of them we are rotting away. How then can we live?” 11Say to them, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?”

Do you hear it in there?  God’s love even in the warning. “As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?”  Again, the words of our Gospel Acclamation leap off the page even as God chastises Israel. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, rather He wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, to turn from the sin that rots away not only society, not only communities, but each individual trapped within it.

So much does our heavenly Father desire life, that He is willing even to sacrifice His own Son to achieve it. God is willing to endure far more than the accusations of being judgmental and intrusive, to suffer more than uncomfortableness for fallen mankind, for you and for me.

In His righteousness He comes, calling sin sin whenever it would rear its ugly head before Him always in the hope that sinful human hearts would turn from the error of their ways and back to the reality of the love that stands before.  In His grace, He endures the torment of the cross, the vindicative and hateful attitudes of his enemies, the very hell that you and I deserve for sidestepping our callings to be light and salt in the world around us proclaiming that it’s all above our paygrade.  He suffers and dies the punishment we rightfully deserve all so that we might have something to be called back to, something to call others back to.

When I Was a child, I loathed a phrase my parents would use when I was being disciplined.  When in the depths of my own sinfulness I raged with anger thinking it so unfair that I couldn’t do as I wished or was being punished even for what I perceived as defending myself against others. “I’m only doing this because I love you.”  In my adult life, with children of my own, that very phrase has come out of me.  I’ve learned to understand the depths of love that would do the difficult thing for those I love.  God, it turns out, has the corner on the market, however.  He truly gave up His own life that we might be forgiven.  He warns us to flee from the rotten inducing wickedness of sin. And because He loves you, because He loves the world around you, He appoints you to be a watchmen.  He appoints you to sound the warnings of His Word that people may turn back to the cross, to the forgiveness He has won, to life itself with Him forever in heaven.

Cain fell for temptations set before Him … truth be told, so have we.  In love, He calls us back to Himself and bids you to be His watchmen, to Listen, Watch, and Warn that Others Might Turn and Live.  Brothers and sisters, You are your brother’s keeper! Amen.

Romans 8:18-25 - Temporal Crosses ... Eternal Crowns

Romans 8:18-25

No cross can compare with the crown of glory that is waiting.

     18 For I conclude that our sufferings at the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 In fact, creation is waiting with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in the hope 21 that even creation itself will be set free from slavery to corruption, in order to share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.

           22 For we know that all of creation is groaning with birth pains right up to the present time. 23 And not only creation, but also we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 Indeed, it was for this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for something we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patient endurance.

Sermon Text:

Peter is a New Testament example to keep one’s eyes upon.  Last week, he beautifully confessed the foundation of the Christian faith, noting that Jesus, true man (rarely denied), was also the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16).  The God-Man Jesus would be the perfect formula to take away sin and deliver from death and the devil on the cross.  But then Matthew masterfully buts our Gospel today right up against that beautiful confession.  Peter is now ardently standing in the way of the very cross he had confessed only verses before.

Isn’t that the way of it with frail human flesh?  We rejoice in the promise of salvation and then abhor how it must be brought.  What is more, we take such delight in being among the stones of the living and breathing church of God only to revolt when we learn that this means we will be accosted by the flaming darts and arrows of the devil, the world, and yes, even our own sinful flesh.  We do not wish to have to stand up and be counted (see Jeremiah’s complaint in our First Lesson).  Far easier in our minds is to blend into the world around us. We desperately want to have our cake and eat it too.

Perhaps that’s why the words of our second lesson are at first startling to hear. Paul tells us our sufferings aren’t worth comparing (literally “are of no weigh” or “not worthy of comparing”) to the promise of the glory Christ has won.  Or to put it another way, your crosses are temporal, but your crowns are eternal.

Okay, as we start to move into this portion of God’s Word, perhaps a simple and obvious truth should be stated.  Crosses aren’t fun.  When we must shoulder hardship or endure abuse for the sake of the Gospel, even our lesson acknowledges this is “suffering”.  As Paul points to creation as an example, he uses words like “futility”, “slavery to corruption”, “groaning”, and “pain”.  So, unless you are a masochist, you will not like it. So, I feel for Peter and Jeremiah in their respective lessons today just as I feel for all of you, even as I join you and them in my dislike of it.  Again, this is not, “I stubbed my toe. Oh, woe is me!” but “I believe in Jesus and the world hates me for it” kind of stuff.  Though at times our spiritual foes can use my stubbed toes to assault Christianity as well, I suppose.

This reality means that everyone of us faces our cross with some amount of trepidation or fear.  Yet that truth doesn’t mean we don’t have to do it.  I’m reminded of the times I didn’t like something in my young life and therefore wanted nothing more than to avoid it, but mom and dad rightfully insisted that I get to it.  While I might not like it, it doesn’t make it any less sinful to avoid it.  Consider those words of Jesus to Peter. He says it’s downright satanic to avoid the cross, yes, Jesus’ cross especially, as it is more than a hardship born for the sake of the Gospel, but rather THE Cross which saved the world from sin.  Nevertheless, Jesus tells us, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)”  There is no room for selfishness in the heart and mind of the Christian.  It is, after all, a breaking of the very first of God’s commands.

The theology of the cross is then one of those teachings in God’s Word that always gives me pause.  I have been satanic at times in my refusal and even some rebukes of God for the struggles that have entered life.  I don’t like being considered narrow-minded, outdated, or even ignorant by those around me.  I don’t like the scorn that can come my way because I must speak up when sin rears its head, and I certainly don’t like losing people, friends, even family members when I make my stand for the truth.  Truth be told, I have even at times chosen silence over suffering in this world of ours, and I promise it doesn’t go better as a result.  So, I have to wonder just how demonic Jesus would consider me and my shabby cross-bearing.

 Ah, but another truth of the theology of the cross is now in order.  Christ’s cross and my own crosses in this world will always be linked. They must be. For you see, He bore His precisely because I would shun mine. It was for me that Jesus was betrayed and handed over to the sham courts of the Sanhedrin and the rage of Roman soldiers.  It was for me that brutalized, torn and beaten, He picked up His cross and traveled outside of Jerusalem to die.  It was for me and my sin that He hung lifeless and was laid in that tomb. But it was also for me, early in that first day of the week, that He rose.  Yes, dear friends, our Risen Savior is the promise of glory, of eternity, of salvation, and life forever with God.  And His cross forever changes our own.

Paul bursts forth in our second lesson this morning, “For I conclude that our sufferings at the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.”  Our sufferings at the present time, though hard, perhaps even awful, certainly not fun, are present-time sufferings.  They are bound by the realities of this world, even if they should remain with me till death, even if they should cause my death, they must stop there and go no further.  However, the glory that is going to be revealed is eternal.  Eternity, by its very definition, is untimed, unbound, unending.

Now, this certainly doesn’t make the hardship go away in the present, nor is this some weird attempt to say, so buck up, buttercup. No, consider the rest of the lesson, “

19 In fact, creation is waiting with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in the hope 21 that even creation itself will be set free from slavery to corruption, in order to share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22 For we know that all of creation is groaning with birth pains right up to the present time. 23 And not only creation, but also we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 Indeed, it was for this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for something we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patient endurance.”

Paul acknowledges the groaning, the suffering, the pain but also acknowledges the One who will get us through it, who has already saved us from it on a cross of His own and has provided a hope that will outlast it.  This side of heaven, there will be crosses, in fact there must be for a world that hated Christ will not endure His people.  Satan, to thrashed violently when Jesus’s feet trod the dusty roads of this earth, will fight when His followers open their mouths that the Spirit may impart the gift of faith to still others through His powerful Word.  Our sinful flesh will revolt at the thought and certainly at the reality.  There will be groaning.  But by God’s grace, as we eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body that very groaning will give way to patient endurance.  In fact, just three chapters back Paul had already written,

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we also have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice confidently on the basis of our hope for the glory of God.

3Not only this, but we also rejoice confidently in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces patient endurance, 4and patient endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope. 5And hope will not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, crosses will need to be carried in this sin-sick world of ours, but there is a reason for that as well.  Even if not for us, the truth must be held out that others may hear it.  It will take a denial of self and a clinging to Christ to accomplish any of it.  Ah, but then in that very same Jesus, we find the job once again everything we need from salvation to the strength to stand as we wait for that hope.

Yep, Peter is worth keeping your eyes on in the Bible.  Because as it turns out, he is often exactly as we are at the same time sinner and saint, selfish and saved.  Deeply connected to Christ. And because we are, well, there is hope! For our crosses are temporal and temporary, but the crowns God has in store for His people well, they are eternal.  Amen!

Matthew 16:13-20 - Perception Isn’t Everything! The Son of God Grants You All!

Matthew 16:13-20

13When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

    14They said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

    15He said to them, “But you, who do you say that I am?”

    16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

    17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he commanded the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

“Perception is everything!” Or sometimes it is expressed, “Perception is reality!” Have you heard these statements?  They are massive in advertising and PR.  Whether business, politics, or entertainment, consider the dollars that are spent carefully crafting how a product, a person, or a persona will be perceived, all in an attempt to capture an audience. Think about all the commercials that desperately want you to think that a car, a phone, a drink will change your life for the better.  The reality … we fall for it.  We chase after the latest and greatest and think smart cars and phones will destress our lives, and sipping a certain beverage will make life’s troubles wash away with the waves.  Of course, we’re bright enough to know that the promises fall flat and the products fail to live up to expectations.

Today, Jesus confronts perception, perception of the world about Him as He asks, “Who am I?”  Jesus asked the disciples to really think about that question.  In fact, He asked them to think about it in two different ways.  He asked them, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  And, “Who do you say I am?”

Unfortunately, the people had missed the point.  They thought Jesus was a reincarnation or a forerunner to the coming of the Messiah.  We are told the people thought he was possibly John the Baptist, Elijah, or maybe even Jeremiah.  They failed to realize who Jesus really was.  The disciples, on the other hand, knew their Savior.  Peter says it for the group, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

Peter calls Jesus the “Christ”.  That was the name that emphasized Jesus’ work.  The name told everyone that this was the chosen one, the Savior of the world that had come in the flesh. The promise of Old Testament Scriptures.  Our Lutheran Confessions say that all of Scripture is Christocentric, centered on Jesus.  They point to Him and ultimately find their fullness in Him.

Peter also calls Jesus the “Son of the living God.”  This is the real God of all creation.  This God is not a dead statute.  He is living, active, and powerful.  As God, He is everything we need for salvation: only divinity can pay for the sins of all mankind, only divinity is truly perfect for all our imperfections, only One who is both God and Man could go to Calvary’s cross and conquer sin, satan, death, and hell for each of us, all of us, with His holy precious blood.

Peter’s confession is the foundation for the Church.  Jesus says.  “On this rock, I will build my church.”  Peter’s confession becomes the key in building any church.  Itis foundational! As we construct buildings that consist of people, not just bricks and mortar, the foundation must be this truth, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Some have misunderstood these words.  They fail to see who Jesus really is and instead find in these words the thought that Peter is the foundation of the church.  “Peter” means “rock” or “stone” and so some have thought this to be the proclamation of Peter as the first Pope.  “Peter” does, in fact, mean rock.  However, we’ve already seen that the rock that Jesus calls the foundation of the church is a different kind of rock.  “Peter” is a singular stone while the rock of which Jesus speaks is a formation of rocks, a grouping of Peter’s.  Peter’s confession is the confession of the church eternal.  It is the voice of all of us of all time.  Thus it is the foundation for the church.  It is the rock of which Jesus speaks.

But so what, what does all this mean for us?    Turn on you T.V. and turn to the religious channel.  You will find a dozen different groups claiming to have their finger on who Jesus is and what He wants.  Yet in the same breath you hear that they don’t prize confession or the specifics of God’s Word when it comes to faith.  That doesn’t sound like the Jesus who told his disciples a confession was the foundation of the church. 

Go to the religious section of the local bookstore.  There you will find more religions than you care to think about: Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Ancestor worshippers, Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, Reformed, and even Lutherans in more varieties than would seem possible.  Whatever we can perceive it would seem has been turned into a religion. However, there is only One Christ, who is the Son of the living God.  Anyone that teaches or preaches anything otherwise follows an idol, the creation of the human mind, and a dead god.

Finally, look into your life. An honest look will find that the confession which is our foundation is often discarded for false foundations. As Americans, money and possessions can often become our foundation instead of Christ.  As Humans, our pride and personnel desires can easily become phase one of our building plans and not Christ.  We live in a world that doesn’t know how to answer Jesus’ question.

Brothers and sisters, perception isn’t everything.  Just because someone can conceive of it doesn’t make it true.  What is true?  God’s Word is truth and that Word points us to Jesus Christ, true God and True Man for the salvation of sinful human beings.  Yes, the Son of God grants us everything.

Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Think of heaven as a being surrounded by a huge fence and there at the entrance is a huge gate.  Jesus tells his disciples that the key to that gate is in their possession.

The first key we have is often referred to as the binding key.  This is an alien work of the Gospel.  God would much rather all people believe in Christ and come to him. The sad reality is that some people would rather chase the dead gods of the world rather than the only true and living God.  Jesus tells us the Gospel is, for them, a key that binds them from entering heaven.  Such people do not belong to his church.

The second key, however, we have often called the loosening key.  This is the immediate work of the Gospel.  For all who confess their sins, who acknowledge that they have built on alien soil and shunned the firm foundation of Christ, God announces that sins are forgiven.  For them the gates of heaven spring open because of the work of their firm foundation.

And Jesus then makes a wonderful promise.  He says, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”   Nothing that the godless trinity of Satan, the world or our sinful flesh can bring against it will ever win.  What a comfort the keys become for us.  We fail every day.  Sin creeps up our walls and we begin to buckle under the pressure and weight of satan.  Guilt weakens our knees and despair begins to overtake us.

God quickly intervenes.  In Christ, the Son of God, you have been saved and made part of the church.   So Jesus says god be that church.  In your homes, may the truth of forgiveness be heard in devotions and your interactions with one another.  Here in worship every Sunday, may the confession and absolution ring with the authority of Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, “as servant of Christ and by His authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.  As we console, comfort, and support one another, friends or family, may we extend that Law to shatter false perception and the Gospel to replace it with reality that more and more may believe and be saved.  Oh, and remember, the results are not your own any more than the work is.  Jesus said, “This was not revealed to you by man but by my Father in heaven.”  

Oh, fellow followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, perception isn’t everything, but we do live in a world that thinks it is.  So perhaps it's time for the church to stand on her rock-solid foundation. Yes, just as in every age of humanity, it’s time to point to truth, time to point to Jesus because in Him we have everything we need, everything they need.  The Son of God grants us all. Amen!

Ephesians 2:13-22 - Peace and Belonging

Ephesians 2:13-22

13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace. He made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them 15 when he abolished the law of commandments and regulations in his flesh. He did this to create in himself one new person out of the two, in this way making peace. 16 And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it. 17 He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household. 20 You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. – EHV

This morning I have asked that a picture (not an actual one, because we don’t have them – Solomon was too busy ruling to invent a Polaroid camera for us) of the temple structure in Jerusalem be placed in front of you on our screens. Notice that it says Herod’s Temple above.  That’s significant in the mind of the Jewish individual.  Solomon’s temple was the one we hear of in the Old Testament accounts constructed by him at God’s decree and with God’s design.  It was destroyed in 586/587 b.c. by the Neo-Babylonian Empire under King Nebuchadnezzar II.  The second was of course rebuilt by the Jewish exiles returning from Babylon under Persian rule (completed around 515 b.c.).  Ezra records at it’s construction, “However, when many of the older priests, Levites, and heads of families, who had seen the first house, saw this house being founded, they wept loudly, although many also raised their voices in a shout of joy. (Ezra 3:12)”  The second just couldn’t compare to the grandeur of the first.  So beginning around 19 b.c., King Herod the Great started his massive expansion and redesign of the temple, keeping the temple itself largely the same there would be a place for Roman garrisons (the Antonia Fortress) and a large area for commerce and business (the Royal Portico). These additions were met with mixed emotion from the Israelites. The Zealots for example, despised these Romanish additions. Note too that much of this would have been under construction as Jesus’ feet hit the pavements of this massive structure.

Enough of the history, I suppose, and time to get to the real reason this is in front of us this morning. Note in our illustration the various names of the courtyards.  There is the courtyard of the Gentiles, the courtyard of women, the courtyard of the Israelites (males only), the courtyard of the priests, and then even in the temple itself, the division of the holy place where priests like Zechariah (John’s dad) did their work and the holy of holies where even the high priest was aloud to enter but once a year. Of course, each courtyard was so named because those were the people who gathered there and no farther. In fact, archeologists have found slabs, signs, embedded in the dividing wall for Gentiles and Israelites (yes, the one mentioned in our lesson) which read: “No foreigner is allowed to enter within the balustrade surrounding the sanctuary and the court. Whoever is caught will be personally responsible for his ensuing death.” Imagine for just a moment showing up to church this morning and finding out that you were not allowed inside because you came from the wrong family and that even if you could enter, you may not be able to make it past the narthex on pain of death.

I suppose that allows the words of our lesson to then bloom a bit for us.  13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace. He made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them 15 when he abolished the law of commandments and regulations in his flesh. He did this to create in himself one new person out of the two, in this way making peace. 16 And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it. 17 He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 

Notice that word “peace” is mentioned four separate times. It’s actually set at odds with the separation brought about by hostility.  Peace for the Israelites (Shalom [שָׁלוֹם] in the Hebrew) is the idea of everything being set right. This is the brick wall expertly laid/built so that every brick and every mortar joint is absolutely perfect.  Everything is in its place.  Everything as it should be.

Of course, it’s not all peace!  Hasn’t been since the early days of Adam and Eve in the garden.  Since then we have known separation. Separation is the natural consequence of sin.  Isaiah once proclaimed the blunt and awful truth to Israel, “Listen to me! The Lord’s arm is not too short to save, and his ear is not too deaf to hear. No, it is your guilt that has separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden God’s face from you, so that he does not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2)” So Adam and Eve run from God as they hear Him walking in the garden after eating forbidden fruit.  The young child denies the clear truth when caught.  We haven’t needed separating walls because we have fled far from God to afraid to stand in the presence of His perfection.  This is life under the Law.  It constantly reminds us that things are not as they should be, constantly reminds us that peace with God has been destroyed in its breaking. The result is the ultimate separation of death, which separates body and soul, and in our sinfulness should mean the lasting separation of us from God in hell. This was the constant visual presented to Israel as layers of holiness all ultimately said the same thing, “You can’t stand before God.  You are not worthy to be in His presence.”

Ah, but then our lesson starts “But now”. But now everything is going to change. And it all changes “in Christ Jesus”.  Paul says, “He Himself is our peace!” Just as God is love, perfectly embodying, demonstrating, and living love, so also He perfectly embodies, demonstrates, and lives peace.  The ugly wall that separated Jew and Gentile will be demolished in His flesh.  This is the righteousness of Christ, which perfectly fulfills the Laws of God, and because it does, while the moral Law remains intact as a law for all people of all time, it is forever changed.  No longer a separating wall between God and humanity, it is now an opportunity to live in thanks and praise, not to earn or deserve salvation but our “Thank You” letter to Him for His grace and mercy. The Civil and Ceremonial Laws, however, are abolished; their pictures and reminders no longer necessary in the reality of Christ.  So Paul will later write, “16Therefore, do not let anyone judge you in regard to food or drink, or in regard to a festival or a New Moon or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were coming, but the body belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)”

Law fulfilled and abolished, Jew and Gentile are now brought together as Isaiah had foretold in our Old Testament Lesson.  But what of us and our God, sinners that we are? Paul announces, “Christ did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it. 17 He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” The forgiveness purchased upon the cross does the rest. Throwing open the doors of heaven even as it eradicates the dividing lines of the sin that separates us from our God, and the result is peace, lasting peace between God and His people no longer marked by the color of skin, the place of one's birth, or the language they may speak; all have been made one body.  The Church is for all people marked only by faith given by the Spirit, which connects us to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus.  Walk in the doors, walk right up to the front of the building, behold the majesty and mystery of God in Word and in Sacraments through that common faith, the unity of teaching, all is as it should be … peace!

I’m sorry friends, I know this is already a lengthier sermon, but there is still more.  There remains yet another amazing truth in the words of our lesson today.  As if real and lasting peace with God were not enough Paul continues, “19 So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household. 20 You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Peace restored, we no longer need to think in terms of Jew or Gentile.  Faith given, we are now members of an entirely new, yet incredibly ancient family. This is why we define ourselves as Christians and can speak of each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.  You are a member of the family of God. This family isn’t built on bloodlines or birthrights but on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets … the Word of God Himself, with Christ Jesus Himself as the guiding and directing stone of the entire building.  Yes, in Him something crazy has happened. 

The building in Jerusalem, built in grandeur, destroyed in our sin, rebuilt in mourning and joy, eventually leveled not long after the ascension of Jesus Christ Himself, it no longer matters.  Why?  God no longer dwells there! Now He dwells in you! Now there is an unexpected truth, right!  By the gift of faith, founded upon the Word of God, we are now God’s temple.  This is how intensely God has joined Himself to you.  You cannot be left out in the courtyards because you do not belong to the family of Christ.  You cannot be threatened with death because of your sin.  You are not separated from God in the slightest but have become like the holy of holies itself, the very home and dwelling of the Most High.  You belong to Him!  You belong!  Not because, like Stewart Smally, if you remember him, because we are good enough or smart enough or because people like us, but by God’s gift of faith, given by pure grace, and founded, derived, growing in God’s Word.

What a God … What a message … what grace.  Nothing separates us from God! The Church is for everyone! In Him, we have peace and belonging.  Through the Spirit we believe it and through His strength may we tell the world. Amen!

Matthew 14:22-33 - All You Need Is Faith and Trust ...

Matthew 14:22-33

13When Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns.

14When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. He had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15When evening came, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away, so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

16But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17They told him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”

18“Bring them here to me,” he replied. 19Then he instructed the people to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish. After looking up to heaven, he blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples. The disciples gave the food to the people. 20They all ate and were filled. They picked up twelve basketfuls of what was left over from the broken pieces. 21Those who ate were about five thousand men, not even counting women and children. – EHV

Sermon Text:

“All you need is faith and trust … and a little bit of pixie dust.”  So Walt Disney told all of us in the animated telling of Peter Pan as Peter told Wendy, John, and Michael how to fly.  There is just a little problem with that.  Peter grows up!  Wendy, John, and Michael too, and as they do, they forget.  The realities of the real world overtake them, and we all learn that while faith, trust, and pixie dust might be nice for fairy tales, well, it’s not so good for anything of real substance.

I wonder if we don’t treat God in somewhat of the same fashion, especially when it comes to His providence in Scripture.  Take the events of our lesson today for example.  Jesus feeds 5,000 with a little boy’s lunch (5 loaves (maybe more like buns) of bread and 2 small fish) and 12 baskets are filled with leftovers thereafter.  We all announce God can provide, but we know better than to think the same will happen in our refrigerators and freezers at home.  Good for dare we say it, I can’t, but still not so good for the real world, right?

Well, hold the phone there just a bit. Let’s back up and dive in this morning, and even if we don’t end up finding the magic pixie dust, God just may restore that faith and trust once more.

Our lesson this morning is interesting on a number of levels.  John the Baptist has just died.  News has come to Jesus, Who just wants to get away for a moment, perhaps to pray and reflect on the senseless murder of His forerunner.  We might go ahead and say reality has set in.

So, they hop in the boat and look for a desolate place to be alone.  Ah, but it doesn’t work, and the crowd follows on foot until they find Him.  Jesus is better than a doctor after all, and that’s kinda the point.  The crowds know Who Jesus is or at least what He can do. Go ahead and call that proof.  So many have said so much more of so much less after all. 

And how would you respond in such a situation? I might be tempted to lash out at the crowd that follows after and say, “Hey, now just back off for a minute, can’t you see I’m trying to grieve and breathe?” But not Jesus.  Nope, He sees the crowd and those who are ailing, and compassion overcomes Him. So instead of rest, a moment to lick the wounds, and catch His breath, He spends the day at work, healing and teaching. 

And there was much of it to be done.  So much that evening approaches and with it the disciples too.  Tummies were starting to growl and therein the realization that they were where they were, a desolate location (no McDonald’s to quick pull through for a bite).  So, they tell Jesus to dismiss the crowd so they can find some grub.  Interesting, now, here is a Guy that has spent the day doing miracles, but the disciples feel the need to come in with the reality check. 

Jesus sees an opportunity for them and for us and takes it. “They don’t need to go away.  You give them something to eat.” The disciples take stock; parallel accounts tell us “at Jesus direction”, and come back with the report that there are five loaves and two fish.  One little boy, John tells us, had come prepared for the day's events, or at least hadn’t eaten the lunch mom and dad had packed for him. Again, parallel accounts tell us they wondered out loud about just how far that would go among so many.

Again, one wonders a bit.  Did they not know their Old Testaments: The Widow of Zarephath and the flour and oil that knew no limits, Elijah and the Ravens (our first lesson), or what about the granddaddy of them all – the manna in the desert?  Ah, yes, but they had grown up fishing for the markets, taxing the profits, putting in the sweat equity needed to build family businesses and put food on the table for their families. Life has a way of making us think we are the providers.

So Jesus reminds them.  The people are seated on the grass. The food is set before Jesus.  The heavenward posture that let them visually, if not audibly, know Jesus was giving thanks for the bounty brought before Him. Then He portions it out and sends it forth in the hands of the disciples. 

The next part is significant too.  “They ate” we are told and they “were filled”.  This isn’t a “Wisconsin nice” moment where everyone smiles and doesn’t want to admit there isn’t enough, so they take a crumb and a sliver of fish and talk about how gorged they were.  No, twelve full baskets are gathered afterward, waste not want not after all, and 5,000 men, some go as high as 15,000 or more with women and children who may have gathered there that day, all ate and were satisfied. Someone should have cried out, “It’s a miracle!” because that’s the only explanation for the event.

It’s a nice story, right … but then, well, the alarm goes off, the bills get paid, or they don’t because things are tight this month and the trips to the grocery store, or at least the ordering for the delivery of the groceries, get done, and life well, like those disciples, has a way of making us think we are the providers.

Now don’t get me wrong.  The Bible does say that “If a man shall not work He shall not eat (2 Thessalonians 2:10).”  But then maybe it would do us well to recall our Old Testament a bit too.  Moses spoke to the people of Israel, “17You might say in your heart, “My ability and the power of my hand have earned this wealth for me.” 18But then you are to remember that the Lord your God is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth, to confirm his covenant that he promised to your fathers with an oath, as he does to this day. (Deuteronomy 12:4)”

Dear friends, I could regale you with real-life lessons of my own where I had looked at my wife and simply said, “I don’t know how, but it’ll happen.  The Lord always finds a way.” And sure enough He did.  I bet you could tell them too.  But then that’s not really the point of these words is it?  If it is, I would dare say we quickly end up sounding like “name-it-a-claim Christians”, who though they may not always come right out and say would blame poverty and strife on weakness of faith and move on.

No, I think the real problem here is rather that elevated thinking that we’ve talked about a few times, which would rob God of His providence and place it instead in our hands.  Of course, whenever we wrestle something from the hands of our God and seek to make it our responsibility, well, a whole heaping helping of anxiety and worry usually follows. All because we refuse to look different at times from the world around us and put that faith and trust in the hands of an Almighty God who has given not stories but histories of proof telling us “He’s got this.”  So it often goes when we put the emphasis on the wrong thing in the pages of Scripture.  Focusing more on the miracle we want repeated than what the miracle was supposed to show, demonstrate, and teach. 

So what is that?  Well, I know I sound like a broken record at times here, but every miracle of Jesus teaches the same thing.  Jesus is God!  Go try to feed 15,000 with two fish and five buns and see how well you do.  No, that’s a miracle … that’s divine.   And that’s significant.  Not because it makes my mouth water and my aching joints rejoice at the prospect of free food but because it means God provides what we really need in this world of ours as well.

Yes, “when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, in order to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)” You see, God looked at a bunch of people that let the world strangle out their faith and trust in Him, and instead of condemning us, saved us.  He had compassion on us.  Just like He did with the crowd that refused to give Him a moment alone to grieve and breathe.  And that compassion, or we might say that love, then led to something more amazing than the feeding of a multitude off the beaten paths of Israel.  It led to God giving His life for us.  Perfection pegged to a cross for my sins, for all the times I treat God’s truth like a Disney movie with nice lessons but light on reality … for all the times I cast Him from His throne and announce myself the provider instead of Him.  Jesus, Divine, God Himself lays down His life for me, for you, for more than 15,000, but for a whole world of people from the first sin in the garden until the last one on the day of Judgment.

And that truth dear friends, well it’s like watching five loaves and two fish multiply through a crowd.  For the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, fuel our faith and trust and begin to enlighten us to the other amazing truths of Scripture which lighten our loads and put things back where they truly belong so that God shoulders the load for providence, or as Paul so wonderfully put it in the Gospel Acclamation, He Who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things. It’s not just dust, or pixie dust, dear friends.  It turns out our Lord Provides, yes, every need.  So forgiven and set free, our faith and our trust can be found in Him.  Amen!

1 Kings 3:5-12 - The Wisdom of God ... Our Wildest Dreams

1 Kings 3:5-12

5 The Lord appeared to Solomon in Gibeon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

6 Solomon said, “You have shown great mercy and faithfulness to your servant, my father David, just as he walked before you in truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward you. You have shown this great mercy and faithfulness to him and have given him a son who is seated on his throne to this very day. 7O Lord my God, now you have made your servant king in the place of my father David, but I am a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8And I, your servant, am among your people whom you have chosen, a great people, who cannot be counted or numbered because they are so many. 9Now give to your servant a perceptive heart to judge your people, to distinguish between good and evil, for who is able to judge this great people of yours?”

10 In the eyes of the Lord, Solomon's request was good. 11So God said to him, “Because you have asked for this, and you have not asked for a long life, nor have you asked for riches, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but you have asked for discernment to reach just verdicts, 12therefore I will act according to your words. Yes, I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you before you, nor will anyone like you rise up after you.

 Sermon Text:

Imagine for just a moment that it finally happens. That genie moment everyone secretly desires but knows will never happen. What do you want? I’m not looking for the canned answer or the beauty queen’s eye-batting “world peace”. Oh, and we are not going to make it easier to choose between self and others, no.  You don’t get three wishes or even two.  You only get one shot at this. I want you to ask yourself the question, “What is it that I really want?”  If someone came up to you with a blank check in hand and said “Go, get it!”, what would you take home?

That’s a tough one, right? Personally, I love me some old Detroit muscle. An old school Shelby Mustang bored out, dropped down, growling down the road sure would be tempting in a moment like that. I could even justify it by pretending that it put another car in the fleet with six drivers in the family. Of course, I love my family. I could take care of the stresses of tuition in high school and college.  I could be sensible too, I suppose.  Pay off the mortgage, fill up the retirement account, be a blessing to others, bling out the church, the possibilities are limitless.  Ah, but then that car would just cost more money (gas, repairs, insurance), I wouldn’t want to end up spoiling my kids; I want them to have a good work ethic and understanding of money too.  Even the sensible choices could ultimately hide hidden snares of which I’m unaware at the moment.  Analysis paralysis starts to set in too.  Oh, what a joyous thing to be able to find the curse hidden in every blessing.

Solomon had just taken the throne of his father, David, not by force but as Israel’s first Father-to-Son transfer of power.  In a dream, God actually poses our question to Solomon, “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.”  Solomon’s answer would focus us on something other than the earthly stuff, which all will ultimately disappear, as he presents us another option entirely, The Wisdom of God or Your Wildest Dreams.

Solomon’s job, just like the decision set in front of him, is massive.  Solomon is supposed to lead a nation.  But this is not just any nation; it is the people of God, His chosen nation.  It’s also a prosperous nation, numerous and expansive; it has greatly increased under the leadership of David, a leadership that is now over. The people of Israel are also notoriously stiff-necked and stubborn, prone to rebellion and sin. David had seen plenty of that (self-inflicted or otherwise).  Ruling them was not easy task … they had only two generations earlier told God Himself that they didn’t want Him doing it anymore but would instead prefer an earthly King just like everybody else (cf. 1 Samuel 8).

This is the job that has fallen squarely into the lap of Solomon.  A young boy by his own estimation.  He figures he doesn’t have the ability to lead this people.  He confesses that he is too young, and when it comes to leading this people, this nation, he doesn’t even know where to start.

You know this feeling, right? God has placed a job squarely in your lap.  You are guardians and guides of the truths of Scripture. Paul told Timothy, 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16).  Ah, but that’s advice to a pastor, not for the average Joe.  Well, not so quick, remember Peter’s words to God’s people, “9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9).”  Guarding and proclaiming God’s truth is a job that belongs to each of us!  Those Words tell us we are supposed to be different!

But this job is massive.  How are we who struggle daily with sin and often are confused as we misapply God’s Word supposed to be guardians and guides for this truth? How are we supposed to succeed in holding God’s Word out to people when so many others have twisted it, corrupted it, completely mishandled and lost it?  How are we supposed to speak God’s truth to a world more stiff-necked and stubborn than Israel was, no longer rejecting God for the desire to look like the world but having completely forgotten about Him and refusing to acknowledge that He even exists at all?   

It becomes clear quickly, we need God’s help.  Solomon wasn’t afraid to admit that.  He knew he was no better that those with whom he stood.  He was aware that he like all others, lacked the perfection God had created in Adam and Eve.  Solomon was conscious of his sins and all of his shortcomings.

Solomon humbly stood before His Lord, hand out for help.  And as he stands humbly before his God, there is no pride as he talks about God’s blessings.  There is only the plea that God would help with the task set before him, a task he could never perform on his own.

Christians always stand before God with penitent hearts.  We know that we have failed to keep God’s Word in all Its truth and purity.  We are aware that like all others, we were born into this world with sin wrapped tightly around our necks.  We are conscious of our sins and the punishment they deserve.

Acknowledging our sinfulness and ineptitude, may we stand before our Lord, hands out for help.  May we too set aside pride for God-given humility.  All haughty attitudes vanish in the face of complete failure.  There is only the plea that God will help not only with the task at hand but with our deep need for forgiveness.

To stand before God and admit that we can’t do something, to have to ask for that which we need most in our lives requires a humble confession.   Repentance is not a moment of pride in the heart of a Christian.  Still it is a moment most pleasing to our God.  Prepared by the harsh realities of God’s Law, confronted with our failure, the Holy Spirit presents us with His Gospel.

Note the Lord’s response.  God praises Solomon.  He is happy that this child of His has, in faith, chosen wisely.  There were other options for Solomon.  He could have asked for his enemies to be leveled before him, for untold wealth, for riches beyond our wildest dreams.

Solomon requests none of those things and instead focuses on the needs of others.  He chooses His people, his calling, and his Lord over worldly vices.  He asks for wisdom and not just any old wisdom but rather the knowledge to discern between good and evil.  Solomon asks for the wisdom that can only come from his God.

In our failure and in our sin, God comes to our aid as well.  With our hands out in despair, God supplies our need too.  God supplies our answer.  He sends us His Son, Jesus Christ.  He reveals Him to us as a baby in a manger, a boy growing in wisdom and stature, and as a man, holy and all-knowing, who lives, dies, and is risen just as Scripture said He would.  His life, death, and resurrection are for us the wisdom we needed to overcome sin, death, and hell.  This wisdom is for us the very key to heaven, the wildest of dreams for sinful human beings.

How is this wisdom granted?  Through the power of God’s Gracious Means.  The Holy Spirit works wisdom or faith in the hearts of men through the Gospel in Word and Sacraments.  Solomon himself explains this in his book of wisdom.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10).

Do you want the wisdom that only God can give?  He has provided it for all in His Word.  Where else would you go to learn about God than to God himself?  He stands before us eager to teach every time we read our Bibles (Yes, here in corporate worship and Bible study, but in our homes, as well, in devotion and prayer), every Holy Supper received in faith, every Baptism remembered by believing hearts.

Each time those Means touch us, the Spirit uses them to connect us to the saving message of Jesus Christ.  Faith is strengthened, forgiveness is granted, and new life is revived.  Faith becomes for us the very conduit through which forgiveness is supplied.  As we grow stronger in faith and remain connected to the Means of Grace, God will grant wisdom that surpasses all others in this world.

That wisdom in hand, heart, and mind, you’ll have the ability to guard and guide the Truth. You will be able to talk about Christ with others. You will be able to hold to the truths of Scripture. In short, God will supply all you need for the tasks He places upon your shoulders.  He’ll even do the impossible, taking inept and often unruly sinners, and change them, forgive them, use them, as He guards and guides us all into glory.

As we behold our Old Testament lesson, we are left asking the question, “If God came to you in a dream, offered you whatever you wanted, how would you respond?” Ah, but it offers more than a question. It supplies us with the good and Godly answer.  Dear friends Paul once told the Ephesians that they couldn’t even contemplate the full extent of what God can do for His people or all that He holds out to them (Ephesians 3:20). Sounds like He comes to us just as He did to Solomon. In faith, may our answer shock the world, not focused on self or wealth but humbly confessing our weaknesses and clinging to our God. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection (Phil 3:10)”. Yes, Lord, focus us all on your Means of Grace! Or to put it a different way, “Lord, grant us, The Wisdom of God because it is Our Wildest Dream.” Amen!

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Intertwined Until We Are Not

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

The Lord has a plan to separate wheat and weeds in the final harvest. 

       24He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26When the plants sprouted and produced heads of grain, the weeds also appeared. 27The servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’ 28He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather up the weeds?’ 29‘No,’ he answered, ‘because when you gather up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat along with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the weeds, bind them in bundles, and burn them. Then, gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

    36Then Jesus sent the people away and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

    37He answered them, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the Evil One. 39The enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The reapers are angels. 40Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will pull out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and those who continue to break the law. 42The angels will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.

“Why?”  Does that question make you nervous when the world fires it out at the Church?  The fact that we are different, means that we will be asked to make a defense of what we believe to those in the world around us.  “Why?”  Sometimes the answer is easy for us.  “Why is Christmas or Easter so important to you?” At least I hope that presents an easier opportunity for an answer.  The birth of Jesus Christ marks the fulfillment of the long-awaited promise of the Messiah who would, who does, save His people from their sins.  The Resurrection provides the proof, so to speak.  That the sacrifice of that same Messiah upon the cross was sufficient, more than sufficient, to save us from sin, conquer the cruel mastery of satan, and defeat the bonds of death.  Yes, because He lives, we live.  But there are other questions that perhaps seem harder for us to answer.  The hardest among them has often been the topic that sits in front of us today.  “The problem of evil” or “the problem with suffering” has long been a favorite arrow of the unbelieving world to fire at the Christian faith.  Classically, it sounds like this, “If God is so good, then why does He permit evil and suffering in the world? If God is everything the Scriptures claim to be, then why not simply do away with it once and for all? Its presence would seem to say one of two things: either God is not good because He allows these things or God is not able to stop them because they happen in spite of His wishes.”  Perhaps it’s a difficult question because we wrestle with it.  In our everyday lives, it sounds a little different.  “Why has this happened to me?  Why has this happened to my relative?  Why hasn’t God protected me from x, y, or z?”

The problem with these questions is there is not a simple and easily spouted answer for each situation.  For example, it might be that the person brought it on themselves. I really have no place complaining to God that I got a fine for speeding when my lead foot doubled the speed limit whether in a residential area, commercial space, or on a freeway.  I did that to myself.  There are earthly consequences for our actions after all, even if I complain when those consequences are applied to me.  But what about when I have done nothing wrong, at least in my failing estimation of righteousness?  Here the world loves to scream gottcha.  But does it really?  Our lesson today, provides us with a framework to help work through the realities of our world and to better understand why, in this world at least, good and evil are Intertwined Until We Are Not.

This parable is one of many in this chapter of Scripture in which Jesus speaks of the realities of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Doctrinally, we speak of three Kingdoms when we speak of the Kingdom of God.  There is the Kingdom of Power where God uses His power to bend all things to His perfect will (note His will and not my will or our will). There is the Kingdom of Grace wherein God utilizes the Means of Grace to guard and guide His Invisible Church through this fallen world into the perfection Christ has won for us in heaven. Lastly, there is the Kingdom of Glory where we behold everything finally as it should be in the perfection of heaven.  I’ve always struggled to put these parables or at least this parable in any one of them but rather believe God weaves through them all within the context of the telling.  It would seem that Jesus does this as He explains the meaning to the disciples and moves from life in this fallen world to the realities of heaven at the end.  Regardless, it is good for us to have all three in mind as we navigate this parable as Jesus tells us, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.”

Of course, just as last week, we have the benefit of Jesus’ own explanation to guide our understanding today.  Let’s dive in. (Read verses 24-30) There is a ton here.  Let’s have Jesus start unpacking and stop as we work our through.

The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. That’s Jesus, so often His designation for Himself as He speaks to the people gathered round.  38The field is the world. This would immediately tell us to think Kingdom of Power or Grace. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. You and me, at least I hope that’s where we would place ourselves in these words.  Of course, this is Kingdom of grace talk as God works in us, plants us, grows us through Word and Sacraments, last weeks parable of the Sower and Seed applies here. The weeds are the sons of the Evil One. Back to the Kingdom of power. 39The enemy who sowed them is the Devil. Ah, note that sin and evil are not sowed by God.  This is an important acknowledgement.  They are sowed by satan and grown in the hearts and minds of unregenerate humanity. The harvest is the end of the world. Here comes the Kingdom of Glory The reapers are angels. 40Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will pull out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and those who continue to break the law. 42The angels will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. End-time realities and the Kingdom of Glory on full display.

So the problem of Evil once again.  First, let’s acknowledge that God recognizes the issue.  That is important.  Just the fact that He knows helps us to start the conversation about it.  The field of the world contains both unbeliever and believer, good and evil.  Jesus speaks of both the root cause, sin, and those who bow to its control.  What He immediately refutes is the thought that either is somehow His fault.  They are not.  Sin is sown by satan and the love of the unbelieving world for all that is sin, and therefore the consequences of it reside not with God but with fallen mankind.

The workers basically use our fallen logic in the parable.  Let’s get rid of it then.  If it’s foreign to God and causes harm to His people, then let’s eradicate it.  But the answer that comes back is of interest.  The owner of the field, God Himself, says, “No” and even tells us why. “Because when you gather up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat along with them. It’s interesting to note that most linguists think the word for weed here refers to darnel or cheat, an especially troubling weed for those who plant wheat, because the two look the same in early growth.  It’s not until the head forms on the grain that the two can be distinguished.  The result is that in pulling the weeds, they may pull the wheat unintentionally.

The perfect parable teller hits it on the head.  What did God once tell Samuel as he stood before David’s brothers trying to pick the next King of Israel, “Do not look at his appearance or at how tall he is, because I have rejected him. For the Lord does not look at things the way man does. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)”  While I want sin eradicated, God knows the truth.  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)” To eradicate evil is to eradicate the cause, a stain believer and unbeliever alike are covered in.  Not only so, but if our job is to reach out to the lost, then they kinda have to be present.  A loving God tells us that since we can’t distinguish between good grain and bad we better just work among all of them, yes, struggling with the consequences of sin for a while here in this world, trusting in His power as He works through His Means of Grace in our hearts and those of the people around us so that, as we heard last week we see the harvest. What would Peter later write? “The Lord is not slow to do what he promised, as some consider slowness. Instead, he is patient for your sakes, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)” 

Ah, but then that harvest is worth holding ever in view.  You see, there will come a day of reckoning when what we have so yearned for becomes reality, when sin and the consequences of it are eradicated by the only One who can do so.  On that last and final day,41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will pull out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and those who continue to break the law. 42The angels will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. And lest that cause us fear and trepidation because of our lack of righteousness, Paul will announce to the Romans, “16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed by faith, for faith, just as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)” Ah yes, as we said last week, it is God who tills the soil of sinful hearts and removes each rock, fertilizes, and plants all in the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, those easier answers from before, so that His grain (you and me – by grace and through faith) will produce heads of grain in the world around us regardless of the weeds around us, yes, so that even what once was indistinguishable from the weeds around it might become wheat to the glory of God.

Brothers and sisters, I know living in a world of sin, with satan lurking around every corner, combating the evil which rages around us and far too often even within, is a troublesome thing.  I too yearn for the day when we can be done with it completely.  That day will come.  Until then however, may I find more than enough reason to trust in God who promises He is aware if it, has planned for it, and will one day reckon with it. Yes, until then in this world at least, good and evil are Intertwined Until We Are Not. Amen.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 - Listen Up! God's Sow'n Here

Last week, we began a new worship series that asks the question, What Makes Christians Different?  Last week’s answer, fittingly so as we celebrated 250 years as a country, was that we lived within two different kingdoms.  This week’s answer gets down into the thing that is foundational to Christianity.  We Are Planted by the Word.  And it just so happens, that Jesus then presents a well-known parable in our Gospel Lesson for today that of the Sower and the Seed. 

However, those words are more than mere coincidence.  They remind us that there by the lake, people gathered around, Jesus has opportunity to touch hearts and minds with the Word of truth.  With so many listening, that He finds reason to use the water like some giant megaphone, what will He say?  What will He teach?  It shouldn’t be overly surprising that He focuses on the importance of the Word. And so, brothers and sisters, with a longer lesson to contemplate, may we heed Jesus’ advice and Listen Up! Because God’s Sow’n Here.

That’s usually the part of this parable that gets dismissed while reading.  It’s almost like it’s a throwaway phrase, but listening or hearing is mentioned nine times in verses 1-23.  That alone should tell us it’s one of the major differences between God’s people and others.  But what we listen to is of great importance and satan knows it.  “Listen, a sower went out to sow. 4As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it. … 18“So listen carefully to the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the seed that was sown along the path.  You’ve seen it a hundred times under the bird feeder.  Any seed that does not sink into the earth doesn’t stand a chance. Exposed to the elements and its enemies, it is devoured quickly and completely.

The meaning is far more frightening.    When the Word is rejected, when it is not contemplated or understood well, when it is not listened to, it sits out in the open air and satan will not miss the opportunity.  With talons more fierce than the mightiest of eagles, the Word is snatched, leaving nothing where such promise once laid.  Perhaps, you’ve run into such soil.  Agnostic or worse a true Atheist provides soil hardened by demons more frightening than anything a Christian could contemplate, and there the Word stands little chance as satan plucks it like a bird watching for the farmer to toss seed onto the path.  Like seed on the sidewalk, there is nothing into which it grows.

5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. Immediately, the seed sprang up because the soil was not deep. 6But when the sun rose, the seed was scorched. Because it had no root, it withered away. … 20The seed that was sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21yet he is not deeply rooted and does not endure. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.

Shallow soil is warm in the sun.  The rock underneath gives a false since of perfect growing conditions for the seed which has landed upon.  As a result, it springs to life growing quickly, impressively but something is not right.  The root is not as quick and even if it wants to keep up it meets the rock hard surface beneath it robbing it of the depth it needs to face the hot summer sun. It was doomed before it ever began to grow.

You’ve met them, a Christian so on fire for the Word it seemed as if they would blaze a trail to heaven itself.  But it was amazing how quickly they were halted, extinguished.  The world is good at putting obstacles in the way of the Christian.  Just open your eyes and ears and pay attention for just a moment to the assault that is going on against the Word on a daily basis.   A show supposedly lets us into the height of science as it explains the foundations of the universe, foundations suspiciously devoid of any mention of God or his power.  Anyone who believes it’s not true is dismissed as a idiot neanderthal from the (note the name now) dark ages (unenlightened by the glorious guesses of modernity).  Or consider for just a moment the way you begin to squirm as the conversation moves to church fellowship, closed communion, the roles of men and women, living together or sex before marriage, homosexuality.  Without roots, the heat of persecution is all it takes to destroy the shallow faith, which once looked so promising.

7Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked it. … 22The seed that was sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worry of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it produces no fruit. Still other seed, falls on what a first looks like amazing soil.  The plow however, did not cut deep enough and now just beneath the surface a terrible danger lurks.  The thorns grow up and choke the plant, stealing its nutrients, and eventually its very life.

Having survived the Devil and the world, an enemy of equal strength lies beneath the surface.  The sinful flesh has cravings of its own.  I want a life free of complication and I believe that Christianity should give that to me regardless of the fact that every Christian is scripture has some problems they have to deal with.  I want a life free from disease and God certainly has shown power to rid his people of everything from cancer to colds, in spite of Paul’s thorn in the flesh which plagued him throughout his life.  I want to be rich and since everything is God’s all should be mine, forget that part about sharing and caring and those portions of the Word where Christians are clearly dealing with conditions of poverty.  And when we don’t get our way, well the thorns prove painful and faith begins to choke. What good is Christianity anyway?

Oh dear, Christian, there are plenty of distractions to steal our focus from the Word of our God.   There are plenty of tricks, temptations, and snares which seek to trap us and starve us of the life giving grace of God.  And while we all like to quickly move past these words of the parable and claim the fertile soil as our own.  We all know we would be lying to say that at various times, and in different places within our lives, this soil doesn’t look to foreign to our eyes. The complaints even may resonate currently in our souls. But there is a solution to this problem.  It is not one brought about by our effort or our strength however.  No, only the word brings forth fruit. So brothers and sisters, Listen up!

8But some seed fell on good ground and produced grain: some one hundred times, some sixty, and some thirty times more than was sown. 9Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.” … 23But the seed that was sown on the good ground is the one who continues to hear and understand the word. Indeed, he continues to produce fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times more than was sown.”

Good soil, we have it all over Wisconsin.  Go for a drive this afternoon and look at the fields.  Many are green, although farmers would always like them greener and more robust.  One seed produces a plant which produces many more, and each according to the gifts given it, some 100-fold, some 60, some 30, all blessings from our God.

Oh, I suppose it would be tempting to look at this soil and puff up our chests as Christians.   “Look, I’m saved because I’m so great, so smart, so whatever …”  Of course we’ve already covered the fact that we often look more like rock-hard paths, stony soil and weed-infested ground, not to mention that the rest of Scripture clearly tells us differently.  

I’ve always loved the words of Ephesians 2:8-10, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Paul carefully constructs the sentences to remind us that faith is in the sphere of grace as well, a gift, given by God not by works and aside from any boasting of our own. So the fruit, it’s not my doing, but God’s doing.  

He took useless sinful soil, and fertilized it with His Word.  He decided to walk among the sinful and live a perfect life in our place.  He journeyed not just throughout Israel, but all the way to the cross, where He endured more than nails and mockery, suffering the hell that we deserved.  He allowed Himself, perfect and sinless as He was to bow his head in death and be placed in a tomb, only to destroy death as he burst forth in victory.

Yes, this is the message that softens the hardened heart, which picks out the stones and roots out the weeds of sin, demolishing all our enemies and leaving soil made perfect, watered by His holy precious blood.  In these conditions, even with the heat of satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh beating down upon us, the plants grow and flourish.  Oh, I know it doesn’t always seem that way, but step back every now and again to take a look.  This all used to be farmland, where Jesus’ picture played out so regularly,  but now a church.  It used to be a mission funded by the generosity of others as a few gathered to worship their God, but now, I know we would always like the numbers to be greater but now a self-supporting congregation which in turn sends dollars back to help the spread of the Gospel in places we cannot go which even funds the spread of that Word in areas around us in the Madison area.  And still, as we talk, as we work, there are those who by God’s grace listen and gather in with us to hear the voice of their God as He plants and grows and harvests.    

What Makes Christians Different?  Jesus pushes out to sea as He sits in a boat to amplify the earthly vocal cords as He sets aside the full use of His divinity for a time and He describes you and me. In love, he bids us listen to Him.  Which soil are you today, were you yesterday, will you be tomorrow?  Do you know where the good soil comes from?  The answers are all found in our God Who works in His Word.  By God’s Grace, may we always Listen Up! Because God’s Sow’n Here.  Amen.

Matthew 22:15-22 - Two Kingdoms ... One God

Matthew 22:15-22

15 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted together how to trap him in his words. 16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in accord with the truth. You are not concerned about gaining anyone's approval because you are not swayed by appearances. 17So tell us, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18But Jesus knew their evil purpose and said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius.  20 He asked them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”  21“Caesar's,” they replied to him.  Then he said to them, “Therefore give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”  22 When they heard this, they were amazed. Then they left him and went away. – EHV

Burgers or brats? Steak or Brisket?  Do you prefer to purchase fireworks and fire them off yourself, or let someone else do it and watch the display, or maybe you wish they didn’t exist at all cause they freak out the dog and ruin a quiet evening with a million explosions?  Do you prefer to drive or do you like being chauffeured?  These are the easier questions, which tell others a bit about us. But there are bigger ones. 

Palestine or Israel? Russia or Ukraine? Do you bleed red, white, and blue, or is there a big bucket of caution connected to anything governmental?  Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Constitutionalist?  Globalist, Imperialist, Nationalist? Capitalist, Socialist, Conservative, Liberal, or do you go another route entirely?  What if I asked God, Government, or Family?  Now I’m not trying to stir up division or see if I can get the collective blood boiling this morning, but questions like these do elicit a response in the world around us.  They also help us illustrate a bit more the powder keg that the Pharisees were setting in front of Jesus in our Gospel lesson this morning.

Pharisees liked to think of themselves as the ultra-conservative wing of Judaism.  They didn’t like Roman occupation, but their pragmatism led them to realize there wasn't a whole lot they could do to dislodge the superpower of their day from within their borders. The result was a reluctant cooperation to preserve their power and prestige. Think of the individual sculking around behind the scenes of power waiting for the right opportunity to pounce, and you aren’t far off, at least in their relationship with Rome.  It was also a pretty popular ideology with the people of Israel, who didn’t like these foreigners telling them what to do. Jesus not only seemed to make them look foolish at every turn (bad enough to mark Him already as enemy number one), but as they misunderstood what He had come to do, they feared He would throw the careful balance of power off, leading to harsher Roman occupation if not total annihilation.

Pairing up with the Herodians required a fair amount of “the holding of the nose.”  Herod the Great was an Edomite (not even a Jew) and he and his family were purely politics as they sought to stay out of the fray between the Pharisees (the ultra-conservative religious faction of Israel) and the Sadducees (the ultra- liberal side).  They also had very few issues with Rome, as the occupation led to their position in power. At various times, they even pushed Hellenization, a desire for Israel to be more like Rome and Greece. As a result, they were pretty unpopular with the people but didn’t seem to care as they held power and the throne of Judea.  But this Jesus and John the Baptist before Him were too religious and fearing that all the Messiah talk would lead to a push for their throne or a military response from Rome, they too wanted Jesus silenced.  Strange bedfellows, but then politics, right?

The trap would be set.  Let’s get Jesus talking about taxes, after all, He has a zealot (those guys were crazier than the Pharisees) and a tax collector (talk about Roman-friendly) in His very circle of followers. And let's not talk taxes in general, no, let's ask about “the Kensos” (that is the Greek word here).  It was the census tax on all occupied territories of the Roman Empire.  The occupied hated it because it was essentially a tax to exist in your own territory, placed on every adult in the household regardless of income or ability to pay. If Jesus sides with the people, the Herodians will report Him, and He’ll be dead by morning. If He sides with the Romans, that following of His will disintegrate faster than parchment in fire.  Oh, and let’s butter Him up first too. Remind Him that He’s “mister truthful” and doesn’t care what people think. 16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in accord with the truth. You are not concerned about gaining anyone's approval because you are not swayed by appearances. 17So tell us, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”  Talk about trying to “Stump the Pastor”.

Of course, Jesus knocks it out of the park.  In a very brief exchange, He exposes their intent and reminds them and all of us of a simple yet important truth. We are inhabitants of two kingdoms.  Yes, the earthly kingdoms which we occupy but also God’s Kingdom … Kingdoms (power, grace, and glory). 18But Jesus knew their evil purpose and said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius. 20He asked them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” 21“Caesar's,” they replied to him. Then he said to them, “Therefore give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”

In effect, “You bunch of fakers running around like you are authorities and demanding respect. You don’t even fathom these simple realities.  Get me the coin you pay that hated tax with.  Whose picture is on it? You live and do commerce, enjoy the political powers, and the protection which this coin and the image of the one upon it provide, and yet you don’t want to honor the very one who provides it to you? Can you hear the words of our second lesson from Paul’s Letter to the Romans in there? What’s more, have we forgotten where earthly power originates and whose hand ultimately guides the events of this world and its lowly little empires into the glories of the real power and glory of the Kingdom of our God?  If you feared, loved, and trusted in God more than anyone or anything else, this wouldn’t even be a question for you. Consider Daniel or the three who go to the furnace.  Did they get worked up about the respect due them, the power they could grasp, or the expectations of Nebuchadnezzar, or did they seek to serve their fellow man wherever they found themselves with their hearts and trust squarely placed upon their God?”

Ah, once again I crumble to the dust in repentance and ashes.  Far to often, I have overlooked the blessings God was providing through country and government more concerned about from whose earthly hand it came.  Oh for sure, we live in far different circumstances than Daniel, Paul, or Jesus, but then neither Daniel nor Paul could have ever fathomed the freedoms we enjoy in our world today.  The right to freely engage with our government and to freely practice our religion are an amazing blessing, that I respond with in vitriol and hatred, like Pharisees and Herodians more concerned about the power of politics or the money I do or don’t have and less focused on the God who gives all and controls all.  A hypocrite, a faker, a fraud, a sinner.

Oh, for sure there is room for discourse and to engage in the political sphere of our day as God’s people.  My feet, just as yours, are planted in the two kingdoms in which we live, but have our actions or our words always shown that, or have I lifted my foot from the Kingdom of God to engage in the muck of the kingdoms of this world.  What was that Fourth Commandment again, “Honor Your Father and Mother that it may go well with you and you may enjoy a long life on the earth.”  Luther’s words expose my sin, we should fear and love God that we do not dishonor or anger our parents or others in authority, but honor, serve, and obey them and give them love and respect.

Again, I find myself at the feet of Him Whom the Pharisees and Herodians are trying to trap.  At the feet of the One Who answered them perfectly on the spot.  Even though He is God Himself and Lord of all, my Savior is the One Who once told Peter to check the mouth of the fish to find the very coin to pay this tax of the subjugated and encourages us all to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, reminding me that I owe my love and respect, my obedience within two Kingdoms.  And all this He does not to show me the way I should live or to provide a new leash of subjugation I must wear.  He does this for me, fulfilling all righteousness on my behalf, even when the hands of the government He has just upheld would later drive nails through His own, so that my sins would be paid for in full and even there it is not the vitriol and hatred of politics so common in our day that come from His holy mouth but forgiveness!  Forgiveness for them, forgiveness for me, all that I might lift my eyes to the Kingdom that surpasses any of this world made mine through Him. 

Perhaps if I could just remember that, perhaps if we all could, there would be a little less anxiety and angst in our world, regardless of who holds the power in the governments that sit over us. Perhaps we could be a little less concerned about ourselves and a little more concerned about those around us.  Perhaps we would even see all of the blessings that are there as we live in Two Kingdoms with one God ruling over both.  Amen.

1 Timothy 6:11-16 - Fight the Good Fight of Faith

God’s Word: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

11 But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life, to which you were called and about which you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made a good confession as a witness before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this command without spot and without fault, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will make known at the proper time—the blessed and only ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or is able to see. To him be honor and power forever! Amen. – EHV

Fight the good fight!  That’s what Paul says in our lesson today.  Now I have to admit, I’ve never been much of a fighter, and I struggle to understand how a fight can be good.  It usually means all efforts to resolve a conflict have failed and all that’s left is physicality.  So I’ve tried to avoid fighting, replacing it with communication in almost every aspect of life.  But in Highschool, just a few pounds and a lot of years ago, I was a wrestler.  I did most of the years of highschool in the 160 to 180 pound weight classes, which if you know anything about wrestling, is where the crazy strong guys usually go to work.

I was inexperienced as a freshman, Dad had wrestled, but I hadn’t done all the camps that were just starting to come into vogue when I was young. But I figured I had played a season of football, and if I was slamming into guys in the line and toppling running backs and the like, it couldn’t be much more difficult than that, and after all, it was only 3 two-minute rounds.  Football was like an hour. This should be easy.  I’ve never sweat so much in my life, but I figured with all that hard work we should be able to annihilate the competition. 

I’ll never forget my first match. I would later learn my opponent, a senior, had been injured the year before, and his coach brought him down to JV for the first few matches of the year to ease him back into competition form.  We walked out, the whistle blew, and he immediately stuck out his leg, leaving it wide open.  I shot confident that I had been given a gift.  As I reached out, he somersaulted over me, cradling me up tight.  Within seconds, I was on my back, looking at the lights. I fought, but it was over. I heard the slap of the mat.  I had lasted 20 whole seconds. I was humiliated. How could that happen?  What had I done?  I was not good … that match was not good, at least for me.

Why are we talking about this?  Well, because for one I believe Paul might have been thinking about wrestling.  It was an Olympic sport after all, and they are occurring at this time in history.  Not to mention that wrestling is a Biblical sport, Jacob wrestled God.  But I do believe it shows us what a good fight ultimately takes.  I guarantee you that I worked hard and tried hard in practice, but I failed that first match.  Overconfidence, lack of understanding of my opponent, inexperience, they all left me looking at lights, regardless of how hard I had tried. 

Paul tells the Ephesians, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).  It’s not freshman verses senior, but sinner verses sinful self, against satan and the demons at his disposal, against the world overrun by them, and against death and hell.  How are we supposed to go out and fight the good fight against them?  I’m guessing you have tried.  Our feeble power and strength against temptation.  How are we supposed to outmaneuver the one who brought Adam and Eve, perfect as they were, down? A world of strength against me? Death and hell, the fact that I claim the name of “sinner” means they already have all that they need.  On my own, I’m not going to last 20 seconds … I don’t even think I’ll make it to the mat.  Unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain (1 Timothy 6:4-5), the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10).  That’s the list Paul has just written down before penning flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. How’s that going? Which list honestly better describes you?  Lights … I’m on my back again … embarrassed.  Not good.  How am I supposed to fight a good fight?

Fast forward a few years.  I continued to work hard.  I won some … I lost some.  Felt a little bit like a roll of the dice every time I hit the mat.  My hard work earned me the nickname of fish among my opponents.  You can get him down, but it’s hard to keep him there.  I wasn’t going to lose in 20 seconds anymore, I’d promised myself that.  Then there was the match that made me rethink my approach.  It was a tournament. Coach walked over and told me he’d seen the guy I was up against a few times.  He always went for a throw.  We drilled a counter for about 3 minutes before the match.  I went out, the whistle blew, the guy went for it, I countered.  10 seconds that’s all it took to pin a guy who had until that point been waltzing through the tournament.  Know your opponent! It turned out that produced even bigger dividends than buckets of sweat and bulging muscles.

That’s what Paul is saying in those verses: God’s Law!  It’s not just a long list of do’s and don’t’s.  It tells us how the enemies attack us.  It spells out their strategy and gives us the counters.  Stay away from the temptations and the vices, chase after the good.  That’s how you fight a good fight in this life. But it still only gets you so far.  One slip, one mistake, and we find ourselves in the grasp of a superior opponent who embarrasses us, defeats us.  We need more.  Thankfully, God provides that too. Listen to the words of our lesson again.  This time, looking for the sure and solid win.  (reread lesson)

Did you hear it?  Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life, to which you were called and about which you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Faith points us to the sure thing.  Faith lays hold of eternal life.  It points to the one who gives life, Who gives victory.  It points to Christ Jesus, who made a good confession as a witness before Pontius Pilate, who will appear again at the proper time — the blessed and only ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone has immortality, who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or is able to see. To him be honor and power forever! Amen.

It turns out, you have a champion.  One who fights for you against the foes that frighten us.  He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords, immortal, unapproachable, unseen, so indefensible for Him there is no counterattack!  All honor all power belong to Him.  And in the fullness of time, He took on flesh for you, joined the fight, walked out on the mat.  He was perfect, no slips, no mistakes.  He sent satan packing, defeated even death and hell.  That’s what the cross is all about.  His holy, precious blood was the perfect price for all the times the foes pinned me to the ground when sin had me beat before the whistle even blew.  And His resurrection, as our Risen Savior, He hands the victory to us.  So that, as Luther put it, one little Word, God’s Word, which tells of His Victory, Your Victory, and exposes the darkness of sin for all that it is, it fells the foes.  This battle isn’t about my power or my strength.  It’s not about my strategy or wisdom.  It’s a battle of faith, given and provided by God Himself, strengthened and maintained in His means of Grace.  Focus on Him, brothers and sisters, Count on Him for victory.  Or as the first of the commandments says it, You shall have no other Gods and Luther trumpeted, We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.  Fellow soldiers of the cross, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).  So, in faith, by God’s grace, Lay hold of eternal life, the victory God alone provides and with the confidence that He has already done all that is needed.  Fight! Fight the good fight of faith! Amen.

2 Timothy 4:1-8 - Prepared

Are you ready?  It’s summer, so have you scheduled in some time off to rest and relax in the beauty of the sunshine as kids are home and schedules are a bit more relaxed?  Are you ready?  Ready for work and the presentation, the changes of duties, the various unknowns that can spring up out of nowhere and make demands with little windows to achieve the results, ask questions that require answers, fair or unfair as they come?  How about those finances?  Got everything in order? Costs ever climbing savings dwindling, are you living within your means or accumulating debt faster than the dollars to pay it down?  What about family life, or just life in general?  Are you checking the boxes and putting in the time with relationships, connections, and contacts or has all the other stuff on the plate crowded it out so that more people wonder where you are than how you’re doing? Life is a lot most days and we probably feel way less than prepared so we likely look for short cuts right?  Can AI buy me hours at work? Can I look for less but more impactful ways to spend time with others?  What’s the cheat code for life to build big wealth and have less stress in all of the demands placed upon us? So then it’s probably less than welcome when Paul talks the way He does in our lesson today telling us there is a whole other realm that demands faithfulness, watchfulness, and preparation.  Are you ready?  Are you prepared … for the biggest question of them all.  Are you prepared to answer when others have questions that affect the everlasting relationship they have with God?  Are you prepared in your own relationship with Him?  

Rogers and Hammerstein penned the lyrics, “let’s start is at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start” and our lesson pumps up the intensity there.  Paul isn’t messing around as he lays out his demands to young Timothy and forever after to the Church. His inspired pen (well maybe his quill) wrote, I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom: 2Preach the word.

This is no mere suggestion.  It is a solemn charge and not just one that exists between us and our boss at work or a court of law.  It is a solemn charge given to us by God Himself, by Jesus Christ who is God Himself vested with the duties of judgement when He comes again and the Kingdom of heaven hangs in the balance.  And perhaps it’s the next words which give the most pause.  For if you stopped me out of the blue and said what are the next words should be, I would quickly tell you that it’s all about Jesus, faith which focuses on Him.  Heaven and our place in it has everything to do with God’s gifts and nothing to do with our action but then Come those words, an imperative, a command, a do.  Preach the Word!

That’s the charge God has given to us as people who are saved, those who are blessed in the blood of the Lamb and gifted with the working of the Holy Spirit who connects us to Christ in that gift of faith.  Go and hand it out to others.  He tells us what that will look like. 2Preach the word. Be ready whether it is convenient or not. Correct, rebuke, and encourage, with all patience and teaching. 3For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires. 4They will also turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.  5As for you, keep a clear head in every situation. Bear hardship. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry.

The Greek words speak volumes.  Convenient or not … literally in the good times and the not (good) times … one is easy the other well not so much! Correct (speak up), rebuke (honor up), encourage (call to your side (your understanding and faith)!  Those are all “not” times because well the world doesn’t want to hear that its not right.  It would much rather here the “I’m okay, your okay, we are all okay, even when nothing is okay” mantra of the world today.  The itching ears love it.  So buffet Christianity is all the rage pick and choose what you like and what you don’t.  If the Bible says it but you don’t like it well call it sexist, call it outdated, call it phobic, strip it of its honor and pull it into the political realm with words like radical … right wing … leftist as if God could be voted down like some out of control power hungry politician, which is to say tell God He was ultimately too dumb to understand what the world would be like today and so His Word no longer applies and should be silenced rather and preached to the very corners of the earth.  Yes, this will mean we bear hardship as we do the work before us.  It will require a clear head and a clean conscience.

“Gulp!” right.  I don’t like any of that!  I don’t know that I really want to sign up for any of that! Please don’t make me do that, I will look different, I’ll stand out! Ah but then that’s kind of the point is it not?  We are supposed to shine like stars in the darkness of the world around us as Jesus said unafraid of those who can only affect our earthly existence more concerned about the one who commands our everlasting home in heaven.

I warned you preparation can raise the anxiety level.  Wondering if we are prepared is demanding upon us … at least if we place the load of that burden upon ourselves.  Jeremiah in our first lesson is a great example of this.  He actually complains to God that He dupped him into service.  You seduced me Lord but he also admits that he can’t stop.  The message is just too powerful.   It’s like a fire shut up in his bones if he tries not to proclaim it. 

That, dead friends, is the answer to the hardship.  Don’t forget dear Christian, what God demands, He also gives. What God would have us do, He always equips us for as well.  It’s no secret that I’m a pastor.  It’s why I’m wearing the funny robe this morning.  And let me tell you that I’m just like most other people.  The “not times” aren’t something I treasure and there have been any number of them in ministry.  I’ve even had days when like Jeremiah I have thought I’ll just keep quiet and not proclaim this but the Word is just to powerful, to beautiful of a thing to try and shut up and silence.  The more I study it the more I just can’t help myself but to preach it, to proclaim it in the world around me.  It is too great a treasure not to hold out to others, not to apply to others even as I apply it to myself.

So wrap yourself in the Means of Grace.  Recall your baptism and everything that it means for you as call calls you his very own child as the Father is made your Father through the faith given ans instilled by the Spirit therein.  Run to the supper where Jesus Himself is truly present in, with, and under that bread and wine to forgive all the sin, the anxiety, and doubt and strengthen you for the tasks of life as you cling to the hope of salvation.  Ready, study, hear, the Word of God which equips you to speak and to run life’s race in the way and by the strength that God will provide.  This is the glory of worship as God comes to us therein and does what no one else can do for us and why we as Christians will rush to do as God urges us in our lesson whether the times be good or not.

The Apostle Paul knew these truths as well.  On the road to Damascus, he had no intention to serving his Savior, yet Jesus came none the less, empowered and equipped even as He saved and forgave.  And now as Paul sees the end of his time on this earth drawing to a close He can burst out in confidence and joy,  6You see, I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. 8From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will give it to me on that day, and not only to me but also to everyone who loved his appearing.

Paul stood prepared not by his action and ability but by the God who moved him to serve.  By God’s grace, so do you.  Prepared through the Means God gives we can speak up, honor up, and call others to the side of Christ. Amen.

Numbers 27:15-23 - Christ Be My Leader!

This week, I had the privilege, at least at the beginning of the week, to attend our Western Wisconsin District Convention in Watertown.  There, it was announced that out of our 12 Synodical Districts, 5 District Presidents would not be seeking reelection.  That’s over 1/3 of our Conference of Presidents swapping out this month. At the very same time, it was announced that President Schroeder (our synodical president) would be retiring at the end of this term in 2027.  That volume of turnover in our COP is relatively unheard of.  Of course, we are all too aware of the shortages of workers afflicting almost every industry in America, and while I would not say that the Church is a business, it is not untouched by these shortages. While seminary had 46 men stand for assignment this year (the largest since my class of almost 60 … that was 21 years ago), we still have 128 pastoral vacancies synod-wide. After assigning 79 teachers from Martin Luther College, over 110 vacancies remain in our schools, which constitutes the 4th largest parochial system in the US.  Yes, Jesus’ words in our Gospel Lesson ring true, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. (Matthew 9:37)”

I suppose there are different ways we could go with that information.  We could panic … our leadership is changing … our churches and schools sit vacant … yep, the sky is falling, Henny Penny, so let's freak out.  Or, and I believe this to be the far better option here, we could take a deep breath, acknowledge that there is still work to do, and that, believe it or not, we actually do live in a sin-filled world where things are bound to change, but that even all of this still squarely resides in the hands of our God.  I believe that encouragement is in the words of our lessons today.

Place yourselves in the shoes of the fledgling Israelite nation. While slaves in Egypt, they had grown to number likely over 2,000,000 (cf. Numbers 1:46 and Exodus 38:26 fighting men [20 and older] = 603,550 multiply X4 for women, children, and Levites not numbered).  Moses would not be able to lead them into the promised land. The great lawgiver had sinned at Meribah, and instead of speaking to the rock as God had commanded in frustration and exhaustion from dealing with an unruly nation, he had struck the rock twice with his staff instead.   As a result, Moses, that great leader of men, who had performed all of those signs and wonders for the people as they left the land of Egypt, would not lead the people past their desert wandering.  Interesting, no? Anger, frustration, the law, they don’t get to enter the promised land (hold on to that thought).

I suppose there were several options both for Moses and the people at this juncture.  They could panic.  The miracle man is going to disappear.  Not just anyone can lead a nation of 2-3 million.  Even Moses struggled with this!  Yep, the sky is falling, Henny Penny, so let's freak out. Or … well, Moses was a good leader, and our lesson tells us, 15 Moses spoke to the Lord, 16 “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community, 17 who will go out before them and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

And what did God do? 18 The Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and place your hand on him. 19 Have him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. You will commission him in their sight. 20 You will give some of your authority to him so that the entire Israelite community will listen to him. 21 He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will inquire for him before the Lord with the decision of the Urim. He and all the Israelites with him, the entire community, will go out at his command and come in at his command.”  The Lord provided a leader.  Who will lead Israel into the promised land?  Again, not anger, frustration, the law, but Joshua.  Oh, and this is interesting!  In Greek, the name of God’s one and only Son, Your Savior and mine, is “Jesus”. But in Hebrew it’s “Joshua”. Both names mean the same thing, “The Lord Saves!” Who/what will lead the people into the promised land? Not anger, frustration, the law, but the Lord Saves, the Gospel will lead them!

Now I’m guessing that in the grand scheme, a few synodical leaders swapping seats isn’t such a large deal for most of us.  That’s actually a good thing; it speaks of trust in those who will take their place.  But I am willing to guess that in this world filled with trouble, filled with sin, there are any number of things that cause us no small amount of anxiety.  Sin and satan with it have a whole bag of tricks to leave us feeling frustrated and tired, anger-filled as God’s laws are ignored or downright despised.  Yes, as we look around, there are a plethora of things that may make us feel like the sky is falling, and it’s time to panic.  Look, I get it; I live in it too.  So, what shall we do?

Moses didn’t go to himself or trust in the wisdom of men.  He went to the only one who could help.  He turned to the Lord, and He prayed.  That’s the far better option.  Remember, Anger, frustration, law, they don’t enter the promised land, but the Lord, the Lord saves His people.  In Christ Jesus, the victory over all- sin, death, the devil’s power has already been secured.  His perfect life fulfilled the law for us, not ignoring it but keeping it completely fully for us and in our place.  His innocent death on the cross was the perfect payment for sin, yours, mine, and the millions and billions of others who have called this big blue ball home. His blood cleanses us from every single sin.  His resurrection is the proof of the pudding that the doors of the promised land of heaven stand forever open to all who by grace, through faith, believe in Him. Yes, the Gospel puts the promise in our hands and writes it on our hearts. This, dear friends, this is enough for anxious hearts and panic-ridden souls. And if that were all our dear Lord gave us, it would be enough.

But it’s not all He gives us.  He promises to send us voices, men, leaders who will, like Moses and Joshua and countless others, point the way to Christ.  No, they will not always be plentiful; there will be droughts like in the days of Elijah, but God will provide.  He will send them out like the twelve in our Gospel Lesson.  His Church, invisible, will endure to the very end of the ages.  It will be held in fragile human hands as water, and the Word welcomes new members into its fold.  Received by people on the verge of panic and struggling with sin as bread and wine, miraculously, the very body and blood of Christ give forgiveness, new life, and salvation.  It will be heard and read by the leaders and the people God gives them to.  Jesus promised it and sends the Holy Spirit to secure it even in frustrated and angry hearts that they might have the hope of eternal life with Him. 

Fast forward through the book of Joshua as the people stand in the promised land and Joshua prepares to leave the leadership position God had placed him in.  As he stands before the people, God gives him words to speak.  And what are they? 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14-15)” Ah, yes, he points back to God.  Faithful servants always do.  Yes, brothers and sisters, as leadership changes, as shortages continue, as sin, satan, and death rage in the world around us, God will provide leaders, workers, servants for His people.  But may our prayer always be to the One who sends them, that they would point to Him and His leadership.  Yes, Christ be my, our Leader. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[2] LC 1st Commandment 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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