“The Right Touch” 1 John 1.1–2.2 Easter 2B April ’24

 

 

1.             Christ is risen, He’s risen indeed, alleluia! The message from God’s Word for this 2^nd Sunday of Easter, as we continue to celebrate our Lord’s resurrection from the dead, is taken from 1 John 1:1-2:2, it’s entitled, “The Right Touch,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.             Picture a delivery room. A new mom has just given birth to her child. The young son is placed in her arms. She holds the baby close. She reaches down and taps his nose, squeezes his cheek, lets the baby curl his tiny fingers around her index finger. There’s something about just the right touch. It says, “I love you.” It communicates closeness, assurance, comfort, warmth, and happiness. Touch tells you that the other person is alive, real, there—and so are you. We need the right touch, to touch and be touched in the right way.

3.             Research shows that children who grow up without much touch—abandoned, left alone for much of the time—grew at a slower rate, were sicker, had trouble socially, and displayed more angry and depressed emotions.

4.             It doesn’t stop after you grow up. When you meet that special someone, you want to hold hands,  put your arms around each other, sit close. We need just the right touch, to touch and be touched in the right way. The right kind of touch says love, assurance, closeness, comfort, happiness. Touch says the other person is there, alive, real—and so are you.

5.             We also need the right touch, to touch and be touched in the right way by God. And we are. The Church has a special word to describe when God could touch and be touched. Incarnation. God came to earth and took on human flesh and blood. When the Virgin Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, she gave birth to Jesus, fully divine, but also fully human. Jesus was someone she could touch. Yes, when Mary touched Jesus, tapped his nose, squeezed his cheek, let him curl his tiny fingers around her index finger, she was touching God and he was touching her. God became flesh and dwelt among us. People saw him. They heard him. They touched him. Incarnation—because we need to be touched in the right way, not just by each other, but especially by God. You can picture scenes from Jesus’ ministry where he touched and was touched: Jesus blessing the children (Lk 18:16), Jesus placing mud on the eyes of the man born blind (John 9), the woman touching Jesus’ cloak (Lk 8:43–48), Jesus washing the disciples’ feet (Jn 13:1–11).

6.             We have a God who became flesh and dwelt among us to touch and be touched in the right way. John says people could see Jesus, listen to him, and touch him with their hands. Jesus is God incarnate, and his touch says love, closeness, warmth, assurance, joy. His touch says he is alive, real, and there—and so are we.

7.             Now you know why leprosy was such a devastating disease in biblical times. While it encompasses a variety of skin diseases, leprosy also destroys the nerve endings so you can’t feel anything. You lose the sense of touch. Even worse, you were banished from the community. No one could touch you or even come near you. You became untouchable and lost the love and warmth, the closeness and joy that came with touch. Were you still alive and real? It didn’t seem so.

8.             It still happens—this loss of touch and being touched. An abandoned child. A child left alone for hours on end. A child who isn’t held or doesn’t have a lap to sit on while listening to a book. A marriage gone bad. No touches of love. No more holding hands. No caress of the cheek or big old bear hugs.

9.             But the most devastating loss of touch in this life is death. Sometimes families will stay in the hospital room after someone has died. I have been with many families as a Pastor over the years who have experienced the death of their loved one. After their loved one dies, they could touch their loved one’s hand or face, but their skin is cold and lifeless. Their loved one who had died couldn’t touch back. No more touch.

10.          I can remember my Grandpa Taggatz’s face. He died in 2013, but if I close my eyes I can see him, his smile, with his white hair, the smell of his pipe tobacco as he sat in his easy chair in the TV room. It’s as if I could reach out and touch him. But then I open my eyes and he’s not there. No touch. Devastating. But the most horrific loss of touch is when we no longer can touch God, or he no longer touches us in the right way. We call that hell. Sure, the endless fires sound bad, but the loss of touch, the total separation from God, means no love, warmth, closeness, assurance, joy. No right touch. What a frightening eternity that would be.

11.          So, God becomes incarnate. He becomes flesh and blood. And his blood purifies us from everything that would keep us from touching him now and forever. On the cross, Jesus takes on this most devastating loss of touch. He cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). Jesus no longer touches his Father in heaven. His Father is no longer touching him. Devastating. Frightening. Horrific. But Jesus is taking death and hell at their worst, the loss of touch with God, so that we could touch and be touched by God forever.

12.          Then he rises from the dead. We say that because Jesus lives, we, too, shall live (John 14:19). We also can say that we touch because he touches. Remember how Mary Magdalene held onto Jesus in Jn 20:17 after He had risen from the dead and wouldn’t let him go. Remember doubting Thomas. He wasn’t there when Jesus first appeared risen from the dead. He wouldn’t believe unless he touched Jesus. A week later, Thomas is with the disciples. Jesus appears. He speaks to Thomas. “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side” (Jn 20:27). Just the right touch, as Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

13.          We, too, need to touch and be touched by Jesus in the right way. I remember when I was younger seeing a statue of Jesus. He wore flowing robes, had long hair and a beard, and his hands were lifted up with two nail holes. The holes were dark, maybe even blood red. I was afraid to touch that statue. Now I realize I need to touch and be touched for my faith to grow and stay healthy. When does that happen?

14.          In our Baptism, the sign of the cross is made on our foreheads and hearts. The water touches our head and rolls down the cheek. Jesus is there. Just as he welcomed the little children, he is blessing anyone who comes to him in that refreshing water. At the baptismal font, we touch and have been touched by Jesus in the right way.

15.          Or we come up to the altar. Here we see and touch Jesus once again. He has promised to be in that piece of bread, that sip of wine. His body. His blood. Not a cold statue, but the real, living Jesus. Right there. Flesh and blood. Among us. Touching us. In that Sacrament, Jesus is close, saying, “I love you.” He is giving assurance, comfort, and joy as he purifies us from all sin. He is real, present, and alive—and so are we when we touch that bread and wine, that body and blood.

16.          It’s been said that since Jesus isn’t here in tangible form as he was for Thomas, the church is his hands, fingers, and arms. Think of when you attend worship here at Grace where anyone who walks in the door will be met by our ushers, an elder, and other church members. The pastor stands in the narthex, greeting those who walk in. A person could have a welcome handshake, be touched, by at least three people before entering for worship. After the service, if the prayers identified someone in need, the touches continue. A person who needs surgery, for whom we prayed for during worship, may be hugged by another church member. We call that the mutual consolation of the brothers and sisters. In a way, that’s Jesus touching us through his Church.

17.          We need the right touch, to be touched in the right way by Jesus. We need the greetings and handshakes, the hugs and holds. We need the blessings and water. We need the bread and wine. We need to touch and to be touched by Jesus now in this life and also face-to-face, just like Thomas did, in eternity. We will. One day we, too, will have the joy and wonder of touching Jesus just as Thomas did. His resurrection says our hope is that touch and being touched will not end at the grave, but will be ours once again on the Last Day and for all eternity. The leper, the abandoned child, the brokenhearted, the grieving parents, the son who remembers—we need the right touch, to be touched in just the right way. Jesus’ incredible gift to us is that we are, and we will. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

 

“A Startling New Reality!” (Mark 16:1–8) Easter Day March ‘24

 

 

1.                        Christ is risen. He’s risen, indeed. Alleluia! The message from God’s Word on this wonderful Easter Day we celebrate our Lord’s resurrection from the dead is taken from Mark 16:1-8, it’s entitled, “A Startling New Reality!” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                        “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid” (Mark 16:8 NIV). These ladies were trembling, bewildered, and afraid. And why? Had they just learned about some tragedy? Had somebody just died? Well, yes. But no! Here is the message they had just heard from an angel of God: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen” (Mark 16:6)!

3.                        Let me ask: What would cause more confusion and bewilderment—to learn that someone close to you had just died, or to learn that a loved one has just come back to life? What would be more confusing—to hear about a death or a resurrection? I know what causes more pain. But what is more unexpected and, in that sense, really unsettling?

4.                        To us it seems strange at first that people would respond in bewilderment and fear to the message of Easter. But if we really think about what the message of the resurrection means, it is truly a life-changing message, especially the first time someone hears it. In fact, Christ’s resurrection is a life-changing, startling new reality. The goal of this Easter message is that you share the totally new life and outlook that the surprising, even life-changing news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead gives.

5.                        These three women that went to Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning were also near the cross when he died. His death brought them great sorrow and disappointment. No doubt they found it almost impossible to believe that this kind, loving Jesus could be hated, killed by their leaders. But death itself likely didn’t startle them. They were familiar with death, with having loved ones die. In the ancient world, many died young, with an average life expectancy in Jesus’ day of not even 40 years of age.

6.                        In fact people in those days saw the reality of death up close. Think about what these women had come to do when they encountered the angel that first Easter morning. They had come to put spices on the corpse of Jesus. To do this, they would have to handle his dead body. That was common. People were used to it. No nice, sterile funeral homes and licensed morticians in those days. They were used to handling dead bodies, just like they were used to death being all around.

7.                        Today we do spend a lot of money and pay other people to make corpses look as lifelike as possible. It’s one way to try to help deal with the pain of death. But as hard as that is, death is not unexpected for us either. Especially for many older people, death has been an all-too-common part of life. If we reach a certain age ourselves, we likely see many of our friends and family go before us. And so, even though we would like to avoid it, it does not surprise us to see death notices and obituary listings or to turn on the news and hear about sad, tragic ends of life. We also read in the Bible that death comes to all people because all sin. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23), we read. “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezek 18:4), says the prophet. No, death is not a surprise.

8.                        Now let’s talk about resurrection. Not death, but resurrection is strange to us. Life coming out of death—having a dead loved one come back to life and walk on this earth in a human body, eat food and talk to people, as Jesus did. Now, that’s really different. That’s startling! I’ve never seen it, and neither have you.

9.                        After these women reported to the other disciples what they were told, the disciples couldn’t believe it either. It just didn’t seem right: rise from the dead? Jesus had tried to tell them he would rise after death, but that message had not registered in their thinking. Therefore, the angel reminded the women, “He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you” (Mark 16:7). That’s why when Jesus did appear to the disciples, he demonstrated to all that it was really he and that he really did rise bodily from the dead. Remember Thomas putting his hand in the wounds? Recall Jesus eating breakfast with the disciples on the shore? It really was Jesus! He really did come back to life!

10.                    The disciples likely didn’t realize right away the huge implication this would have on their lives. They just knew that this makes life really different. But later they would come to realize that this startling new reality unleashed a life-changing dynamic that would affect all of our lives. Ponder this for your life: Jesus’ resurrection means that all of your sin is forgiven. His resurrection proved that his death was sufficient to pay for all of your sin. Jesus’ resurrection means that you, too, will rise from the dead, as Paul writes: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:20).

11.                    Jesus’ resurrection means that everything about your life right now has changed. It is new. You have a certain hope based on a new reality that even death cannot disappoint. Every day right now is lived with the certainty that “my Redeemer lives” to “bless me with his love; . . . to help in time of need. . . . [To] grant me rich supply; . . . to guide me with his eye; . . . to hear my soul’s complaint. . . . [To] wipe away my tears,” and all the rest. And, oh, yeah, for that last day, “my mansion to prepare” (LSB 461:1, 3–5, 7).

12.                    When I think of this new resurrection reality as revealed by the experience of the women, it makes me think of faithful Christians at funerals. After all, these three ladies went to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Consider the comparison: The mourners gather at the church, viewing their deceased loved one’s body for the final time. The pain of death and the emotions of grief weigh heavy. Those closest to the person have made many preparations in only a few days. It has been a stressful time. After the casket is closed and they come into the sanctuary, their minds are on the one they lost, on how life must go on without their dear departed friend. But then, they hear a startling message. It begins with words like those of Paul, who wrote, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4). It continues with songs like that very Easter hymn “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (LSB 461). As the preacher proclaims the promises of Christ’s resurrection in his sermon, they begin to adjust to the new, amazing reality of death being defeated—for their loved one who died in the faith and for them!

13.                    Therefore, the new life that comes from the resurrection of Christ means that we approach everything, funerals included, in a new way. We no longer need to think in terms of avoiding the reality of death or pushing thoughts of Judgment Day out of our minds. Jesus did rise from the dead, just as he said! His resurrection promises us new life, eternal life with God! We, therefore, can get used to a new way of thinking, because Christ changed everything when he rose from the dead!

14.                    By the power of the Holy Spirit, you can get used to and live this new life in the hope and peace of God, which truly does surpass all human understanding, which, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, will guard your hearts and minds unto life everlasting! Amen.