“The Risen Savior Reveals Himself to Us” Rev. 1.4-18 Easter 2C, ‘13

1.      In the name of our crucified and risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word for this Second Sunday of Easter is taken from Revelation 1:4-18 and is entitled, “The Risen Savior Reveals Himself to Us,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

2.      J. R. R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is a marvelous book of fiction written by one of the best writers of the 20^th century.  Recently, Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and his book, “The Hobbit,” have been set to film by Hollywood.  In the book the land of Middle Earth is threatened by the power of a vile overlord, Sauron. Middle Earth can only be saved by the courage of a few hobbits. If you don’t know what hobbits are, you’re missing out on the most delightful fictional creatures in all literature. Unknown to the hobbits, they’re helped on their quest by the true king of Middle Earth working undercover. The hobbits think of him as Strider, the humble Ranger, who roves the land homeless and friendless.  In the great battle at the end of the age, good is engulfed by evil. Frodo the hobbit performs a heroic deed. Darkness turns to light. Finally, Aragorn the King is revealed in all his splendor. This suggests that Tolkien knew the true King of Kings. He knew that human history is all about a real battle between good and evil. He knew that the true King has not yet been revealed in his splendor, but will one day.

3.      Tolkien’s fiction works because it’s based on a true understanding of God’s power and the victory of God and good. The Book of Revelation is the divinely inspired portrait of good engulfed by evil until good prevails at the end. Finally, the real King, Jesus, is revealed. What Tolkien presented in fiction, John the Apostle presents in reality.  This is what we see here in Revelation chapter 1 as Jesus our Risen Savior Reveals Himself to Us.

4.      In Acts chapter 5 today we see that the report of Jesus’ resurrection strikes the chief priests as a threat of God’s judgment. Yes and no, reply the apostles: your guilt is swallowed up in the message of forgiveness, of new Spirit-given life. But those whose way of life seems threatened by the gospel will always interpret it as bad news. Authorities regularly try to suppress or marginalize the gospel, rightly interpreting it as a challenge to their position or power & rule.  Even the kingdoms of the earth today try to suppress the Christian church from spreading the Gospel by persecuting Christians and stopping the message of the Gospel of our Lord’s death and resurrection for our sins in communist and Islamic countries. But, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus isn’t another human scheme, or power-play alongside others. It’s on a different level, God’s gift to his surprised world.

5.      The resurrection of our Lord Jesus does challenge rulers who suppose themselves to be utterly supreme, answerable to nobody but themselves. This is the message of the book of Revelation: Jesus is the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, the ruler of kings of the earth. One day his kingship will be universally acknowledged.

6.      In the world addressed by Revelation, there was already a claimant for that title, enthroned in Rome, ruling an empire acquired and maintained by brute force. John’s vision is of a different king, ruling a different empire, having gained his dominion by suffering and maintaining it by forgiveness. No wonder other priests and kings tremble at the thought. No power on earth can stand before total, divine, self-giving love.

7.      In Revelation chapter 1 John the Apostle points out that our Risen Savior Jesus reveals Himself to us as our Prophet, Priest, and King.   As the faithful witness Jesus fulfilled his office as Prophet, revealing God’s Word to us. We can believe and trust his words through which he has brought us to the true knowledge of God.  As the faithful witness of the truth from God, who sent him to earth to die for our sins. The word “martyr” comes from the Greek word for witness. Jesus was a “witness” as the first to die. This would have comforted believers who were suffering for their faith under Roman persecution. Those who would die for their faith in Christ, the martyrs, would “witness” through their deaths.  We live in a day of conflicting claims for various religions (they can’t all be true), and the desire to be tolerant of all others (if it’s true for you, it’s true). Yet how do we as Christians determine what we believe? We regard Jesus Christ as our faithful witness. He’s the only religious leader who has risen from the dead.  So when you read John’s description of the vision, keep in mind that his words are not just good advice; they are truth from the King of kings. Let the truth about Christ penetrate your life, deepen your faith in him, and strengthen your commitment to follow him—no matter what the cost.

8.      Jesus Christ is the foremost “faithful witness” because he died and because he was the first to rise from the dead.   As the firstborn of the dead he fulfilled his office as Priest, giving his own life as a sacrifice for all. By his resurrection he has overcome death for us all.  Christ’s resurrection assures the same for all the believers. He shows us all how to stand firm for the faith even when faced with persecution. Others had risen from the dead—people whom the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles had brought back to life during their ministries—but later those people had died again. Jesus was the first to rise from the dead in an imperishable body (1 Corinthians 15:20), never to die again.

9.       As the ruler of the kings of the earth he fulfilled his office as King. He governs all other rulers and uses them to carry out his divine purposes. The church has been, and will again be, persecuted  by the rulers of this world, but all are under the power of Jesus as he rules in his eternal kingdom for the benefit of the church (Rev 11:15; Eph 1:22). The ragings of this sinful world can’t overcome our King, who watches over us.  Satan had tried to tempt Jesus with an offer of ruling all the nations of the world if Jesus would bow and worship him (Matthew 4:8–9). Jesus refused and, through obedience to God through death on the cross, gained ultimate leadership. Psalm 89:27 says, “I will make him my firstborn son, the mightiest king on earth.” Jesus was not just a humble earthly teacher; he is the glorious God. When he returns, he will be recognized for who he really is. Then, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10–11).

10.  John the Apostle says that our risen Savior Jesus has made us kings and priests, serving God.’ Jesus is to be imitated, and his mission implemented, by his Spirit-filled followers: ‘As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ As—so: to stand before priests and rulers, to proclaim God’s kingdom established through the saving lordship of Jesus, to announce the forgiveness, or the retention, of sins.  As believers who have been made priests we have privilege of approaching God directly on our own behalf and in behalf of others. This isn’t an option, for it is an essential feature of the Christian life (1 Pe 2:9). As priests, our sacrifices are repentance, prayer, and praise, a life of service and thanksgiving. We’re not to live as though defeated in this life, but to use our position as a kingdom of priests to serve God and our fellowmen even now.

11.  John reminds us that our risen Savior Jesus is the eternal, unchangeable, almighty God. As such no enemy is too mighty for him. Therefore, he is able to keep all the promises which he made to those who are his, and he is able to overthrow those who are not his. This is a great comfort for us as believers, since his love and concern for us will never change.  He is the First and the Last, the eternal God. He is the Living One who was dead and is alive forever and ever. That is, he who died for our sins has risen again because God has justified us. He holds the keys of death and Hades, has the power to raise the dead and deliver men from Satan’s power. What a resurrection message!  Amen.

“Jesus Makes All Things New” The Resurrection of Our Lord, Isaiah 65.17-25, March ’13 Series C

1.      He’s risen, He’s risen, Christ Jesus, the Lord. He opened death’s prison, the incarnate, true Word.  O, where is your sting, death? We fear you no more.  Christ rose, and now open is fair Eden’s door.  For all our transgressions His blood does atone.  Redeemed and forgiven, we now are His own.  The message from God’s Word this glorious Easter morning is taken from Isaiah 65:17-25 and is entitled, “Jesus Makes All Things New,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.      At 9:40am on Nov. 1, 1755, Lisbon was struck by an earthquake. It was All Saints’ Day and the churches of Lisbon were filled with worshipers. 30 churches were destroyed. Within 6 minutes 15,000 people died. Survivors ran down to the waterfront and got on ships in the harbor to escape the aftershocks, only to be hit by 3 tsunami waves that swept over the city. Thousands more died. Lamps, candles, and cooking fires were upset in homes all over the city and started uncontrollable fires that burned for days. Within a week 30,000 people were dead, and one of Europe’s great cities lay in ruins.

3.      The French philosopher Voltaire saw this tragedy as proof that no reasonable person can believe in God. How can a good and all-powerful God create a world like this? Voltaire mocked the optimism of Alexander Pope in England who had affirmed, “Whatever is, is right.” Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, the German scholar, had proposed that we live in “the best of all possible worlds.” Voltaire despised that way of thinking. Isn’t it obvious that this world is not right and not the best of all possible worlds? Voltaire reasoned, “If this is the best of all possible worlds, what can the rest be?”

4.      God agrees with Voltaire. This world isn’t what he had in mind at the creation. But he’s doing something about it. And he’s not just patching up this broken world.  He’s out to renew it. Here in Isaiah 65 is God’s ultimate answer to our longings for his help. His answer is nothing less than “a new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17).

5.      In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. It was perfect. Then we ruined it. We were deceived into thinking that we’d be better off defining for ourselves what our existence should be.  With our sinful act of defiance against God came death—not only death to mankind but also death to the entire universe. Disease, death, and decay replaced the life, harmony, and order God had created.  We didn’t realize we were pulling a lever to make God’s perfect creation into our perfect hell.   But, God knew this before He began His work of creation. God knew that we would bring death upon ourselves.  So what did God do at that point that man fell into sin? Two things. On the one hand, he sealed off our evil so that it couldn’t have its fully devastating impact. He judged us—but in mercy. On the other hand, he gave us a promise that, through Christ, he would reverse all the damage we’ve done in Gen. 3:15.  God, the Creator of all, would become a man and die the death people had brought upon themselves in order that they could once again live. God sent His Son Jesus into the world in human flesh to bring about this new creation.  In effect God said, “It’s your fault, but it’s my responsibility. I’m taking you on as my personal project. You need a Savior, and I’m providing him. In Christ the world has hope.”

6.      When Jesus’ work was completed on the sixth day of the week, He cried out, “It is finished,” and then He rested in His tomb on the Sabbath. On Easter Sunday, the first day of the new creation, the God-man Jesus who had died arose victorious over death and the grave to usher in the new creation, “in which those who die shall live and those who live shall never die” (Jn 11:25–26). God provided Isaiah a glimpse of this new creation more than 700 years before God became flesh in Christ.

7.      Isaiah 65:17-18 says, ¹⁷“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. ¹⁸But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.”  About 5 seconds into this new world, you and I will turn to one another and say, “Cancer, terrorism—what were they? Hmmm. Can’t seem to remember. No matter. Here we go!” As Isaiah paints a picture of the new heavens and the new earth, to which God has been leading his people for so long, the prophet uses images from life as we know it now to communicate life as we’ll know it then (vv. 19–25). For example, “The young man shall die a hundred years old” (v. 20). But Isaiah doesn’t mean that people will live a very long time before they die. There will be no death (Revelation 21:1–4). Isaiah is saying to us, “The life you’ve always longed for but has always eluded you, always kept just out of reach—that life is what God is preparing for his servants.” The place of heaven to which God taking us is the human experience that defines the very meaning of joy.  Jesus makes all things new for you through His death and resurrection from the dead!

8.      Isaiah recorded God’s plan of creating a new heavens and a new earth so unique and so beautiful that the “former things shall not be remembered” (Is 65:17). In this new creation, neither the sound of weeping nor cries of distress will be heard (v 19). The glorious new life in Christ would never be cut short by death. Predator and prey will dwell together in harmony: “the wolf and the lamb shall graze together” (v 25). Carnivores would once again be herbivores: “the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (v 25). Once again, animals would live together in peace. People would live in peace. People and animals would once again walk together without fear of the other. Just as God had created the original creation, so there would be no destruction or violence in this new world. There would be no crime or terrorism. “ ‘They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,’ says the Lord” (v 25). In this creation, God would preserve mankind and angels from falling into sin. Never again would sin, Satan, or death stalk God’s creatures.  All this because our Lord Jesus’ death and resurrection has made all things new!

9.      Isaiah 65:24-25 says, ²⁴Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. ²⁵The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.”  This isn’t what happens today, my friends. The skeptic and atheist will be quick to point this out.  If the wolf and the lamb lie down together, it’s the wolf feeding on the lamb. A wolf likes lamb chops. But in that day they will be together, and the lion will eat straw. There was a young man who publicly questioned Dr. George Gill in a meeting, saying, “Who ever heard of a lion eating straw? Anyone knows that a lion never eats straw!” Dr. Gill, in an easygoing manner, said, “Young man, if you can make a lion, then I will make him eat straw. The One who created the lion will equip him to eat straw when He wants him to do it.” In other words, in that day the sharp fang and the bloody claw will no longer rule animal life. The law of the jungle will be changed to conform to the rule of the King. There will be nothing to hurt or harm or make afraid in the whole world. It will be a new world.

10.  And this new creation, this new world, through Jesus’ death and resurrection isn’t merely a future hope. It’s also a present reality. Christ completed the work of the new creation on the cross. Already, now, you are a new creation. No longer are you bound by sin and death. With new life created by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament, the old has passed away for you. St Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2Co 5:17).

11.  You live in the time of “now, but not yet.” God’s new creation is a present reality (your new life in Christ is the evidence), but the totality of this creation hasn’t yet been revealed. As a result, the old Adam lives alongside the new man in constant daily struggle. We live in a world full of the consequences of sin, a world engulfed with the suffering that will be absent in the new world. Though we suffer these consequences of sin—sickness, suffering, pain, and death—all of creation groans with us as we await the redemption of our bodies (Rm 8:22–23).

12.  We don’t know all the details of the new creation, such as how old our bodies will be or what daily life will be like, but this we know: the reality will exceed our expectations and “the former things shall not be remembered” (Is 65:17).  As you await with all of creation the redemption of your body, read Is 65:17–25 again. On this day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead close your eyes and ponder this new creation God has made for you. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create” (Is 65:17–18).  Amen.

“Don’t Seek the Living among the Dead” Luke 24.1–6a, Easter Day ‘13

1. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia! Today the living Lord Jesus Christ comes and rips away the blanket of death which once enshrouded this sinful world. To all who doubt. To those who deny.  To those whose hearts are ruled by cynicism, their minds by skepticism, the Holy Spirit speaks and says, "...in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. Follow Him, believe and be saved." Amen.  The message from God’s Word for us this Easter Sunday is taken from Luke 24:1-6 and is entitled, “Don’t Seek the Living Among the Dead.”  Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

2. How wonderful are the women who went to the tomb on the first Easter morn! I don’t envy them. They faced a difficult task. On Friday, they witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion. They knew the nature of the job that they had to do.  So they got up early in the morning to do some work. This was a work they felt was their duty. It wouldn’t be pleasant, but it was something they were willing to do because of their love. So they gathered together the spices, the ointments, and the things necessary for preparing a body, and they went to the cemetery expecting to unwrap Jesus’ earthly remains and prepare them for a proper burial.  These women were much like the women who are close to me in my life. They are willing to do some unpleasant, but necessary things, because of a sense of duty and because of their love. You, too, may know women such as these.

3. And so they went. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they entered, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. What a surprise! There was no body in the tomb. It was empty! While they wondered about this, suddenly two men in clothes that dazzled their eyes stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (v 5b).

4. The hearts of these women were filled with love for Jesus, but they lacked something. They lacked something of ultimate importance. What they did here plays out over and over again in our lives: They were looking for the living among the dead. How often this happens even today! People look for life in all the wrong places.

5. I’d guess many of you have seen the TV show American Idol. The part I like least (although some people may like it best) is the beginning of the season when some contestants make fools of themselves. Why do they do this? Is it because they’re looking for fame? Do they believe their lives will be fulfilled if somehow they become famous?  I believe the Easter angels would look at people with this attitude and say, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” Fame has no eternal value. How many of us can name the top movie stars from the silent film era? Fame is fleeting. Why do you look for the living among the dead?

6. Others may seek fulfillment in life from pleasure, the pleasure of the five senses. Why do some people act immorally? Why do some people drink too much? Why do some people use illegal drugs? For many people, pleasure is the ultimate goal of life.  An effort to make life something more than what they’re already experiencing. But they’ll ultimately discover that they’re looking for the living, their own lives, among the dead.

7. Others may seek fortune. It’s tempting to believe that in some way, life will have value if I have more things.  If my house is bigger, if my garage is full, if I command industry. Then my life will be fulfilled. But all lives, whether they’re filled with fame or fortune or pleasure or anything else in the world, are lives that end not with an empty tomb, but in a tomb that’s filled with a body, your body. This is the certain consequence of looking for the living among the dead.

8. Even religious commitment and fervor can lead to seeking the living among the dead. If you’ve found yourself on this fruitless quest, you’re not alone. Martin Luther, too, sought the living among the dead when he went to the monastery. He sought the living among the dead when he deprived and punished himself for his impure thoughts and desires. For many years, he lived lacking the very same thing the women that first Easter morning were lacking. He says, “Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction” (AE 34:337). His heart ached because he believed that he was a miserable sinner and eternally lost.

9. The women went to the tomb with love in their hearts for Jesus. In fact, these women may have loved Jesus more deeply at that moment than anyone else in the entire world, but they were lacking one thing. They were lacking faith. They hadn’t believed Jesus’ words that on the third day he would rise. They expected to find the tomb filled with Jesus’ body, not empty.

10.                     It’s no coincidence that the Epistle appointed in our churches on this Resurrection of Our Lord is from 1 Corinthians 15, because here the apostle Paul tells us what the Gospel is. What is that you and I need to know? What should the women have known that morning? What should they have believed? Paul writes, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (1 Cor 15:1–2). What is this? What is the Gospel? It’s this, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3). This is what happened on Good Friday when Jesus died on the cross. This is a wonderful message from Paul. He passes on to us the message of first importance: that Christ died for our sins. For your sins! The cross hadn’t been a huge miscalculation on God’s part or a defeat of God’s plan. It was the plan! And it was for YOU!

11.                     And how do we know that? Because, in accordance with the Scriptures, Jesus was buried, he was raised on the third day, and he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve. Jesus’ death and resurrection is for you! This is the Gospel. This is what gives life. Had the women that first Easter morning understood and believed this, that Jesus’ death was God’s plan for saving them, they would have expected Jesus to rise, rather than look for the living among the dead.  Living—Life!—Is Found in That Jesus Died for Us and Is Now Living.  This is life for all who believe. Fame, fortune, and pleasure are all fleeting, but faith gives life eternal. Just as Christ’s tomb was empty on Easter, so also in the resurrection of the dead shall we be raised and our tombs will be empty.

12.                     It wasn’t until Luther became thoroughly acquainted with the Scriptures that he discovered the wonderful message of salvation that he shares in his catechisms. After years of studying the Bible, he finally discovered what it had meant all along­—this “for you,” “for our sins,’’ which is the Gospel. Jesus had died for Luther’s sins and granted him forgiveness through faith. Luther reports, “I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith.” This was such a wonderful and thrilling discovery for Luther that he declares, “I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates” (AE 34:337).

13.                     This so changed Luther’s life that he spent his remaining years striving in every way possible to bring this marvelous message to people who had been starved of the Gospel. The Small Catechism was part of that effort. In it he writes concerning the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”

14.                     And then Luther finished his Second Article explanation with this last clause: “just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.” Think about what that means. Luther is saying that we’ve been redeemed by Jesus’ precious blood, that we will live forever with Christ in his kingdom, “just as” surely as the fact that Jesus himself is risen and lives and reigns for all eternity. In other words, if Jesus is really risen, if today, Easter, is true, then we will live. If we can be sure of that, of Jesus’ resurrection, we can be “just as” sure that we will live also! And Jesus is risen! “He is not here, but has risen” (v 6a).

15.                     Therefore, it is also so for each of us. We’ve been purchased and won. We have entered paradise through the open gates of the Gospel. We will live with Christ forever in his kingdom.  The cross and empty tomb are for us, but not for us alone. We join with Paul, Martin Luther, and Christians throughout the ages in dedicating our lives to sharing this life in the Living One with others. 

16.                     We join the likes of John Chrysostom, one of the most famous preachers in all history. He lived from the mid 300s to the early 400s. For a time, he was archbishop of Constantinople. One of his Easter sermons is so famous that in Eastern Orthodox churches, in their first service on Easter Day, just after midnight, his sermon is read every year, even to this day. It does us well to hear his words this morning, words that for sixteen hundred years have been speaking the life of Easter to Christian people: “Christ is risen, and you o death are annihilated. Christ is risen, and the evil ones are cast down. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life is liberated. Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead; for Christ, having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.”

“The Christian Marriage” Ephesians 5.21, March 23, 2013 for Abby Turnure & Andrew Little

1.      In the name of our Lord Jesus.  Amen.  Abby & Andrew, whenever Christian people do something Christian, they’re doing and telling the truth. Contrary to everything and everybody else around, they are celebrating the fact that they are Christian and that being so makes a difference. Being a Christian makes a difference not only in the life to come in heaven but also in this life, in this world—today, as well as into the future.  Abby and Andrew, Your Christian Marriage Proclaims Truths about Us and about God.  So, as Christians, today, you are doing and telling the truth before this altar and before all these people—and, above all, before God.

2.      What you two are saying and doing is demonstrating to all of us that you know we are sinful human beings who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Savior of us all. And you are saying that he has already made a difference in each of your lives individually and will make a difference in your one life together as husband and wife. You are admitting, along with all of us who are Christians, that being human means being full of sin, and sin is the disturber of human relations, including marriage relations. Sin wreaks havoc with human life by causing us to tell lies about relationships to each other and to God.  Lies that say things are OK when they are not.  Lies that say things are good as long as they don’t hurt anyone.  Lies that say marriages may last as long as people still can tolerate each other, but there’s no need to promise faithfulness beyond the time when love & happiness in marriage ceases.  Or, lies that would like to change the marriage vows from “as long as we both shall live” to “as long as we both shall love.”

3.      When Christians marry, they tell the truth about sin in us, but they also tell us a cheerful, happy, and great truth: Our Lord Jesus has made the difference. His resurrection, which we will celebrate next weekend, makes us alive forever. Because of Jesus, every Christian marriage can be alive with hope and Christian optimism.  The kind of optimism that counters all the horrible statistics of marriage failure and divorce.  That shows the sham of all the “how to” articles in the popular magazines at checkout counters.  A Christian optimism that exposes the shallow nature of talk shows and cheap soap operas with their childish intrigue. Christian optimism exposes such evil with the fact that two people and Jesus can make a marriage the most natural, workable, beautiful, practical, and lovely union.  So lovely that despite the pain and sorrow and hurt that sometimes are there, Christian marriage becomes a real example of the relationship that exists between Jesus and the Church.

4.      Therefore, God’s Word calls us as Christians in Eph. 5:21 to “[submit] to one another out of reverence for Christ” taken from Paul’s epistle to the Church in Ephesus. The Christian husband, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is to strive to exercise toward his bride the same unselfish and sacrificial love Jesus demonstrated for his bride, the Church, when he gave himself up for her in life and in death. And the bride is to give herself to her husband as the Church gives herself in loving service to her Lord—not because she has to or because she is a slave, but because she stands by the grace of God (as does her husband) in that loving relationship that only comes to those who are one in Christ Jesus. Both husband and wife are born anew in Jesus through Holy Baptism and, through Word and Sacrament, are continually forgiven, renewed, and refreshed. Together with Christ, the Christian husband and wife stand under the blessing of creation when, on the sixth day, God stepped back and looked at everything he had made and said, “Behold, it is very good!” (Gen 1:31). And that included marriage.

5.      Abby & Andrew, as important as this ceremony may be today, it’s not nearly as important as the experiences you’ll have and what you will demonstrate as you continuously forgive and affirm each other, even as Christ does for his Church. I’m sure you already know that a marriage without arguments and strife is unreal—an impossible dream and a dangerous delusion. It’s a marriage where husband and wife become neither hysterical nor historical, in bringing up past sins and mistakes that have been made when a dispute occurs. A Christian marriage is one in which both spouses recall what Christ has done for them in forgiving them all of their sins through his death on the cross and recall their vows in the face of differences and pain.  Then husband and wife commit themselves anew to each other with the love that can only come from Christ, who is our Savior and our Lord.

6.      Abby & Andrew, can you do that? Will you do that? You will, with the help of God. That is possible only with the Holy Spirit’s help. It is only by living in Christ that your lives toward each other will bear that fruit of: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:21) that goes beyond just plain tolerance.

7.      None of us know what lies ahead in our future, but we Christians know that God is there to brighten every morning with his presence and his power for the day. God is there to lighten every night with the brightness of his forgiveness and his peace. With him, Abby & Andrew, you can do and be all that he intends for your marriage. Keep near to him—today and forever.  Amen.  

“It Is Finished” John 19.30, Good Friday March ‘13

1.       Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this Friday we call Good because Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins is taken from John 19:30 and is entitled, “It is Finished,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.       Dan first felt the pain at about 6 p.m. on Saturday. Six hours in the emergency room wasn’t a way to spend Saturday night. Besides, he needed to preach in the morning. By 6:15, the aspirin seemed to have no effect, and the ER was his only option.  The doctor ordered an EKG and nitro sprayed under the tongue. It would take a while for tests to be completed.  Dan was admitted, and by 4 a.m., the tests confirmed a heart attack. By 7 a.m., he was being prepared for a heart catheterization. While on the table, the medical team performed their tasks. The cardiologist operated the equipment with skill. Dan prayed that his coronary arteries could be opened and he would be home by Tuesday.  “Dan,” the doctor said, “I have bad news. You’re going to need surgery.” Dan was wheeled to a room in the critical care unit. He was given three days on an assist pump to allow time for his heart to strengthen. He was scheduled for surgery on Wednesday.  On the night before surgery, Dan’s family stood at his bedside. They read his favorite psalms and prayed with him. Everything was in the Lord’s hands and the hands of the surgeon.  Early in the morning, Dan was prepared for surgery. His chest was opened. His heart was repaired, and his chest was closed. When the surgeon completed his work, he may have declared, “It is finished.”  The only thing that Dan brought to the process was a damaged heart. He brought no skill, effort, talent, or gift to the process. The repair of Dan’s heart was begun, carried out, and finished by the surgeon and his team. Dan contributed nothing.

3.       Dan’s experience can help us understand Jesus’ work of salvation on our behalf. When Jesus declared from the cross, “It is finished,” these words indicated so much. They announced that The Defeat of Sin, Death, and the Devil Was Begun, Carried Out, and on the Cross, Finished by Jesus.  We contribute nothing.

4.       The greatest insight that Martin Luther brings to us through his catechisms is our need for a savior and a great focus on God and what he’s done for us in Christ. In his explanations of the Ten Commandments, Luther underscores just how deeply sin has invaded our hearts. They are more than weakened. The Bible tells us that they are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1). This is evidenced by that fact that none of us fears, loves, and trusts in God above all things (SC First Commandment). Luther helps us to concur with the psalmist’s “There is none who does good, not even one” (Ps 14:3) when he says, “We daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment” (SC Fifth Petition).  The spiritual death and corruption of our hearts is so complete that we have no desire for God. In fact, in our very being we are hostile to God (Rom 8:7). For this reason, we can’t by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to him (SC Third Article).

5.       Left untreated, this spiritual death leads to eternal death. God isn’t responsible for our sorry condition, but he has the cure. Healing comes from our Great Physician. He administers the ultimate treatment when he grants to us forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.  Like Dan’s cardiac surgeon, the Great Physician must administer his healing without any cooperation from us. We give him no advice and assist in no way. But unlike Dan’s surgeon, the Great Physician requires no payment of money.  And unlike Dan’s surgeon, the Great Physician gives himself for our healing. He does everything necessary to repair our dying hearts.  The Bible is the story of God’s treatment plan. He promised a savior and then sent his only Son to be that Savior. The goal of Jesus’ entire life was this one thing: to rescue us from sin, death, and the devil. He did this by living a perfectly sinless life for us and then giving that life for us on the cross.

6.       On Good Friday, we observe the conclusion of Jesus’ mission on our behalf. Although he could’ve called for his Father to supply 12 legions of angels, he allowed Judas’s kiss of betrayal to mark him as the one to be arrested. Although he was innocent, he stood silently as Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin forced through his unjust conviction and a sentence of death. Although a few days earlier he had been honored as a king, he heard the crowd’s echoing shouts of “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Although he came to provide us with the white robe of righteousness, he was stripped, beaten, and spat upon for us.

7.       Finally, he was crowned with thorns and forced to carry his cross to the Place of the Skull. There, nails pierced his hands and feet as he was lifted up for all to see and mock. From the cross, in spite of his thirst and pain, he spoke words of forgiveness and paradise for all to hear. And although he had twice heard the words of his Father declare from heaven, “This is my beloved Son,” on this day he was forsaken even by his Father in heaven.  The Great Physician did this all for us in order to heal us with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. When everything was completed, he declared for all to hear, “It is finished.”

8.       The only thing we bring to the process is a damaged—no, make that a dead—heart. We bring no skill, effort, talent, or gift to the process. The repair of our hearts was begun, carried out, and finished by our Great Physician, Jesus Christ. We contribute nothing. We take no credit. We are not worthy.  That even includes the Holy Spirit applying the healing won on the cross to each of you. In your Baptism, God cleansed you by the washing of water with the Word and presented you to himself without any spot or blemish (Eph 5:26–27). Like for the thief on the cross, the Holy Spirit has brought you to faith and moved you to seek life in Christ’s kingdom. In the Word and Sacraments, the completed work of Christ is presented to you week after week as you receive forgiveness of sins. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation.

9.       When the thief on the cross made his confession of faith and received from Jesus’ own lips the promise of paradise, he had only a few short hours remaining on earth. But, when Martin Luther was led to put his trust in Christ, he was granted many years to share the Gospel with a Church that had neglected it. You and I are the great beneficiaries of this rediscovery of the Gospel, and we thank God for men and women such as Luther who have faithfully passed on God’s Word of salvation through faith in Christ.

10.    None of us knows how many days or hours we have left. We may have only a few, like the thief, but possibly many more.  Before Dan’s surgery, the doctor had informed him that he could live no longer than six months without corrective surgery. The surgeon repaired Dan’s heart more than five years ago. This led Dan to contemplate what God would have him do with this extra time granted to him on earth.

11.    Dan concluded that among the things God wanted him to do was to tell people about our wonderful Savior, the Great Physician of soul and body. God may also grant more years of life on this earth to us. May he so move us that we may join the ranks of Peter, Paul, Luther, and countless others in sharing the message that on the cross, Jesus completed the work necessary for our salvation and that it is free to all who believe. Amen.

“The Son Who Learned Obedience” Hebrews 5.8-9 & John 19.25-30 St. John Chester March ‘13

1.                  Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word this Good Friday is taken from selections of Hebrews 5:8-9 and from John 19:25-30.  It’s entitled, “The Son Who Learned Obedience,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

2.                  A man had inherited a business from his father. Sounds like a great thing. The son comes in, fresh from his schooling, to sit in a nice office next to his father, and to eventually take over the business, rule the company, and enjoy the lifestyle of business lunches, golf outings, foreign trips, and all the rest.

3.                  But, it wasn’t a bit like that. For a start, it happened at a time of great economic uncertainty, when there wasn’t any spare cash for even the occasional lavish lunch, let alone trips and outings. What was more, the father made sure the son learned the business. He had to work in the workshops along with the mechanics. He had to visit the suppliers to see where the materials came from, and find out how hard it was to get them at the right price. He had to go out as a salesman into the world that wasn’t convinced it wanted the product in the first place. And he had to share the work of the financial department as they spent day after day crunching the numbers that told the story of success or failure. Only when he had understood every aspect of how the business worked was he even given an office of his own. And that was only the beginning. Now he would have to learn both how to lead and how to manage a workforce at a time of growing economic unrest, as well as to represent the business in the wider world of local and national life and politics. He had to learn what it meant to be the son of his father. Nature put him in the frame for this, but a good deal of nurture was needed as well.

4.                  This goes some way towards explaining one of the oddest phrases in the book of Hebrews, which comes in chapter 5:8-9, which says, “⁸Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” One might have thought that being God’s son would simply be a matter of sharing God’s rule of the world, living in glory. Not so. The God who is the Father of Jesus is the God who made the world in the first place, and He remains deeply committed to His creation, even though it has become, sinful, wayward, and corrupt. If Jesus is to be His Son, He must learn what this creation business is about, what it will take to rescue it from the mess of sin and death it’s gotten itself into. He must get to know its depths as well as its heights. He must learn what it means to be his Father’s obedient Son. And, that will mean suffering, not because God is a sadist who simply wants to see His Son having a rough time, (a kind of cosmic child abuse), but because the world which God made and loves is a dark and wicked place and the Son must suffer its sorrow and pain in order to rescue it from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

5.                  The Apostle John records Jesus’ death with Jesus, God’s Son, fulfilling His Father’s will in chapter 19:25-30 where he says,  “²⁵but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. ²⁸After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

6.                  This is the last time we meet Jesus’ mother in the gospel story. Can you think back to the story, early in John’s gospel, when Mary pointed out to Jesus that the wine had run out (2:3–4). She didn’t understand that His time hadn’t yet come. And, she doesn’t understand, even at the cross, that His time has come at last. That this was where it was all leading.  That His calling, to turn the water of human life into the rich wine of God’s love, was now at last being fulfilled. We assume that she quickly came to believe all this through Jesus’ resurrection; and we assume it the more readily because of what happens here.

7.                  But the story of the water and the wine has more significance with this scene than simply Jesus’ comment to Mary. Here is Jesus, thirsty and they give Him the low-grade sour wine that the soldiers used. And yet earlier in John’s Gospel Jesus gave others the best wine, so good that people remarked on it. Jesus himself, at His moment of agony, has the cheap stuff that the lower ranks in the army drank when on duty.

8.                  The changing of water to wine was the first in the sequence of ‘signs’ in John’s Gospel by which Jesus revealed His glory. The second was the healing of the nobleman’s son at Capernaum (4:46–54). The third ‘sign’ is the healing of the paralyzed man at the pool (5:1–9). The fourth is the multiplication of loaves and fishes (6:1–14). The fifth is the healing of the man born blind (9:1–12). And the sixth is the raising of Lazarus (11:1–44).

9.                  John can’t have intended the sequence to stop at six. With Genesis 1 in the back of his mind from the very start, the sequence of seven signs, completing the accomplishment of the new creation, that God the Father had given His Son Jesus to accomplish. Now here we are, at the foot of the cross. John has told us throughout His gospel that when Jesus is ‘lifted up’, this will be the moment of God’s glory shining through Him in full strength. And the ‘signs’ are the things that reveal God’s glory. The crucifixion of our Lord Jesus is the seventh ‘sign’.

10.              To confirm this, Jesus gives one last cry. ‘It’s finished!’ ‘It’s all done!’ ‘It’s complete!’ The Son who learned obedience has finished the work that the Father had given Him to do (17:4).  He’s learned obedience to His Father in heaven.  Remember Hebrews 5:8-9 again, ⁸Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” Jesus has loved you my friends ‘to the very end’ His own who were in the world (13:1). He’s accomplished the full and final task.  He’s died the death we deserve.  He’s paid for the debt of your sins to His Father.  All this is for you!

11.              The word ‘It is finished!’ is actually a single word in the Greek language. It’s the word that people would write on a bill after it had been paid.  Like we do on our receipts, “Paid in full.” Here Jesus is saying your bill and debt of sin has been dealt with. It’s finished. The price has been paid.  No longer do you stand as a debtor in your sin to God the Father. Yes, says John. Jesus’ work is now complete. It’s upon this finished, complete work that we as God’s people can stake our lives.

12.              You and I know the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice for all people, for all time. He did this for you and me!  On this most sacred and holy day, this Friday we call Good, we stand in solemn silence and sublime awe at the foot of the cross.  On the cross, Jesus was stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God so that we are accounted righteous, healed, and at peace with God.  The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, keep your hearts and minds, in true faith in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.

“On the Night When He Was Betrayed” 1 Cor. 11.23–32, March ’13 Maundy Thurs.

1.            Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word on this Maundy Thursday is taken from 1 Cor. 11:23-32 and is entitled, “On the Nigh When He Was Betrayed,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

2.            At age 96, Claire’s eyes were bright, her smile contagious, and her faith strong. For many years, God had granted her Lutheran Pastor the privilege of visiting her and bringing the Lord’s Supper.   Every time her pastor came, he would be sure to bring his hymnal, because Claire loved to sing her faith. And each visit would end with Holy Communion. Each time, Claire would receive Christ’s very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.  Her pastor looked forward to his visits with Claire in the same joy she had in receiving her pastor.  Eventually, Claire asked her pastor to help plan her funeral. She could sense that her body was growing weaker and that she would soon end her pilgrimage on earth. Finally, the day came when Claire’s pastor came to visit her to find her lying in bed facing the wall. She was too weak to turn toward her pastor. He asked her how she was feeling, and she responded, “Not too well.” In more than twenty years of visiting with Claire, her pastor had never before heard a response like that.  Both Claire and her pastor sensed that this was going to be their last visit.  They celebrated the Sacrament of the Altar and said their good-byes. Just two weeks later her pastor had the privilege of preaching for her Christian burial. 

3.            It doesn’t take too many years in the Holy Ministry before a pastor experiences such a moment in sharing the Holy Supper of our Lord with the fellow redeemed. In the text recorded by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians, we recall the most touching celebration of the Lord’s Supper ever shared, and already that night Jesus saw what was coming for us.

4.            It was the night on which Jesus was betrayed. Unlike Claire, the disciples were ignorant of an impending death. But Jesus was deeply aware. He would use this occasion to leave behind his last will and testament. Like Claire, he was preparing for his departure.  What Jesus would leave behind on that Holy Thursday was the New Testament in his body and blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins. It was the Good News for his disciples to receive and share for the rest of time. On this night so many years later, we have the privilege of receiving the gift won by Christ on the cross, the precious treasure of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. It’s the pure Gospel, the love of God for lost and condemned sinners.

5.            How unfortunate it is then that some feel no hunger and thirst for this great treasure of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus asks us to do this often in remembrance of him, but even on that first night, Jesus foresaw many who wouldn’t. Some are lazy. Some make excuses. Some claim freedom. Still, Martin Luther reminds us in the Large Catechism “that no one should by any means be forced or compelled to go to the Sacrament.” In fact, he says, “Indeed, those who are true Christians and value the Sacrament precious and holy will drive and move themselves to go to it” (LC V 42–43).

6.            The real danger comes if a person withdraws from the Sacrament. He may become more callous and cold and will at last disregard the Sacrament completely. To avoid this, let us spend a moment to examine our hearts and consciences so that they won’t be cold, but instead desire our Savior’s last will and testament of his body and blood.  You may feel you shouldn’t come to the Sacrament because you’re not prepared. When we view the Sacrament as something we do, it’s natural to feel unworthy and unprepared. We sin daily. If we were to wait until we were pure, we would never come to the Sacrament.  There are also those who should stay away from the Sacrament because they lack repentance. They are unprepared to receive forgiveness of sin because they have no desire to be godly. St. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 6:9–10, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

7.            Thanks be to God that these words no longer apply to us. In v 11, Paul goes on to say, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

8.            Luther reminds us: “This Sacrament does not depend upon our worthiness. We are not baptized because we are worthy and holy. Nor do we go to Confession because we are pure and without sin. On the contrary, we go because we are poor, miserable people. We go exactly because we are unworthy” (LC V 61). Each of us can join Luther and say, “I, indeed, would like to be worthy. But I come, not upon any worthiness, but upon Your Word, because You have commanded it. I come as one who would gladly be Your disciple, no matter what becomes of my worthiness” (LC V 62).

9.              Jesus saw all this on that first holy night of the Sacrament. So we come because of his promise, for he declares, “This is My body, which is given for you. . . . This is My blood . . . shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” (LC V 64). Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are all for you!  Luther says, “Here in the Sacrament you are to receive from the lips of Christ forgiveness of sin. It contains and brings with it God’s grace and the Spirit with all His gifts, protection, shelter, and power against death and the devil and all misfortune” (LC V 70).  “If, therefore, you are heavy laden and feel your weakness, then go joyfully to this Sacrament and receive refreshment, comfort, and strength. . . . If you wait until you are rid of such burdens, so that you might come to the Sacrament pure and worthy, you must stay away forever” (LC V 72–73).

10.        Still this may not be enough for some. Luther says that some may ask, “What, then, shall I do if I cannot feel such distress or experience hunger and thirst for the Sacrament?” (LC V 75). He gives 3 down-to-earth answers to this question. Luther’s first answer is this:  For those who are of such a mind that they don’t realize their condition I know no better counsel than that they put their hand into their shirt to check whether they have flesh and blood. And if you find that you do, then go, for your good, to St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Hear what sort of a fruit your flesh is:  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these (Galatians 5:19–21). (LC V 75)

11.        For those who still need more encouragement to go to the Sacrament, Luther suggests, “In the second place, look around you. See whether you are also in the world” (LC V 79). Contemporary Christians have ample evidence for sinfulness and misery in the world. You may have a satellite dish, cable TV, and the Internet. You may watch TV or listen to the radio. Wherever you turn, you will discover a world filled with violence, anger, sin, vice, and despair. Any one of these things will move your heart to the Savior in the Sacrament.

12.        Finally, if these aren’t enough to drive you to the Sacrament, remember that you also have the devil to contend with. He’s a liar and murderer. He will do anything to lead your heart away from God’s Word. Luther observes, “If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows are every moment aimed at you . . . you would be glad to come to the Sacrament as often as possible” (LC V 82).  On the Night When He Was Betrayed, Jesus Looked Forward to This Night and Gave You a Great Treasure and Gift.

13.        It was his very body and blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. He gave it for Claire, for you and for me. He gave it for all who are weary and heavy-laden with sin—right now, this night, in our real lives and our real world. Come here tonight and find rest for your souls.  Amen.