"Love Is Eternal" (Sermon on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13) | May 15, 2022

Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Date: May 15, 2022
Event: The Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C

1 Corinthians 13:1–13 (EHV)

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and know all the mysteries and have all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away everything I own, and if I give up my body that I may be burned but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. It does not brag. It is not arrogant. 5It does not behave indecently. It is not selfish. It is not irritable. It does not keep a record of wrongs. 6It does not rejoice over unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8Love never comes to an end. But if there are prophetic gifts, they will be done away with; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be done away with. 9For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, 10but when that which is complete has come, that which is partial will be done away with. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things. 12Now we see indirectly using a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I was fully known.

13So now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Love Is Eternal

This morning’s service is focused on love. We heard Jesus’ clear command to his disciples on Maundy Thursday evening in our Gospel for this morning, “Love one another.” He demonstrated love that is God pleasing when he washed his disciples’ feet that evening. No one else was willing to humiliate themselves to do that lowly work, but Jesus did. He loved his disciples enough to give that brief but powerful demonstration of love.

In our Second Reading for this morning, the apostle Paul does a deep-dive on just what love is and looks like. These are famous words that are likely familiar to us and likely also familiar to those who have never even cracked open a Bible. These words are sometimes used at weddings even when the people aren’t Christians because the sentiment assumed is that of a mushy-gushy, romantic love being celebrated in that moment.

But this morning as we dig into these words, we will hopefully walk away with a better understanding not only of God’s love for us, but of our love for each other, love that should be expressed not only in words and actions, but even in the attitudes of our hearts.

And that’s exactly where Paul begins. He starts this famous chapter on love by addressing the importance of love not only as action but as attitude. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all the mysteries and have all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give up my body that I may be burned but do not have love, I gain nothing. Paul offers a lot of examples here in these opening verses, but they all make the same point. If I can do and actually accomplish amazing things, but I don’t have love as God defines love, it is all worthless. If I’m only out for self-glory or drawing attention to myself, if my motivation is skewed from love to selfishness, I am nothing.

What love, then, is Paul talking about? Well, he goes on to define it: Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. It does not brag. It is not arrogant. It does not behave indecently. It is not selfish. It is not irritable. It does not keep a record of wrongs. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. This is a definition of God’s love. If you’re familiar with the Greek term, agape, a selfless, self-sacrificing love, that’s what Paul is talking about. Patient, kind, not envious, brag-y, or arrogant.

And this is where those quotes from this chapter can start getting skewed. Because Paul’s point here is not how great the love of the Corinthians has been. His point here is law. He showing where your love and my love have not measured up to God’s definition of love. We might well read these verses like this, Love is patient (but you’re not). Love is kind (but you’re not). Love does not envy (but you do). It does not brag (but you do). It is not arrogant (but you are). It does not behave indecently (but you do). It is not selfish (but you are). It is not irritable (but you are). It does not keep a record of wrongs (but you do). It doesn’t take long for the mushy-gushy vibe some people attach to these verses to evaporate, does it?

Here God forces me to take a step back and evaluate not just my actions and my words, but my very heart. How do I approach my relationship with other people? How do I consider my goals or accomplishments? What do I think about myself compared to what I think about other people? As you work through these thoughts with me, it’s not real pretty, is it?

Think back to this week, look at all the hats you’ve worn and the responsibilities that you’ve had. How have you been as a spouse? How have you been as a single person? How have you been as a parent? How have you been as a child? How have you been as a student? How have you been as an employee? How have you been as an employer? How have you been as a member of our congregation? How have you been as a Christian in general? As you carried out the tasks associated with those roles, did you do so with a God-like love, or did you come off as more of a clattering gong?

None of us probably failed in all ways at all times, but despite the best of intentions, did your selfishness slip in there? Did you have moments of weakness where you weren’t loving at all? Did you seek to use your love as manipulation rather than selfless self-sacrifice?

Of course you did. That’s Paul’s point. This is how we should love, but we don’t. And this is why we need God’s love so desperately. Because God’s love is always patient and kind. It’s never envious, bragging, or arrogant. God’s love is perfectly selfless all the time.

And we see that most clearly in Jesus. Our sin in general, and specifically this morning as we focus on our lack of love, needs forgiveness. Because this is sin that offends the eternal God. This is sin that leads to hell. This is sin that we cannot make up for. My lack of love to another person may be made up for with an apology, a gift, a change in approach in the future, or simply letting some time pass. But that lack of love can never be made up for in God’s sight. It is an eternal weight around my neck, dragging me to hell without hope.

And so God’s love is demonstrated most clearly for us in this: while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. His death on the cross paid for my lack of love. He died for your selfishness. All of our problems with loving as God loves are solved in Jesus’ perfect life and innocent death. As we look, yet again, at his empty tomb, we see his victory, his inescapable proof of his love for us. His loving victory means we will not be in hell for our sins; we will be in heaven.

That love is then what motivates us to love one another, to look at the times we’ve failed to love this past week and strive to do better. To be that better spouse, coworker, neighbor, friend, parent, child, whatever roles we have, to let love, namely God’s love, flow through those responsibilities. In doing that, we give thanks to God for his love for us.

But love is special, it’s different than anything else. Paul makes this point: Love never comes to an end… these three remain: faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. Why is love the greatest of the amazing triad of blessings of faith, hope, and love? Because it’s the one that never expires. We only need faith and hope when we are waiting for a promise. We have faith in God’s forgiveness and hope for eternal life because God has promised them, but we don’t have the full realization of all that God has promised just yet. But when God brings us home to himself, we will not need faith or hope. When you have something in your hand, you dob’t need faith that it’s there or is coming. And in that moment we will see God face to face! We don’t have to hope, even have confident hope, that heaven is waiting for us when we’re standing in that perfect place.

But love? Love will fill eternity. God’s love for us will be direct and inescapable, even more than it is now. Our love for one another will be perfectly refined, unhampered by sin and failure. Love will be our constant companion through the endless ages of eternal life. Never will we be apart from God’s love or apart from perfect love for each other.

That change is coming, but it’s not here yet. While we journey through this life we will need faith, trust, that God has forgiven us. We need hope, though not doubt, that God will follow through on his promises to us. And we need God’s love that envelops and restores us. God’s love will not fail for eternity and it will not fail us now. Jesus’ forgiveness is not in doubt. God’s eternal love is our possession now and forever.

Take comfort in that eternal love of God. Even when you fail to love or others fail to love you, God’s love in Jesus, your Savior, is a constant. He died for you; he was raised for you. He loves you now and forever. Rejoice in God’s love, and with his love, love one another, because Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

"Jesus Is Our Eternal Shepherd" (Sermon on John 10:22-30) | May 8, 2022

Text: John 10:22-30
Date: May 8, 2022
Event: Good Shepherd Sunday (The Fourth Sunday of Easter), Year C

John 10:22-30 (EHV)

Then the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was walking in the temple area in Solomon’s Colonnade.

24So the Jews gathered around Jesus, asking, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25Jesus answered them, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I am doing in my Father’s name testify about me. 26But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep, as I said to you. 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

Jesus Is Our Eternal Shepherd

It’s Good Shepherd Sunday, which means the sermon is obligated to include a paragraph about how not-bright sheep are. It might be a little trite or even cliche, but it’s true. If you have spent any time with sheep, you know that they’re pretty mindless. They will wander from safety into danger and from plenty of food and water into a barren place.

This truth is why God so often speaks of himself or even other human leaders over his people as shepherds. You know that we are all too likely to wander off away from the safety of God’s protection and love and instead get ourselves wrapped up in the danger of sin. And like a sheep realizing that it’s no longer grazing in grass but sinking in mud, we often don’t realize the danger we are putting ourselves into until it’s too late to course correct.

So God promises to be our shepherd. Most of our songs this morning are summaries and paraphrases of David’s famous Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” The theme of our whole service is that God provides for and protects his sheep. We know that God is loving and especially forgiving for we sheep who get ourselves wrapped up in sin. He is our perfectly patient, eternal shepherd, who rescues from sin and brings us to eternal life.

But often, we lose track of that. We lose track of the eternal and instead focus on the here and now. We get so focused on earthly things that we take our eyes off of eternity and that leads to real problems. We become sheep wandering away from what our Shepherd knows that we need, and he has to come seek us out and put us back where we belong, refocusing us on what is truly important.

Our Gospel takes place during the Feast of Dedication. You know this celebration by a different name, Hanukkah. Now the celebration that Jesus attended probably looked pretty different than modern-day celebrations, but the event celebrated is largely the same. This festival commemorated a victory of God’s people over rulers who sought to snuff out the worship of the true God.

In the time between the Old and New Testaments, the Greek empire ruled over the Promised Land. Israel was subject to Greek influence, first brought about by the ridiculously large conquests of Alexander the Great. By the early 100s BC, things were going badly. A Greek king named Antiochus IV ruled over this section of the empire, and he demanded unity at all costs. That unity included religious thought and practice. Which meant that anything the didn’t conform to Greek thinking about religion—including Judaism—had to go.

Antiochus did horrible things to God’s people during this time. Perhaps one of the worst symbolic acts he performed was having pigs sacrificed on the altar in the temple. If you remember, pigs were considered unclean animals in God’s Old Testament worship laws; they had no place in sacrifices during worship. This was a defilement of the worship space second almost to none.

So, the people fought back. By God’s grace, through the leadership of a man named Judas Maccabeus, God’s people ended up kicking the Greek rule out of the area and then rededicated the temple. They built a new altar to replace the defiled one and rededicated the worship space to the true God. This Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah, is a celebration of that rededication of the temple, the very temple that Jesus would worship in a little over 150 years later.

It is telling that during this celebration of Judas Maccabeus’ victory over the Greeks that the Jews gathered around Jesus, asking, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” They undoubtedly has Judas Maccabeus in mind, the champion of that temple fight and purification. Was Jesus going to be another of these heroes? Wouldn’t the Christ, the Messiah, want to save them from the Roman rule that in their day had replaced the Greek rule of 200 years prior? The question is really, “Jesus, are you going to do something to save us from the Romans? Are you going to restore our nation like Judas did long ago? If you really are the Christ, show it to us plainly by action!”

Jesus identifies the problem. “I did tell you, but you do not believe.” He had been speaking plainly to them, but they weren’t listening because they were looking for something very different than what he was providing. Jesus had not come to be a physical or political rescuer as those they were celebrating that day in Jerusalem had been. He had come to be an eternal Savior. “The works I am doing in my Father’s name testify about me. But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

You and I are among those who are Jesus’ sheep. We hear his voice and listen to him, know him, and follow him. We know our sins and our need for a Savior. We know that our sin brings hell on us, but that Jesus came to be our Shepherd, to lay down his life for us. That’s what we need him to do, and that’s what he did for us. His death paid for our sins, and he proved that by his resurrection. We are forgiven and have eternal life because Jesus took away our every sin.

But how often are we still those foolish sheep, wandering away from safety? How often doesn’t the desire of our hearts override what our Shepherd has done for us? Does the appeal of money and other earthly riches distract you from eternity? Does lust in your heart lead you to discount what God’s will for your life is? Does the appeal of work, or entertainment, or sleep pull you away from time with God’s Word regularly in worship with your fellow Christians?

Oh what foolish sheep we are, wandering away from our Shepherd, seeking temporal pleasure and joy rather than focusing on what our Good Shepherd knows is best for us. And yet, he seeks us out. He lovingly picks us up and corrects us. That’s not always pleasant—being told what we want is not what we’ll get is never anyone’s idea of fun. But it’s necessary for us. He refocuses us on himself, on what he’s done to save us, and how the perfect, eternal life waiting for us is infinitely better than even the best life we could find here. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Sheep can wander into danger, but there are also dangers that are no fault of the sheep. Predators can come and attack the flock. Wolves can hurt and even kill the sheep. A dozing or absent shepherd may let his flock be decimated by these outside forces.

But not so with our Good Shepherd. No one will snatch us out of his hand. And even more than that, Jesus says that God the Father has given us to Jesus, and that no one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand either. Jesus speaks in simple words that speak baffling truth: I and the Father are one. They are one in so many different ways, especially in their mission to save us from our sins. God the Son, Jesus, came to do this work for us because God the Father sent him. Our Triune God is in perfectly united to save us from our sins and bring us to be with him in eternal life.

As we move through this life, we will face struggles and trials. Some of them will come from outside of us, like wolves attacking a flock of sheep. Others will be self-inflicted, like sheep wandering away from safety and plenty and into danger and scarcity. But no matter what trials and hardships come on us, our Good Shepherd is with us, guarding us and protecting us. He is certainly concerned about our physical, temporal welfare. But make no mistake: our Good Shepherd is ultimately our eternal Shepherd and all of his work is focused on our eternal safety. Don’t mistake him for one who will make life easy; see him as the one who will rescue from this world of hardship and heartache and bring us to himself, to those eternal pastures of heaven, to be safe and secure forever. Amen.

"See Jesus As He Is" (Sermon on Revelation 1:4-18) | April 24, 2022

Text: Revelation 1:4-18
Date: April 24, 2022
Event: The Second Sunday of Easter, Year C

Revelation 1:4-18 (EHV)

John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is, who was, and who is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his own blood 6and made us a kingdom and priests to God his Father—to him be the glory and the power forever. Amen.

7Look, he is coming with clouds,
and every eye will see him,
including those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the earth will mourn because of him.
Yes. Amen.

8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, the one who is, and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.

9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingship and patient endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.

10I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard a loud voice behind me, like a trumpet, 11saying, “Write what you see on a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

12I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. When I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was clothed with a robe that reached to his feet, and around his chest he wore a gold sash. 14His head and his hair were white, like white wool or like snow. His eyes were like blazing flames. 15His feet were like polished bronze being refined in a furnace. His voice was like the roar of many waters. 16He held seven stars in his right hand. A sharp two-edged sword was coming out of his mouth. His face was shining as the sun shines in all its brightness.

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last— 18the Living One. I was dead and, see, I am alive forever and ever! I also hold the keys of death and hell.”

See Jesus As He Is

It was halloween and the Mom and young daughter were going to go out trick-or-treating. Both had costumes, but Mom’s costume did a lot to change her appearance. She was tough to recognize with the mask over her face. As Mom walked into the living room, the daughter gasped and got scared. “Don’t worry,” Dad said, “It’s Mom!” Mom quickly took off the mask and wig to make clear that it was still the one who loved her daughter so dearly under the different-looking costume.

The daughter breathed a sigh of relief and off they went into the neighborhood. But periodically as they went, the young girl asked Mom to let her peek under the mask for the extra reassurance that it was, in fact, still Mom under there. Each time brought relief and a renewed confidence that she was safe and able to have a fun evening.

Maybe it’s not a halloween costume, but all of us need some reassurances from others in our lives that things are ok, right? Maybe a parent sits with a child and helps them think through that bigger project for school, and that child is reassured that their parent loves them and takes care of them. The boss that holds the employee’s feet to the fire a bit in a meeting comes over afterwards to see how she can help the employee with what is ahead. The friend who has been out of touch for a long while calls to check in on and assures the other person that he is always there for them if they need anything.

The same is true about Jesus. The whole season of Easter is going to be Jesus doing just that. Jesus’ resurrection is so massively important that he’s going to spend 40 days from Easter Sunday through his ascension making sure the disciples know beyond any doubt, that he has risen from the dead. As we said last weekend, Jesus’ resurrection was God’s stamp of approval on everything that Jesus had done. We know that all of our sins are forgiven because Jesus was raised from the dead. And because of that, as the disciples would go out into the world after Jesus’ ascension preaching this message, it was vital for them to know this for sure so that they could share it.

People needed to see Jesus as he is, not just the crucified, defeated man who died on Good Friday, but the resurrected, triumphant Savior that burst the tomb three days later. This is not a matter of fine points of doctrine or scholarly debate. The physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus is of the utmost importance for all of us for the assurance of eternal life with our God.

But it wasn’t just the post-Easter disciples that needed encouragement and reminders. Jesus would appear to his apostles at various times during the time of the New Testament to remind them, encourage them, and guide them. This was critical in that difficult period in-between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and before the New Testament was fully complete as a concrete record and reference of God’s inspired words.

And so that’s where we find ourselves in our Second Reading for this morning. At the very beginning of at the book of Revelation, we’re at the very end of the time period in which the New Testament was written. Revelation and John’s letters are likely among the last of the New Testament books to be written and sent out, in the late 80s or early 90s AD.

John is likely the only one of the original 12 disciples still alive at this time. He’s an old man who has spent his entire life devoted to preaching the good news about Jesus. And when he writes down these amazing visions, he’s paying the price for that work. As far as we know, he was not executed for his work like so many other of the apostles. But he was exiled on an island, just west of modern-day Turkey. John says that he was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.

At this time, the Christian church was in rough shape. From both problems internal and external, Christians throughout the world were going trough hardships. Persecutions and false doctrines threatened people’s physical and eternal lives. If you read through the seven individual letters sent to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, you get a sense for what the people were going through. John himself had lived through most if not all of his fellow apostles executed for the message they were tasked with proclaiming. There were likely many times that this didn’t feel like the eternally-victorious triumph that Jesus was supposed to be. As John sits in exile, it probably feels far removed from the joy of that first Easter. Honestly, it probably felt pretty far away from the joy we had at our Easter celebration just last week.

Was Jesus really victorious? Is he really all-powerful? Or did everyone get duped? Did they back the wrong horse in this eternally-important race? The book of Revelation is largely Jesus bringing comfort not only to John but also to all of the churches who would receive the accounting of what he saw and heard, you and me included. And in this intro section at the beginning of chapter 1, we have the answer to what is perhaps one of the most important questions to a struggling Christian: who is Jesus, really?

In his vision, John hears Jesus speak, and he turns to look at him, and this is what he sees: When I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands, and among the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was clothed with a robe that reached to his feet, and around his chest he wore a gold sash. His head and his hair were white, like white wool or like snow. His eyes were like blazing flames. His feet were like polished bronze being refined in a furnace. His voice was like the roar of many waters. He held seven stars in his right hand. A sharp two-edged sword was coming out of his mouth. His face was shining as the sun shines in all its brightness. I wonder, as I read these words, did John even recognize Jesus? Did he look anything like the teacher who loved him so dearly during his earthly ministry? Maybe there was a reminder of Jesus’ transfiguration in this vision, but what John describes here seems to be well beyond the change in appearance the Gospels describe on that hilltop so many years before.

We won’t spend a ton of time this morning going through Revelation interpretation, save for this point: the seven lampstands are symbols of the seven churches to which John is writing. So when Jesus is “among the lampstands,” that is a picturesque way of showing that Jesus was at the moment with his people. Jesus wasn’t far away in some remote part of the universe. He had not ascended and then forgotten about the people he left on earth. Despite what it may have felt like at times, Jesus is there among his people, with them in all of their trials and adversities. He was supporting them—not necessarily making life easy, but make it possible to navigate the difficulties of the crosses they were bearing.

And what a powerful vision of his ability to do so! John began this section by giving us this brief quote and description of Jesus: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, the one who is, and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty. And in what he sees, Jesus looks the part doesn’t he? You can feel John struggling to come up with words to communicate what he’s seeing. But all the talk of gleaming white, flames, and glowing hot metal really conveys the brightness and power of our Savior. He looks nothing like Jesus did during his earthly ministry, during that time of humiliation. No, he looks every part the Almighty God that he always was.

And whether John recognizes Jesus or not, you can see his reaction to this divine vision: When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. We have this over and over again in Scripture: someone is given even the slightest glimpse of God’s glory, or even the glory of one of his messengers, the angels, and they fall down, terrified. Sinners can’t be the presence of perfection, and more to that, sinners can’t be in the presence of the holy God. And so John might figure here that is life is forfeit.

But here we see the wild looking, glowing guy act very much like the Jesus we know from the Gospels: He placed his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last—the Living One. I was dead and, see, I am alive forever and ever! I also hold the keys of death and hell.” You can almost hear Jesus using the same voice that he did with Mary Magdalene in the garden when she was so distraught that someone had stolen his body that she mistook the resurrected Jesus for the gardener, until he said her name. Or for Thomas, as he calmly, lovingly, but also directly focused doubts on the reality that stood before him.

But whether it’s Mary, Thomas, or John here in Revelation, Jesus’ patient, kind, loving goal is the same: he wants people to see who he really is. He isn’t a weak pitiful man that someone might mistake him for at the cross. He isn’t an angry, vengeful God that some might mistake him for here in Revelation’s opening vision. No, he is the God-man who loves you. He is the God-man who died for you. He is the God-man who was raised to life for you.

How often do you feel like Thomas, plagued with doubts about God’s ability to follow though on the promises he’s made? Is he really going to work good from hardship and difficulty? Is he really going to not give us more than we can bear, and provide a way our of testing and temptation?

How often do you feel like Mary, overwhelmed with grief and heartache? How many days do you view the world through tears, without being able to recognize God’s presence, even if he stood right in front of you? How often do those heartaches feel totally out of your control to do anything about at all?

How often do you feel like John and those other first-century Christians could have felt, that Jesus had left them all alone. As the world around us seems to come crashing down, as we seem to struggle with difficulties and hardships for our faith rather than find comfort, how often do you find yourself wondering if this is all worth it? How often do the physical trials of this world lead you to lose track of the eternal blessings to come?

Whether you feel like Thomas, Mary, or John and the other first-century Christians, see Jesus here in all of his power, all of his victory, but also in all of his love and care for you. He is the one who holds the keys to death and hell because his death and resurrection have completely defeated both. You are free from their clutches because Jesus won the day for you. He is not an angry God, or an absent God, or a powerless God. He is the God who has set you free for eternity. He’s the God that loves you with an eternal love. He is the God whom you and I are privileged and honored to serve. He is the God who walks among the lampstands, with Gloria Dei, Belmont, CA being one of the many he tends to.

This life is going to be filled with grief and difficulty. Jesus never, ever promised an easy road for those who trust in him. In fact, just the opposite. He promised a life where we will have to bear crosses and suffer for our faith. But, my brothers and sisters, through all of it, don’t lose track of what is real and in front of you. Easter points us not to the here-and-now, but to what is to come, the blessings that God has in store for us in eternal life. Our sins no longer mean hell; Jesus’ sacrifice and victory mean heaven for you and all who trust in him. Though our hearts may waver, Jesus is ever patient, ever loving, ever caring.

Today, Jesus gives us a quick look behind the mask it feels like he wears to reassure us and comfort us. See Jesus as he really is, not with your physical eyes, but with the eyes of faith. Because, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Christ is risen; he is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

"Your Savior Is Gentle and Effective" (Sermon on Isaiah 42:1-4) | April 10, 2022

Text: Isaiah 42:1-4
Date: April 10, 2022
Event: Palm Sunday, Year C

Isaiah 42:1-4 (EHV)

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight.
I am placing my Spirit on him.
He will announce a just verdict for the nations.
2He will not cry out.
He will not raise his voice.
He will not make his voice heard in the street.
3 A bent reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not snuff out.
He will faithfully bring forth a just verdict.
4He will not burn out, and he will not be broken
until he establishes justice on the earth.
The coastlands will wait for his law.

Your Savior Is Gentle and Effective

Do you want gentle or do you want strong? If you look at various cleaning products, you know that they have different degrees of strength. And while it may seem like strong is always the better option because we really want to get something clean, sometimes it’s really the wrong idea. If you use a very strong cleaner on a TV or laptop screen for example, it has the chance to eat through the protective layer on the screen and ruin it. It was too strong for that use case.

In Isaiah’s book of prophecy, we see a lot of God being very, very strong. Isaiah is tasked with bringing bad news and terrible consequences to God’s people. The people of Isaiah’s day were often unfaithful to God. He gave them rules to follow and promised earthly blessings if they did so. Instead of doing that, they ignored God and did whatever they wanted. And much of Isaiah’s message is one of doom and gloom because they had abandoned God. Foreign nations would run roughshod over them. People would be carried off into exile. This sounds disastrous.

But that’s not the only thing that God announces. He also, repeatedly, promises that his Servant is coming. Time and time again this Servant is promised and more insight is given into what he would do and endure.

Our First Reading for this morning is the first of these promises in Isaiah’s book. In this first “Servant Song,” God announces that his Servant his coming. This Servant is described as the one in whom God delights and the one on whom God’s Spirit rests. And for the sinner, whether that be unfaithful Israelites at Isaiah’s day or our often-unfaithful hearts, that brings some trepidation. Who is this guy and what is he going to do? But then the kicker comes: He will announce a just verdict for the nations.

Oof. That’s not what you or I would want to hear. A just verdict from God means only one thing: eternal death in hell because of our sins. We don’t win this battle in court. We don’t want to hear anything about a just verdict because we are as guilty as guilty can be. This is bad news for us.

But Isaiah continues with words that seem a bit at odds with this assumption: He will not cry out. He will not raise his voice. He will not make his voice heard in the street. A bent reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not snuff out. He will faithfully bring forth a just verdict. This description seems far less worrisome. It fact the Lord’s servant seems rather gentle, doesn’t he? No screaming and yelling, no harsh handling even with delicate things like a cracked reed or a barely-working wick. But that just verdict does show up again.

So, how should we understand the Lord’s Servant and his work?

First of all we should be clear, that Isaiah is not talking about himself or any other prophet or messenger. It may be self-evident, but it’s good for us to say clearly: the Lord’s Servant is the Messiah, the Christ. Isaiah is speaking directly about Jesus in these verses.

So Jesus is the one bringing this just verdict to us, but doing so in a gentle way. How does that work? What is he doing?

Well, we’ve seen Jesus’ gentle nature since his birth, right? Content to be born among animals and sleep his first night in a feeding trough, Jesus has been gentle and humble from the very beginning. In his ministry we rarely see Jesus get upset with anyone. He is forever patient, forever calm, forever calling to people to listen to him and follow his guidance. And we see him treat both friend and enemy with that same gentle patience.

This morning we see another striking example of his gentleness and humility. He enters into Jerusalem not riding a majestic, well-trained steed, but on a young donkey that had never carried anyone before. He rides in amid shouts of praise, but not by the leaders and people of prominence. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, his final time coming to that city before he dies, is overflowing with this gentle attitude.

You might not immediately think of gentle and effective going together. If you’ve ever worked in a factory or a mechanic’s shop, you’ve probably used the soap that seems to be half-soap and half-sand to abrasively clean off whatever gunk got on your hands during the day. If you’ve had a headache, you probably don’t go for the weakest possible option. You want something powerful, something that will work.

But there’s the rub: gentle does not necessarily mean weak. Gentleness can appear weak, but that appearance can be deceiving. And that is truly the case with Jesus.

We walked with him during his entry into Jerusalem where he looked the strongest he’s going to look all week. But you know where this is going. Jesus is going to be washing his disciple’s feet, like the most lowly of lowly household workers. He’s going to be arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane without a fight or any resistance. He’ll be lied about and mocked and beaten at the hands of the Jewish leaders and with approval from Pontus Pilate. He will utter hardly a word of self-defense during this abuse, and takes no action to free or protect himself. Then he’s going to be led, again without complaint or resistance, to Golgotha to be executed, crucified, despite doing nothing wrong. Gentle certainly, but weak?

Through the eyes of faith we see what is going on here. This is not a man too weak or powerless to save himself or too cowardly to defend himself. This is the Son of God going into battle, a battle that we cannot see with our eyes. Here Jesus is going to war with sin and death itself. Jesus is gentle, kind, and compassionate to the people around him. But to Satan? Hardly.

The crucifixion serves as the means for the Father to punish Jesus for every sin ever committed by any person. That’s the Father’s goal and that’s Jesus’ goal, to save us from our sins. A weak Savior would have failed. A weak Savior would have given up. But you don’t have a weak Savior. He will not burn out, and he will not be broken until he establishes justice on the earth.

The justice or just verdict that the Lord’s Servant brings is a bit of a misnomer. It’s not justice in light of what we have done; it’s justice in light of what the Servant has done. Jesus brings a just verdict on all of us as a result of his life and death in our place. While it was an injustice that Jesus should suffer and die for our sins, it would be even more of an injustice for us to be punished for our sins when Jesus had already paid that price. So the just verdict that Jesus comes to proclaim over and on us is that of “Not guilty.” You are forgiven because of your gentle Savior’s powerful victory for you.

And Jesus’ gentleness goes well beyond his passive-looking nature during Holy Week. Even now, to this day, he deals with you and me patiently, lovingly, gently. We may find ourselves sinning by being harsh with a spouse, parent, child, or anyone else in our life. But not Jesus. When we fail, he gently builds us up. When we are on the wrong path, as our gentle Shepherd, he leads back to the right path.

When guilt weighs us down, he is not harsh. He does not berate us. He looks you and me in the eye and he says, “My sister, my brother, I love you. I forgive you.” And in that forgiveness he encourages and empowers us not to live our lives chasing after whatever our sinful nature desires, but instead to chase after his will with our life. His forgiveness, found in his Word, in the water of baptism, and in the Lord’s Supper, emboldens us to live as the members of God’s family that we are.

A bent reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not snuff out. My fellow bent reeds and dimly burning wicks, may we find comfort and joy in this treatment by God’s Servant today and always. And as we journey to the cross this week, remember the Savior who seems weak and powerless is gentle and effective to save you from everything that threatens you. Thanks be to God. Amen.

"God's Anger Has Turned Away" (Sermon on Isaiah 12:1-6) | March 27, 2022

Text: Isaiah 12:1-6
Date: March 27, 2022
Event: The Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year C

Isaiah 12:1-6 (EHV)

In that day you will say:
I will give thanks to you, Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away,
and you comfort me.
2Surely God is my salvation.
I will trust him and will not be afraid,
because Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song,
and he has become my salvation.
3Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
4In that day you will say:
Give thanks to the Lord! Proclaim his name.
Declare among the peoples what he has done.
Proclaim that his name is exalted!
5Sing to the Lord, for he has done amazing things!
Let this be known in all the earth!
6Shout aloud and sing for joy, daughter of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel is great among you! 

God’s Anger Has Turned Away

The last few weeks I’ve been playing a new video game called Elden Ring. It’s a big world with a lot of bizarre things in it. And it’s very, very difficult. I’m also very bad at it, but that’s beside the point. When an enemy creature starts hunting you in the game it’s tense, especially if the enemy is much more powerful than you are. Often times, the best thing to do is just run.

And for as realistic of a game as it may feel in places, it is still a video game, which means it still has some programming logic that doesn’t mesh with real-world logic. For instance if an enemy is chasing you, and you get outside whatever zone the game makers put them in, the enemy will just turn around and go back to where they started, even if you’re technically still visible to them. 

It often doesn’t make any sense, but I can’t tell you how relieving it is to have this big, powerful enemy chasing after you and then suddenly turn around and leave you alone. The danger is gone and past. You can breathe for a moment and regroup. 

In our First Reading this morning from Isaiah, we have the entirety of chapter 12 before us. A short, but famous, chapter in the book of his prophecy. Those of you who have been working through the early part of Isaiah in Sunday Morning Bible Class know that his book doesn’t always have the happiest tone. Isaiah is constantly addressing unfaithfulness and idolatry in the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. There’s talk of chastisement for the people’s unfaithfulness, up to and including the arrival of Assyria to take the Northern Kingdom into captivity and to cause a long list of problems for the Southern Kingdom.

God is truly serious about sin. He doesn’t just laugh it off as if we are silly children who don’t know any better. God demands perfection and he sticks to that. And for those who haven’t been perfect, which would be you, me, and everyone else, that means that God’s anger burns against us. God punishes sin not with temporary, earthly trials but with eternal death in hell. That’s where God’s burning anger leads; that’s the end of the story for sinners like us.

Except, listen to Isaiah’s poetic words: In that day you will say: I will give thanks to you, Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger has turned away, and you comfort me. God’s justified anger that burned against sin and thus against us was very real, but now it has turned away. In a way that makes even less sense than an enemy just stopping the pursuit of a player in a video game, that anger no longer is coming towards us. What happened? 

Let’s establish what didn’t happen. God didn’t change his mind about sin; this about-face is not God saying that sin doesn’t matter. We didn’t suddenly become free from sin. We’ve been sinning since conception and that has not stopped. So God didn’t change and we didn’t change, but something obviously happened. 

Surely God is my salvation. I will trust him and will not be afraid, because Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation. God is not only the source of righteous, justified anger over sin, but Isaiah said he has also become our salvation. And Isaiah uses the personal names for the true God, Yah and the Lord, or Yah and Yahweh, to point to that. That personal name for God is derived from the name we heard God give to Moses last week in our First Reading from Exodus 3, “I am who I am.” This is God’s name by which he wants to be known. And Yah, or Yahweh, or the all-capital-letters-Lord all communicate the same thing. This is is the God who always has been, always is, and always will be. He is eternal and unchangeable. 

Which means that God did not change from the loving God who created us into the vengeful God who punishes us. No, God has always been who he is. He’s always been perfectly consistent. He’s always been the loving God who wants what’s best for us. He’s never wanted to punish people for sin, but sin and his justice made that unavoidable. 

But God’s love doesn’t sit idly by while we burn in our sin. No, God the Punisher is at one-in-the-same-time God the Savior. And so God makes clear his anger over sin and his love for us in the body of his Son, Jesus. He’s serious about sin, that it must be eternally punished, because sin is punished with hell; he’s serious about his love for us because Jesus endures hell in our place, so that you and I will never see it or experience it, despite deserving it for our sins against God. 

Is it any wonder then that Isaiah says that he will trust in God and not be afraid? Is it any wonder that he says that he will direct his fellow Israelites to rejoice in what God has done for them eternally? Give thanks to the Lord! Proclaim his name. Declare among the peoples what he has done. Proclaim that his name is exalted! Sing to the Lord, for he has done amazing things! Let this be known in all the earth! Shout aloud and sing for joy, daughter of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is great among you!

This should be our response as well. Now, it’s probably good for us to take a step back and see what Isaiah isn’t saying. He’s not saying that we should always feel great, always be doing backflips because God loves us and saves us eternally. The reality is, for a variety of reasons, we will not always feel upbeat and jazzy. Feeling downcast or sullen is not sin, especially when difficulties in this life feel like a vice around you.

But what Isaiah is directing us towards is always valuing and prioritizing God’s forgiveness. Our joy in God may, at times, be a somber joy. When we lose a loved one in Christ, through tears we cling to Christ’s promise of forgiveness and resurrection reunions. In family difficulties, we do our best to attend to our God-given responsibilities and work to improve the problems while at the same time trusting God’s promises to work all things out for our eternal good. When nothing is going right and we grieve the decisions we’ve made or the actions we taken, or the words we’ve spoken, we hold God’s forgiveness fast to our heart and his assurance that he will turn our weeping into rejoicing, and that the present troubles we endure have no comparison to the glory that will be given to us in eternal life. 

In all of those cases, the people involved don’t lose track of the big picture. God’s anger has turned away; God is our salvation. May God prevent us from ever taking that for granted or not valuing what he has done for us. May God enable us to share that truth with others, to encourage them in times of guilt and despair, sorrow and grief.  

If we revisit Jesus’ parable from the Gospel for just a moment, we see two sons who did what was wrong. One son left and wasted his wealth on sinful living; the other burned with self-righteousness and resentment. Both sons can describe us at various times and in various ways. Sometimes we are doing things to bring God’s anger on us, other times we are taking God’s salvation for granted, not valuing the reality of his mercy, or not seeing our need for it.

But the constant in Jesus’ parable is the Father: always patient, always loving, always forgiving. That is our God, and all that we need depends on him, not on you and not on me. God turned his anger away so you will not be punished for your sin. God is your salvation so you will live with him forever. Whether you’ve spent a great deal of time away abusing his goodness or have let apathy set in, or anything else in between, God continues to be there, ready to embrace, ready to forgive, because that’s what Jesus has given. We are forgiven. We are in our heavenly Father’s arms now will be forever in heaven. Amen.

"Are You Standing?" (Sermon on 1 Corinthians 10:1-13) | March 20, 2022

Text: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Date: March 20, 2022
Event: The Third Sunday in Lent, Year C

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (EHV)

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them—and that rock was Christ! 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness. 

6Now these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did. 7Do not become idolaters like some of them—as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate wildly.” 8And let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and so were being destroyed by the serpents. 10And do not grumble, as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come. 

12So let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it. 

Are You Standing?

Do you have a piece of technology in your life that you have only a very basic understanding about? If something goes wrong with your phone, your computer, your TV—do you know how to fix it? What about the pieces of your home you probably rarely think about like your electrical outlets or your plumbing? 

When you have a surface level understanding of how something works, that's fine most of the time—until something breaks. Then you’re headed to the phone store or calling the handyman, someone who deeply understands the system, what’s wrong, and how to fix it to get it back up and running. Sometimes knowing your limits is a really good thing, because thinking you know more than you actually do may lead you to make things worse thinking you’re making it better.

The implications of all of this could be dire. You might miss that important email because the computer isn’t working, or that crucial text message because the phone is on the fritz, or risk damage in your home because of that water leak. But there’s something else in our life that we do well to monitor, because an issue with it would be disastrous not just in the short term but in the longest term. How is your faith, your spiritual life? Are you standing on firm, solid ground? Are you sure? If not, do you know how to fix it?

As Paul was writing to the Christians in Corinth, he had to address a lot of problems within their congregation. One of the issues they faced was this distorted idea of Christian liberty. They thought that their connection to Christ meant that they could pretty much do whatever they wanted. After all, they were forgiven, right? Why not just do whatever feels best? 

Paul takes them to the Old Testament for some examples of how this thinking can go so awry. He takes us back to the Exodus, as God brought the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt. He rescued them from the hands of Pharaoh through the leadership and direction of Moses. They were united to Moses and to each other in all of this. And God worked miracle after miracle, from the plagues, to the parting of the Red Sea, to even providing water from a rock and miracle manna-bread and quail for them to eat in the wilderness. It was clear just how much God loved them and wanted what was best for them.

And what was Israel’s reaction? Were they overwhelmed with gratitude to God to the point of seek special ways to thank him? Were they just awestruck by his love and compassion for them? Hardly. Moses was gone for a little bit of time, so they jettisoned everything God had done for them and they built a golden calf statue to worship—“The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to celebrate wildly.” They were ensnared by the sex-filled worship of Baal and dedicated themselves to this immorality, and God put more than 20,000 of them to death in one day by the hand of his still-faithful followers. They grumbled against God, Moses, and the daily bread they were given and so snakes came and devastated the community until God directed Moses to build a snake out of bronze and put it on pole, promising to save those who trusted in him.

What seems to be the connective tissue in all of these events? Like the Corinthians, it seems that the Israelites felt they were untouchable. Rather than seeing God’s goodness to them as a reason to devote themselves all the more to him, they saw his goodness and love as something to be abused. It rings of the same false belief that Paul lambasted when he wrote to the Romans: “What shall we say then? Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may increase? … Should we continue to sin, because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not!” (Romans 6:1,15).

Both the Corinthians and Israelites serve as models for us, just as Paul said in our reading, “Now these things took place as examples to warn us not to desire evil things the way they did… All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come.” Why warnings? Because it’s easy for us to do exactly the same thing, right? Take a step back and consider not your relationship with God, but your relationship with other people. Who is the person you’re most likely to lose your temper at, speak unkindly towards, take advantage of, or burn with resentment at? Often, it’s not going to be the people we have no relationship with; it’s the people we’re the closest with. We often treat our families and dearest other people in our lives as if we don’t owe them respect or need to show our love to them. After all, they’re always going to be there, right? God forbid we treat the dearest people that he has given to us in that way!

Our relationship with God can be the same way. He’s going to always be there for me, so I’ll just do whatever I want and then come back and ask for forgiveness later. God forbid we treat him in that way! And so this is why Paul blasts this behavior and attitude. It’s horrid and awful and, most of all, it’s eternally disastrous. 

You and I are living at the “end of the ages.” Every moment from the beginning of our lives to this moment is a possible end of the world. The qualifications that God set in place for the end coming have all been met long ago, and each generation has seen disaster upon disaster, wars, plagues, and natural disasters. These ongoing troubles and knowing that everything that we can see and understand has been fulfilled, has led many different generations to wonder if the end might come very soon. As we talked about last week in Bible Class, it’s no wonder that people from Paul’s day, to Martin Luther’s day, to our day have all wondered if we might be the generation to not face death but to see Jesus return. 

Knowing that all of this is imminent, should we test God with our sin like the Israelites did in the wilderness? Should we see how close we can get to the edge without falling off the cliff? Should we find any harbor for sin in our lives at all? God forbid! Dancing with sin in such a way can lead to eternal disaster!

Thankfully, the reality of what God has done for us smashes those kinds attitudes on the rocks. The end is coming, but we need not fear. We have sinned, but we need not be afraid. Why? Because of that one little phrase that’s easy to skip past as we read this section: God is faithful.

If we are cavalier with our spiritual life, if we assume we are standing fast because we are so good or have known the truths of God’s forgiveness for so long, it is to us that Paul issues that warning: Let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. If we think we are standing on our own power, spiritually, we are totally misguided. We don’t stand by our power; we stand by God’s power.

But if we then begin to be fearful or doubtful about what the future holds, wondering if our sins really are forgiven, if we really will be in heaven at the end of all things, that’s why Paul brings that reminder: God is faithful. 

God doesn’t make promises and not keep them. So when he promised you that in Jesus’ life and death your sins are forgiven, you know with absolute certainty the your sins are forgiven! No matter how negligent to your faith you may have been in the past, God continues to be there, continues to be faithful to you. So let us live like it. Let us be the tree that bears good fruit, not bad. Let us live our lives not in a dismissive way toward God, nor in a fearful way toward God, but in a thankful way toward God. Let us thank him with lives of good works. Let us thank him by doing what he wants us to do. Let us thank him in the way we speak, the way treat the people around us, even the way that we think.

And part of that means digging into the nitty-gritty of our faith, not letting it be just a “status quo” kind of thing, but feeding it, exploring it, maintaining it. And the way we do that is by bringing ourselves into contact with his means of grace, God’s Word spoken and read, and his Word specially paired with earthly elements in the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We might readily think of Bible classes, home devotions during the week, or even our worship service we are in right now.

There our faith is strengthened. There we find the ability to take our stand against testing and temptation. We have God’s promise to us: He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it. That bearing it might mean a strength of faith that can just say no to the sins that come tempting. That bearing it might mean being able to see the eternal-silver-lining in the dark clouds of this life and clinging to that. That bearing it might mean recognizing that you cannot do this on your own, and seeing in your brothers and sisters in Christ a refuge and a support for you to help bear those crosses that God allows to be laid on you.

Are you standing? The more we understand our own weaknesses and failures, the more we have to say, “On my own, no.” But the more we understand our faithful God who loves us and gave his life to save us, the more we delight to say, “With my God? Yes!” Stand with him as he stands with you, now and forever. Amen.

"We Have a Sympathetic Savior" (Sermon on Hebrews 4:14-16) | March 6, 2022

Text: Hebrews 4:14-16
Date: March 6, 2022
vent: The First Sunday in Lent, Year C

Hebrews 4:14-16 (EHV)

Therefore, since we have a great high priest, who has gone through the heavens, namely, Jesus the Son of God, let us continue to hold on to our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. 16So let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We Have a Sympathetic Savior

Sympathy and empathy—caring deeply about someone else’s feelings and current life events—can be a difficult thing to do for many people. For some it comes very naturally, for others, they have to really put in work to put themselves in other people’s shoes and be concerned about what others are thinking and feeling.

But whether it comes naturally or not, sympathy and empathy are things that we should strive for in our lives. We should be more ready to listen than to speak; we should be more ready to adjust our perception than to tell someone else that their experience and feelings are wrong; we should be ready to learn more to better understand where someone is coming from.

In our Second Reading for this morning, the writer to the Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus does not have to work really hard and struggle to try to understand our life situation. He doesn’t need to work at it because he lived it. He experienced it all. He knows it. He knows what it is to be berated by temptation, to feel that pull toward sin every hour of the day. He knows what it is to wrestle with God’s will when it just doesn’t seem to line up with what makes sense from our human perspective. One major difference from us, though—Jesus went through all of this perfectly, never succumbing to these temptations or giving in to sin in word, action, or even thought. 

We saw Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the wilderness in our Gospel for this morning. He met every temptation that Satan threw at him with God’s Word. And even when Satan distorted God’s Word to make his temptation to sin seem more God-pleasing than it was, Jesus fought against that as well with clear and actuate teaching. And it’s important for us to remember that those 40 days in the wilderness were not the only time Jesus felt temptation. We know that Satan ended this specific, direct assault on Jesus after our Gospel, but Jesus’ whole life brushed up against temptation from the world and Satan because it’s really no different than what we face in our lives. The writer to the Hebrews summarized it this way: We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin.

But we read that Gospel account, and even read the writer to the Hebrews’ summary of Jesus’ life in a verse like that and it can be deflating, can’t it? I can’t take a stand against Satan like Jesus did. Sure, I can and should answer temptation with God’s Word, and I may have the resolve to say no to sin here and there, but I won’t be perfect. I will fail. Sin will get its hooks in me and I will find myself rebelling against God yet again. I can’t be what Jesus was during his earthly life.

It can feel like we’re engaged in a struggle that we cannot bring to an end. It can feel like we are getting beat down and are destined to fail entirely. So it can be tempting to stop struggling, to just give up and succumb to what may. I can’t beat sin in my life, I can’t stop sinning, so why bother trying?

Well, the writer to the Hebrews tells us we can, in a way, end our struggle, but not because we’re losing. A champion has come onto the scene. Jesus lays his hand on our shoulder, and in this moment we understand why he lived a perfect life during his time with us. We are worn out and spent from the struggle, but Jesus looks you in the eye and he says, “I’ve got this for you,” and then he goes in to rescue us.

Jesus’ battle with sin was real. He was a human being, and in the way that Adam and Eve could have either listened to God or, as they did, disobeyed him, so Jesus could as well. But Jesus is also God, which means that when he chose all the right things, when he lived a perfect life, it was counted for all of us. 

And that’s one of the main points that the writer to the Hebrews is making here. It’s easy to get caught up in Jesus’ perfect obedience as a model for us to a follow. In the mid 1990s, there was a trend among Christians to focus on the acronym question, “WWJD?” “What Would Jesus Do?” And that can be useful in some cases, but that view of Jesus’ perfect life is a far secondary thing and actually can distract from the true point of what Jesus did. What Jesus’ perfect life is primarily about is crediting that perfect life to our account. When God looks at you and looks at me he only sees perfection because Jesus has given his life to us.

Because Jesus won. The battle with sin, death, and hell is over. The cry from the cross assures us all is finished. And as we’ll see in just a few weeks, Jesus’ tomb will show just how complete his victory is. And all of this means that we are freed! We have eternal life! Thanks be to God!

But then, look around you. The struggle is supposed to be over, but does it feel like you’re relaxing in Jesus’ completed victory for you? Or does it feel like the hardships endure? Does seem like sin is still vying for you, that temptation still has your number, that you’re constantly engaged and failing in this conflict with sin?

As long as we are in this world, sin will be a part of our lives. Temptation rears its ugly head, our own sinful natures will pull us in directions we shouldn’t go, the world will place its temptations in front of us, and we will fail Satan’s direct assaults on us. So what do we do? What should we be focused on?

The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that we have an ally that knows exactly what we’re going through, Jesus. He knows what we’re going through because he’s been there before: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. Jesus’ work for us doesn’t mean he yells at us saying, “I could do it, why can’t you?” Instead, we have a Savior who is full of sympathy, who looks at our struggles and his heart bleeds for us. “My dear brother, my dear sister,” Jesus says, “I know exactly what you are going through. It is difficult and feels impossible. Come here and rest with me.” 

Jesus is full of compassion for us. He loves us. And because he endured the same suffering that we endure, we can be sure that when we come to him we won’t find someone who has no clue about our lived experience. Even if every other human being seems to misunderstand us or not comprehend the true extent of the hardships we endure, Jesus does. Going to Jesus is going to someone who knows every scrap of what you wrestle with on a daily basis—and has the power to help you.

The writer to the Hebrews encourages us this way: So let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. When we come to Jesus with our failings, with our exhaustion, with all the times we succumbed to temptation, we find in him a heart full of mercy and compassion. We find him full of grace, love that is given to us even though we don’t deserve it. We don’t have to cringe before his power and might as the eternal God. We can approach him in confidence because we know that he loves us.

But it’s not just that he loves us, it’s that he loves us and helps us. The writer of this letter reminded us at the start of our brief reading who it is that we are dealing with: Since we have a great high priest, who has gone through the heavens, namely, Jesus the Son of God, let us continue to hold on to our confession. We have a high priest, an intercessor, a go-between, a meditator, who is not just some guy, but is the Son of God himself, who lives in eternal glory and dwells as the almighty God.

But all of that power, might, and majesty is wrapped in the Savior who loves you, who wants you to have what you need, who cares deeply for you and wants you to be rescued from hell. He is the one who endured all things for you to not only free you from your sin but to be the sympathetic Savior who knows and feels all of your hurts and frustrations. Bring those hardships and failures to him in prayer. Seek out his help directly and through your brothers and sisters in Christ, who can be our Savior’s support and comfort in a very tangible way in this life. 

In Jesus, you find forgiveness, encouragement, and the assurance of eternal life because of his life and death for you. Your sympathetic Savior loves you eternally! Thanks be to God! Amen.

"Love Like Jesus Loves" (Sermon on Romans 12:14-21) | February 20, 2022

Text: Romans 12:14-21
Date: February 20, 2022
Event: The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany, Year C

Romans 12:14–21 (EHV)

Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who are rejoicing; weep with those who are weeping. 16Have the same respect for one another. Do not be arrogant, but associate with the humble. Do not think too highly of yourselves. 

17Do not pay anyone back evil for evil. Focus on those things that everyone considers noble. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, maintain peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20But: 

If your enemy is hungry, feed him; 

if he is thirsty, give him a drink. 

For by doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. 

21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Love Like Jesus Loves

What do you feel when that person cuts you off on the way home after a long, draining day? Is your immediate reaction along the lines of, “Wow, I hope that person makes it home ok. It seems like maybe they’re not seeing well.” Or, “I hope that person is doing fine, they seem like they might be distracted by something heavy and difficult in their life.” Or even, “Oh, boy, is it getting to that time where I need my headlights on? I must be doing something to be a bit invisible.” 

If any of those describe your normal mindset, I applaud you. Your resolve and sanctification puts my normal mindset to shame. Most of the time my thought is something along the lines of, “What kind of a fool drives like that?” It’s easy to be indigent when I know someone else did something wrong. You can feel good about leaning into being upset because you are convinced you’re in the right and justified in your anger.

In our Gospel this morning we continued our journey into Luke’s recounting of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (or at least a sermon with very similar content to the one recorded in Matthew). And Jesus’ command, “Love your enemies,” is the very thing that Paul is expounding on in our Second Reading for this morning. Jesus’ command means not just not being angry at the person who unintentionally did something to annoy or inconvenience you, but actually loving those who are your enemies, who hate you. That’s… not easy.

It’s not easy because this runs totally contrary to the way the sinful nature thinks. In a completely illogical way, the very part of me that is always pushing me to sin is also the part of me that wants to see myself as better than other people. Along with that comes the chance to relish the opportunity to be mad at someone. “You we’re wrong; I’m in the right! I’m allowed to be mad!”

Now surely, there’s a right way to address those concerns. Jesus spoke about that in Matthew 18, that when someone sins against you, you ought to go talk to them just one on one and try to work it out, always with the goal of repentance and forgiveness. That is clearly not what the sinful nature has in mind, though. The sinful nature wants to stick it to them and hurt them in the same way that you’ve been hurt—and to view such actions as your right.

That is not the Christian’s approach to life or relationships, though. Paul expounds on some of what Jesus said in our Gospel: Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse. Our reaction to harmful words or actions should be love and pity, not wishing harm on them or getting even. But why? Why should a Christian fight his or her baser instincts when wronged?

Paul wants us to consider our relationships with other people in the light of our relationship with God. What was our natural condition with him? It was one of rebellion and animosity. It was one of, if we can understand this properly, persecution. We fought against everything God is and wanted with every fiber of our being. We did everything in our power to stop him from being who he is or to hate him because of who he is. That’s the natural condition of sinful mankind. That was how we related to God.

And what did God do? Did he seek to curse? Did he gleefully plunge us into hell? Did he seek satisfaction from us for the wrongs we had committed against him? No. From the very first sin in the Garden of Eden he promised not vengeance but salvation. He promised not a list of works we could complete to pay him back and make things right, but a completely one-sided solution that would be God fixing all of it. He would send a Savior to fix sin.

And so Jesus came to those who were his enemies. He came to those who hated him in the flesh and all of us who have hated him in spirit. He came to take all of our wrongs on himself and set things right with the Almighty. Jesus’ mission was one of mercy and compassion. We see glimmers and flickers of that as he feeds the hungry, heals the sick, and even raises the dead. But the far greater mercy and compassion he came to bring was eternal mercy and everlasting compassion. He came to forgive our sins and give us eternal life with him in the perfection of heaven.

And so Paul is really saying, “Let the love God has shown to you reflect in your lives—even to those who despise you.” This is easier said than done because when we do that we are fighting our base, sinful desires and our twisted sense of justice. So what does this look like when we are motivated by God’s love for us?

Paul says, “Rejoice with those who are rejoicing; weep with those who are weeping. Have the same respect for one another. Do not be arrogant, but associate with the humble. Do not think too highly of yourselves.” We have a word for this in English: empathy. Take the concerns of others and make those important to you. You may not feel personal joy in their rejoicing or personal sorrow in their weeping, but see them, acknowledge them, support them. When someone’s emotional response to a situation does not line up with your own, they are not wrong and you are not right. You are both just different. Don’t let that be a bad thing. Respect the differences and let it be an opportunity to support one another as we trudge through this path together with the final goal of eternal life.

Paul continues: “Do not pay anyone back evil for evil. Focus on those things that everyone considers noble.” Here’s the difference between our natural sinful selves and the new selves that rejoice in our rescue by Jesus. We are able to drown our base desires of revenge and justice and able to focus on things that even the world considers to be noble. That means not getting even, but working toward forgiveness when we are wronged. And make no mistake, for us very often forgiveness is a process, not a light switch we turn on. When someone wrongs us it can take a long time for us to truly forgive, and that forgiveness may never bring with it a full restoration of trust—things may never be like they were before. But the Christian’s goal is not that I have to forgive right now; the Christian’s goal is that I’m always working toward forgiveness, not settling into vengeance or grudges. 

Paul summarizes these points: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, maintain peace with everyone.” This is a good acknowledgement that there are things that are just out of our control. Someone may hate you despite your best efforts to change the situation. There are people who will just snipe at you and hold grudges against you that you cannot control or change. That is possible, even likely, to happen. But don’t let those things happen because of you; let them be in spite of you.

But what about justice? Surely there is room to consider that someone deserves reprimanding for wrongs they’ve committed? Certainly. That’s often even a loving thought not wrapped up in vengeance, because consequences and correction have the goal of reform, of teaching someone that this is not the correct path. But when it comes to someone who has done something to hurt us, someone who is not under our authority and responsibility, these corrections and consequences are also not our responsibility: “Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,” says the Lord.” Leave matters of righting wrongs in God’s hands. Maybe he will do that through the state, if there is prosecution for crimes necessary. Maybe he will do that in more behind-the-scenes ways that we will never know about. Regardless, that’s for God to figure out and do as he knows is right. We are not here to avenge or punish sin.

Jesus had said in our Gospel that we should pray for those who mistreat [us]. And that’s not praying that God will really get them; this is not praying for God’s vengeance to be poured out on them. It’s praying for God to heal these wounds. It’s praying for God to bring peace to the person’s heart, to end whatever hardship is plaguing them and causing them to treat you in this way. It’s praying that if these people do not know their Savior, that God might work faith in their hearts to trust him as the solution to sin and the certainty of heaven. It’s praying that if they do know Jesus, that the love he has made known to them may influence their words and actions in a better, clearer way. 

And as you pray for them, you treat them well. Paul quotes from Proverbs when he says, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For by doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” This is sometimes called “killing them with kindness.” But the goal is not the burning coals. The goal is that your kindness would be like coals on their head and force them to acknowledge that their attitudes and actions are all wrong, that they are treating you horribly with no cause. The prayer is that flaming charcoal may lead them to repentance, not suffering.

Paul summarizes the Christian’s journey through this life in the last verse of our reading: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. When I’ve been wronged vengeance will seem like the right and noble path. But even the world with all its twisted understanding knows that vengeance solves nothing, but is instead just poisons the one seeking it. There are countless stories in fiction and non-fiction of people being destroyed by their quest for vengeance. Don’t be overcome by evil; vengeance is evil overcoming you.

Instead, overcome evil with good. This is Jesus, yet again, right? How did he solve the evil of our sin? With the good of his sacrifice on the cross. His death for you means forgiveness for every sin, including every grudge, every wish for vengeance, every egotistical delight in confronting someone else’s wrong. All of those sins are gone, no matter how prominent they may feel or be.

You overcome evil in your own life with good. You overcome it with the loving forgivingness that is only possible when you know God has forgiven all of your sins. You overcome it with the mercy that wants everyone, even your worst enemies, to be spared from the just punishment for their sin in hell and instead to be with you in that eternal paradise. Find joy and peace in your forgiveness which enables you to work toward truly forgiving others. 

Love others, my brothers and sisters, even your enemies, like Jesus loves, because Jesus has loved you. Amen.

"God’s Word Is His Special Tool for Us" (Sermon on Romans 10:12-17) | February 6, 2022

Text: Romans 10:12-17
Date: February 6, 2022
Event: The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year C

Romans 10:12–17 (EHV)

So there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord is Lord of all, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13Yes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

14So then, how can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one about whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news of peace, who preach the gospel of good things!” 

16But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who believed our message?” 17So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ. 

God’s Word Is His Special Tool for Us

I’m always amazed by craftsmen who do their complicated jobs well and seemingly effortlessly. It’s just astonishing to see someone who knows what they’re doing accomplish their goals, whether it’s a painter, an electrician, or an athlete. For me it’s especially amazing when it’s something I’ve dabbled in and know from first-hand experience that I could never do that, or at least, not do that as well as they can.

There are often times interesting, specialized tools involved in those areas of work. From a huge machine on the floor of a factory to specialized pens for detail in drawings, looking at the tools a professional uses for their work can sometimes be almost as interesting as the work itself. 

But Consider the work of gospel messengers. Outside of a computer program that can speed up looking up Greek and Hebrew words or a little kit designed to bring communion to the home of a shut-in, there’s not really a lot of tools associated with that work that are of much interest or outside the realm of the familiar or mundane. But, as Paul shows us in our Second Reading for this morning, that’s because God chooses to work through the familiar, through the mundane, through the written and spoken Word. And for that reason, we do well to consider both our congregational work and our personal witnessing work recognizing the true power of the tool we have. 

In our reading this morning, the apostle Paul sets a baseline need for God’s Word. He says, So there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord is Lord of all, who gives generously to all who call on him. Yes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is important for us to remember as a general truth when working with God’s Word: no one is beyond reach. No matter what someone has done, no matter how convinced they seem to be of thinking that is in conflict with God’s Word, no matter how entrenched they may appear in their unbelief, the subtle-looking power of God’s Word is able to change all of that. The message that God has is for everyone. The warnings and condemnation of sin that God declares is for everyone. The forgiveness of those sins that God gives is for everyone. The eternal life that God has prepared is for everyone.

We should not limit the audience by assuming someone won’t listen. We should not limit the audience because culture or attitude might make us uncomfortable. We should not limit the audience for any possible reason. Jesus is for all, so we should be for all as well. 

But this all raises a question, doesn’t it? If Jesus is for all, if God gives his forgiveness, freely, to all people, why will some not be in heaven with us? Forgiveness is made available to all, but faith is required. One must trust what God has promised and done. And this is the true power of God’s Word because no person can decide to believe. No person can make themselves a Christian or accept these truths on their own. God must convince them; God alone must work that faith, that trust, in their hearts. And he uses his Word to do that. 

That brings us to Paul’s questions: So then, how can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one about whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? The Word is the tool God uses, but he doesn’t just write it in the clouds. He doesn’t often send angels to be his heralds to people on earth. No he uses people to bring his Word to other people. He uses you.

He intends you to bring the comfort of the gospel to someone overwhelmed with guilt and shame. He intends you to bring the correction of the gospel to a fellow Christian who is caught up in a sin. He intends for all of us to be his messengers. Because preaching the Word is not only a pastor standing in a pulpit. It’s a compassionate word spoken to someone wrestling with despair. It’s a teaching word spoken to someone who doesn’t firmly understand God’s will or work. How can people hear this unless preachers, messengers, are sent? 

What will the results of this preaching and sharing of the Word be? Will there be a 100% success rate? Hardly. You know as well as I do that often times the message of God’s Word is rejected, no matter how true and comforting it is. And you know why, because you feel it in your own heart. You don’t want to hear you’re a sinner. You don’t want to hear that you can’t do anything to save yourself. You don’t want to hear what God has done for you—you want to know what you can do for yourself (and maybe for God along the way too). The sinful nature in us recoils at and rebels against what God has said in his Word. 

Because we know our own hearts, even now, and how they respond to the message that God has to share, it is no surprise when we run into that same attitude when we share it with others. The message is rejected in ignorance; it’s rejected because it doesn’t allow people to do what they want to do even if it’s harmful; it’s rejected because it flies in the face of human reasoning. So we will not always find people rejoicing when we share this message. Paul acknowledges this: But not all obeyed [that is, believed] the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who believed our message?”

But a lack of belief on the part of the hearer doesn’t mean that we have wasted our time. It also doesn’t mean we should change things. You know the true power of the Word because you’ve experienced it yourself. God’s Word has changed you from a someone constantly warring against God to someone rejoicing in his peace. You’ve found forgiveness for your rejection of God’s standards; you’ve found forgiveness for when your desires run contrary to God’s expectations. And you know that you didn’t make that happen, God did. 

So when we don’t see the results of sharing the Word that we would like to see, we need to remember how God works. He doesn’t work better if we change or water down the message. He doesn’t work better if we ignore the message of the Bible and focus on having fun and entertaining people. He doesn’t work better if we’re ingenious in the way we present things. If we do enough tweaking and changing of the Word to distort the truth of the message, what benefit is there in that?

No amount of flashy programs or colorful personalities can make the Word more effective. No, there’s only one thing that brings about a change, and Paul closes out our reading with the reminder: So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ. 

The Word, the Word, and only the Word can change hearts. If we as a congregation or as individuals are looking to change people with something else, with a beautiful building or rationale arguments or overflowing generosity, we’re barking up the wrong tree. All of those things may be in service to the Word, may help to break down barriers or provide introductions, but the Word on the page, the Word spoken, and the Word connected to water, bread, and wine in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper is the only thing that truly changes and sustains hearts in faith and trust in Jesus as Savior.

So we need to go and share. We need people to be sent to proclaim. In our Bible Class on Sunday mornings in January, we heard that congregational ministry is perhaps well thought of in a one-by-one, individual way rather than thinking in a big sweeping numbers. You can be the one with beautiful feet by sharing your faith to a neighbor, or friend, or family member, or coworker. You don’t need to be theologically trained minister nor a classically trained orator to be able to share the love of Jesus. You can be the ones who bring good news to people.

But you can also send messengers in other ways. You can invite people to join us for a worship service or Bible Class. You can forward our weekly emails with all of the worship and Bible study information in them to people as a low-stakes invitation that they could even do from their kitchen table if they wanted. You can ask the question, “Do you have a pastor who will come and visit you? Because my pastor would if you want.” You can send a messenger of the gospel just by passing along an email or phone number to me.

But as we heard in our WELS Connection last week, we also have a great need in our church body for more people to go and share this good news. Do you have elementary, middle, or high school students in your family who might have the gifts to pursue being a teacher or pastor in our schools and churches? We should go on a trip to visit Martin Luther College and see if that might be the way for them. What about you who are already established in life or even retired—might there be a new chapter as a formal messenger of the gospel, supporting that work here or elsewhere? Pray about these things because the need is great for more who will catch not fish but people with the message of God’s love and forgiveness.

That message doesn’t look all that impressive on the outside, but on the inside we know it changes people’s hearts from damned to saved, from sinner to saint. Not only can it, but it’s the only thing that can. That Word points us to Jesus who died for us and gives us the faith to trust him as our only and complete Savior. That Word has changed us. May God bless our work to use it, and it alone, to change the hearts of others. Amen.

"The Messiah Comes to Rescue the Helpless" (Sermon on Isaiah 6:1-6) | January 23, 2022

Text: Isaiah 6:1-6
Date: January 23, 2022
Event: The Third Sunday after Epiphany, Year C

Isaiah 61:1-6 (EHV)

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to preach good news to the afflicted.

He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release for those who are bound,

2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

and the day of vengeance for our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

3to provide for those who mourn in Zion,

to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of joy instead of mourning,

a cloak of praise instead of a faint spirit,

so that they will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord to display his beauty.

4Then they will rebuild ancient ruins.

They will raise up what was formerly devastated,

and they will renew ruined cities,

which have been devastated for generations.

5Strangers will stand and shepherd your flock,

and foreigners will be your farmers and vinedressers.

6You will be called the Lord’s priests.

You will be named ministers of our God.

You will eat the wealth of nations,

and you will boast about their riches.

The Messiah Comes to Rescue the Helpless

Is there any more relieving feeling than that of someone helping you when all hope seemed to be lost? You had that problem at work that seemed to have no solution until a coworker off-handedly mentioned something that made something click in your brain and the answer became clear. The friend offers to proofread that essay for school and makes a couple of suggestions that help you to make the paper actually fulfill the assignment rather than just feeling like a random collection of paragraphs. Your pet is acting strange and the vet offers a simple medicine or procedure and almost immediately they’re back to their normal self. 

Those feel wonderful because without the solutions it feels awful, right? But you also need the right person to do it. The coworker that doesn’t understand your work isn’t going to be much use, the friend that doesn’t understand your assignment can’t help, and taking your pet to someone who isn’t actually vet won’t yield anything good. The solutions are good, but you have to look for them in the correct places. 

In our First Reading for this morning, God makes some promises to his Old Testament people about the coming Messiah. He would bring rescue and relief from situations that seemed dire and hopeless. And as we heard Jesus read these very words in our Gospel at the synagogue in Nazareth, these words are specifically fulfilled in him. 

The prophet Isaiah lived during a tumultuous time for God’s people. After King Solomon’s death, the nation of Israel had been broken into two pieces, the Northern Kingdom often referred to as “Israel” or “Ephraim,” and the Southern Kingdom often referred to as “Judah.” While the Southern Kingdom lasted longer than the Northern Kingdom, neither were particularly faithful to God’s direction and will. In a region that relied heavily on rain, they often focused their worship on the false gods of Baal and Asherah who supposedly controlled all things related to fertility, including the rain for the crops. God’s people had a difficult time trusting God to do the very things he had promised to do for them. (Perhaps that notion hits a little close to home for us today as well…)

Isaiah’s ministry was to the Southern Kingdom, where Jerusalem was. During his ministry, the superpower of Assyria attacked the Northern Kingdom, defeated them, and carried them into exile, never to be heard from again. This was not surprising because this is exactly what God said would happen because they were unfaithful to him.

Assyria then, logically, turned her sights on the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Assyria staged a great siege of the capital city of Jerusalem. But through Isaiah, God brought good news to King Hezekiah, one of the few good kings that Judah had. Assyria would not be successful. And in fact, in a stunning fashion, God saved Jerusalem from the siege by killing 185,000 Assyrian soldiers over night. 

So it’s in this context of seeing their brothers to the north destroyed and narrowly escaping destruction themselves that the words of our reading are given. Here, God inspired Isaiah to write from the perspective of the Messiah. So, the Messiah starts by summarizing the mission that God had given to him: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a cloak of praise instead of a faint spirit, so that they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord to display his beauty. Can you see the huddled masses in Jerusalem, cowering from certain destruction at the hand of Assyria? Can you hear the unbelievable good news announced that the Assyrian army was just gone? 

But the good news that Messiah has for the people is not as simple as the angel of the Lord going through the camp of the Assyrians and destroying them. This is good news, better news, given to people in even more dire circumstances. Because Messiah would come, not to save from earthly problems, but from spiritual and eternal affliction. He is announcing the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of God’s vengeance. 

The Assyrian siege is the illustration for the much more dire siege of sin. You and I are just like the people of Isaiah’s time in that we are besieged by sin and death. We cannot escape the city; we cannot fight back; we cannot rescue ourselves or anyone else. We are trapped and doomed. Destruction in hell is the only possible outcome. 

But then Messiah comes. He comes to announce good news to those of us who only know bad news. He comes to bind up our broken hearts, not with empty platitudes but with real action and real solutions. He comes to bring release from the bonds of sin and hell and release from our slavery to Satan. And wildly unlike Isaiah who was only a messenger for what God would do, Messiah will be the one to announce the good that he himself is going to accomplish. He’s not just bringing good news to the brokenhearted; he’s the one binding those broken hearts.

Jesus would, of course, do that in his life and death in our place. We are freed from our sin and rebellion, our self-inflicted afflictions, because Jesus lived a perfect life for us and died to pay the punishment for those sins. We are no longer afflicted because he was afflicted for us. We are no longer brokenhearted, because his heart was broken for us. We are no longer bound captives, because he took our place under that sentence. 

It’s interesting to note that Messiah announces the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of God’s wrath. God wants to primarily be known not as a God of destruction and punishment, but a God of mercy and grace. Jesus embodies that for us, sent by God himself to save us who didn’t deserve that. Yet he did it anyway because of his love for us.

So this is true and done but, of course, not everyone is going to believe that. We saw the people of Nazareth approach Jesus with skepticism when he announced that he was the fulfillment of these words and then outright rejection when he said the release he came to bring was for all people, not just for them.

Like Isaiah, we are messengers of this good news, but for us the message we announce is work that has been completed rather than work that is yet to come. We get to tell people about the release from the captivity of sins. We don’t have control over whether people believe or not, whether they find comfort or meet this message with rejection. God works faith; we simply share what Jesus has done. 

But for those who do believe, you and me included, what results from this good news? Then they will rebuild ancient ruins. They will raise up what was formerly devastated, and they will renew ruined cities, which have been devastated for generations. Strangers will stand and shepherd your flock, and foreigners will be your farmers and vinedressers. You will be called the Lord’s priests. You will be named ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, and you will boast about their riches.

You can see and hear the enemies-and-exile context of Isaiah’s original words, can’t you? But you can also see the far greater things than the surface level. These blessings are also stand-ins for the comfort we have now in Jesus and the ultimate protection of eternity with our Savior. Spiritually, we lack nothing today because of all the Messiah has done for us. Eternally, we will lack nothing because we will be with our Savior, our Messiah, forever. There, there will be no sin or anything else to threaten, hurt, or corrupt. We will have safety without end with our God.

We were helpless. The Messiah came to rescue us. Now, we are eternally protected. See this Jesus not just as some confusing historical figure or a nice story, but is the Messiah who came to rescue us all. We are no longer helpless. And we can be the ones to bring this help that God provides to others. May God bless your living and sharing of this joy! Amen.

"God’s Kindness and Love Saved Us" (Sermon on Titus 3:4-7) | January 9, 2022

Text: Titus 3:4-7
Date: January 9, 2022
Event: The First Sunday after Epiphany, Year C

Titus 3:4-7 (EHV)

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, 5he saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life. 

God’s Kindness and Love Saved Us

Have you heard about “love languages”? It’s the concept that people tend to like to be shown love in different ways. Perhaps it’s the physicality of a hug, or the surprise of a gift, or the prioritization of quality time with that person. It varies from person to person, but knowing the love language of a spouse or a child or a parent can help you tailor the way you show your affection for them.

Sometimes, though, love is shown in ways that maybe the receiver wouldn’t necessarily have chosen but in a way that is necessary. Maybe the child balks at the vegetables on the plate for dinner, but the parent knows that it is love for their physical well-being that makes the veggies part of the meal. Maybe one spouse does routine preventive maintenance on the house or car while the other never really thinks about it, but love is shown in making sure the vehicles run well and the house is safe from people and animals and weather. Sometimes love is shown in ways we weren’t thinking of or seeking after, but which are very, very important.

That is the case with God’s love for us. God showed us love in ways that we would not have chosen and in ways that we didn’t even know were possible, but it is love shown to us to meet the greatest needs we had. God’s kindness and love saved us—he’s forgiven our sins and will bring us to eternity with him.

The apostle Paul, when writing to Pastor Titus, begins our reading for this morning this way: When the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, he saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy. We learn a couple of things in these two short verses. First, God’s love and kindness were focused on saving us. Secondly, this was not anything we brought about. Our life of good works and good choices didn’t cause God to look at you or me and say, “Wow, that person really has it together. I should give them a little boost to get them over the hump to save them.”

No, it was purely God’s mercy that caused him to save us. Mercy, because we were completely lost on our own. Our sin had totally destroyed our relationship with God; we were adversarial with God, not kind and loving. His mercy saw our helpless state and sought to intervene because we could do nothing to save ourselves.

And so that kindness and love of God appeared. We just spent the better part of two weeks celebrating that first appearing with Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. The child there in the manger was born for a purpose, to save us, to rescue us. But this morning we celebrate another appearance of God’s kindness and love, Jesus’ baptism. His baptism served a different role for him than our baptisms do for us. Jesus’ baptism is his appearance because it is the public start of his work to save us. At Jesus’ baptism, the Father was able to proclaim his joy in his Son and what he had come to do. At Jesus’ baptism, he publicly took our place under God’s law, to live a life that would be credited to us. Jesus’ baptism is the clear, public appearance of the kindness and love of God our Savior. 

And so Jesus did what he came to do, what we needed him to do. We couldn’t save ourselves so he came to save us. Our sins had brought punishment on our heads, and not the type of punishment that a parent or the judicial system might hand down. This was not temporary and finite; the punishment for sinning against the eternal God is eternal separation from him in hell. That’s what you and I had coming, and that’s what Jesus came to change. 

So he took our place under punishment. That will come about three years after the events of our Gospel when he will suffer and die on the cross. That death was not just painful from a physical standpoint; the greater suffering on the cross was the spiritual suffering as he suffered hell in our place. Jesus took the punishment that our sins deserved on himself so that you and I would never face it. Hell is no longer a concern for us because Jesus took it on himself and removed every one of our sins. His resurrection from the dead three days after his death proves his victory and the removal of our sins. 

But he doesn’t leave us a blank slate with all the sin removed but nothing else. Jesus’ perfect life has been credited to you and me. Which means when God looks at you he doesn’t see the sins we’ve committed nor does he see someone who’s done nothing. No, when God looks at you he sees the life filled with good works that Jesus did for us. We are perfect in God’s sight because Jesus removed our sins and gave us his life of flawless obedience!

But how do we benefit from this work of Jesus? If you still have your Christmas tree up at home and there’s still a wrapped present under that tree, how useful is that present? That gift is of no use to anyone until it’s opened, right? As long as it remains wrapped and tucked under the tree it is a gift prepared and given, but no one is benefiting from it.

So too, Jesus’ work on behalf of all people doesn’t benefit us unless we trust what he’s done. But, just like we couldn’t work our way out of our sins, we also couldn’t make ourselves believe this truth. God not only had to remove our sins, but he also had to give us the faith to trust him. Paul describes it this way: He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.

The Holy Spirit comes and gives us rebirth and renewal. The tool he uses to do that is his Word. It’s the Word we’ve heard proclaimed this morning from the Bible, and his Word specially attached to earthly elements in the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. As he writes to Pastor Titus, the apostle Paul seems to have baptism especially in mind as he describes this as a washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

We said that Jesus’ baptism was different than ours. Jesus’ baptism served a lot of purposes, but he did not need faith to trust in God for forgiveness; he was perfect! But you and I do need that. And this morning we were privileged to celebrate not one but three baptisms! For Jaidyn, Sienna, and Rocco, this baptism washed them, renewed them, gave them that rebirth by the Holy Spirit’s work. Baptism may create faith if it isn’t already there or it may strengthen faith that God has previously given, but regardless, we saw the Holy Spirit very active this morning in very subtle ways through these washings, these adoptions into God’s family. 

And for those of us who weren’t baptized today but were baptized some months or years or decades ago, our baptisms hold the same meaning and the same blessings. You are uniquely cleansed of sin by your baptism. You are assured that you are not a slave to sin any longer but a member of God’s family. You are not an outsider or an outcast in this family either. You are an heir of God. 

Being an heir means you have an inheritance to look forward to. The inheritance that we have in God’s family is far greater than any earthly inheritance. I read a post online last week written by a 19 year old asking for help because he has just inherited over $100,000 at his great grandmother’s passing. How could he make that be a blessing and last? How could he ensure he did not waste it and have it disappear? Whether an earthy inheritance is $10 or a billion dollars, that’s always a danger, isn’t it? There’s always a chance you might spend it foolishly or invest it in a way that goes belly-up, or be cheated and deceived out of it. Even if you are wise enough to turn that inheritance into something you can pass on to others, who’s to say they will actually be responsible with it? Earthly treasures, even inheritances, do not last forever.

But not so with the inheritance our heavenly Father gives. Because our inheritance is life with him in the perfection and eternity of heaven. That life with God will never end; the perfection will never end. There will never be anything to ruin it or corrupt it. That’s what God has promised to us and that is exactly what will happen.

How did we ever get so fortunate to have such blessings given to us? Well, it wasn’t about you and it certainly wasn’t about me. When the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, he saved us. Jesus came to rescue us from everything bad we had done and made it so we would have nothing but good to look forward to after this life. And during this life, he still provides for us, still takes care of us, still give us what we need. He loves us in ways that we didn’t know were possible. He loves us in ways that we could never have guessed were coming. But he has loved us in those ways just the same. May we all rejoice in God’s kindness and love every day, through eternity! Amen.

"Christmas Is Joy in God’s Promises Fulfilled" (Sermon on Luke 1:68-79) | January 2, 2022

Text: Luke 1:68-79
Date: January 2, 2022
Event: The Second Sunday after Christmas, Year C

Luke 1:68–79 (EHV)

Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, 

because he has visited us and prepared redemption for his people. 

69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 

70just as he said long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets. 

71He raised up salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 

72in order to show mercy to our fathers by remembering his holy covenant, 

73the oath which he swore to Abraham our father, 

74to grant deliverance to us from the hand of our enemies, 

so that we are able to serve him without fear, 

75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 

76And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, 

because you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 

77to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, 

78because of God’s tender mercies, 

by which the Rising Sun from on high will visit us, 

79to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the way of peace. 

Christmas Is Joy in God’s Promises Fulfilled

Have you seen those videos sometimes posted online of someone getting really great news? The video captures their immediate, raw reaction. Sometimes it’s laughter, sometimes it’s tears, sometimes the person doesn’t seem to know how to react. While often times these are heartwarming moments, there are times when I’ve watched something like that where it feels like I shouldn’t be able to see this private moment and I wonder why it was filmed and why then it was put online. But then I simply hope that the person who was the subject of the video approved of it being shared with many others. 

This morning in our Gospel we have we have an intimidate moment of reaction recorded for us by the Holy Spirit, one intended for all Christians of all time to witness and benefit from. The verses that make up our Gospel were spoken by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, at John’s birth. His Spirit-inspired words capture the joy that Zechariah had as a father, yes, but more so as a believer in what God was doing. So, despite the fact that we might have never been in the exact situation that Zechariah found himself in, this morning we might find the same joy as him for the same reasons.

This Gospel for the Second Sunday after Christmas actually takes us backwards from Christmas. The end of Luke chapter 1 took place about six months before Jesus was born. If you recall, Zechariah was a priest serving at the temple. While serving alone in that temple the angel Gabriel appeared to him to let him know that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a child. Despite being older than one would think they could still have children, they would have a son. It was a very similar situation to Abraham and Sarah before the birth of Isaac some 2,000 years before this.

Zechariah was caught off guard by this news. Rather than doing backflips for joy or humbly seeking an explanation to help with confusion like Mary would six months later, Zechariah approached it with doubt. And because he doubted, God took away his ability to speak; he was mute for nine months.

Gabriel had told him that the child’s name would be John. When the child was born and the family was gathered around, Elizabeth told them the child’s name would be named John. But everyone laughed at her because John was not a family name. Why name him John? That’s ridiculous! The child should be named after his father! 

Zechariah was indignant. He had learned his lesson of doubt and clearly he and Elizabeth were on the same page in trusting God’s promises and directions. So with a writing tablet in hand he joins Elizabeth in doing what they knew was right. He simply writes, “His name is John” (Luke 1:63). We’re told that at that moment Zechariah’s mouth was opened, his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God (Luke 1:64). And it seems that what he spoke in that moment, the praise he offered to God, is what we have recorded for us in our Gospel for this morning. 

What is fascinating about Zechariah’s words here, is that, much like Mary in her Magnificat spoken perhaps in Zechariah’s presence three months earlier, his primary focus is not really on thanking God for the child himself. I mean, certainly that is there. But there is something much bigger going on here. Both Mary and Zechariah recognize that these children are more than family treasures; they are the fulfillment of promises that God had made long before they were alive. Gabriel had been clear with him nine months prior that this child to be born, John, would be instrumental in preparing people’s hearts for the coming of the Savior. And so while a child is something Elizabeth and Zechariah had been hoping and praying for all the years of their life together, the greater promise was something that had been promised almost from the beginning of time. And that’s where Zechariah begins: Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited us and prepared redemption for his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, just as he said long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets. 

John was not the Savior. During his ministry, John will spend a good amount of time testifying to that fact. But his birth signified that the Savior was very close at hand. And by the time John is born, Mary had been living with Zechariah and Elizabeth for about three months. Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary knew the promises made to each other and how they were all closely related. Elizabeth and Zechariah’s child would be the forerunner of the Savior and Mary’s child would be that Savior. Everything God had promised was coming together.

Zechariah focuses on God’s power to save. A horn was a symbol of might and strength, so when God is raising up the horn of salvation, he’s raising up the strength of his power to save. Several times in the Old Testament, God had to ask his people if they thought he was too weak to help them, if they thought his arm was too short to save them. Of course no matter what the people thought, God has never lacked the ability to save, and it save from sin; he was simply waiting for time to be right. 

And now the time is right for God to act. And Zechariah continues to observe the purpose behind his actions: He raised up salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, in order to show mercy to our fathers by remembering his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to Abraham our father, to grant deliverance to us from the hand of our enemies. Zechariah says that the purpose of God’s action is to deliver from enemies. And he’s not talking about Goliath and the Philistines from David’s time or Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians from the time of the exile, or Caesar and the Romans from their day. No, the enemies that God is rescuing from are sin and death. 

That’s why the Christ would come, to rescue all people from their sin. Why? Because God loves us and it’s what he promised. Because while God is not too weak to save us, we are absolutely too weak to save ourselves. We can’t get rid of our sin, and because of that sin, we can’t get ourselves back into God’s good graces. God has to be the one to act; God has to be the one who saves.

It’s a refrain we hear a lot at Christmas, but it always bears repeating: Jesus is that strength of God to save his people from their sins. He would be born, live, and die to rescue us from all that we had done wrong. We heard on New Year’s Eve about the deep need we have purification from the stain of our sins. The enemies of Satan and hell are strong—so strong that we cannot overcome them. 

But God can. And God has. Zechariah continues his poetic verses and shows us what the results of God’s actions are: We are able to serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. That is not at all the state we are in naturally. We are not able to serve God on our own and certainty not without fear. In our natural state, we are at war with God because of our sin and the wrath of God is poured out on us because of what we have done against him. It’s quite the understatement to say that sin produces fear of God, terror of God, in our hearts!

But now? Because of God fulfilling his promises and actually sending the Messiah and his forerunner into the world? Now we serve God without fear because he took away that sin which divided us from him. Now we are before God in holiness and righteousness because Jesus gave us his holiness and that righteousness, a right relationship with our God. God’s saving actions have completely changed everything for us for time and for eternity. 

At the end of his song, the proud papa addresses his dear child, but still with that eternal focus granted by the Holy Spirit guiding his thoughts and words: And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of God’s tender mercies, by which the Rising Sun from on high will visit us, to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 

What was John’s work? To prepare the Lord’s way, to share with people the salvation of God which meant, not rescue from earthly troubles, but the forgiveness of sins. John would the people point to God’s gentle, tender love for them. He would point to the Rising Sun, Jesus, who shines in the darkness of sins and rescues from the shadowy valley of death, to bring us to his eternal home of light and peace. 

The thing that gets me about Zechariah’s poetic words here is the confidence that he has. There is no doubt in his mind that John will do all the things that God promised he would do. And the first part of the our Gospel is all in the past tense speaking about things that had not yet happened. There is no doubt in his mind that what God had promised would happen. A striking change from the man who grilled Gabriel in a doubting way about the amazing promise that had been given to him nine months before. That time unable to speak but able to observe the promises of God take shape really allowed him to see God’s promises in a different light. 

And so my prayer for you and me is that we share a part of Zechariah’s Spirit-given faith in God’s promises. Christmas is all about God’s promises fulfilled. You and I have so much more of the story filled in for us than Zechariah did. We know the birth in Bethlehem, the flight to Egypt, the twelve year old in the temple, the water into wine, the healings, the feedings, the driving out demons, the raising the dead, the betrayal, the trial, the crucifixion, the tomb—and then that most glorious question spoken by the angel, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5). You know what Jesus did to save you from sin and how absolutely certain this salvation is.

But for you, there are still some promises of God yet to be fulfilled, right? You are in a shell, a shadow of God’s true house here this morning. You have not been brought to his perfect courts. You still wrestle in this world being at the same time a sinner and one who is forgiven, one of God’s saints. Eternal life is still a promise yet to be fulfilled in your life. But Zechariah’s confidence in what God was going to do can be your confidence as well. So many promises of God have been fulfilled in body of our Savior, Jesus. We know that the ones still outstanding are not in doubt. 

In Bethlehem a Savior was born for you. And that Savior is the one who will bring you to himself for the perfection of life everlasting. That is our Christmas joy now and always. Merry Christmas! Amen. 

"New Year's Resolution: Love One Another Constantly" (Sermon on 1 Peter 1:22-25) | December 31, 2021

Text: 1 Peter 1:22–25
Date: December 31, 2021
Event: New Year’s Eve, Set 3

1 Peter 1:22–25 (EHV)

Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth, resulting in sincere brotherly love, love one another constantly from a pure heart. 23For you have been born again, not from perishable seed but from imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For: 

All flesh is like grass, 

and all its glory is like a flower of the field. 

The grass withers, 

and the flower falls, 

25but the word of the Lord endures forever. 

And this is the word that was preached to you.

New Year’s Resolution: Love One Another Constantly

What are your goals for 2022? Do you want things to be very different from the year that is drawing to a close? Would you like to continue positive momentum you started this year? Whether you want to make big changes or you want things to be relatively close to the same, this evening gives us an opportunity to look both forward and backward, to reflect on what has happened and plan for what is to come.

In his New Testament letters, the apostle Peter is similarly reflective and forward-looking. Although for him it was not brought on by something as relatively simple as the change to a new year. For Peter, he’s writing to Christians in a large region to encourage and focus them on the future by reminding them of what they’ve been taught. He knows that his life is quickly drawing to a close. Before he dies, he wants to do everything in his power to remind his audience of what is truly important so that they don’t lose sight of that when he’s gone. You and I also get to benefit from that encouragement and focus by making it a part of our focus this evening. Peter reminds us of what God has done for us in the past and what he will do for us in the future. This focus on God’s love and care allows us to make plans for what is coming in the year ahead.

Peter reminds us that we have purified our souls by obeying the the truth. While purification sounds like a good thing, it’s also a reminder that there was something wrong. You only need purification if something was corrupted and ruined.

And we know all too well that we were corrupted and ruined. We did not, have not, and will not meet God’s expectations of perfection. We have been lazy and greedy; we’ve treated those around us in shabby, thoughtless ways; we’ve let lust dance in our mind and even dictate our actions; we’ve allowed our selfish desires to override other’s needs and even God’s will. Sin has fouled us from the inside out. On our own, there is nothing pure in us. 

So God brings the purification we need. He has set before us Jesus as the solution to sin. Jesus’ life and death bring the release from sin, the complete scrubbing of the corruption that we brought on ourselves. We have not earned it or deserved it, but he gives it to us. We are pure because of Jesus for us. So when Peter says we are purified by obeying the truth, that is related to what we often call a gospel imperative, an appeal to believe the good news. But we know that faith can only come about if God gives it. We can rightly understand “obeying the truth” as Peter saying, “You’ve trusted the truth with the faith God has given.” Your purity comes not from you, but from God. Peter makes that clearer as he changes the picture describing this change: For you have been born again, not from perishable seed but from imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

We needed to be born again because our original birth didn’t work out so well. That birth resulted in the stillbirth of sin—we were born spiritually dead in our trespasses. But a new birth from God changes us from death to life. We didn’t choose or dictate our first birth. Likewise, being born again is not something we did or we made happen or that we chose to do. This rebirth is something done for us by God. We were born again when God created faith, trust in his promises in our hearts. 

To accomplish our rebirth, God used his Word, the Word of God that we have in the Scriptures, the Word of God that pairs itself with the earthly elements of water, bread, and wine in the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This Word is a changing power from God. It takes us from clinging to ourselves and wallowing in our sin to trusting in him for everything we need for time and eternity. 

That Word never goes away, regardless of how dire the circumstance around us might look. Peter quotes the famous words from Isaiah to show us the endurance of God’s Word even in this fallen, sinful world: “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like a flower of the field. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” 

God’s Word endures in good times and in difficult times, when time seems to be dragging on or going by too quickly to comprehend. It stands as the immovable rock and center of our lives. In that Word, God assures us of his love for us, his complete forgiveness for us, and what the result of that love and forgiveness will be: eternal life with him forever. As Peter looks on to his impending death, he recognizes that this is going to be a gigantic change for a lot of people. But even losing the apostles, even changes in spiritual leadership in the church does not change the message. No family death, no pandemic, no great loss of finances, no personal health tragedy can ever remove the truth of what the Word tells us. No matter what lies ahead in the bumpy life ahead, this eternal, enduring Word is in fact the same word that was preached to you. It is what you’ve known and will continue to trust.

That love of God and confidence for eternity that it produces brings a calm even to an unstable-feeling existence. Even in a time of transition like a new year, we go forward knowing that our God and what he’s promised has not, does not, and will not change. The same Word that Peter and the others apostles preached is the very Word of God preached to us. We cling to the same promises in the same Savior with the same certainty as they did. And in all of this perhaps the famous words that the writer to the Hebrews was inspired to record for us ring in our mind, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Even if our whole life here seems like shifting quick sand, the Word does not change and our Savior does not change. 

This stability and confidence and peace that God gives to us produces a visible change and action in our lives. Peter said that as a result of the purification of our souls we will love one another constantly from a pure heart. It’s been a refrain for us in recent weeks, but it’s a thought that bears reacting especially in the brink of a new year. We want the love of God to reflect itself in how we speak to others, how we behave toward each other, and even the thoughts we carry in our hearts about others. 

Tonight let’s jointly set a new year’s resolution: let’s resolve to love one another constantly in the year ahead. All of us can look back over 2021 and see places where we have failed to do this, where we’ve served ourselves not others, where we haven’t loved as we have been loved. And we can also see in Jesus’ life and death for us that the sin has been removed. We are forgiven! And that loving forgiveness then empowers us to be more forgiving toward others, more God-like in our love for all other people.

But unlike so many new year’s resolutions that we get excited to set and then perhaps lose drive to keep in place by January 5th, this resolution doesn’t depend on our strength and willpower. This is a change that God works in us through his Word. So while a resolution of more love for one another may be the outward, observable result, the deeper resolution is that this year we want to be even more enveloped with God’s Word. In worship, Bible Class, home devotions, God wraps us in the warm blanket of his love and allows us to share that love with others. 

Let this coming year be a year where you spend even more time with the God loves you. Let this coming year be a year where you spend even more effort to put that Word into practice in all areas of your life. Let this coming year be a year where you find more comfort in the eternal love of your God who was born to take your place, who died to pay your debt, and who rose to prove your victory. Let your new year’s resolution be that you love one another constantly because your Savior has loved you eternally. Happy New Year! Amen.

"Love Came Down" (Sermon on 1 John 4:9-14) | December 24, 2021

Text: 1 John 4:9-14
Date: December 24, 2021
Event: Christmas Eve, Year C

1 John 4:9-14 (EHV)

This is how God’s love for us was revealed: God has sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we may live through him. 10This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, if God loved us so much, we also should love one another. 

12No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love has been brought to its goal in us. 13This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14We have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Love Came Down

What is the true meaning of Christmas? This time of year, you can find an almost unending assortment of commercials, specials, and billboards that try to answer that question for us. Maybe the effort is made to show that materialism is not the goal of Christmas. It’s not about getting; it’s about giving. In our house earlier this week we watched the classic, “A Muppet Christmas Carol.” Whatever incarnation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale you read or watch, the moral is the same: Scrooge needed to learn to not be so cruel and selfish and instead learn to be giving to those around him.

And while that’s certainly the better take on Christmas (or life in general) than always chasing after more, more, more, new, new, new, shiny, shiny, shiny—it still falls far short of what Christmas is truly about. Christmas is not as vapid as to be about our being generous to other people; it’s about God’s generosity to us in Jesus. It’s about God’s love coming to earth and becoming clear for all to see.

In ancient days, when the Julian calendar was the followed in the Roman Empire, the winter solstice was on December 25. Since we don’t actually know the day that Jesus was born, December 25 was chosen for that celebration. Many will make an argument that Christians simply took what was a pagan holiday and “Christianized” it. That’s a bit of a half-truth. The solstice was absolutely a pagan festival celebrated by many different groups.

But the solstice is a turning point in the year. It’s the day in the winter that daylight begins to get longer rather than getting shorter. So December 25 was chosen, not because it was a pagan holiday that Christians wanted to lay claim to; it was chosen as a recognition that at Jesus’ birth the Light of the World, the light of God’s love came into this dark world of sin. The solstice doesn’t make the days very bright—these days in the middle of winter still seem to have more darkness than light. But it is the turning the point, the moment in the year when things start to change, the moment we can look back on in bright spring and summer evenings and say, “Late December is when this all started.”

And so that is what happened on Christmas. The problem of sin’s darkness was not solved that first Christmas. But in Jesus’ birth, the love of God came down to earth. The solution to the problem started to get put into place. The plan that God had long promised began to be put into motion. John put it this way in our reading for this evening: This is how God’s love for us was revealed: God has sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we may live through him. This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

This is what we celebrate tonight. Not simply the humble birth of a lowly child to peasant parents. No, this birth is God’s loving coming down. This birth is God’s love incarnate. And this is not empty love or frivolous love; this is love with a purpose. 

God’s love, Jesus, comes so that we may live through him; he came to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Our sins are the opposite of life. They mean death. Physical death, but ultimately eternal death in hell. This is what we’ve deserved; this is what we’ve earned. We’ve rebelled against God time and time again in thoughts and words and actions. And even if you or I think we’ve been good enough or tried our best or any other thoughts along those lines, all we are doing is deceiving ourselves. We haven’t been good enough because we haven’t been perfect, and anything short of perfection fails to meet God’s requirements for our lives.

And this is the reason Jesus came, to be what we should have been but could not be, to do what we should have done but could not do. He came to be our substitute, to go in our place both in life and in death. For a festival so focused on light and joy, it can be a bit of a downer to see the gloomy shadow of the cross looms large over our Christmas celebrations. But the reality is that the gloomy cross is what can bring light and joy to Christmas. Ultimately that’s what Jesus came to do: to give his life at the payment for our sins which then would fix the broken relationship we had with God. That’s what an atoning sacrifice does, it puts two adversarial parties back “at one” with each other by covering over what divided them. It would bring peace between God and human beings who were warring against him with our sin. This is what the angels told the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.”

The moral of a Christmas movie might sound a bit like what John said I our reading for tonight: No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love has been brought to its goal in us. The morals of a lot of those movies are, like A Christmas Carol, that we should be kind and loving to those around us. What is most often missing is the motive behind showing that love. We don’t love one another for an empty reason like it’s simply the “right” thing to do, or because it makes us feel good, or it endears us to other people. No, we love each other because God has loved us. Jesus is our motivation for loving each other, not just at Christmas, but for the entire year. 

You have a Savior who has freed you from sin, rescued you from hell, and will bring you to eternal life with him. You have all of that because of God’s love that clearly came down for the world at Christmas. This love will be your motivation today, and tomorrow, and for the rest of your life to love one another. The love you show to other people is a reflection of that far greater love that God has shown to you. He loved you enough to come down to earth to take your place. He loved you enough to die for you. He loved you enough to forgive you. 

This is the true meaning of Christmas that lasts not just for a night, or twelve days, or a year, or even a lifetime. This true meaning of Christmas, that God’s eternal love has come for us, last through eternity. Thanks be to God for his gift of his eternal love now and forever! Amen!

"Jesus Is Coming to Do God's Will" (Sermon on Hebrews 10:5-10) | December 19, 2021

Text: Hebrews 10:5-10
Date: December 19, 2021
Event: The Fourth Sunday in Advent, Year C

Hebrews 10:5-10 (EHV)

Therefore when he entered the world, Christ said: 

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, 

but you prepared a body for me. 

6You were not pleased 

with burnt offerings and sin offerings. 

7Then I said, “Here I am. 

I have come to do your will, God. 

In the scroll of the book it is written about me.” 

8First he said: 

Sacrifices and offerings that were offered according to the law, 

both burnt offerings and sin offerings, 

you did not desire, 

and you were not pleased with them. 

9Then he said: 

Here I am. 

I have come to do your will. 

He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10By this will, we have been sanctified once and for all, through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus Is Coming to Do God’s Will

“What do you want for Christmas?” Is that a question you’ve asked or been asked recently? Maybe there’s that person you want to show love to who just doesn’t seem to want anything, or maybe they buy everything they want when they want it, or maybe it’s just tough to know where their ever-shifting interests might fall in late December. So you ask and hopefully you get a list of ideas, or you provide some ideas and maybe something you’re interested in is under the tree on Christmas.

What does God want for Christmas? Or more, what does God want in general? This is a question that people have been wrestling with for as long as people have existed. The whole history of world religions, both current and past, centers on this. Does he want me to behave a certain way? Eat a certain way? Live in a certain place? Speak a certain language? Dress in certain clothes? The list goes on and on.

In our Second Reading for this morning, we have the writer to the Hebrews wrestling with a bit of Psalm 40, one of the psalms that David wrote. The writer to the Hebrews is speaking about Jesus because David’s original psalm is messianic—it spoke about and as the coming promised Savior. So we can glean a lot from the words God inspired David to write, and what God inspired the writer to the Hebrews to write about that psalm.

The quote from Psalm 40 begins with a perhaps-surprising revelation: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire. What is on God’s Christmas list? Well, not sacrifices and offerings. And that’s surprising not just in general, but especially in the context of when David was writing. God doesn’t want sacrifices? Really? We’re at the heart of Old Testament worship that largely centered on animal and grain sacrifices for sin, guilt, and thanksgiving offerings. The temple hadn’t even been built yet. When David is writing there’s a solid 1000 years or so before Jesus would even be born.

So, why would God command all of these sacrifices and offerings if that’s not what he really wanted? Well, the Messiah through David’s pen goes on: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you prepared a body for me. God was less concerned with animal sacrifices, and more concerned about preparing the body of the Messiah for his work.

We heard a bit of that preparation work in our Gospel this morning. Just prior to our Gospel, the angel Gabriel came to Mary to announce that she would be the mother of the Savior, and we got to hear Mary’s joyful response in her poetic words in Elizabeth and Zechariah’s home.

Jesus knows what God wants. And what God wanted was exactly what you and I needed: not animal sacrifices as a picture of sin being removed, but sin actually being removed. And for the Messiah, a body was necessary for that, because there were things that needed to be done to save us from our sin. Jesus looked at the mission his Father set before him and said, “I have come to do your will, God. In the scroll of the book it is written about me.” Jesus would come to do God’s will, which had been promised from the beginning in the pledges God gave to his people.

We needed a Savior who could take our place. Like, actually take our place. Not playacting, not pretending, not going through the motions. We needed a Savior who would be a physical human being and live flawlessly under the demands of God’s law. We needed a Savior who would do what we should have done but could not do because of our sin. 

So God’s will provides a body for Jesus. At his first advent, which we will celebrate in just a few days, Jesus is born as that baby in the manger. He’s born with clear purpose and direction. We will hear the angels proclaim it. We will hear the shepherds share it. The Savior will have been born. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you prepared a body for me.

And so this first advent, this first arrival, is not just about Christmas. It begins with Christmas, but it certainly does not end there. The will of God was never that the Savior simply be born; God’s will was that the Messiah come and accomplish what the Old Testament sacrifices could never do. Those sacrifices were pictures of what Jesus would accomplish. They reminded the people of the reality of their sin and that the without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. But those animals did not pay for sin at all; they pointed ahead to the ultimate sacrifice.

And that would be Jesus, once grown, having completed his three-year earthly ministry, and having lived a flawless life from beginning to end, Jesus would die on the cross. That death would be taking our place, suffering our hell, because that was God’s will. Sin has to be punished, but what God desired was for Jesus to endure it for us so that you and I would never face eternal separation from him.

So the writer the Hebrews notes what the effect of the Messiah’s work on our behalf is: He does away with the first (the system of sacrifices) in order to establish the second (forgiveness freely given to the world). By this will, we have been sanctified once and for all, through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death undid the need for these continued, repeated sacrifices because we don’t need any pictures of what was coming. It has already come. Jesus has already accomplished his work for us so that we are freed from everything our sins deserved. 

By God’s will we are sanctified in Jesus. That word, sanctified, means to be set apart, made holy, reserved for a special purpose. And so you are. You have been changed from sinner and enemy of God to the dearly loved child of God. You have been brought out of your slavery to sin and into his wonderful, perfect family. This was not something you made happen, this is not because you offered such great gifts or good works or dedicated yourself in such a way. No, this happened because it was God’s will. It was God’s will for you to be rescued. It was God’s will that you be rescued by Jesus. And Jesus has come and actually rescued you.

And so he lifts you and me up. We no longer wallow in the lowliness of our sins, but rejoice in the restored, loved position we have in God’s family through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ. We can look forward to celebrating Christmas knowing that Good Friday and Easter bring joyous meaning to life here and the promises for eternity. Because Jesus will return to continue to do God’s will. God’s will is not complete until you and me and all who are his own are with him for eternity. So, while Christmas is right at hand, don’t lose sight of what is yet to come for us. Jesus will return to bring us to that perfect life he was won for and promised to us. This too, is God’s will. You are what he wants. Thanks be to God! Amen.

"Rejoice that the Lord Is Near!" (Sermon on Philippians 4:4-7) | December 12, 2021

Text: Philippians 4:4-7
Date: December 12, 2021
Event: The Third Sunday in Advent, Year C

Philippians 4:4-7 (EHV)

Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Rejoice that the Lord Is Near!

Are you excited for Christmas? Maybe right now you’re trying to figure out presents with all the wrinkles that supply chain issues and shipping delays bring. Maybe there’s some stress around all the preparations that need to get done before Christmas arrives, at home, at work, with extended family, or even at church. And all of that is, for another year, made all the more complicated with COVID restrictions and best practices. 

But, in our house at least, despite some stressors, I think there’s still a sense of excitement. Every day or two an update rings through the house about how many days are left until Christmas. And while that announcement is made with excitement, almost every time I hear it, I start thinking about how much there is to get done yet, and I cringe a little bit as that announced number of days (or sometimes hours!) keeps getting smaller and smaller. But still, despite that, it is exciting for all the family fun to look forward to at Christmas and especially the joy we’ll be able to share in God’s Word together in the coming weeks. 

When you think about preparation, does “joy” always go hand in hand with that? For me it doesn’t real often. I will find joy and relief in work done, in a well-prepared event that can be enjoyed in the moment. But the grind of getting ready is rarely my favorite thing. Often it is a time of stress or uncertainty that everything is going to get done when it needs to get done.

In our Second Reading for this morning the apostle Paul would like to have us infuse joy in our Advent preparations. Not just getting ready for Christmas, but more to the point, getting ready for Jesus’ second coming. So this morning, let’s consider how these coming days and weeks can be filled with rejoicing rather than stress, and how we can be thinking eternally-focused thoughts rather than being excessively focused on the here-and-now. Rejoice, my brothers and sisters, that the Lord is near!

We heard the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Christians living in Philippi in our service last week. Paul was gushing with joy and thanksgiving for these partners in gospel ministry. And that’s really a theme that persists throughout this brief letter. Even here in chapter four, near the very end of the letter, Paul still has a joyful, positive outlook on things. 

Paul has some long-term guidance for these Christians as they faced an uncertain future in this life. Things may go well for them; things may go really badly for them. But regardless of what happens, Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice!

That seems difficult to do at times, doesn’t it? Things go sour in our life. We are stressed. Our lives are not what we’d hope they would be. How do we keep a perspective of rejoicing in this life? 

We heard John the Baptist preach in our Gospel for today. He brought the people listening to him both reasons for concern and reasons for rejoicing. He addressed their sin, which is concerning in any context. And being reminded that the Lord is near in the context of sin is really distressing. 

But John didn’t leave the people at that. For them in their time the Lord was demonstrably near. He pointed them ahead to the coming Savior—one whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. At times we know Jesus himself was even physically near John during his preaching. John told the people that this coming Savior would bring the fire of faith through the Holy Spirit. He would rescue from sin and death. The Lord being near was not distressing; it was reason to rejoice!

Our context and our motivation is the same. Jesus came and rescued us from sin and hell! We are free from eternal death! We will be with our God forever! Rejoice!

But what does that rejoicing look like? Paul gives us a lot of detailed direction in these few short verses. He begins, “Let your gentleness be known to everyone.” That word gentleness is really key. If, as Christians, we find ourselves being combative with other people about our faith (or really anything at all), we need to take a step back and ask, “Is my gentleness known to everyone? Or is it my hotheadedness? Is it my lack of patience? Is it my inability to ever change my mind or acknowledge someone else’s opinion?”

For the Christian, life is not about fighting to get things in your favor. The Christian life is about being gentle, kind, loving, empathetic, and understanding. It is seeking the good of others before seeking your own good. My rejoicing in Jesus means I should have more, not less, patience with my children, my spouse, my parents, and the rest of my family. My rejoicing in Jesus should have an effect on the way I speak in that meeting or the way I drive down the road. My rejoicing in Jesus should effect the way I talk to the clerk at the store, or an elected representative, my fellow member at church, or a total stranger on the Internet. “Let your gentleness be known to everyone.”

What do I do when I suddenly see all the times that I’m not being gentle? Well, that’s the time of repentance, a time to come back to God and say, “Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me. I have not been your ambassador like I should have. I have let my temper or my impatience or my selfishness take hold again. I have not been gentle and kind. I have not let my rejoicing in you be clearly evident in my life.” And what is our heavenly Father’s response? “You are forgiven.” That is Jesus’ work for you! Rejoice in that forgiveness by prioritizing that gentleness with all people!

Paul continues on how this rejoicing in Jesus affects your life and my life. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Rejoicing looks like contentment-fueled confidence. Notice that this doesn’t mean that everything will be great all of the time. It also doesn’t mean we will have everything we want or everything we think we need. There are going to be problems, there are going to be issues the we struggle to face, there are going to be things we lack that are difficult to deal with. But the rejoicing Christian should not worry, because we have much more productive ways to deal with those problems available to us than being paralyzed by worry and fear.

We have no reason to worry because even in the most dire need, we have direct access to the Almighty in prayer. Paul’s phrase by prayer and petition goes from general to specific. The rejoicing life is filled with prayer flowing out of a thankful heart. But sometimes there’s something more troubling and more heavy on our heart. The word translated here as petition is a very specific request that we make of God. So there Paul acknowledges those special cases that are a high priority in our prayer life. There’s probably some things hanging heavily on your heart right now. But as you wrestle with those things, bring those very specific requests to God. Pray for healing, pray for guidance, pray for help, pray for strength to be gentle. Whatever your specific need is, pray—and pray specifically, to the God who loves you. 

But as you pray and bring the most difficult things that rest on your heart to him, pray with thanksgiving. Even in the most troubling times we have reason to give thanks. While this part of our life may be on fire, this other part of our life is probably doing well or at least fine. We can thank God for dear brothers and sisters in Christ who care about us and love. We can thank God for the daily bread he continues to provide, even if it’s not always completely clear where those provisions will come from. And truly, even if this life is one giant dumpster fire for us right now, we can give thanks that this is not the be-all, end-all of our life. A perfect, eternal life is waiting for us when Jesus returns or brings us home! Rejoice!

This is still all under the umbrella of Advent preparations. Are you getting the sense that this is difficult? Because I am. Living in this sin-stained world with this sinful nature that dwells deep inside of me means that more often than I would I like to admit, I am not gentle, I am not prayerful, I am not thankful. Which means that I need to come back to our Savior time and time again asking for forgiveness for my failures to my wife, my children, my congregation, my friends, my community. And there, in Jesus I find that forgiveness for those sins, as you find find forgiveness for all of your sins as well.

And that’s how Paul concludes this brief section of this letter, and in fact the way that we tend to close most sermons in our congregation: The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Because we we hear it so often, perhaps we get a little bit numb to the meaning of these words. But let’s not be numb to them. Let’s see them with fresh eyes and hear them with fresh ears:

The Peace of God  — the peace that comes from knowing God’s love, knowing that we are at peace, not war, with our Creator. That peace of God comes through faith in Jesus who has defeated sin, death, and hell for us. This peace brings calm to troubled hearts.

Which surpasses all understanding — We couldn’t explain this peace that God gave to us if we tried. It doesn’t make any sense why God would live and die to save the people who had sinned against him, to save people like you and me. But he did. We cannot explain it, but it is real, and we are grateful to have it.

Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus — We’ve outlined just how difficult this life of rejoicing can be. Yet, we don’t do it alone. Every step of the way, through pleasant times and distressing times, that peace of God protects us wholly, heart and mind, through Jesus. 

All of these things come back to that reminder: the Lord is near. We don’t know how long our personal lives will be. We don’t know how long this world will last. But we know that Jesus is near, near to us in our life and ultimately he is near because the time of his second coming is close at hand. That can be a scary concept for all the reasons we’ve outlined. But we’ve also outlined so many reasons why it is not scary. We’ve have been saved from the punishment of our sins by our conquering Savior. We are at peace with God because of him. For that we can give thanks; for that we can and will rejoice in the Lord always! Amen.

"God Prepares You" (Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13) | November 28, 2021

Text: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Date: November 28, 2021
Event: The First Sunday in Advent, Year C

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 (EHV)

Indeed, how can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have before God on account of you? 10Night and day we are praying earnestly to see you in person and to supply what is lacking in your faith. 

11May God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 12And may the Lord increase your love and make it overflow for each other and for all people, just as ours does for you, 13so that he may establish your hearts as blameless in holiness before our God and Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his saints. 

God Prepares You

Prep work is often necessary, sometimes well in advance of the main goal you’re shooting for. Under a normal year when we’re not looking to transition to a new hymnal, I like to have a draft of the entire year’s hymn schedule done before we get to this First Sunday in Advent at the start a new church year so that something is down and ready to be used or adapted as we go through the year for every Sunday. You’ve undoubtedly heard all of the news about the current supply chain issues that are preventing everything from books to cars to cell phones to be made, usually not because of the final product, but because of something smaller along the production line; the prep work can’t be done. If you would have visited our home at the beginning of this past week, you could’ve helped us test the rolls for Thanksgiving dinner as Karen made them several days in advance so they were just ready for the meal on Thursday (they were wonderful in case you were wondering!).

When big things are coming, you want to be prepared. You want to practice that presentation, study for that test, and double check the ingredient supplies before the big meal. And the bigger the event, the more important the prep work. The quiz that counts for one percent of your overall grade probably doesn’t merit the same kind of prep as the test that counts for a full third of your grade.

This morning we begin the season of Advent, a season that is all about preparation; we will spend the next four Sundays preparing. But preparing for what? The term “advent” simply means “coming.” We are preparing for Jesus’ arrival in two ways: to celebrate his first arrival as the baby in Bethlehem’s manger at Christmas as well as looking ahead to his second arrival, when he will come to bring us to our eternal home at the last day.

And this preparation, especially for Jesus’ second coming, is what Paul is praying that the Thessalonians are prepared for in our reading for this morning. As we were reminded of a couple of weeks ago when we had another reading from 1 Thessalonians, these Christians in the city of Thessalonica didn’t have much time with Paul because when he was there, his enemies chased him out of town so he had to flee to the south. Paul’s letters to them are both an effort to teach and correct things that he didn’t have time to get to when he was with them in-person, but also to express joy in what they were doing despite not having access to him for a long time. Timothy had returned to Thessalonica to continue to work with them, and his positive report of what was going on seems to be what spurred Paul to write this first letter to that congregation. 

And that’s how our reading begins: Indeed, how can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have before God on account of you? Paul and his co-workers in gospel ministry were overjoyed at what God was doing among the Thessalonians. They were thankful that the gospel took hold among them despite its difficult beginnings, thankful that people had been brought to faith in Jesus as their Savior. And they made sure to express their joy to God directly in their prayers of thanksgiving.

But, Paul notes, there was something not quite right for the members of this congregation. Night and day we are praying earnestly to see you in person and to supply what is lacking in your faith. That may feel like a little bit of a back-handed complement. “We rejoice for the faith God has given you! But, we’re also praying that the gaps in your faith may be filled.” Now, this isn’t that back-handed. Paul isn’t saying that there’s anything wrong with the Thessalonians. He’s simply saying that they are incomplete works-in-progress. There are things they don’t understand or don’t understand in full, and Paul longs to be able to come to them, to meet again in person to be able to talk, teach, and grow together in those places where there were gaps.

We do well to think about our own faith like this. You and I are works in progress in regard to our faith. No matter how much we have studied, how confident we are in our knowledge or trust, we all are lacking some things in regard to our faith. That will be true no matter how much we learn and apply and work with God’s Word, no matter how many years or decades we are Christians and devote to studying what God has said and done. There’s always more to learn and apply.

Acknowledging that is important because it reminds us of what it means to prepare for Jesus’ return. It’s not like preparing for a big meal with family or even a big test in school. We don’t reach a point where we’re “done.” Preparing for Jesus’ return is a constant task, a task that seeks to bring God’s Word to the forefront of our thoughts and hearts day-in and day-out. Anytime that God’s Word is not a part of our lives, that faith is shrinking, while anytime that God’s Word is a part of our lives, that faith is growing and thriving. 

There are many ways we may opt to make God’s Word a prominent part of our lives. Perhaps we make it a goal to be in church more often than we have been in the past. Maybe it’s a goal to make sure our children are in Sunday School so that they can grow in their faith as well. Maybe it’s a goal to participate in a Bible Class where you hadn’t made that a priority before. Maybe it’s a goal to bring devotions to your breakfast or dinner tables for you personally or your family (a new volume of the Meditations devotional booklets begins today and it’s what our family chiefly uses for after-dinner time in God’s Word together; copies are available in your mailbox and more copies are available at the back of church). Or maybe you’re already doing all of those things and your goal is to have that Word have more of an impact on the way you live—the way you speak, act, even think, to let God’s Word and will for our lives have a more noticeable impact on your day to day life than it did before.

We can set all sorts of goals for ourselves in these ways, and they are all commendable. But, unlike pouring over your notes for class or pulling the rolls out of the oven days ahead of a meal, actually making up for what is lacking in our faith is not something that we do for ourselves. That is something that God does. God alone builds up our faith. God prepares us for what is coming. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians: May the Lord increase your love and make it overflow for each other and for all people, just as ours does for you, so that he may establish your hearts as blameless in holiness before our God and Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his saints. 

Look at all the things Paul says happen when God does this for you. He increases your love and makes it overflow for each other and for all people. The more you are in God’s Word, the more you are hearing of Jesus’ free forgiveness for all of your sins, the more that love will naturally show itself. It won’t be perfect. You and I will fail to love regularly. We won’t treat people around us as those who God himself loves so dearly. But in Jesus we find forgiveness for that lack of love, and in that loving forgiveness we find the strength and encouragement to love one another better. We refine that love to meet needs, to sacrifice for others, to be more patient, more caring, more empathetic, more concerned for other people’s fears, needs, and concerns. That love will break its banks and flood the lives of others in the way that God’s love has flooded and enveloped you and me.

The flooding love of God has and continues to do what Paul prays for here: establish your hearts as blameless in holiness before our God and Father. When God looks at you and me, he doesn’t see sinners; he sees saints, people set apart for his purposes. He sees people who are forgiven. Jesus died for us to take away every sin and then gives us the faith to trust him as our Savior. This faith is his gift to us, which he gives and strengthens through his Word and sacraments. We want this faith to be in our hearts when Jesus returns or he calls us out of this life.

And thanks be to God that he prepares us for the last day in this way! By his Word he reinforces and strengthens our faith, our trust in Jesus as our Savior from all sin. By that strengthening of our faith we continue to be prepared for what is to come, the day of judgment where we will triumph through our triumphing King.

As we think of all the preparation we need to get done in the coming weeks, be it for the end of a semester or the year-end reports at work, or the coming Christmas festivities, keep this other, far more important preparation in your mind. Dig into the Word. Let God prepare you to hear the good news of the arrival of your Savior and prepare you for his return to bring you home! Amen.

"God Promises Himself to Take Care of You" (Sermon on Genesis 8:18-22) | November 24, 2021

Text: Genesis 8:18-22
Date: November 24, 2021
Event: Thanksgiving Eve

Genesis 8:18–22 (EHV)

Noah went out with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives along with him. 19Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever swarms on the earth went out of the ship, species by species. 

20Noah built an altar to the Lord and took from every clean animal and every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21The Lord smelled the pleasant aroma. The Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the soil anymore because of man, for the thoughts he forms in his heart are evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike every living thing, as I have done. 22While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

God Promises Himself to Take Care of You

As we gather for Thanksgiving worship and perhaps gather with family and close friends for a meal tomorrow, there’s a refrain that you often hear around tables. “You know, this shouldn’t be the only day we are thankful. We should express gratitude year-round.” Which is true, right? The concept of contentment or appreciation for what you have should not be relegated to one holiday. But, it is also a blessing to be able to have something like a holiday specifically focused on gratitude and thankfulness.

As we’ve been through the season of End Times at the tail end of the church year, we’ve spend a lot of time looking forward. What will Judgment Day be like? Scary or secure? How can we be sure that we are triumphant over sin and hell? We looked to Jesus’ triumph for us. And what does it mean that Jesus in our eternal King? He guards and protects us from our eternal enemies, and will bring us to be with him forever in eternal life.

That’s a lot of looking ahead to things to come, either in what will happen or fully benefiting from what what has happened. But what about in the here and now? What about November 24, 2021? What about the latter part of this week, next month, the new year? What can we expect? What has God promised? And perhaps just as important, what has he not promised? 

Our lesson from Genesis that we read earlier this evening takes us back to some of the earliest events in human history. God created the world in perfection and then sin ruined it. Adam and Eve’s sins brought death and misery to God’s flawless universe. God promised a Savior, a champion who would fix what had been ruined, but the world people had to live in was filled with sin and decay, just as the world we live in is.

But in this world the life spans were long, which seems to mean that the people simply had more time to get into trouble and seek after their own desires. And as such, the more time went on, the more that promise of a Savior was in jeopardy. People stopped caring about what God had promised. People stopped sharing it with their children.

And it’s in this environment that God sent the flood to wipe out everything except the people and animals secure in the ark. Noah and his family were not likely the only believers at the time of the flood, but it’s clear they were in the vast minority. And if things kept going as they were, eventually no one would trust in the coming Savior. So the flood was both was judgment on an unbelieving world and was also saving the promises God made. That 40-day torrent of water was both law and gospel.

And it’s after this, and after more than a year waiting for the water to recede that our lesson takes place. Eventually it was safe enough for those in the ark to come out and bring the animals out as well. God directed them to come out and begin the process of starting over. Noah and his family are essentially taking on the same role that Adam and Eve had taken on many years before. They were starting over in a radically changed environment. 

As they come out of the ark, Noah prioritizes thanksgiving to God for saving him and his family as well as saving God’s promise of grace. Noah doesn’t need to be told to do so. God gave him no command to build an altar and offer sacrifices. He saw what God had done and he just had to offer that in joy and gratitude. 

That’s a good lesson for us. Now, of course, none of us have been among the sole survivors of a global catastrophe. In fact, we might be looking at a lot of problem head-on rather than in the rear-view mirror. It might be difficult to see good things and silver linings in our lives. But as we dig into God’s Word, we are reminded of all that God has done and continues to do for us.

Perhaps we do struggle with gratitude or contentment. Perhaps we are often focused on trouble rather than the good things in our lives. What a joy it is to know that even if those are our struggles, if those are our sins, we have forgiveness from those sins. In our baptisms, God washed those sins away as completely as the flood waters washed away all that threatened his promises. We know that forgiveness is real because those promises were realized: Jesus eventually came and suffered the most horrendous torment ever, enduring hell and dying on the cross to pay for our sins, all of them, even for those times when we’ve taken God’s blessings and especially his forgiveness for granted.

So we build our own altars and offer our own sacrifices. The forward-looking blessings are a tremendous comfort and bring unparalleled peace. We are safe from sin, death, and hell because of what God has done for us in Jesus. We will live a perfect life with our God forever in eternity.

But, as we asked before, what about the here and now? Well, as those who were been in the ark leave, God surveys what has happened. And we get a glimpse into the inner-dialogue within the triune God: The Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the soil anymore because of man, for the thoughts he forms in his heart are evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

God promises that a global catastrophe like this will never happen again. He will not “strike every living thing” again. While God does acknowledge that our hearts are evil from little on, still those hearts will not result in God destroying the whole world again. And, in fact, things will continue to run like God designed them to run. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

There are a couple of things to think about in all of this. Number one, what comfort! We do not need to fear that we will not have daily bread. God will continue to provide, and he’ll mostly likely provide via the natural means that he’s built into the creation around us. Nothing can supersede God in this. No natural disasters, no change in climate or environment, no mistreatment of creation at the hands of people will ever stop what he’s promised. So while we do well to treat the creation around us with respect, to take care of it, use but not abuse it, we can have the confidence that no matter what happens, the world will be here doing what it’s supposed to be doing as long as God wants it to be here.

However, this doesn’t mean that it will be an existence without trouble. Adam was promised that because of his sin, he would only raise food with great labor and effort. For Noah and his family, this “restart” to the world would also be difficult. God is not going to let things end, but it’s also not going to be easy. Sin is still a part of this world, so while there will be daily bread, it may come at great cost or with a tremendous amount of work on our part. God here promises a life-supporting creation around us, but not necessarily an easy, happy-go-lucky existence. 

But we shouldn’t skip over what prefaced this promise: “The Lord said in his heart.” This is not a promise made to Noah and his family that could be forgotten. This isn’t a promise made to nature at large. This is God promising it to himself. Like the promise he would later make to Abraham where he swore by himself, the writer to the Hebrews notes that God does this because “God ha[s] no one greater to swear by” (Hebrews 6:13). This is an everlasting promise God is making to himself by himself. Nothing we can do can change it nor do we have to do anything to make sure it is kept. This is a unilateral blessing until the Lord brings this world to an end on the last day.

Your sin and my sin may make life difficult, but they will never be able to negate the promises of God. He swore by himself to preserve life on this planet until the end, regardless of what we do or don’t do. Likewise, he swore by himself to rescue us from sin and hell, regardless of what we do or don’t do. When God makes these promises, we can be sure they will be kept because all the responsibility and ability to keep them rest on him and on him alone. You will be taken care now and for eternity; God has promised himself as much. That is reason to give thanks! Amen.

"Listen to Your True King" (Sermon on John 18:33-37) | November 21, 2021

Text: John 18:33-37
Date: November 21, 2021
Event: Christ the King Sunday

John 18:33–37 (EHV)

33Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus. He asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 

34Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 

35Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” 

36Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 

37“You are a king then?” Pilate asked. 

Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 

Listen to Your True King

We rightfully teach young children to not listen to strangers. Don’t take candy from them, don’t lead where they follow, don’t trust what they say. Why? Because a stranger may not (or likely does not) have the child’s best interests in mind. They might hurt or steal the child or give them something that is otherwise dangerous or harmful. You only listen to people you know you can trust.

That’s a principle not just for young children but for all people, right? Does that financial advisor have your best interest in mind or is he just trying to sell you a product that will get him a big commission? Is that used car salesman being honest about the history of that car, or is he trying to sell you something that will be a heap of trouble? Is that person contacting you in your email really your loved one or colleague who desperately needs many gift cards to get out of trouble, or is it a scam? 

Putting our trust in the wrong places, listening to the advice and direction of the wrong person, can lead us to a lot of troubling or harmful situations. But what about trusting or listening to someone who does have your best interests in mind? Well, then you just might get a great deal on a gently used vehicle, have your long-term finances in order, or even get yourself some delicious candy!

As Jesus stood on trial before Pontius Pilate, he probably didn’t look all that trustworthy. Sleep-deprived and beaten, he probably looked like a lunatic who would have been more likely to spout utter nonsense than a coherent thought. Pilate assumed he had authority over Jesus rather than that relationship being the other way around. He did not listen to what Jesus said. 

And Pilate’s reaction to Jesus is the same as the world’s reaction to Jesus. He doesn’t look like an eternal king. He doesn’t look like he was the one created the universe by calling it into being. He doesn’t look like the one who would rescue mankind from the eternal threat of sin and hell. But he is. He is the eternal King, the King who testifies to the truth. It’s a truth that we often don’t want to hear, but a truth we need to hear. 

We often would rather believe false truths we’ve made up rather than facing reality. After all, I can concoct supposed truths that are far more fitting to my desires or fit my own personal life narrative better than anyone else. We can create all sorts of fictions for ourselves to cling to. But when it comes to our eternal King, there seems to be two extremes at either end of the spectrum. On the one end, we might consider God to be our angry King whom we have to appease and make up with because of our sin. In this situation we make ourselves king. On the other end, we might consider ourselves, our wishes, our desires to be the most important in existence. Here, fear and desperation are our king.

Let’s start with that first one, where we make ourselves and our desires to be the highest priority in our lives, when we really make ourselves the kings. I decide what is right and wrong for me. I decide that my desires are more important than God. So I do what I want to do when I want to do it with little regard for God and what he’s said and done. Maybe it’s not broadly and across the board, but maybe it’s in smaller places. Greed takes control for one person, lust takes control for another, anger sometimes takes control for yet another. And we feel justified in this because we have exalted our tendencies and habits and desires over everything else.

If my inflated ego has any room for God, any room for Jesus at all, it’s an attempt to use him rather than serve and honor him. It actually views Jesus as my servant rather than my King. It makes the things of the here and now more important than anything else. If God is a part of this charade, it’s only because I am trying to control God. I want him to do what I want him to do, to give me what I want for right now. Note how quickly we ignore what Jesus declared, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

On the other end of the false-truth spectrum, we let fear drive our relationship with God. It’s natural to think that this omnipotent Creator and Judge is angry with us. He’s told us to be perfect and given us his law to follow. And what have we done? We have failed time and time again. We’ve actively done wrong things that we shouldn’t have done. We have failed to do good things that we should have done. 

And so our gut reaction is that we have to do something good to make up for the bad, and that will change God from being angry with us to being happy with us. We’re hardwired to think that, something we’ve come to call the opinion of the law. And we see that often it is appropriate to behave this way in our relationships with other people (doing something to make up for some failure), so why should it not be appropriate in our relationship with God? 

This might feel very different than exalting our own desires over and above God, but is it really? Stop and think of what hubris and false humility this is! Is God so easily manipulated? When he has made a demand of perfection and we have sinned, is he so easily bought? God is not a child distracted from a scrapped knee with an ice cream cone. No good work on our part can ever change that fact that we did sin, thus nothing we do can change God’s impending judgment over that sin. Nothing you or I can do can change the fact that hell is waiting for us because of our sin. Thinking otherwise is to assume we have a very weak and fickle God.

There’s a good chance that both of these extremes feel a little bit too familiar. We often find ourselves waffling between these two points of view. As the cycle of sin and guilt continues in our lives, we bounce back and forth between these two attitudes. Sometimes, the hubris that we and our desires are the most important things in the world rules our thinking and attitudes. At other times, perhaps during moments of clarity over the false gods we have created in our hearts, we are overwhelmed with guilt for what we have done and desperately try to do something to make our true King happy with us again. Why does this back-and-forth cycle continue? Because we’re not listening to our true King.

So on this Last Sunday of the Church Year, let’s listen, actually listen, to what our King says. Let’s set aside our preconceived notions and our desires, and let Jesus, our eternal King, speak. And let’s hear what he says; let’s apply what he says. Let’s cast off our false truths and delusions that we’ve created and let him speak for himself.

Jesus told Pilate, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” As Jesus stands before Pilate on trial, just hours before he would be crucified, everything is coming to a head. His entire life, from his birth in Bethlehem through his whole ministry, was leading up to this moment. Here he is testifying to the truth. What truth is that? The truth that God has been saying all along. It’s the truth that speaks of the seriousness of sin and the eternal penalty it bring. It’s the truth that assures us of God’s love, of his promises fulfilled. It’s the truth that God desired to save mankind from sin from the first moment our parents fell in the Garden of Eden. 

Jesus has spoken and taught about it. He testifies to it with words to Pilate on this Friday morning. But his ultimate testimony to God’s truth will come at the cross where he will suffer and die to pay for the sins of the world. And that testimony will continue the following Sunday morning as his resurrection from the dead proves his victory over sin and even death itself. 

Jesus’ testimony to the truth shows just how unhinged our false truths were. Can God be bought with little token good works? Absolutely not! Look at the violence, the blood, the suffering, the literal hell that Jesus endures to actually remove sin. Can my desires take precedent over God? Absolutely not! Look at how deadly serious God is about punishing sin. He wasn’t making empty threats; here we see his wrath in all of its horrid glory. 

But our King goes through it for us. He takes our place under that wrath to pay for our false truths. He testifies to the real truth: our sins are disastrous and bring eternal condemnation, but God’s love wills us to not have to suffer that. So our King does become our servant, but not in the way we wanted to warp him. He becomes our servant by his choice to do what we needed him to do, not what we self-servingly and short-sightedly wanted him to do. He bears our sins in his body. He is the King, not just of the Jews, but of all people because he takes on the punishment of sin for all people.

Jesus finished with Pilate in our lesson, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” You belong to the truth because you belong to Jesus. He is your King here and now today. His kingdom is not just that eternity of heaven that we long for. His kingdom is in your heart; he rules in you by his grace through the faith he has given you. The gift of trust that he provides is his ruling action among us. And that faith, that trust in the truth of his work for us, is what will bring us to that eternity that he has prepared for us.

Here today we listen to our eternal King our true King. It’s not always pleasant to be told that the things we think and desire are not reality, but we need him to bring the real, objective truth to us. And the reality is this: we have sinned and deserve hell, but Jesus lived and died to rescue us. Our King saved us from eternal death by his death in our place and brings us the triumph of his empty tomb. At the last day, our tombs will be empty as well, and then we will be with our eternal, true, triumphing King forever, face-to-face with him for all eternity. That’s the truth. Listen to the One who speaks it. 

May our true King be our guide through every step and stage of our life! Amen.

"Encourage One Another with These Words" (Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) | November 14, 2021

Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Date: November 14, 2021
Event: Saints Triumphant Sunday, Year B

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (EHV)

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you do not grieve in the same way as the others, who have no hope. 14Indeed, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then in the same way we also believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. 

15In fact, we tell you this by the word of the Lord: We who are alive and left until the coming of the Lord will certainly not go on ahead of those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore, encourage one another with these words. 

Encourage One Another with These Words

We all need encouragement. Maybe it’s a word of praise from a teacher. Maybe it’s loving compassion from a spouse. Maybe it’s understanding and support from a friend. Maybe it’s a reminder of God’s truths in his Word from a fellow Christian. And that truly has been one of the hardest parts of the last year and a half, right? We have much less chance to gather with those closest to us, especially our fellow Christians. Live stream “gatherings” and worship are useful and have their place, but it almost totally eliminates our ability to encourage and be encouraged by one another.

God knows we need encouragement. He knows that this is part of our trek through this sinful life. Because of this, he directed his apostles to send words of encouragement to Christians throughout the world in letters preserved for us in the New Testament. And the apostles even directed the recipients of those letters to use them to encourage others, whether that be in directly sharing the letters themselves or, as we have in our Second Lesson for this morning, a directive to remind each other about the truths that God gave to them.

We are nearly at the end of the church year, which means that we have our eyes directed not just to the closure of a church year but to the closure of time itself. Two weeks ago, in our celebration of the Reformation, we were reminded of the importance of God’s Word now and to the end. Last week we were reminded of Judgment Day, a day that is coming at an unknown time but a day that will bring perfectly-known results for Jesus’ sake. This morning, we have the theme of Saints Triumphant, a reminder of our and all believers’ standing with God because Jesus conquered all that threatened our eternal well-being. 

In our Second Lesson for this morning, Paul is writing to the Christians living in the city of Thessalonica. This group didn’t get much time with Paul because his enemies ran him out of town when he was there. So his two relatively brief letters are aimed at correcting misconceptions (and in the case of 2 Thessalonians, some over-corrections). But in the crosshairs this morning is the encouragement of what happens after death. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you do not grieve in the same way as the others, who have no hope. 

The Thessalonians were confused. There seemed to be a sentiment that once someone dies, that’s it, they’re gone. And to a certain extent, that makes sense, doesn’t it? Those of us who have had loved ones pass away do not hear from them anymore, do not see them anymore, do not find encouragement from them anymore. At death, they are removed from us and they seem to be completely gone. This was and is the assumption of those without the encouragement of God’s promises. For an unbeliever, a funeral is pure grieving, pure loss, pure hopelessness, because death is only seen as permanent separation. And this is the approach the Thessalonians were drifting into when it came to death as well.

But Paul is writing to assure them that death for Christians is not a permanent loss, and it need not produce only grieving and hopelessness. In fact, we have a great hope when it comes to facing the death of those who fall asleep in Christ! Indeed, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then in the same way we also believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. Jesus’ death and resurrection have an intimate connection to the believer’s life. Because Jesus paid for all of our sins and served as the first-fruits of the resurrection, we know that those who have fallen asleep in the Lord will be awakened from their death-slumber at the last day. God will bring those who have fallen asleep to himself.

Because we know that they are safe in the Lord, we do not need to grieve without hope. That does not mean we are not sad in the days, weeks, years, and even decades that follow a loved one’s passing. We are still separated from them and their encouragements, even if only temporarily. But God is trustworthy and has promised that this is how this works. We don’t have contact with our loved ones who have fallen asleep right now; we cannot see them, talk with them, or hug them at the moment. But they are not gone. They are safe with their Creator and Redeemer. They are safe with the God who has rescued from sin, death, and hell. Let us find the encouragement that God wants us to have in these words.

But what about you and me? For us, other than losing those who have fallen asleep, we go on with our lives just like every day prior. Nothing really changes. It’s all the same. Peter in his second letter described the attitude of people in the world, perhaps even some Christians, as we get closer to the last day. He wrote: “First, know this: In the last days scoffers will come with their mocking, following their own lusts. They will say, ‘Where is this promised coming of his? For from the time that our fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have from the beginning of the creation’ ” (2 Peter 3:3-4). We understand why they think that way because we’re tempted to think that way because all of the evidence we can see points to this being true.

But all the evidence we can see is misguided. In his Word, God tells us the real story. This life will not go on the same as it always has until we die and then nothing. Our triumphant Savior will return. He will return at the last day; he will return for judgment. And as he promised, he will bring us to live with him. Because he triumphed over sin and death, you and I triumph as well.

What will this look like, especially if we are still alive when Jesus returns? Jesus gave Paul a direct explanation to share with the Thessalonians and with us: We who are alive and left until the coming of the Lord will certainly not go on ahead of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 

What are our takeaways? Again, those we have lost in the Lord are not lost at all. In fact, they are simply ahead of us on the journey to eternity with our Savior. And if we never face death? If our triumphant Lord returns before we die? We will hear that voice of God’s chief angel, the triumphant blast of the final trumpet, and see proof that the dead in Christ have, in fact, been safe because we will see their souls and bodies reunite; we will see them raised from the dead.  Then on that very day in that very hour, you and I who are still left will be caught up with Jesus and those who have been raised in the clouds. But what is the end result? We will always be with the Lord.

And there is the encouragement that we all need. No matter whether we are feeling the loss of a loved one, facing death ourselves, or just feeling listless in this life, here is what is coming. No matter what stage of life we’re in, whether we think things are going well or going disastrously, or somewhere in between. What is coming is infinitely better than what we’ve ever seen. Because we will be with the Lord. Our eyes will not deceive us. There will be no mystery, no hidden things, no trusting in things that we cannot observe. We will see God face-to-face continually. And we will be together with our brothers and sisters in Christ, those we’ve known and those we’ve never known.

Imagine that: an eternity to spend with our Savior and our fellow believers. An eternity to talk with Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Peter, Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther, grandparents, parents, siblings, children, and generations of believers that we might never meet before we are taken from this world of sin and sorrow to be with him. And nothing will ever separate us from any of them, because we will be with the Lord always. It will not end. Death will not cause problems. We will not lose anyone ever again. It will be perfect; it will be flawless; it will be forever.

Therefore, encourage one another with these words. The people in the first century needed to hear these words to be strengthened and encouraged. You and I in the twenty-first century are no different. We, too, need to be reminded of what is coming because we can so easily lose track of it. We need to see, again, Jesus’ victory over sin, and death, and hell. We need the encouragement that those we have lost are actually safe, triumphant even, with our conquering Savior. We need the encouragement that we, ourselves, are also safe during our trek through this world of sin and death and ultimately will be safe with our Savior forever. Because he triumphed over our enemies, you and I are triumphant as well.

Jesus shed his blood, gave us his life, to rescue us from every horrible thing that sin brought about. We are beneficiaries of his work. All who die in faith in Jesus are beneficiaries of his victory. We are safe not by any work or might or strength we have produced, but solely because of our Savior. He did it all and he did it all perfectly. Rejoice in your triumph that your Savior freely gives, and seek out ways to encourage one another with these words. Praise and thanks and honor be to our victorious Savior, now and forever! Amen.