"Enjoy the Full Meal!" (Sermon on Hebrews 5:11-6:3) | August 15, 2021

Text: Hebrews 5:11-6:3
Date: August 15, 2021
Event: The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

Hebrews 5:11–6:3 (EHV)

11We have much to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, because you have become too lazy to listen. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the beginning principles of God’s word all over again. You have become people who need milk, not solid food. 13For everyone who lives on milk is not acquainted with the word of righteousness, because he is still an infant. 14But solid food is for mature people, who have their senses trained by practice to distinguish between good and evil. 

6:1Therefore, leaving the beginning discussion of Christ, let us press on toward matters that require greater maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith in God, 2of the teaching about baptisms, of the laying on of hands, of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3And we will do this, if God permits. 

Enjoy the Full Meal!

Remember when buffets were a thing? Maybe they will be again sometime soon, but I’m assuming not much at the moment during COVID. But, what’s the advantage of a buffet? You can get what you want and you don’t have to take anything else. And that’s great for families where the kids only want chicken fingers and the adults are avoiding certain foods for health reasons. A buffet might make it easier to pick and choose the desired or necessary foods than trying to work with the staff on tweaking a meal already laid out on a menu.

But, you have to be careful at a buffet, right? Maybe the Mac and cheese at a certain place is really tasty, but if you only ate Mac and cheese (especially depending on the quantity), you might not be feeling great after the fact. Even if things are not our favorites, we recognize that we need a variety of foods to keep us going and to keep us healthy. Mac and cheese does not carry the same nutritional value as broccoli.

This morning, the writer to the Hebrews encourages us to see God’s Word as a feast laid out before us. But he wants us to see it less like a buffet and more like a carefully planned meal where we do well to enjoy the full meal, to continue to grow in what God has said and done, even if there are difficult things or items that are distasteful to our palettes in that meal.

We don’t know exactly who wrote the letter to the Hebrews. The author never puts his name anywhere in the letter. There are a lot of theories. We can say probably not the apostle Paul. Luther thought it might be Apollos, a very learned man who came to know Jesus in the book of Acts, and that’s a very real possibility. What we know about the author is that he was someone very educated (as he writes in a very high style) and someone very, very familiar with Jewish worship practices.

We can say with more confidence to whom the letter is written. It was written primarily to Jewish Christians, those who had grown up in the Jewish faith and had been brought to see that everything promised in Judaism is fulfilled in Jesus. But things were suddenly difficult. This letter was written around the same time at Peter’s letters that we’re studying in Sunday morning Bible class. At this time, Nero is emperor in Rome and a tremendous persecution of Christians has broken out across the Roman Empire. People are losing their lives because they are Christians. Christianity is an illegal religion across the empire.

So, for these formally Jewish believers, what would be the easy (and some might say obvious) way out of this trouble? Revert back to the Judaism! It’s certainly not problem- or hardship-free, but at least it would be a legal religion and would be avoid the harshest of these problems. But it would be giving up the eternal to make the temporary more pleasant. 

And so the majority of this letter is the writer proving to his readers the superiority of Jesus to anything they could revert back to. No temporary peace was worth giving up eternity for because nothing else would ever provide the full and free forgiveness that God promised other than Jesus. 

So, in our snippet from Hebrews we’re looking at this morning, he’s urging the people on toward maturity in the faith. Don’t abandon it; go the other way! Embrace it all the more. But it wasn’t just fear or worry that turned the people away from growth. It was laziness. It was apathy. It was not being able to see the importance of anything beyond the basement-basics of the Christian faith. We have much to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, because you have become too lazy to listen. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the beginning principles of God’s word all over again. You have become people who need milk, not solid food.  

This really describes the crowd’s reaction to Jesus in our recent readings from John chapter 6, doesn’t it? They had gotten their free miracle food and they wanted more. They didn’t really care all that much that Jesus could give them miracle food because he was God. They didn’t care too much that he was God because he came for a purpose. They didn’t seem too concerned with Jesus being the promised Messiah. They were infants in the faith if they were believers at all; they could only focus on what Jesus could give them in the here and now and cared little for Jesus’ true purpose. 

Is it possible that the writer to the Hebrews is writing to us as well? Are we chasing after every opportunity to grow in our faith? Or are we content to let things stagnate? Do we avoid the difficult sections of Scripture and just try to stick to the easy and the familiar? Are we sticking to the milk of God’s Word and thus being infants in the faith, or are we seeking after growth and maturation? 

I think in different ways and for different reasons, many of us shy away from real maturation in the Christian faith. But does it matter? Why chase after maturity? Look again at the “basic” teachings that the writer lists: repentance from dead works, of faith in God, of the teaching about baptisms, of the laying on of hands, of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. Isn’t that list sufficient for salvation? Doesn’t that list of teachings underscore that Jesus is the solution to sins, the source of resurrection, and certainty in eternal judgment. Isn’t that enough? 

Certainly. We know that what is necessary for salvation is faith in Jesus as Savior. But do we want to leave it at that? If you’re learning to swim for survival, are you satisfied with being able to hold your breath under water for 10 seconds, or do you strive for more? If you’re lifting weights to get stronger, do you stop when you can lift the bare minimum or do you go for more? When you’re learning to cook in a healthier way, do you stop at one recipe learned or do you strive for more? 

There are so many cases where we see value in more than the bare minimum. And this takes us back to our sermon from last week. We said our life is one of continual battle and struggle, between the sinful nature which hates God and loves sin and the new self which hates sin and loves God. We want that new self, that faith, to be stronger so that it can better fight that sinful nature. While it will never be perfect on this side of eternity, the goal is to let the new self win more battles over the sinful nature as we seek to live our lives—our best lives—to thank God for his forgiveness and the free gift of eternal life.

And how do we strengthen that faith? We put ourselves in the position for God to strengthen it for us, for the Holy Spirit to work on our hearts. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word and the sacraments to create and strengthen faith. So if we want to grow toward maturity, we need to be in the Word!

And that means the whole Word, even the tough stuff. Because, again, the Word is not a buffet for us to pick and choose. It is a meal of solid and balanced food (along with that basic milk) that when used together, makes us stronger. Don’t shy away from it, but embrace it as of temporal and especially eternal importance!

We’re going to have opportunities for us and for our families to grow in the faith in the coming weeks. As get into fall, new Bible Classes and Bible study opportunities will come up. Like Sunday School for the children and Bible Class for the older members, or like Catechism for our kids or Catechism as a review for the adults, or like midweek Bible classes where we gather together online or in-person to study and dig and grow.

I want to put a challenge out to all of you here: try to add one thing to your spiritual growth in the coming weeks. Maybe it’ll be picking up a book related to the Christian faith and reading through it. Maybe it’ll be finally making use of those Meditations booklets that are always in your mailbox each quarter. Maybe it’ll be getting to a Bible class that you don’t normally attend. Maybe it’ll simply be asking a Christian friend or your pastor that one nagging question that’s been weighing on you for a long time that you’ve never been able to get a satisfactory, biblical answer for.

Whatever the avenue you take is, let’s make this time between now and the end of this year focused on growth in the Word, growth in faith, and to enjoy the living that God produces by it. God has given us a tremendous meal in his Word that endures to eternity. Let’s enjoy the whole thing, together! Amen.

"Live Your Best Life" (Sermon on Ephesians 4:17-24) | August 8, 2021

Text: Ephesians 4:17–24
Date: August 8, 2021
Event: The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

Ephesians 4:17–24 (EHV)

So I tell you this and testify to it in the Lord: Do not walk any longer as the Gentiles walk, in their futile way of thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of their hearts. 19Because they have no sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality, with an ever-increasing desire to practice every kind of impurity. 

20But you did not learn Christ in that way, 21if indeed you have heard of him and were taught in him (since the truth is in Jesus). 22As far as your former way of life is concerned, you were taught to take off the old self, which is corrupted by its deceitful desires, 23and to be renewed continually in the spirit of your mind, 24and to put on the new self, which has been created to be like God in righteousness and true holiness. 

Live Your Best Life

What does your best life look like? That’s going to be wildly different for every person. For some, it’s going to be relaxing on a beach with a cold drink and good book. For some it’s enjoying time with family and friends. For some it’s being in the midst of a fast-paced work environment where you’re constantly challenged. For others it’s sitting down for that movie marathon or a new, anticipated video game. Whether we find our most energy from being alone or together, from our work or family or hobbies, we all have ideal activities that we’d do regularly if possible.

That’s from our perspective. Does your best life look different from God’s perspective? Maybe not entirely. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the things we just listed. It’s not like it’s a sin to relax on a beach or to dig into work. But in our lesson today from Ephesians, God gives us a little bit of guidance. Our best life is a life lived to his glory, motivated by the love he has shown to us in Jesus.

Earlier in Ephesians chapter 4, Paul had encouraged his readers to embrace their differences and work together in the unity that the Holy Spirit provides. He reminded us in our Second Lesson last week that Jesus is the one who gave us his called workers to teach and encourage us in the Word. And Paul says that Jesus does this “for the purpose of training the saints for the work of serving, in order to build up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). 

But what exactly does that look like? Paul goes on in our lesson to describe this life lived as members of the body of Christ. But to do so he has to start with some history that would be painful for the Ephesians and that might be painful for us well as what he says is as true today as it was in Paul’s day. He says, “Do not walk any longer as the Gentiles walk, in their futile way of thinking. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of their hearts. Because they have no sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality, with an ever-increasing desire to practice every kind of impurity.” 

The term “Gentile” refers to anyone who is not Jewish. People who were Gentiles in Paul’s day likely did not grow up knowing God’s inspired Word or his clearly stated moral law. As such, life among the Gentiles was usually embracing some kind of sin, especially indulging the hedonistic or pleasure-centered sins. If it felt good and made you happy, go ahead and do it. This was not universally true of all Gentiles, but was very common in the Greek and Roman world. And this was likely the way that many of Paul’s readers would have lived prior to being brought to faith in Jesus.

Does that sound familiar? Doesn’t that sound like the world we live in? In our day, we might substitute the word “unbeliever” for the word “Gentile.” How many unbelievers do you know who chase after whatever brings pleasure (or at least promises to bring pleasure), with little regard for the side effects or the negative impact it has on those around them? How often do you see unbelievers have no shame in their sin but rejoice in it, boast about it, and even center their life around it?

It’s not uncommon to know this. This is reality for any Christian living in this world surrounded by those who do not know their Savior. Perhaps the area of the country we live in might make some of this especially easily to see as sin around us is often public and unashamed. But we would be lying if we let this just be an unbeliever thing and not an us thing, right? We are not immune from this way of thinking or this way of life. This morning, let’s focus less on them and more on us, because Paul is talking not to the unbelieving world but to Christians. 

Maybe it’s not an overtly public thing, but sin has more influence on us than we’d like to admit. How often do we let the little Pharisee in our hearts belittle others and raise ourselves up along the way? How often does your sinful anger take hold and you lose your cool with a family member or coworker? How often do we let stress and pressure control how we speak to or around other people? How often do you just stop being mindful of sin and just let it be part of your day-to-day life? 

It doesn’t take a whole lot of soul searching to know that Paul really has us in the crosshairs, right? Certainty his words apply to plenty of other people, but remember that Paul is not talking to other people, he’s talking to Christians. He’s talking to you and to me. Should we embrace sin like someone who doesn’t know the gospel? Should we live our lives as indistinguishable from the people in the world around us who have no connection to Christ? Absolutely not! 

And that’s Paul’s point: But you did not learn Christ in that way, if indeed you have heard of him and were taught in him (since the truth is in Jesus). You do not know Jesus as one who endorses or allows sin, because he doesn’t. You know the truth. You know that God hates sin and punishes it in hell. Sin is never a “pet,” it’s never cute or harmless. Sin is always dangerous because sin always negatively affects your relationship with God. Sin is always an attack on your Creator.

But you have learned about Christ. You know what Jesus did and why he did it. He came to this world because we were those who embraced sin without shame, because we were people who would proudly march straight into hell because we wanted to do what we wanted to do. And Jesus could not have us endure that punishment that we had brought on ourselves. So Jesus intervened and took the judgement our sins deserved on himself. He rescued us from our sins because he loved us and because that’s what he promised to do.

So you are free from sin! You are free from the power of the devil! You are free from eternal death in hell! Your freedom is not some ideological concept but reality given to you by Jesus’ life and death and then proven by his resurrection. There is nothing left to pay or do; heaven is yours!

However, until God brings us to that heavenly home, we have a battle we face every moment of every day. We were born with sinful natures that we inherited from our parents. The sinful nature is the part of us that hates God and loves sin, embracing it without shame. But when God brought us to faith in Jesus, when we learned about the truth of Jesus’ work for us, God gave us something new. We have a new man or new self inside of us now, our faith which expresses itself in gratitude to God. We were created in God’s image in the beginning but lost that image of God, that harmony with God, in our sin. But the new self is the beginning of the restoration of that image of God within us. The new self directly combats the sinful nature. While the sinful nature only wants to sin, the new self only wants to do what is right to thank God for what he’s done for us.

Oh how we long to let the new self reign supreme and to have the sinful nature done away with forever! We long for that because we know that living as the new self wants to live—thanking God with a life filled with good works—is truly living our best life! But living that best life will always be a struggle until God brings us to himself. That’s why Paul gives the encouragement that we continue to strip off the sinful nature and give reign to the new self: As far as your former way of life is concerned, you were taught to take off the old self, which is corrupted by its deceitful desires, and to be renewed continually in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new self, which has been created to be like God in righteousness and true holiness. The new self is strengthened by contact with God’s Word and the sacraments. In our battle over sin in our lives, there is no better weapon, no better source of strength, than God’s inspired promises and fulfillments.

But this also gives us insight into the people around us. We said earlier that we want to focus on us and not on them, but how do Paul’s reminders help us as we navigate in this corrupted world and share Jesus with those around us? What should we expect of our unbelieving neighbors, friends, family, coworkers, even strangers around us? Should we expect that they live lives that look like what God expects? Hardly! Their ignorance over who God is and what he’s done means that they have little to no motivation to live “good” lives. Now, often those who do not believe will try their best, they will attempt to be good citizens and neighbors, but if they do not believe the truth of God’s rescue in Jesus, that outward “goodness” is only surface-level.

But our goal is not that people just do the right thing; our goal is that people know their Savior. We want people to trust that their sins are forgiven in Jesus, not just that their life look like they believe that. The change we are wanting to effect in the world is not so shallow as to only want to change externals; we want the heart to change. So we understand when people don’t behave like they should, and we are not satisfied if people are simply doing the “right things” for the wrong reasons. They, too, need to “learn Christ… the truth… in Jesus.” Learning of Jesus naturally produces the best life, a life of good works to thank God.

So we live our lives as God’s ambassadors, putting on that new self in thankful joy to God at all times, but especially when we are surrounded by those who do not believe in their Savior. Putting on the new self is not only about our gratitude to God, it’s about sharing the good news of salvation with the world. And so you, my brothers and sisters, strive for all empathy, all patience, all gentleness, all encouragement, as you seek to build up your fellow believers who join you in this difficult journey through this life. But all of that empathy, patience, gentleness, and encouragement should also be at the forefront of your dealing with those who do not yet know their Savior. You have the message they need, the gift provided to them free of all charge without any strings by their heavenly Father. Pursue the ways you might point to him and share him by your words, actions, and attitudes.

In the end, do not give your sinful nature run of your life. Do not let it control you. You do not belong to sin; you belong to your Savior who bought you with his own blood. Rejoice at that! Embrace that! Live your best life now because you know the infinitely better life is coming! Amen.

"Your Needs Are Jesus' Priority" (Sermon on John 6:1-15) | August 1, 2021

Text: John 6:1-15
Date: August 1, 2021
Event: The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

John 6:1–15 (EHV)

After this, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2A large crowd followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he was performing on those who were sick. 3Jesus went up on the hillside and sat down there with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover Festival was near. 

5When Jesus looked up and saw a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6But Jesus was saying this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 

7Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to have just a little.” 

8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9“There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what is that for so many people?” 

10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. There were about five thousand men. 

11Then Jesus took the loaves and, after giving thanks, he distributed pieces to those who were seated. He also did the same with the fish—as much as they wanted. 

12When the people were full, he told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over so that nothing is wasted.” 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 

14When the people saw the miraculous sign Jesus did, they said, “This really is the Prophet who is coming into the world.” 

15When Jesus realized that they intended to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. 

Your Needs Are Jesus’ Priority

How are you doing keeping up on different priorities in life? That is a balancing act that is difficult to do in the best of times, let alone the upheaval that many of families are currently facing. Right now family concerns take center stage, then work, then extended family, then church, then neighbors, then a minute to relax, except no because something else popped up. It’s exhausting and it can feel like we’re barely keeping things together, especially when there are many problems that don’t seem to have actual solutions.

This is why we’re here for each other, though, right? As brothers and sisters in Christ, we can help each other shoulder burdens, we can help meet immediate or long term needs, and we can bring the needs of others to God’s throne in prayer.

And we know what our priorities should be, right? We have a lot of day-to-day things to tend to, but we know (and have heard from this pulpit repeatedly) that Jesus should be our priority, that his Word should be our focus, and we should be continually looking ahead to eternal life. That’s where our priorities should be. 

But what about God? Where are his priorities? What is he focused on? What does he care about? What concerns him? This morning in our Gospel from John chapter 6, we get a bit of a window into God’s priorities. As Jesus works with the crowd we’ll see that, broadly speaking, our needs are Jesus’ priority. 

This familiar account of the feeding of the 5,000 takes place just after our Gospel for last week. Though we’ve jumped from Mark’s Gospel to John’s, the timeline lines up. Jesus had sent his disciples out two-by-two to preach and heal in the surrounding towns and villages. After they were done, they returned with great joy to report to Jesus everything that had happened while they were working. 

But even as they were trying to organize their thoughts and process what had happened, the needs and demands of the crowd were great. So, last week we saw Jesus pull the disciples away from the crowds for some needed time to refocus and recalibrate; they needed time away from work for themselves. So they did that. But, when they got to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the crowds were waiting for them. We heard in Mark’s gospel last week that Jesus’ heart went out to the crowd because they were directionless and full of needs, like sheep without a shepherd. 

And so that’s where our account in John’s Gospel picks up. In their temporary vacation from work, the work came to them. A large crowd followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he was performing on those who were sick. They came to find Jesus’ healing miracles for the sick and the crippled; Jesus was going to take the opportunity to give them what they really needed though as he would spend most of the day teaching them God’s truths, likely especially focused on repentance and forgiveness that he alone could provide. 

So here is one of Jesus’ priorities, his highest priority: our eternal well-being. Jesus came to accomplish our soul’s salvation, to live and die for us that we would have the forgiveness of sins. He came that people might know the fulfillment of all God had promised in him. He came to save them from their sins; he came to solve their eternal problem. This is greatest need the people have, so Jesus, weary as he was, taught this crowd. He showed them their needs and their solution in him. It was the same message that the disciples had just been out sharing. 

This eternal need is Jesus’ focus for us today, as well. No matter what happens to us in this life, it’s not worth comparing to eternity. Problems here are temporary; perfection in heaven is forever. So Jesus’ priority is our eternal need, our spiritual need. He meets that needs in his life, death, and resurrection. Our sins are gone because of his work for us so we have nothing to fear.

However, Jesus is not exclusively concerned with our spiritual and eternal needs. In our Gospel Jesus identifies a problem or need that would require addressing even before the crowd fully gathers: When Jesus looked up and saw a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” Philip’s reaction is pretty exasperated, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to have just a little.” A denarius would have been about a day’s wage. So by Philip’s estimation 200 days’ wages doesn’t even begin to touch the need here to adequately feed this large crowd of people.

John’s narrative skips over what seems to be the bulk of the day of Jesus teaching the crowd. It seems like Jesus had this brief conversation with Philip and likely some of the other disciples nearby at the start of the day so that as they worked with the crowd, the question of, “How are we going to feed these people?” would have been circulating in their minds as they worked. John mentions that Jesus asked this question to test them, knowing full well what he was going to do. But, would the disciples see the need to depend on him? 

How often do we find ourselves in a situation similar to the disciples or even the crowd? Not to be faced with the impossible task of feeding thousands without any resources, but beating our head against a problem while not seeking out God’s help for the solution. How often do we take matters into our own hands, assume that by the strength of our mind or will or arms we have to produce the solution, and don’t give a second thought to Jesus’ direction to depend on him, to call on him in time of trouble? 

Does Jesus care about your needs? Absolutely. Not only does he care, but bringing about a positive result from them is his priority. Does Jesus care about your family member struggling with illness and disease? Yes. Does Jesus care about your concerns about keeping your job or finding something to better fit your situation? Without a doubt. Does Jesus make our physical well-being one of his priorities? Absolutely. 

If we look at the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, we see a clear priority to these matters in that prayer, “Give us today our daily bread.” Right there as part of an overall brief prayer, he tells us to bring the requests for the immediate and the physical. Jesus worked the miracle to provide this meal for the thousands of people on the hillside that late afternoon. He cares about you, too, soul and body.

But let’s not then drive in the other ditch and forget that Jesus knows that spiritual is more important than the physical. The crowd that day wanted to make Jesus king—and not in an eternal, heavenly, forgiveness king sort of way, but in a “this guy should be installed to always heal our diseases and give us free food” sort of way. But that’s not why he came. He cared about their physical needs, yes, but he came for a higher purpose that being a bread-king would not allow to bring to fruition. He came to give his life for the sins of the world, not to be the source of free food for this temporal life. In the coming weeks, we’ll continue to go through John chapter 6 and see this divide come to a head between Jesus and the crowds, and even allow the twelve to arrange their priorities to be in line with Jesus’ priorities. 

But for now let us content ourselves with this: the one who died to pay for your sins, the one who gave his perfect obedience to you as a robe of righteousness, he is the one who cares about the complete you. Every need, every worry, every concern that you have, be it concerning short term things or long term things, physical things or spiritual things, all of these are on his mind and his heart. Come to him in prayer; unload your concerns and needs for yourself and for others on him; be strengthened by his promises that he hears and will answer for the eternal good of all.

And look for the opportunities that God places in your life to be that blessing to others. Surely the disciples wrestling with how to feed the crowds, distributing he miracle food, and gathering leftovers was all service to their fellow people that day. Whether it’s some time to sit and listen to someone who needs a shoulder to cry on, being able to provide food or other necessities for someone who is in financial or emotional need, doing something dramatic to help someone in great peril, or doing something as simple as wearing a mask in a pandemic to help keep others safe, we often are the ones that God uses to provide. He cares about our needs and often uses others around us to meet those needs. Embrace those opportunities to clearly be Jesus’ disciples. It is no clearer to the world that you belong to Jesus then when you are working to help provide and care for others. 

No matter what struggles you face right now, for yourself or a loved one, physical, spiritual, or emotional, know that your God is not far from you, your Savior loves you and is concerned for you. The one who defeated sin, death, and hell itself for you will not abandon you in these smaller issues. The one who could feed thousands with a small lunch is able to do whatever you need him to do to work eternal blessing from any challenge you currently face. Your needs are Jesus’ priority. Trust in him, rest in him, and rejoice in him forever. Amen.

"Turn Trust into Telling" (Sermon on Mark 6:7-13) | July 18, 2021

Text: Mark 6:7-13
Date: July 18, 2021
Event: The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

Mark 6:7-13 (EHV)

Jesus called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two. He gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He instructed them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their money belts. 9They were to put on sandals but not to wear two coats. 10He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area. 11Any place that will not receive you or listen to you, as you leave there, shake off the dust that is under your feet as a testimony against them.” 

12They went out and preached that people should repent. 13They also drove out many demons. They anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. 

Turn Trust into Telling

How much you trust something is going to dictate your actions, right? Earlier this week, Karen noticed that one of the kitchen table chairs was loose and needed to be tightened. As I sat down to write the sermon about 36 hours later and started thinking through this very introduction, it dawned on me that I hadn’t done anything about that. So, I went and fixed it. But before I did, if you knew that chair had a wobbly leg, how would you treat it? You probably wouldn’t just throw yourself down on it like a rag doll. You almost certainly wouldn’t have used it to boost yourself to hang a picture high on the wall. You’d use if very cautiously, if you would use it at all. Why? Because it wasn’t trustworthy. It was partially broken and needed repair or maintenance. Until that happened, it was likely that it would fail and you, to one degree or another, would get hurt. 

The same is true for people, right? If you’ve been burned by someone’s irresponsibility, or selfishness, or lies, you might have a lot of trouble depending on that person. And it really doesn’t matter how many words they use to defend themselves or assure things are different, right? If in your heart you’re thinking this person can’t be trusted, that will affect your actions and interactions with them. 

So, your trust in something or someone will change your behavior. Maybe you’ll put your wellbeing squarely on that person or thing, or you’ll avoid them completely, or likely somewhere in the middle. 

So, what about Jesus? How does your trust in him look? And how does that trust direct your actions around and concerning him? Let’s look at Jesus’ narrowly-focused mission for his disciples during his ministry and compare it to our lives this morning.

Our Gospel for this morning comes hot on the heels of Jesus’ frustrating time in Nazareth that we looked at last week. Mark’s Gospel is very brief; he doesn’t use a lot ink to indicate transitions in his account, so it’s not super clear how long after the event in Nazareth our Gospel took place, but it seems likely it was not a very long time. 

The time has come for the disciples to take a test drive in what their roles would be after Jesus’ ascension. Jesus is sending them out two-by-two to preach the gospel in the towns and villages around them. After all, six teams could cover more ground than one man. Jesus even gives them the ability to work signs and wonders that will underscore the validity of the message they are sharing: He gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

But this trip isn’t about relishing divinely-gifted power over the forces of the spiritual realm. For the disciples, this is going to be a training exercise. Jesus is calling on them to demonstrate an immense amount of trust in a couple of very notable ways. 

First, they are to express their trust in physical terms. He instructed them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their money belts. They were to put on sandals but not to wear two coats. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area.” Why does Jesus give them this instruction? They were not going to be providing for themselves. They are learning and exercising trust in God to provide. And how is God going to provide for the people he has called to share the good news? “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area.” God will provide through the generosity and hospitality of his people, which is really no different than it is today when God’s people take care of their called workers, or when our needs are tended to by family, Christian friends, or even people we’ve never met. God often meets our needs through the hands of other people.

But there’s another place Jesus is calling them to trust him, and that’s in the realm of the message they are going to proclaim. This message would not be well received by everyone. They would meet opposition. They would find it necessary to shake off the dirt of a town as a testimony against them and their rejection of the message. Matthew provides more detail of Jesus’ commissioning directions in his Gospel: “Be on guard against people. They will hand you over to councils, and they will whip you in their synagogues. You will be brought into the presence of governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:17-18). This proclamation of the gospel is not always going to go well and at times it will cause clear problems in the lives of those sharing it. Not everyone will believe, and some will even react very aggressively against it.

And we saw an example of that with Jesus himself last week, right? When he preached in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, he shared tremendous good news with them and was met with unbelief that amazed even Jesus! If Jesus did not have a perfect track record in sharing God’s truths, should the disciples expect that they would?

But still there is a promise to trust! Matthew’s Gospel continues to provide extra detail: Whenever they hand you over, do not be worried about how you will respond or what you will say, because what you say will be given to you in that hour. In fact you will not be the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you (Matthew 10:19-20).

The message of God’s Word will be met with rejection, apathy, and animosity. People won’t want to hear or think about sin, death, and hell. They won’t want to hear that there’s nothing they can do to save themselves. And, perhaps counterintuitively, they won’t want to hear that Jesus provides full forgiveness freely, without any work on their part. But the message is not shared because everyone wants to hear it; the message is shared because everyone needs to hear it. And God will make sure it goes out. He promised to give the disciples the words to speak even in the most extreme circumstances. And that promise remains for you and me.

Do you trust these promises? Do you trust that Jesus lived and died to set you free from sin? Does that affect your actions? I think the honest answer to these questions is often, “Yes, but…” Of course, Jesus is my Savior! I know he rescued me from sin, death, and hell! But do I always live confidently in those truths? Does my life always show unwavering trust and focus on the promises and eternal blessings from God? For me I can assure you that, no, it certainly does not. And if I had to guess, I would say your life does not always trust and display that trust either. 

Sin causes all sorts of problems. It doubts what God has said he’ll do. It rearranges priorities to make what I want more important than what others need and what God expects of me. It’s like if I were one of the disciples, I would have responded to Jesus call by saying “Yeah, um, I’m going to bring a pretty big suitcase full of supplies and things I like because I don’t trust you to provide. Oh, and I’m going to be spending a lot of time doing what I want to do rather than what you’ve called me to do.”

God forgive us for this lack of trust! And he does. That’s what Jesus came to solve, after all. But still, the Christian life can feel frustratingly cyclical, can’t it? Sin to guilt to repentance to forgiveness and then before we know it sin is back again and the cycle starts anew. But a cycle doesn’t change God nor does it change his promises. Despite our faithlessness, God’s promises are still true. The promise that Jesus has set us free from sin is still true. The promise that we have eternal life waiting for us is still true. The promise that our Savior loves us is still true!

As you find yourself refreshed and renewed in your trust of those truths here this morning, find yourself in the disciples’ shoes as well. Jesus has called you to tell what you trust. You might not have the power over evil spirits, but you should expect the same care, the same providence, and the same reception that the disciples and even Jesus himself received. Some will listen and rejoice with you; some will reject and even cause problems for you. But in the end, your trust is anchored to the God who does not change and who rules all things for the good of his people, the good of his church. 

So, turn your trust into telling. And where you sense your trust faltering, seek God’s power in the Word and sacraments, where he bolsters and strengthens that trust. Rejoice in the work God has given you to do, even if it’s not always exciting or outwardly successful. God’s kingdom comes through our sharing of this message as individuals and as a congregation. May God continue to bless that work to the glory of his name! Amen.

"Are We Dismissive of Jesus?" (Sermon on Mark 6:1-6) | July 11, 2021

Text: Mark 6:1-6
Date: July 11, 2021
Event: The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

Mark 6:1-6 (EHV)

Jesus left there and went to his hometown. His disciples followed him. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did this man learn these things? What is this wisdom that has been given to this man? How is it that miracles such as these are performed by his hands? 3Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 

4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own house.” 5He could not do any miracles there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around the villages teaching. 

Are We Dismissive of Jesus?

“Familiarity breeds contempt.” Have you heard that phrase before? Have you felt that? Maybe you really felt it during the more intense periods of lockdown throughout the pandemic that perhaps left you very frustrated with the people or the inanimate objects in your immediate surroundings. Did the four walls of the house seem to be closing in? Did the habits of the members of your household start to grate on your nerves to a degree that they really hadn’t before? 

The more familiar we are with someone or something, the more the chances arise that we get irrationally frustrated with it or them. Think how, generally, your patience for your family might be shorter and abrupter than your patience for coworkers, or members at church, or even total strangers. That seems really backwards, doesn’t it? Shouldn’t we be more patient and loving toward the people to whom we are so tightly connected? But, the sinful nature will take something good and warp it into something negative. 

It seems like that’s maybe what’s happening in our Gospel. Jesus has been doing preaching and teaching around Galilee, but has perhaps been conspicuously absent from the town where he grew up, Nazareth. But at this time, he goes “home” and is there during the Sabbath. It would have been common for any adult male in the congregation gathered in a synagogue to stand up and read. If we are to assume that this account and what is recorded in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 4:14ff) are the same event, Jesus stood up and read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He read a section speaking about the coming Messiah, and claimed that at that moment what God promised through Isaiah was fulfilled in him. 

This, combined with everything that they had heard about him performing miracles, led to astonishment at what Jesus was saying and doing. Many who heard him were amazed. (Keep in mind that they were amazed, as that will factor in later.) But it wasn’t just amazement. They were asking some probing questions, “Where did this man learn these things? What is this wisdom that has been given to this man? How is it that miracles such as these are performed by his hands? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” Not terrible questions at first blush, right? They had seen this Jesus grow up among them. They knew him to be Mary and Joseph’s firstborn son. Jesus might have stood out as an exceptionally well-behaved child, but that was likely the extent of it. 

But with his wisdom and authority in these matters, our translation says, “they took offense at him.” I think it’s even a bit stronger than that. Literally, it means they “they were caused to sin by him.” So this is a little bit more than amazement and wonder at their hometown boy. We might sum up their questions with something a bit more negative-sounding with negative implications and overtones. When they thought about Jesus they were thinking something along the lines of, “Who does this guy think he is?” The knew him too well to respect him as the Messiah, or even as a prophet sent by God. Their familiarity with him bred contempt.

And Jesus points that out. “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own house.” Jesus was prevented from doing much of anything, miracle wise, because of their lack of faith. The miracles always served the purpose of pointing to the validity of the things that he was teaching. When they had flat-out rejected his teaching, there was no reason to do any miracles except in a few isolated situations. And while they were amazed at what he said, Jesus was amazed at their unbelief.

Good thing that’s not what Jesus says or thinks about us, right? Or, are we getting a little bit hasty assuming he doesn’t?

Are we dismissive of Jesus like the people of Nazareth? Has our own familiarity with Jesus bred contempt for him, his will, and his Word in our lives? Is Jesus amazed at our unbelief? How we can know? How can we measure that faith? 

Faith, of course, is not a tangible thing. Faith is the trust in Jesus as Savior that God gives and strengthens through his Word and the sacraments. But in his letter, James (likely the same James listed in our Gospel as one of Jesus’ brothers) gives us a metric to follow. There he writes: Be people who do what the word says, not people who only hear it. Such people are deceiving themselves (James 1:22).

So, we can’t see faith, but we can see how it’s working and thriving. Just like we can’t see someone’s body temperature, but a thermometer can give us that reading. So, how often do we come to church or connect in online, hear what God says, and then let it go no farther. How often do we let Jesus’ teaching have no effect on us or assume that he doesn’t really care what we do or don’t do? Has our familiarity with Jesus’ patience caused us to be dismissive of his will and warnings? 

How often have we left this place and then been harsh with our spouse or children? How often have we left this place and been completely apathetic to the needs of other people when they interfere with our desires and goals? How often have we left here feeling like we’ve put in our “hour for God,” and then proceeded to live the other 167 hours of the week according to the whims and desires of our heart that is so often led astray by selfish sin? 

More often than we’d like to admit, right? We sometimes like the idea of being a Christian, but not the implications that it brings. Implications of needing to put others first, implications of needing to correct our sinful tendencies (even those things that our sinful natures have deceived us into thinking are “fun” or “wholesome”). We’ve become so familiar with law and gospel that we hardly hear God speak anymore, and we get irritated when he would have the audacity to correct us, as if we didn’t know it all already.

But, that’s what Paul said in our Second Lesson, didn’t he? What is the purpose of the God-breathed, perfect, inspired Scripture? It is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, well equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If the Word is not rebuking us, if it is not correcting us, if we’re not letting it apply itself in our lives we’re treating our Savior with the same disdain and disgust that the people of Nazareth did. Who does this Jesus guy think he is?

Well, who do we know he is? He is our God who took on flesh in a way so unassuming that the people around him didn’t recognize him as something different. And he didn’t do it just to teach a new morality or to give an example to follow. He did it specifically because there were people in his world and in our world so dismissive of him that it was leading to hell. He came to offer his life as a sacrifice to pay for our dismissiveness and horrendously upset priorities. He died to set us free. He has given us a new life, a life we live not to feed our desires but to serve him in thankfulness.

So, my brothers and sisters, let this good news encourage you and let it be fresh in your mind and heart.  Your sins are forgiven! You have eternal life! As a result, don’t let your heart be a place where the Prophet, your Savior Jesus, is without honor. Instead, hear the Word! Apply the Word! Make your heart an environment where the Word makes lasting changes. Find joy in being corrected, trained, even rebuked by Jesus because his is the way that leads to eternal life. Sin, left unchecked in our lives, will lead to unbelief and hell, but by God’s grace our lives are lived in thankful service to our God. They are lives that continue to prioritize his will above our own and seek change where we have erred, whether it be a new problem this week or something that has haunted us for decades. This life draws its strength from the gift of God in Jesus, which has completely forgiven our sins without any action on our part.

Are we dismissive of Jesus? At times, yes. But by God’s grace and Jesus’ forgiveness, we are washed clean of that dismissiveness and contempt for God and every other sin as well. Instead, we rejoice to have him speak to us, both words of comfort and words of correction. Lord Jesus, mold me into the person you want me to be so that I may thank you for your free forgiveness with my whole life! Amen.

"The Gospel Is Worth Risking It All!" (Sermon on 2 Timothy 1:8-14) | July 4, 2021

Text: 2 Timothy 1:8–14
Date: July 4, 2021
Event: The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

2 Timothy 1:8–14  (EHV)

8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Instead, join with me in suffering for the gospel while relying on the power of God. 9He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10and it has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher of the Gentiles, 12and that is why I am suffering these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. 

13Hold fast to the pattern of sound words that you heard from me, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14Through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you.

The Gospel Is Worth Risking It All!

I’m not much of a gambler. The couple of times I’ve been to Las Vegas combined, I’ve put probably a grand total of $10 in slot machines and (surprise, surprise) lost it all. I walked away from those experiences thinking, “Well, that was dumb.” But it feels the same with other types of gambling like poker or sports betting or whatever else someone might put a lot of money on. Never mind the greed aspect of it all, in the end, I’m somewhat risk-averse. Risking a large amount of money on the performance of things outside of my control has never made sense or seemed worth it. 

And that same feeling can even weigh in on things like determining where and how to invest for retirement. I usually look for stability over the possibility of huge gains. I don’t want to risk it all. So we try not to put all of our eggs in one basket. Diversify! That might mean missing out on positive things if the markets go well, but it also means you’re a bit sheltered if things go belly-up.

But the apostle Paul in our Second Lesson for this morning is giving us some different advice. Not in how to behave in a casino or how to invest your money. He says there is one thing worth risking it all for, worth potentially losing it all—even our own lives! And that is the gospel message. It is so valuable, so worthwhile, that we do well to bet everything we have, earthly speaking, for the blessings God brings through that message. So this morning, let’s look at how we can avoid hedging our bets and instead go all-in on the promises God has made!

Paul’s second letter to Timothy is likely the last letter Paul wrote that is recorded in the Bible before he died. He’s not under house arrest; he’s in prison. He’s not going to go on any missionary journeys anymore; he’s likely going to lose his life in the coming weeks or months. And he knows it. And he knows why it’s happening. During the reign of Roman emperor Nero, the emperor started persecuting Christians throughout the empire. Many Christians were put to death for their faith. Tradition has it that both Peter and Paul met their ends during this persecution because they were messengers of the gospel.

But notice how you don’t hear any regret in Paul’s words here. And if you read through all of 2 Timothy (which you should this afternoon—it’ll take like 15 minutes even if you’re a slow reader like I am), you won’t find any regret in any of his words in that whole letter. Some sadness that he can’t spread the gospel like he wants to? Sure. A bit of trepidation as to what exactly lies ahead? Absolutely. But regret? Not even a hint of it.

But why? This is not Paul coming down with an unavoidable disease or an accident that took his life. Paul knows the exact reason he’s going to die: the gospel message about Jesus. If he had just not done that work or maybe been a bit more discrete about it, he might have preserved his life. Surely when his untimely death is coming for a reason that was in his control, there would be some sadness over having it go this way.

And yet, that’s not what we hear from Paul. In fact, just the opposite. His purpose in writing to young Pastor Timothy is, in part, to encourage Timothy not to give up the work that he’s doing. Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Instead, join with me in suffering for the gospel while relying on the power of God. That’s not exactly a pep-talk, is it? There’s no mention of “everything’s going to be fine” or “God will take care of you and protect you.” No, “join with me in suffering.” That doesn’t sound great. That sounds downright bad and unpleasant. 

Why would Paul say such a thing? Because the gospel is worth risking it all. Consider his brief and beautiful summary of that message: He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, and it has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 

What a beautiful picture! God called us from what we were by nature—sinners devoted to rebelling against him—and brought us to a new life, a life that serves him. This was not done “because of our works” but “because of his purpose and grace.” Grace is that love of God that he gives us even though we don’t deserve it, love that even gives us the opposite of what we deserve.

And this message of a new calling of forgiveness in Jesus? Paul says that he’s suffering because he was a messenger of this good news. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. The gospel is worth risking it all because the gospel ensures that we are not risking it all. If we suffer for Jesus, so what? We have Jesus. Even if we die for Jesus, so what? We have Jesus. Faith in Jesus as Savior produces what seems like an irrational response to death. Faith in Jesus as Savior clings to the one who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 

Paul has no regret because he’s looking well beyond the threats and power of the emperor; he’s looking to the promises and power of God. He said that God can guard what Paul entrusted to him. What did Paul entrust? His very life. Not limited to this temporal, physical life, but his eternal life. God can and will keep that safe because that is his grace, which is what the gospel is all about. Jesus dies to pay for sin; thus, we are safe with God forever. 

Paul’s encouragement to Timothy is the same as the encouragement he would have for you and me. Hold fast to the pattern of sound words that you heard from me, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you. These two thoughts are very connected. The deposit that we have entrusted to God is our life, even our eternal life. What is the deposit he gave to us? The faith to trust Jesus as Savior. We are to guard that, take care of that because our very eternal lives depend on it. And how do we do that? Hold fast to the pattern of sound words that you heard from me, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Stay connected to the Scriptures, to the teaching that God inspired. Guard that good deposit by surrounding yourself with the gospel message and the whole of God’s Word, by which the Holy Spirit creates and strengthens faith. 

So what does this mean for us? Partially, it means changing what we might naturally think about death. Death is not indicative of God’s abandonment. That’s what the disciples in our Gospel thought last week, right? “Don’t you care that we are about to drown?” (Mark 4:34) they accusingly asked Jesus as the storm raged on the Sea of Galilee. It would be easy to think that God had turned his back on Paul, and that’s why he was going to die, but that could not be farther from the truth! 

When a loved one faces death, when we face death, it is not that God has left us. It is that he is calling us to our eternal reward. The Christian faith changes our response to death because it fundamentally changes what death is all about. It is no longer the beginning of punishment for our sins in hell; it is the full realization of all that God has done for us in Jesus, the end of sin, and the beginning of our true, eternal life with God! Immortality with Jesus, won by Jesus!

So Jesus undoes the scariness of death and replaces it with life and comfort. Jesus was not lying when he called death just a sleep for those in Jairus’ house. Likewise, Paul faced death without fear because he knew that he was safe with Christ. He also knew that he was facing death because he brought that message of comfort and confidence to others—and for that, there can be no shame or regret! 

Jesus undoes death’s fear for us as well. As a result, we can face our own deaths or the deaths of a loved one in the Lord with confidence, knowing that nothing is left to chance. God’s promises mean that death is but the entry into eternal life. Or, as Jesus said, pointing ahead to his own resurrection from the dead, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:18).

So do not shrink from death out of fear. Do not be ashamed of the gospel you cling to or the Savior who gave it. This message of eternal life in Jesus’ death and resurrection is worth risking it all, even our very lives, because eternity for us and for those around us depends on that gospel message. Like Paul, may we too be heralds of this good news: Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again! Thanks be to God! Amen.

"Do You Still Lack Faith?" (Sermon on Mark 4:35-41) | June 27, 2021

Text: Mark 4:35-41
Date: June 27, 2021
Event: The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

Mark 4:35–41 (EHV)

35On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” 36After leaving the crowd behind, the disciples took him along in the boat, just as he was. Other small boats also followed him. 37A great windstorm arose, and the waves were splashing into the boat, so that the boat was quickly filling up. 38Jesus himself was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown?” 

39Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still lack faith?” 

41They were filled with awe and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” 

Do You Still Lack Faith?

“Do you trust me?” Aladdin asked that to Princess Jasmine at least twice in the animated Disney movie I grew up with. Notably, he asked her this just before she climbed onto the impossible flying carpet. Of course, at that time, he was deceiving her and pretending to be something that he wasn’t, so as the audience perhaps, we’re saying, “You shouldn’t!” But she did, and off they went to see a whole new world, set to a catchy musical number.

We face all sorts of difficulties in this life that God has promised to take care of us through and even work good from. Yet, how often do we face those troubles doubting God’s ability or willingness to help and solve them and do what he said he would do? Probably more often than we like to think. But still, at the beginning of troubles, God reaches his hand to us and asks, “Do you trust me?” Or, to take us more into our lesson, at the end of trouble when we doubted and fretted and worried, he speaks as he spoke to his disciples, “Do you still lack faith?” By God’s grace, we will leave here today more trusting of God’s promises and abilities to help and protect us than we were when we arrived.

Our Gospel takes place just after our Gospel for last week. Jesus had been teaching the crowds with parables like the hidden growing seed and the tiny mustard seed. There were so many people gathered that Jesus had to get onto a boat and push off from shore to be heard better. We have just a sliver of his teaching recorded for us in the Gospels. I know what I feel like some Sundays when Bible Class leads into Worship and leads into Catechism or a meeting. But that’s nothing compared to what Jesus had done that day; to say that Jesus would have been exhausted is an understatement.

So, after he was done teaching, Jesus suggests that they all take some time to recharge. Jesus said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” And so they all got into the boat and left. They took Jesus into the boat “just as he was,” which probably means beat and exhausted, and went out across the Sea of Galilee.

You know what it’s like to be so tired you can’t see straight, and when you finally, mercifully, get to lay down, you’re just out. Well, that’s Jesus here. He finds a quiet place in the stern of the boat and is just out, a good reminder that our Savior while being true God, is also a true human being. 

The seasoned fishermen are doing the sailing, and Jesus is resting. Until that is, his sleep is broken by terrified faces and shouts crying out to him. The wind is howling, water is actually filling the boat. It would have been wildly disorienting to wake up to that scene. A storm had arisen while Jesus slept. It was a storm so great that these men who spent most of their professional lives on this body of water feared they might die. Their panicked question to Jesus is half-accusing and half-asking, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown?”

Jesus gets up and, bafflingly, speaks to the wind and the water. He rebukes them for being so stormy and scary. And what is the result of Jesus’ stern talking to these forces of nature? “The wind stopped, and there was a great calm.” I love that phrase, “a great calm,” the polar opposite of what Mark wrote two verses before, “a great windstorm.” The storm had been so large that the calm in its wake seems almost heavy as well. Jesus had totally undone what had caused the fear in the disciples’ hearts.

But Jesus, perhaps still groggy or exhausted, with sleep in his eyes, speaks to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still lack faith?” That feels kind of harsh at first blush, doesn’t it? “Jesus, these men just feared for their lives! Is now the time the criticize them?” Well, yes, actually, to make the long-lasting point Jesus is trying to make.

Let’s unpack what happened here. While Jesus was asleep, this storm arose. The disciples probably figured they could handle it; they had likely been in hundreds of storms before. But then it got worse and worse; the situation got more and more dire. They found that everything they tried failed. They had no solutions, no ability to do much of anything. The problem proved greater than they had first anticipated. And so, perhaps because they were out of other options, they come to Jesus, “Don’t you care that we are about to drown?”

Before we really harp on the disciples too much, let’s commend them for just a moment. Because they did show some faith here, didn’t they? Jesus was not an experienced sailor. They were not looking to him to show them how to handle a boat in the storm. They looked for his help to save them from the storm (although it doesn’t seem like yelling at the wind was what they were expecting). So, they needed help, and they knew Jesus could help, so they come to him. That is commendable. 

What is not commendable, and what seems to be the lack of faith that Jesus is addressing, is that they didn’t trust that Jesus would do anything or didn’t trust that he actually cared about their problem. It's right there in the question they asked, right? Did Jesus care? Of course he did! As their friend and teacher, Jesus cherished them. As their Creator and Savior, he loved them beyond any human love.

Likewise, as we mentioned, they seem to come to Jesus as a last resort. I guess we don’t know how long the storm was raging before someone went to wake up Jesus, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t go out of his way to make clear that waking Jesus was their first reaction. Now, surely when the storm first arose, and they thought they could probably handle it, they wanted Jesus to rest the best he could and didn't want to disturb him. But when it was clear that this was going from bad to worse, why did they not come to Jesus first?

The more we’re circling the disciples’ motives and actions, the more uncomfortable this gets, right? If we walk away from today’s lesson thinking, “Oh, those disciples. So silly and forgetful!” we have missed the point entirely.

We are the disciples, aren’t we? We face troubles in life—storms of the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual—and what do we do? We grit our teeth and try to bravely solve it ourselves, without even giving a thought to God’s promises and power. Then, when things get out of control, and we realize we can’t solve this problem on our own, we almost turn on God, right? “God! Don’t you care that this thing is happening? Will you fix it? Can you fix it?”

Oh, and there it is. How often do we doubt that God can do anything about our problems? How often do we doubt that the all-powerful Creator of the universe can do something to help us? Or maybe it’s not really doubt about ability—we know that he is omnipotent after all—perhaps it’s more about desire or willingness to help. Sure, God could help; he can do anything. But will God do anything at all about the current problem? That’s when doubt sets in. And that’s when Jesus asks, “Do you still lack faith?”

Can I tattle on myself for a moment by way of an example? Last week, one of our members wisely suggested that we have a prayer for rain in worship, which we did. And yet, as we had that prayer, do you know what subtle thoughts flashed through my head? I knew what the weather had been. I knew the calendar, where we are in the seasons. And I knew what the weather forecast was for the coming week. I didn’t quite think these thoughts exactly, but I came close to thinking, “Why are we praying for this? It’s not going to happen.”

“My dear under-shepherd,” the Good Shepherd says to me, “do you still lack faith?” I guess so. As if the all-powerful Creator of the universe couldn’t overcome a traditional rainy-season / dry-season timing. As if he who produced supernatural droughts and ended them in spectacular blessing throughout the history of his Word couldn’t here, in our day, bring rain in our need. As if this one issue, for some reason, was outside of his capabilities or willingness to do something, even to do something surprising.

Now, did it rain this past week? No. But that doesn’t mean that God is unable or unwilling to help. It’s simply that he knows better than what we do what is best for right now. He knows what he’s doing and will provide what we need when we need it. He tells us to pray in the day or months of trouble. So, we see a need for rain, and we pray for rain. Sometimes his response to those prayers make sense to us; other times, they are entirely bewildering. 

I don’t share this because I want you to think your pastor is a spiritual buffoon. I share this because I think it’s a microcosm of all of our lived experiences. We’re in continual storms, and we doubt God’s willingness to help. How many times have we faced a problem that we just never prayed about it? Or prayed about it once and then never returned to our Savior again? Do we still lack faith? Yes. God asks, “Do you trust me?” and often our answer is, “Well, kind of, but not really…”

My brothers and sisters, look at what our God has done for you. In your sin, you were truly hopeless, in a storm you would never weather. You would die in that sin-storm, and that death would be eternal in hell. Jesus roused himself, obeying his Father’s will, to come and be our Substitute and our Savior. By his life, death, and resurrection, he rebuked sin, told death to stop, and silenced Satan. We are freed from our sin because Jesus calmed that eternal storm.

So, if he was willing and able to do that, what do you think about those other problems that are not small but undoubtedly smaller by comparison? Does Jesus care about you? Of course he does! Will he do what you want him to do? Maybe. Will he do what you need him to do? Absolutely. 

So don’t come to your Savior as your last resort; make him the first line of defense when the wind starts howling and the water starts splashing. Don’t come wondering if he cares or if he can do anything. Come in the certain confidence that no matter what the problem or how deep the hurt, your Savior can and will bring calm to that storm and work good from it. It may take a long time to understand that good, but that is what he promised, and that is what he will do.

Lord Jesus, we do so often lack faith. Send your Spirit to calm our troubled hearts and keep us ever focused on you as our Savior and Storm-calmer. Be with us in good times and in difficult times to comfort, heal, and encourage. Help us to be your hands and mouths to bring your comfort to those around us. Amen.

"Is Our God Small?" (Sermon on Mark 4:26-34) | June 20, 2021

Text: Mark 4:26-34
Date: June 20, 2021
Event: The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 

Mark 4:26–34 (EHV)

26He said, “The kingdom of God is like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, 27and while he sleeps and rises, night and day the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29When the crop is ready, he swings the sickle without delay, because the harvest has come.” 

30Then he said, “To what should we compare the kingdom of God? Or with what parable may we picture it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. 32Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.” 

33With many similar parables he continued to speak the word to them, as much as they were able to hear. 34He did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them. 

Is Our God Small?

This week I saw a brief video clip of a person whose job it was to work with cheetahs. Cheetahs are often pretty skittish animals, despite their size and speed. (You might look up pictures or videos of cheetahs being assigned a companion dog to help them in their nervousness if you want to be overloaded with some cute images.) But the person in the video I saw was staying with a group of two or three cheetahs and comforting them when they got scared during the night. It showed someone in a sleeping bag, encouraging these big cats to come and snuggle with him when they appeared anxious. The person ends up with a pile of cheetahs right beside him, huddled in close.

A part of me found this adorable, but another part of me was really concerned about this. What happened if the cheetahs got too scared or got agitated? Could they kill a person? I know the person could not outrun these big cats and I assume if something clicked and they decided their comforter was actually their enemy, it seems very possible that that would be his end. But then I got to thinking: our two cats at home will snuggle with us on the couch or plop themselves on our laps and sometimes even pile up at the end of a bed. Why was I not really alarmed about that, but was alarmed about the cheetahs?

It probably comes down to size, right? Our cats, despite being big guys, are still just house cats. But these cheetahs were wild animals that can weigh upwards of 150lbs. Our cats are fast when they’re not being lazy, but they’re not cheetah fast. The apparent size and strength of something probably heavily influence what we think about its power to hurt or help.

But sometimes, our assumptions about power based on size are very, very wrong. We’ve seen how a microscopic virus can turn the world upside down. At Christmas, a birthday, or a graduation, a simple card may have a more life-changing gift tucked inside than a giant box with shiny wrapping paper. Smallness should not be equated with insignificance. 

Which brings us to Jesus’ parables in our Gospel for this morning. Jesus is teaching a crowd so large he had to get into a boat and push off a bit from the shore to talk to them. This is not an intimate gathering of his disciples. This is a crowd being taught en masse in the early days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. As such, Jesus uses parables to try to ground the spiritual things he’s teaching in terminology and experiences that would have been familiar to the large audience before him.

The two parables we have before us are both related to agriculture, as many of Jesus’ parables were. He’s using these parables to explain the “kingdom of God.” We should note that when Jesus talks about “kingdom of God,” he’s often not speaking about eternal life. Jesus is not talking about heaven. He’s talking about God’s rule of grace in our hearts. When you hear the “kingdom of God” either in parables like these or the Lord’s Prayer, you should think primarily of the faith that God gives.

So Jesus is talking about the faith by which he rules in the hearts of his people. How does he describe that faith? “A man scatters seed on the ground, and while he sleeps and rises, night and day the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. When the crop is ready, he swings the sickle without delay, because the harvest has come.” What is Jesus’ point? The seed of faith is planted; we have little idea of how it grows, but it does grow, producing a harvest.

A seed planted in the ground seems kind of ridiculous, right? If you didn’t know anything about plants and you saw someone planting seeds, you might be tempted to ask, “You’re going to put that tiny thing in the dirt, and somehow, after some time, it’s going to produce food to sustain you?” A seed is insignificant. It looks small and powerless. And that’s Jesus’ focus in the second parable: “It is like a mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.” The mustard seed is this tiny, tiny speck of a seed. And yet, the plant that comes from it can dwarf most garden plants. Birds can nest in and around it. This minuscule dot produces a powerful blessing for many.

We can be tempted to think our God is small. He doesn’t show himself in clearly visible and powerful ways. He doesn’t make his providence known with splashy demonstrations of might. Instead, he works in ways that seem weak and dull. Saving people through the spoken or written Word? Strengthening faith through a bit of bread and a sip of wine? Really? This is the omnipotent Creator of the universe? This is the one we are to trust with our eternal well-being?

And perhaps this leads to some of the shame we mentioned last week. Perhaps we are ashamed of our God. Maybe we are tempted not to share what we believe because it seems so… unbelievable? Powerless? Small?

Is our God small because he uses small-looking means? Hardly! If we return to Christmas for just a bit, Jesus in the manger, this whole scene looks small and insignificant. But when you know what is going on at the manger, your mind is blown. Because this is the incarnation of God, this is the eternal God taking his place in time and flesh to rescue his creatures from their sin! What seemed small, what looked insignificant, is not at all. These appearances are deceiving. 

Truly, we don’t fully understand how faith grows, like the farmer or gardener planting a seed may not fully understand why the seed grows. And that’s because faith is not a rational, explainable thing; faith is a supernatural thing. We don’t turn a crank to make our faith grow. We don’t work out our “faith muscles” to make our faith stronger. The Holy Spirit uses the means of grace—his Word and the sacraments—to create and strengthen faith in a way that we can feel but not fully understand. I sense that my faith is stronger after having contact with God’s Word, but I can’t draw a diagram of how that worked.

Likewise, faith seems like nothing, no matter how strong it is, no matter how much it has grown. Faith doesn’t leave me with something concrete to hold on to. It doesn’t materialize itself as a weapon or shield or anything else I can lay my hands on. It’s esoteric. It is simply trusting God that what he’s said he has done and will do is actually true. And it’s not something that I can produce in my heart; it is something that God places there, cultivates there, and makes it flourish. 

But is that God or is that faith actually small and insignificant? No! Think of what God does with that planted seed. The seed of faith, planted and grown, leads someone to cling to their Savior. This tiny, insignificant-looking thing is what God uses to rescue us from our sins and, at our death, bring us to eternal life. That faith he gives grips to Jesus’ cross tightly, depending on his life and death as the certainty of our forgiveness. It leads from death to life. It leads from hell to heaven. This tiny little thing produces something that has massive, eternal ramifications for us. But not only for us.

As God makes that seed of faith grow, it shows itself in your life. The way you serve others, the way you treat other people reflects that faith in your heart. It may bring comfort to someone in need or peace to someone in distress. The branches of your faith may provide peaceful shade to those around you. If that person is a fellow Christian, that leads to mutual encouragement. If that person is not a Christian, it may lead to the opportunity to share this insignificant-looking but eternally-indispensable seed of faith with them.

Don’t let appearances deceive you. Is your faith powerless? No! Is your God small? Absolutely not! Your Savior has defeated all of your eternal enemies and has given you this faith—his very rule in your heart—to trust him. That faith, given by God, will be used to bring you to eternal life. Your God is your eternal Champion. He provides what we need, always, even if it doesn’t always look spectacular with our human eyes and reason. Praise be to God for that seed of faith that he causes to grow, leading up to eternal life! Amen.

"Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Us!" (Sermon on Hebrews 2:9-11) | June 13, 2021

Text: Hebrews 2:9-11
Date: June 13, 2021
Event: The Third Sunday after Pentecost, Year B (Non-Lectionary)

Hebrews 2:9–11 (EHV)

But we look to Jesus (the one who was made lower than the angels for a little while, so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone), now crowned with glory and honor, because he suffered death. 

Certainly it was fitting for God (the one for whom and through whom everything exists), in leading many sons to glory, to bring the author of their salvation to his goal through sufferings. For he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified all have one Father. For that reason, he is not ashamed to call them brothers.

Jesus Is Not Ashamed of Us!

Shame can be a powerful force. Wanting to avoid shame can lead us to be cowardly or curb our impulses to be better in line with socially acceptable behavior. Maybe the thought of feeling shame over answering a question wrong in class leads you to not even raise your hand. Perhaps the idea of feeling shame over disgraceful words or actions leads you to avoid drinking too much alcohol. On a more lighthearted side, perhaps children are worried that Mom or Dad might say something embarrassing in public or with their friends, or parents might be concerned about shame resulting from a young child who just speaks his or her mind—or repeats what they’ve heard at home.

We don’t want people to be ashamed of us. We want people to think well of us. And that’s pretty universal, whether we consider our family, our fellow members at church, our coworkers, or even perfect strangers. We don’t want anyone to be ashamed to be near us or be associated with us. And perhaps much of our outward behavior is driven to trying to avoid letting this happening.

But what about God? Do we think about what God thinks of us? Do we think about him being ashamed of us or proud of us? Surely, if we’re concerned about what the stranger at the restaurant might think about us if we slip and fall on a patch of wet tile, then we should care what the Almighty thinks about us, right? 

Except we don’t want to think about that. Because we know what God thinks. And shame doesn’t even begin to describe it. He’s so massively disappointed, frustrated, and angry with us. But why? Because he had expectations and goals for us. And we’ve missed all of them, completely. Never has a parent been disappointed by their children nor a child disappointed by their parents in the same way that we have let down God.

He created us to be perfect, to have this flawless harmony with him. Our sin destroyed that. Instead of being united with God, we are separated from him. Instead of having harmony with God, we’re fighting against him. As we think of God’s feelings toward us, it’s pretty hard to feel that he has anything but what he felt just before the flood where Moses records, “The Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with sorrow” (Genesis 6:6). Regret, sorrow, and we might rightly assume shame at having any connection to us. This is not the kind of relationship we wanted with God.

Of course, it’s not the relationship that he wanted with us, either. But to change it was going to be difficult; it was going to be costly. But God also did not shy away from that effort and cost. Because while his shame, disappointment, and anger over sin were all real, so was his love for you. The shame he felt over us  because of our sins did not mean total abandonment. It meant he was that much more invested in changing our sinful status. 

The writer to the Hebrews is writing to Christians in crisis. His original audience was Jewish converts to Christianity. He’s writing amid a great persecution that has broken out against Christians around the Roman Empire. In some places, it meant death. In other places, it meant challenging times in life and commerce. The author’s audience was tempted to turn away from their Christian faith and return to their former life in Judaism. There would be no persecution there; Judaism wasn’t an illegal religion in the empire, so it would have been really appealing.

But to do so would mean abandoning Jesus and everything that he had done for them. The author lays out a detailed reminder of who this Jesus is. In Chapter 1, before our lesson, he spends a great deal of time reminding his readers of Jesus’ divinity, that he is God, higher than all things, greater than anything that has been made—even the angels!

But what did this great Son of God do with that power? Come to destroy the insolent sinners? Terrify them with his wrath? No. We look to Jesus (the one who was made lower than the angels for a little while, so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone), now crowned with glory and honor, because he suffered death. The Creator became a lowly part of his creation. Jesus humbled himself to take on our human nature and live as one of us. God inserted himself in time and in flesh to save us, becoming a bit lower than even the angels.

Any of our catechism students or recent confirmands can tell you that our Savior had to be God to keep God’s law perfectly in our place. But God is enteral; he cannot die. So he had to be a man to be able to die because that death was necessary to pay for sins. Every animal sacrifice offered on Israel’s altar pointed ahead to that one great sacrifice that was coming and has in fact come as the writer to the Hebrews reminds all of us!

But our Savior also had to be God for the reason the writer makes explicit here: the one who was made lower than the angels for a little while, so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone. Jesus had to be God for the universal application of his death. It was once for all. No more sacrifices are necessary. Jesus, true God and true man, finished the work. It is over and done. Our sins are forgiven.

The writer continues: Certainly it was fitting for God (the one for whom and through whom everything exists), in leading many sons to glory, to bring the author of their salvation to his goal through sufferings. Jesus is indeed the author of our salvation. He is the one where our salvation finds its beginning and its completion. And what is the result of that? We are led to glory. We are sanctified, made holy, set apart for the special calling as God’s children. And that glory that we are led to is the same glory with which Jesus has been crowned. 

We have this beautiful unity with our conquering Savior! The writer to the Hebrews says, “For he who sanctifies (that is, Jesus) and those who are being sanctified (that is, you and me) all have one Father. For that reason, he is not ashamed to call them brothers.” We are connected to our Savior; we are members of the same family. This is what Jesus said in our gospel: “He looked at those who sat around him in a circle and he said, ‘Look, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother’” (Mark 3:34-35). What is the will of God? To believe in the Savior he sent and to live our lives in thankful gratitude to him. 

Jesus’ work means that our sins are gone. That means all the reasons we had for shame before God or for God to be ashamed of us are also gone. Jesus doesn’t begrudgingly call us his siblings; he boasts in it! He rejoices in it! This was the whole reason he came, to conquer sin, Satan, and death and to bring us to be with him, to bring us where we belong. 

It is easy for this to become same-old, same-old for us. We’ve heard this message how many times in our lives? Hundreds? Thousands? But don’t let it become dull and blasé. Let these truths, solidified by your baptism, be of prime importance and the reason for your rejoicing. Let your actions, your words, even the tone of your words be motivated by your membership in God’s household, your siblinghood with Jesus. Let us not be ashamed of our Savior, who is not ashamed of us. Let us live our lives as beacons of his light in this dark world, drawing all people to the love God has shown in our Savior.

Jesus’ forgiveness leads us to glory in his house forever. He is not ashamed of us! Rejoice in that truth today and always! Amen.

"Peace Comes from God Alone" (Sermon on Ezekiel 37:1-14) | May 23, 2021

Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Date: May 23, 2021
Event: The Day of Pentecost, Year B

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (EHV)

The hand of the Lord was upon me. He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley, which was full of bones. 2He had me pass through them and go all over among them. There were very many on the valley floor, and they were very dry.

3He said to me, “Son of man, can these dry bones live?” I answered, “Lord God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’”

5This is what the Lord God says to these bones.

I am about to make breath enter you so that you will live. 6I will attach tendons to you. I will put flesh back on you. I will cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

7So I prophesied as I had been commanded, and as I was prophesying there was a noise, a rattling, as the bones came together, one bone connecting to another. 8As I watched, tendons were attached to them, then flesh grew over them, and skin covered them. But there was no breath in them.

9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the wind. Prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind that this is what the Lord God says. From the four winds, come, O wind, and breathe into these slain so that they may live.”

10So I prophesied as he commanded me. Breath entered them, and they came back to life. They stood on their feet, a very, very large army.

11Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They are saying, ‘Our bones are dried up. Our hope is lost. We have been completely cut off.’ 12Therefore, prophesy and say to them that this is what the Lord God says. My people, I am going to open your graves and raise you up from your graves and bring you back to the soil of Israel. 13Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. I will settle you on your own land, and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.”

Peace Comes from God Alone

Have you noticed an uptick in anxiousness in yourself and other people lately? In the last year and a half we’ve had to transition from ignorance to knowledge about a pandemic, which produced anxiousness in wondering what we didn’t know about this disease and its short-term and long-term effects. We also then didn’t clearly understand the harm those who would deny what we did know would cause. There was anxiousness about the best way to protect others and to protect yourself. And now, we seem to be entering a period of anxiousness surrounding how to properly, safely, and responsibly transition in the tail end of the pandemic. Perhaps you’re anxious to see no more masks around you; perhaps the sight of someone without a mask makes you anxious.

Being anxious means you’re on edge, you feel like you could snap at a moment’s notice, that peace and calm are generally not in your heart. It’s not a good feeling. It’s almost like you drank too much coffee—but it doesn’t go away. And for you, it might not be the pandemic that does it to you. Maybe it’s state, national, or global politics and conflict. Maybe it’s concern about the overall health, well-being, and futures of the members of your family. Maybe it’s your own decisions and plans about what’s ahead, challenges both known and unknown. Very likely, there’s some special personal cocktail of bits of all of these things that swirl around in your heart.

No matter what causes anxiousness in your heart, I think there’s probably the universal desire that it just go away. This is not a feeling we cherish or enjoy. It’s not something that we want to keep around. It’s not useful. We want to replace anxiety with peace. This morning, as we celebrate the fact that Jesus kept his promise to send the Holy Spirit to his people and send them on an evangelism effort that continues to this day, we are reminded that real, lasting, even eternal peace comes from God alone.

Our First Lesson this morning takes us to the time that the southern kingdom of Judah is in exile in Babylon, in the 500s BC. They were regularly unfaithful to God. They ignored his commands; they worshiped other gods. God called to them, warned them over and over and over again. But his people did not listen. They continued to do what they wanted rather than what God wanted. This people didn’t even change course when their brothers in the northern kingdom of Israel were exiled by Assyria for the same reason a couple hundred years before this. Judah had a few bright spots but generally continued down the path of unfaithfulness. 

So now, as Ezekiel lives and works, the nation of Judah is in exile in Babylon. Think they were feeling anxious? Separated from their homes, knowing they were undergoing this trouble because of their action and inaction, it might have felt hopeless. And really, on their own, it was hopeless. They couldn’t topple the Babylonian empire; they couldn’t get themselves home. 

But God had promised through the prophet Jeremiah, even before they were carried off into captivity, that this would be temporary. It would last around 70 years, then God would bring them back. But in the middle of that time, those promises would’ve been hard to see, hard to remember, hard to trust. So God, in his mercy, sent reinforcements to those promises through Ezekiel and other messengers. God had promised them peace from their exile and he was going to follow through.

The valley of the dry bones is a vivid depiction of God keeping that promise. The nation was dead, dry, dusty—powerless. But what does God do? He, through the proclamation of the prophet, brings life to these bones that were beyond hope. Tendons, flesh, skin, breath—they all return. But God is clear how this all happened: I am about to make breath enter you so that you will live. I will attach tendons to you. I will put flesh back on you. I will cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the Lord…. My people, I am going to open your graves and raise you up from your graves and bring you back to the soil of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. I will settle you on your own land, and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.”

I, I, I, I, I. God leaves no room for doubt or misapplied credit. This would not be Ezekiel’s doing, or any secular leader’s accomplishment. Everything that was going to happen to bring them out of exile and return them to their homes was going to be God’s work for them, not their work for themselves. He was going to keep those promises. He was going to bring them peace and rest from the upheaval of exile.

But why? Why is God promising these things? After all, these people had made clear how little they respected or loved him. They were in exile because they had largely chosen to ignore God. Why does he even waste his time, his breath, the work of his prophet on these miserable, fickle people? Couldn’t there possibly be other people who would be more faithful, more deserving of God’s time and attention? 

God continues on because he loves them, despite their hard hearts. God continues on because he is faithful, despite their faithlessness. But more to the point, God continues on because he has other, greater promises to fulfill. He has other, greater peace to bring. The reason the Israelites were God’s chosen people, the reason God initially plucked Abraham out of the mass of the world’s population and made him his special family, was because he had a global promise to fulfill. From the fall into sin, God promised a Savior for all people. The purpose of God’s special relationship, the singular reason he promised to bring them back from exile and put them back in their land, was so that he could keep these other promises. The reason Judah would be rescued from their exile and return to their homes was so that through them God could bring forth the Champion, the Messiah, the Savior so long-promised.

Because, really, sin is the chief of all anxieties, right? We have done things and said things and thought things that fly in the face of God’s requirements of perfection. We’ve sinned this week. We’ve sinned this morning. We’ve probably in some way sinned since our worship service started. We are far more similar to faithless and flounder Judah than we would ever like to admit. And our sin leaves us anxiety-stricken and hopeless. We know that hell is the only destination for one with even a single sin hanging on them, and you and I can do nothing to change that. We are, spiritually, very similar to that pile of dry bones in the desert. 

But what is God’s promise? “I’ll do it. I’ll fix it. I’ll make this right. You can’t, but I can and will.” And so Jesus took our place under the law’s condemnation. God brings us peace through the perfect life and the innocent death of our Savior Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection solidifies that he has done away with sin and eternal death in hell. We need not be anxious about anything for eternity because God has done it all for us. He keeps his promise. He, alone, brings peace to us.

And God’s faithfulness to these promises just continues to be clear as we move past Jesus’ ascension to the first Christian Pentecost day. Jesus had promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to his disciples in special measure to help them be his messengers. In the sound of a violent wind and tongues of fire, in special gifts like the ability to speak in languages they had not studied and in a Spirit-given boldness especially seen in Peter’s preaching, we see God being faithful to that promise. Jesus did send the Holy Spirit. He is with his people like he promised. And the good news of sins forgiven in Jesus, the results of all of God’s patience and hope-providing for the children of Abraham, continues to be a blessing even to this day. 

We are celebrating a birthday of sorts today: the beginning of the Christian church. But it’s not just the founding of an organization. It’s the beginning of God bringing peace to the whole world through the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It’s a message of events that the Israelites looked forward to, even in exile. It’s a message of reality that Peter and the others of his day lived through and were privileged to share. It’s a message of results that continues to be for you and me. The anxiousness brought by our guilt is gone because our sin is gone. Jesus gives us eternal peace, peace only God could provide. 

May the comfort that Jesus promised and gave to his disciples be yours forever: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Amen.

"Remain in God's Love" (Sermon on John 15:9-17) } May 9, 2021

Text: John 15:9-17
Date: May 9, 2021
Event: The Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

John 15:9–17 (EHV)

9“As the Father has loved me, so also I have loved you. Remain in my love. 10If you hold on to my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have held on to my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you these things so that my joy would continue to be in you and that your joy would be complete. 

12“This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you continue to do the things I instruct you. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will endure, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17These things I am instructing you, so that you love one another.”

Remain in God’s Love!

If you get separated from a group in a crowd of people, do you know what the best thing to do is? Nothing. The best thing to do is stay right where you are and let others come find you. If you start moving around you’re more likely to just miss people looking for you than you are to find someone you’re looking for. In that situation, the best thing to do is to stay put and remain where you are, despite many impulses urging you to move out and look elsewhere for help.

The same can be said of our spiritual life. There is a constant pull inside of us to seek out safety by doing good things to make up for bad things or by trying to find something more certain, better, or more innovative to move our spiritual life forward. But Jesus’ direction to his disciples and you and me is that you are safe where you are. Stay put. Remain in God’s love.

This section of Jesus’ words on Maundy Thursday evening immediately follows our Gospel from last weekend, where we heard Jesus describe himself as the Vine and that we are his branches. We heard him encourage us, “The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. Such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you continue to bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples” (John 15:5-8). As Jesus continues with this discourse, he stays on that theme of remaining, staying put. You are where you need to be, because here you are safe. 

As the Father has loved me, so also I have loved you. Remain in my love. God has loved you with the same love that the Father loves the Son. It’s a complete, total, uncompromising love that sacrifices all things to bring you back to himself. Because that’s what our sin did to us. It separated us from God. It divided us from him. We could not pray to him, we could not reach out to him, we could not benefit from him spiritually or eternally. We were lost, hopeless, spiritually dead and destined for eternal death in hell.

But then God gave to us the greatest expression of love that one can have: No one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends. This is exactly what Jesus did. As we heard two weeks ago when Jesus described his work as the Good Shepherd, we hear again that Jesus’ chief loving work was to lay down his life for his friends—he calls us his friends!—to save them. Normally if someone lays down their life to save someone else, it’s a limited and temporary thing. Someone jumps in front of a bullet and saves the life of one person; someone dives on top of a grenade and perhaps saves multiple lives. But the people saved, be it one or several, will eventually die. Laying down our life for others is always limited, simply delaying the inevitable.

But not for Jesus. When he laid down his life for us, his friends, it had eternal ramifications. Jesus wasn’t simply saving us from a premature physical death; he was rescuing us from eternal death in hell. Laying down his life paid for our sin. There are no limits to Jesus’ love; there is nothing temporary in the blessings that God gives through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Which is why Jesus is so adamant, “Remain in my love!” Because to do otherwise would be to jettison all the blessings that God has given. If I let Jesus take a backseat in my life and heart to entertainment, work, family, friends, anything, I jeopardize my remaining in his love. Any time I feel guilt over my sins and try to do something good to make up for them, to earn forgiveness, to work off my debt, I’m running head-long outside of the protective bubble of Jesus’ love and thus facing my sin on my own. Anything that makes it so you or I do not remain in Jesus’ love means that we will face hell as our eternal destination. 

So, how does one remain in Jesus’ love? Before we can understand that, it’s important to remember how we got into the sphere of Jesus’ love in the first place. Jesus is very clear that this has nothing to do with you and it has nothing to do with me; it has everything to do with him. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” He decided to save us. He died for us. He sent the Holy Spirit through his Word to create faith in our hearts, which brought us from the death of unbelief to a new life lived for him. Everything that we are or have through Jesus is because of Jesus, not us. We did not choose any of this; he chose us and made it happen.

We know the spiritual results of Jesus’ work and choosing us. But what are the external results? What is the evidence that Jesus has done all of this for us? You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will endure. We are branches connected to the vine. Branches that are healthy, that draw their nourishment from the trunk of the vine bear abundant fruit. Good works are the evidence of our God-given faith. Good works do not cause Jesus’ love but they are an outward expression that we are staying put in Jesus’ love. Being in Jesus’ love causes his love to express itself in our thoughts, words, and actions. 

Jesus says that the best way to express that love, to express our thanks to him in our life, is by serving each other. In fact, showing love to others is the completion of the love Jesus has given to us. I have told you these things so that my joy would continue to be in you and that your joy would be complete. This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends.

We know that we can’t love in exactly the way Jesus loved, right? Nothing we do or sacrifice for someone else is going to get rid of someone’s sins. Nothing we do or sacrifice is going to rescue someone from hell. But that’s not what Jesus is saying. Jesus is not saying to love like he did so that it brings about the same result. That’s not only impossible but completely unnecessary—he did it all! 

No, when he says that we should love like he does he’s speaking about the spirit of that love, the motivation of that love. We do not show love to someone to get something in return. We show love to someone just to love them, to sacrifice for them. Laying down our life may not, and in fact most often will not be the dramatic, over the top, saving of someone’s life by sacrificing your own. We’re not likely going to have that opportunity to dive in front of a bullet or on top of a grenade to save someone’s life. Laying down your life may mean sacrificing the time that you had set aside for something really fun that you were looking forward to to help someone in their time of need. It may mean delaying something you had planned to talk with someone going through a difficult time. It means using your time, money, energy, whatever, to help someone who has a need. By this you show your connection to your Savior. In this you show that you remain in Jesus’ love. 

You can also love each other by doing the opposite. Help your brothers and sisters by telling them how they can love you! Do you need help? Ask for that help! Is there something someone is doing that is causing you physical problems or emotional distress? Let them know so that they can modify their behavior. Having these conversations is not selfish; it’s loving. Do not assume that someone is doing or not doing something to be unkind, but talk with them. In doing this, you are loving them because in doing this you are making a need known and enabling them to love you better. Counter-intuitive as it might feel, in this, too, you show your connection to your Savior. In this you show that you remain in Jesus’ love. 

And this goes beyond your family, beyond your friends, beyond your sisters and brothers in faith. This love, this self-sacrificing love can and should be shown to others. The stranger, the neighbor you don’t get along with, the person who seems to hate you with no reason. Your response? Love. Self-sacrificing love. As Jesus had said earlier on that Maundy Thursday evening continues to apply for us today, “Just as I have loved you, so also you are to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Remain in God’s love that was freely given to you. Remain in God’s love by loving like he loves. Remain in God’s love because by that love you will be with him forever. Amen.

"God Meets Us Where We Are" (Sermon on Acts 8:26-40) | May 2, 2021

Text: Acts 8:26-40
Date: May 2, 2021
Event: The Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B (Confirmation)

Acts 8:26–40 (EHV)

26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is an isolated area.) 27So he got up and went. And there was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship. 28He was on his way home, sitting in his chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah. 

29The Spirit told Philip, “Go over there and stay close to that chariot.” 30Philip ran up to it and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet. 

Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 

31The man replied, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 

32Now the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading was this: 

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth. 33In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will talk about his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. 

34The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else?” 35Then Philip began to speak. Starting with that very passage of Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus. 36As they were traveling along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What is there to prevent me from being baptized?” 

38He ordered the chariot to stop. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they stepped up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away. The eunuch did not see him anymore, but went on his way rejoicing. 

40Philip, however, found himself at Azotus. And as he went from place to place, he preached the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea. 

God Meets Us Where We Are

The Internet can be an amazing tool for learning. Should you want to learn a skill or take up a new hobby or figure out how to solve a problem in your home, very often there’s a written tutorial or a YouTube video that will show you how to do what you need to do.

But there is often a baseline level of knowledge you need. A tutorial for playing a difficult song on the guitar is probably not going to be of much use if you need to learn how to play basic chords. Complicated electrical work can’t be started until you know where the circuit breakers in your home are. The Internet is great, but often times it’s more useful to have someone in person meet us where we are to show us and teach us what we need to know. 

In our First Lesson for this morning, we’re taken to one of the early evangelism efforts that the Holy Spirit sent one of his people on. This event takes place not too long after Jesus had ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to his disciples on the first Christian Pentecost day. Philip was sent to meet with a man who was a high-ranking official in the Ethiopian government. He handled the finances for his queen. We don’t really know much about him other than these verses here, but we can make some assumptions.

First, it’s likely that he was what we might call an “Old Testament believer,” that is, someone who was looking forward to the coming of the Savior that had been promised but did not yet know that he had already come and completed his work. We know this because Luke tells us that he had come to Jerusalem to worship. But he didn’t have a clear idea of the promises or certainly the fulfillment of those promises. So, God send Philip to him. “Go over there and stay close to that chariot.”

The man from Ethiopia was reading from the prophet Isaiah, familiar verses for us from chapter 53, a prediction of the Messiah’s death on the cross. But the Ethiopian had questions. He didn’t know who these verses were about or to what events they were referring. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” This man needed someone to meet him where he was. And that’s what Philip did. Starting with that very passage of Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.

And what good news he had to share! He was able to take that passage about a silent, passive Savior and point the man to his sins and need for God to rescue him. He was able to tell how Jesus perfectly filled that role for him, died and rose from the dead to conquer his sins and bring him to eternal life. That singular passage and question about it was the gateway for Philip to expand on everything that God had promised and done. Through Philip, God met this man where he was and brought him to where he needed to be.

God does the same for you and me, he meets us where we are. What was it that you needed to hear today? Is there sin in your life you’re just trying to convince yourself is not a big deal, not a problem? God’s law in his Word and our worship service doesn’t let it happen. God points to our sin and says, “This? This is damning. You’ll be in hell forever because of this.” What was it that you needed to hear today? Does guilt over your sin overwhelm you? Do you feel powerless, desperate, as if there was no solution to that sin? Well, God brings Jesus to the forefront for you. He shows you Jesus as the one who conquered your sins completely and forever. The cross and the empty tomb are your confidence that you will not be in hell for the wrong things you’ve done; God has forgiven you and will bring you to himself. 

The reality is we all probably needed to hear both of those things, likely as the Ethiopian needed as well. We need constant reminders of the seriousness of our sins and the solutions to those sins in Jesus’ perfect life lived in our place, his death that placed our punishment on him, and his glorious resurrection that assures us that because he lives we also will live.

But how many people are out there in our day like the Ethiopian who spoke with Philip? How many people need to have God’s work for them explained? How many people need God to meet them where they are and to explain these simple-yet-deep truths of God’s justice and his mercy? Here, too, God meets people where they are. 

God may not tell us to go hang out by a parked carriage and eavesdrop waiting for an opportunity to speak. But he sends people into our lives with spiritual needs that must be met. He sends people in our families, in our jobs, in our neighborhoods who need to have someone explain to them what God has done. He often meets people where they are through you and me. You get to share God’s truths with those around you. And in that way God brings to them the harsh reality of the law and the predominating good news of Jesus’ forgiveness. 

Do you feel wholly unqualified or unable to do that sharing work? In this God meets you where you are as well. Because you don’t need to get into long, detailed doctrinal discussions to do this work. You can share the basics of your faith in Jesus as your Savior. You can address their questions with a simple, “That’s a great question. I don’t know the answer. You should come with me to church—we can find some answers there.” Jesus’ promise to his disciples applies to you and me today as well. Jesus had said, “Do not be worried about how you will respond or what you will say, because what you say will be given to you in that hour. In fact you will not be the ones speaking, but the Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you” (Matthew 10:19-20). God will meet your needs with even the words to speak when the time comes.

We have a beautiful example of this in our service here this morning. We have our two confirmands from last spring here to confess what they’ve learned and how they’ve grown in their faith through their time of study in catechism classes. They will summarize and commit themselves to their faith in their Savior, which is our unified faith. They will show how God has met them where they were, brought them into a maturation process to be adult members of our congregation, and is setting them up to continue to meet them where they are as they continue to grow in their faith all the days of their life. God will always be with them to meet their needs as he will always be with all of us to meet our needs. The vine continues to meet the branches where they are.

So go from this place today encouraged. Not just because of the beautiful weather, the time with your brothers and sisters in the faith, and the opportunity to sing our praises to God. Go from this place today encouraged because here God met you where you are and will continue to do so. Here God encouraged and directed you to be his spokespeople and ambassadors to meet others where they are with his glorious truths. Go from this place today encouraged because, truly, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

"Jesus Is the Father's Love for Us" (Sermon on John 10:11-18) | April 25, 2021

Text: John 10:11–18
Date: April 25, 2021
Event: The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

John 10:11–18 (EHV)

11“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired man, who is not a shepherd, does not own the sheep. He sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13Because he works for money, he does not care about the sheep. 

14“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me 15(just as the Father knows me and I know the Father). And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I also have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again. This is the commission I received from my Father.” 

Jesus Is the Father’s Love for Us

“Love” is a word that is often used in various situation with differing levels of meaning. We may love our spouse, our children, or our parents. We might say that we love a band or a type of ice cream. We may say we love a person who infatuates us, or we may say we love someone with whom we don’t get along in a heavily sarcastic way. English-speaking human beings use “love” in a variety of ways.

But God really only uses love in one way when talking about himself. He loves with a true love, a love that is unconditional, a love that loves not because it is loved in return but a love that loves just because it loves. It sacrifices self for the betterment of others. God’s love is a pure love that goes beyond the way we love anyone or anything. 

Today is one of my favorite Sundays each year, Good Shepherd Sunday. Today we get to see God’s love in a special way, through the lens of helpless sheep being cared for by their self-sacrificing Shepherd. Today we see that Jesus is the Father’s love for us, and in fact Jesus’ love for us is a reason why the Father loves his Son so dearly. 

Sheep, as you may know, are not bright animals. They wander into trouble unaware. Recently I saw a quick video on the internet of a sheep who hadn’t been sheared in a long time and the wool had all but completely covered its eyes making it nearly blind. The sheep was sheared, the wool from its face cleared away, and you could almost see the relief in the animal’s eyes. Sheep almost seem to be specially designed to require the care of human beings—to lead them to water, to food, and even to groom them so that they are safe. 

Were I thrown into the middle of a flock of sheep and told to care for them, it would not go well. No matter how much I wanted to care for these animals, to help and provide for them, as I am right now I know next to nothing about what they need or how to provide for them. I may have the desire to help them, but I lack the ability to do so.

Does that describe your feelings when you think of certain human relationships that you have? Someone is going through a difficult time in their family life, but there’s nothing you can do to change that. Your heart aches and reaches out to the friend who is going through horrible medical trials but you are powerless to do anything concrete on your own to bring healing. It is a powerless feeling to be overwhelmed with empathy or sympathy but have no way to help the people directly suffering.

Jesus knew we were in a desperate, hopeless situation. Our sin meant hell for us for eternity. Nothing we could do could change that. Nothing anyone else could do could change that. Except for Jesus. “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired man, who is not a shepherd, does not own the sheep. He sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. Because he works for money, he does not care about the sheep.” As God, Jesus was the one person who could change our hopeless situation. He was not the powerless, self-preserving hired hands with the flock. He is the Good Shepherd who can and would do everything needed to provide for the sheep’s needs and to protect them from anything that threatened them harm.

Jesus’ knowledge of you and your needs is intimate and personal—I know my sheep and my sheep know me (just as the Father knows me and I know the Father). And I lay down my life for the sheep. He knew that you and I needed what only his death would provide. And he didn’t seek self-preservation; he didn’t look after “number one;” he didn’t wish us well and leave us to our doom. No, he laid down his life for the sheep; he laid down his life for us.

Jesus saw our need and was uniquely qualified to solve our problems. This was the mission the Father sent him on. Jesus says that his Father loves him because of his saving-mission he embarked on: This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again. This is the commission I received from my Father. The Father loves Jesus because he died to save you and me from our sins. The Father loves Jesus because he was not defeated by death. The Father loves Jesus because he rose from the dead triumphantly, having secured our forgiveness and eternal life. That’s how much we mattered to the Father, that he would sacrifice his only-begotten Son to rescue us from hell. Is it even possible to wrap our minds around how much both the Father and Jesus love us? 

Jesus, as our Shepherd, is always in control of everything happening around his sheep and to his sheep, around us and to us. Never, not even at the cross, was the Shepherd ever overwhelmed by external factors. His life wasn’t taken from him; he gave it up. He wasn’t defeated; he offered himself as the sacrifice for our sins. Nothing was spinning out of control; everything went according to plan.

And what is the end result of all of this? We’ll sing those results at the end of the service. “I am Jesus’ little lamb. Ever glad at heart I am. For my Shepherd gently guides me, knows my needs and well-provides me, loves me every day the same. Even calls me by my name.”  The Shepherd died to make us his sheep. His work for us means that we are always under his loving, protecting, and guiding care. And just as nothing happened to him that he wasn’t in control of, nothing happens to his sheep—to you or me—that he is not allowing and working for our eternal good. The bad things and hardships, the heartaches and the miseries of this life—our Shepherd knows all of them. He uses them, shapes them to point us to eternal life that he has won for us. Everything works for our good because our Shepherd works them all for our good.

Think back to those situations we mentioned earlier, those places where you want to help someone but can’t do anything. Don’t neglect or think little of the most powerful tool you possess. You can commend them to the care of the Good Shepherd who can do anything. So while you may feel powerless in those situations, pray for them. Ask for God’s help, power, guidance, and direction. Ask him to help open your eyes to the more concrete ways you can help. And know that your loving Shepherd is faithful to his promises, and will work all of this trouble, hardship, and heartache for good.

Jesus was clear that this work was just not for his disciples or the people of Israel. This work was for all. I also have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd. You and I get to share the good news of the Good Shepherd with lost sheep that are wandering out there on their own. Their Shepherd loves them, laid down his life for them, took his life up again for them. They just need to know, need to be brought into this flock, need to be shown the love of their Savior-Shepherd, love that means forgiveness for every sin and the certainty of a perfect, eternal life with him forever. 

Jesus calls these sheep to himself, but most often he calls them through you and me. So your encouragement to a friend going through a difficult time; your willingness to share what you believe with that random person who asks; your simple invitation to a worship service, Bible class, or livestream to that person who didn’t know they’d be welcome may be the way the Good Shepherd beings that sheep into his singular, eternal flock. You may be, in part or in whole, the way God brings his love to those people for whom he died.

In good times and in troubling times, let the love of your God shown to you in your Good Shepherd’s life, death, and resurrection bring you comfort. Your Shepherd walks beside you each day and will be with you through eternity. Truly, he knows your needs and well-provides you. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

“Jesus’ Resurrection Brings True Healing” (Sermon on Acts 3:12-20) | April 11, 2021

Text: Acts 3:12-20
Date: April 11, 2021
Event: The Second Sunday of Easter, Year B

Acts 3:12–20 (EHV)

12When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as if by our own power or godliness we have made this man walk? 13The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and disowned in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you. 15You killed the Author of Life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16And on the basis of faith in his name, it is the name of Jesus that has strengthened this man, whom you see and know. This faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. 

17“Now brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just like your leaders. 18But in this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through the mouth of all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. 19Therefore repent and return to have your sins wiped out, 20so that refreshing times may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you.”

Jesus’ Resurrection Brings True Healing

At our council meeting on Thursday evening, we were talking about various campus improvement projects the Building Committee has been hashing through and even dreaming a little bit of what could be. But as we talked the subject of the sewer lines on campus came up (I know… a great subject to start a Sunday morning sermon with, but bear with me). We got to be reminded that yes, the church lines had been totally redone so that they’re no longer the broken clay pipe from long ago but pipe that will endure for a long time. 

But that brought to mind all the trouble we had had years ago, at times with almost weekly calls to the plumber to get us by until we could get things fixed the right way. And a wave of gratitude washed over me that we haven’t had to do that for years. But that wasn’t something I had thought about for a long time. Sometimes the results of blessings aren’t clear until you stop to think about them, and it’s good to be reminded of how God works especially in those things that we can sometimes take for granted.

Our First Lessons during the Easter season will largely be taken from the book of Acts, the history of the early Christian church. And our lesson for this morning takes us to one of the earliest accounts in that book, just after the first Christian Pentecost day. In this lesson, Peter clearly reminds about the work God has done for us and blessings he has given to us, things that perhaps are easy to take for granted even just days after our Easter celebrations. Because Jesus’ resurrection is not a one-time celebration. Jesus’ resurrection is an enduring, constant blessing, one that brings true, eternal healing and comfort.

Sometime after Pentecost, Peter and John were in the temple. A man who had been born lame, never able to walk, called to Peter and John and asked for money. Peter looked at him and said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene get up and walk!” (Acts 3:6). And as happened so often when Jesus addressed someone with a physical need during his ministry, Jesus empowered Peter to heal this man to not only hobble around, but even to jump while praising God!

The people at the temple knew this man and knew his condition. So to say they were shocked at this change of situation in his life would be an understatement. The people rushed to gather around the healed man, Peter, and John to try to find some answers. And the beginning of those answers that Peter gave is what serves as our sermon text for this morning.

From the very beginning, Peter deflects any praise or credit for this healing. “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as if by our own power or godliness we have made this man walk?” Peter knew he had nothing in this. It was not his pious life nor his strong faith that made this man able to walk. This was God’s work. But Peter makes a very important point for the Jewish believers there at the temple: “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus…” This is not a new God or a new religion. Everything that Peter is going to tell the crowd is going to be directly connected to the promises God had made for generations to and through the Israelites. 

In a similar theme to what he preached about not long prior to this on Pentecost, Peter fills in the details of what happened to this glorified Jesus, what perhaps some gathered there had participated in. “[God] glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and disowned in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you. You killed the Author of Life.” Peter is not trying to win many friends in this crowd, is he? He comes out swinging. “You condemned an innocent man and demanded the release of a murderer! You disowned the fulfillment of your entire faith and religion. You killed the Author of Life.” Oof…

But Peter has to start there. He not only has to address their sin, but he has to put forward Jesus’ death because everything—eternal life itself—hinges on that crucifixion. There’s law here—condemnation of their sin and rejection of Jesus—but it leads to gospel, right? Because how were those sins paid for? His crucifixion. 

And Peter doesn’t lose any time getting to that point: “You killed the Author of Life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. And on the basis of faith in his name, it is the name of Jesus that has strengthened this man, whom you see and know. This faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.” Jesus is the source of every spiritual blessing (and in this case, a physical blessing as well). 

But the resurrection is so key to Peter’s message that he has to proclaim it immediately! How important it was for the disciples to know the certain reality of Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead! The whole gospel message hangs on this truth. It is the reason that we can have any confidence in God’s promises. It is the reason this man was healed. Is it any wonder that Jesus took the special time to meet Thomas’ confusion and doubts and address them head-on? Jesus being raised from the dead is key to everything.

The crowd gathered around, struck by the law, didn't need to apologize to Peter and John. They didn't need to make things right with the rest of the apostles. They needed to be concerned not with human relationships, but with their relationship with God. The resurrection is what makes a proper relationship with God possible. And Peter points the crowd to the resolution of everything bad: “Now brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just like your leaders. But in this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through the mouth of all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. Therefore repent and return to have your sins wiped out, so that refreshing times may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you.” This was God’s plan all along. The Christ, the Messiah, would suffer and die so that sins would be wiped out, like an eraser on a chalk board. They need not wallow in guilt and hopelessness. This happened that they would be eternally refreshed and healed in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

We saw all-too-clearly on Good Friday how it was really not the Jewish leaders, Pilate, or even the crowd of people Peter is addressing in our lesson who were responsible for Jesus’ death. It was your fault and mine. Our sins led him to the cross. He suffered in our place, suffered our punishment, endured our hell for our sins of ignorance and for sins of which we were well aware.

What does that mean? Well, as we said last Sunday on Easter, that gives us a life worth living. That means that our lives look and sound different. It means that sin should have no place of honor in our lives. We will never be rid of our sinful natures on this side of eternity and thus we will continue to fall into sin. Temptations will come from inside of us and outside of us, and we will fail. But because Jesus has wiped that sin away, we are not damned. Because Jesus wiped that sin away, we do not wallow in that sin or rejoice in that sin or seek out that sin. Instead, we come repent of that sin and, just like those listening to Peter in the temple that day, find that in Jesus’ death we have forgiveness, forgiveness that is proven by his resurrection from the dead.

For as remarkable as the lame man’s strong legs were, the miracle that God worked through Peter and John was just a foretaste, a glimpse, a sliver of the real healing that he wanted to provide and in fact has provided through Jesus’ resurrection. In him we are healed not from an inability to walk but from true spiritual death. We are rescued from sin and given a life of thanksgiving to lead here and an eternal life of perfection to look forward to in heaven. That is the healing that God provides. That is the healing that he’s given to you. That is our Easter joy which is for now and for eternity. Don’t take this for granted, but rejoice freshly in this Easter joy: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

"Hosanna!" (Sermon on Mark 11:1-10) | March 28, 2021

Text: Mark 11:1-10
Date: March 28, 2021
Event: Palm Sunday, Year B

Mark 11:1–10 (EHV)

As they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 3If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it, and he will send it back here without delay.’” 

4They left and found a colt on the street, tied at a door; and they untied it. 5Some who were standing there asked them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6The disciples answered them just as Jesus had instructed them, and the men let them go. 

7They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their garments on it, and Jesus sat on it. 8Many people spread their garments on the road. Others spread branches that they had cut from the fields. 9Those who went in front and those who followed were crying out, 

Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
10Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!
Hosanna in the highest! 

Hosanna!

We are here, at long last. Everything has been pointing ahead to this week, to these moments. This past Monday evening in our Bible Information Class we got to study not only Adam and Eve’s fall into sin but also God’s response. His response was to promise a Savior who would rescue mankind by crushing Satan’s head and eliminating all the work that he had done.

After the fall into sin, Adam named his wife Eve, which means “living” or “life,” in what might appear to be an ironic choice. After all, he and Eve had just brought sin and death into God’s creation. So why name his wife, “Life”? Because they trusted God’s promises, that God would bring life back from death, that he would follow through on his promise to send a champion who would crush the serpent’s head.

From that time on, God shaped world history for his purposes. Everything that happened God worked for the good of keeping his promises, even if at first blush it didn’t seem like a good thing. He saved his promises in the flood, he called Abraham to be the father of the nation from which this Savior would come. He was with his people during their slavery in Egypt and rescued them. He was patient when they demanded a king instead of the theocracy he had created for them. He did not abandon then in their exile in Babylon, even though they were there because of their unfaithfulness to him.

Along this path of history, God gave glimpses of what was to come. Through revelation given to his people, usually through the prophets, God gave details of the Messiah’s life and work. He would be from Abraham’s family; and then more specifically from Judah’s family; and then even more specifically from King David’s family. He would have a kingdom that would never end. He would be a servant who would suffer for the sins of all people. Hw would be born in Bethlehem. He would even, as Zechariah promised in our First Lesson, ride on a donkey’s colt, yet be a king, the King.

And so Palm Sunday is really the start of the final fulfillment of all of these promises. When Jesus sent his disciples to the town ahead to get that unridden colt, we might see shades of Jesus’ humility there. But even more than that, Jesus is specifically leaving no stone unturned when it comes to fulfilling the promises made about him. The Messiah would be a king bringing salvation that would ride on a young donkey, so that’s exactly what Jesus needed to do. And that’s what he does.

He leaves no doubt that he is, in fact, the Messiah, the Christ, the long-promised Savior of mankind. He has come to be the champion over Satan and sin and death that God first promised in the Garden of Eden. He is the one whose life and work God has been working to bring about.

But why? What is so important that God would embark on this millennia-long effort to plan and execute Jesus’ life and work? Well, it’s us. Maybe more to the point, it’s his love for us. Our sin that we inherited from our parents and then have contributed copious amount of further sins toward in our life means hell, eternal separation from God for all of our sins. There was nothing we could do to save ourselves; there was nothing we could do to save any other person, no matter how dear they are to us. We were lost to certain eternal condemnation without any hope of help or rescue. 

Which brings us to that word, that shout, that we hear from the crowd on Palm Sunday, “Hosanna!” They are quoting from Psalm 118, which was clearly a Messianic prophecy. The crowd is acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, as the Christ. But “Hosanna!” rings out above all of it. It’s a simple phrase in Hebrew that simply means, “Please, save us!” 

How powerful that is! Whether or not those in the crowd on that Palm Sunday fully understood and appreciated everything the Messiah was going to do is kind of irrelevant. As we look at that today, as we join our voices in shouts of “Hosanna!” as well, what are we saying? We are saying there’s no way for us to fix our lives and our eternal situation. We are saying there is no hope of ever being rescued from the pit of eternal death unless someone were to reach down and pull us out. Hosanna is as much a plea for help as it is an acclamation of praise. Hosanna! Save us, please!

It’s fitting to shout this request to Jesus. Jesus’ name, Ieshua in Hebrew, points us to reality. The sibilance in Hosanna and Ieshua come from the same root in Hebrew, the word to “save.” Jesus’ name means “The LORD saves” or “Yahweh saves.” The crowd pleads to be saved by the one named “The LORD saves!” There was no one else who could do this saving, to truly rescue us from sin, other than Jesus who is the LORD, Yahweh, himself in human flesh! And even if the crowd was misguided, even if they thought Jesus was coming to free the nation from the Romans or some other short-sighted thing, God used their words of praise and their shouts from the Old Testament scriptures to point to what he was going to do. The angel had been clear with Jospeh when he gave him the child’s name—“he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The prophet Zechariah was clear in our First Lesson, “Look! Your King is coming to you. He is righteous and brings salvation” (Zechariah 9:9).

In John’s gospel we’re told that in the moment the disciples didn’t fully appreciate what all of this meant, but after Jesus’ work was completed they did. You and I here this morning have the benefit of the hindsight that the disciples and the crowd in the moment did not. We know the rest of the story; we know what is going to happen; we know what the results of Jesus’ work are going to be.

Jesus had lived a flawless life of perfect obedience to God, just as was promised. He was going to his horrible suffering and death, just as was promised. But all of that pain and torment, the crucifixion, the punishment for sins he never committed, the hell he did not deserve on the cross, all of it would result in saving you and saving me from our sins. All of it means that we are rescued from hell and will be brought into eternal life. 

We get to see and celebrate all of this, in full, this week. As we begin Holy Week today, as we join the crowd in celebrating the arrival of our King, we also know that the coming days are going to get darker and darker. The sounds of happy cheering in the streets will go quiet. There will be come secret trials and cries of “Crucify!” The one who never did anything wrong will be punished for everything you and I have done wrong. We will be rescued because he sacrificed himself.

What is there for us to say but, “Hosanna,” “Please save us!” He will and he has. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.

“The Cross Is Jesus’ Glory” (Sermon on John 12:20-33) | March 21, 2021

Text: John 12:20–33
Date: March 21, 2021
Event: The Fifth Sunday in Lent, Year B

John 12:20–33 (EHV)

20Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22Philip went to tell Andrew. Andrew came with Philip and told Jesus. 

23Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it continues to be one kernel. But if it dies, it produces much grain. 25Anyone who loves his life destroys it. And the one who hates his life in this world will hold on to it for eternal life. 26If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 

27“Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, this is the reason I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name!” 

A voice came from heaven: “I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again.” 

29The crowd standing there heard it and said it thundered. Others said an angel talked to him. 30Jesus answered, “This voice was not for my sake but for yours. 

31“Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to indicate what kind of death he was going to die

The Cross Is Jesus’ Glory

When we think of “glory,” we usually think of something amazing and wonderful. A parent’s glory might be found in their children being successful and productive members of society. A teacher’s glory might be in the students she teaches and helps through difficult subjects. A person’s glory might be in the accomplishments of their career, or their help for those in need, etc. The lists can go on and on, but they all have something in common. All of these are objectively good things. Maybe not everyone has a chance to accomplish or even be involved in all of them, but everyone can look at a list like this and say, “Yeah, those are positive things, things to be praised.”

But things that are cited as objectively bad things, suffering or causing pain, abusing someone or being abused, scaring someone or being taken advantage of, none of these things would ever be considered “glorious.” They might range from sad to criminal, but never good, never glory. 

We’ve seen throughout this Lenten season, though, that Jesus’ goals and work often go contrary to what we would expect. He ran counter to the expectations of his disciples; he ran counter to the expectations of the religious leaders. And here, again, we see his plans, his work, and what they accomplished running contrary to what most would thought to be true about the coming Messiah. Because in Jesus’ glorification of his Father, he will endure suffering and death. The Father will glorify his name by having his Son killed. But it will be for a purpose—a glorious purpose—the salvation of the world.

At the start of our Gospel, we meet up with Jesus during Holy Week after his Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem. Some people from Greece had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. Either before they came to town or since they had been there, they had heard something about this Jesus from Nazareth. Perhaps it was word about the miracles, perhaps it was the notion that he was thought by some to be the Christ. Regardless, they want to check him out and understand what he was about. So, they track down Philip and make a simple request, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

We don’t know if Jesus met with these Greek people to talk with them. But he does take the opportunity to point ahead to what is coming. In the future, this will be his disciples’ job—to show Jesus to those who need him. But for now, Jesus is set on what is coming in the short term: “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it continues to be one kernel. But if it dies, it produces much grain.” Jesus uses this agriculture analogy to point to what he’s going to do in just a few days. He’s not here to be Mr. Popular. These Greeks really didn’t need to see and meet with him; they needed the work he was going to do. He, as one person, would be sacrificed, so that all people would benefit from it—many seeds from one seed.

But this is weighing heavily on Jesus. We will see it clearly in the Garden of Gethsemane a few days after this event, but even now Jesus is showing the pressure and the hardship that his work is putting on him, “Now my soul is troubled,” Jesus says. But Jesus sees no other options. “And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’?” Jesus asks, as if it’s the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever said (because it kind of is). “No, this is the reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Should Jesus retreat from what is ahead of him? Should the Father change the plan at the eleventh hour? No! This was the whole reason that Jesus came into the world in the first place. He came to be the seed that dies in the ground which then produces a gigantic harvest! 

We hear the Father confirm this, “I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again.” Every step of the way from the fall into sin in Eden to this moment has served to glorify God. Despite mankind’s sin, he promised a Savior. That Savior would be his only-begotten, eternal Son. As God worked to mold history to bring about Jesus’ arrival, he glorified his name. As the baby was born in Bethlehem—as he promised—he glorified his name. As Jesus spoke the things the Father sent him to speak, the Father glorified his name. Even now, as Jesus testifies to his impending death being part of the Father’s plan, the Father glorifies his name.

And it will continue to happen, again and again over the coming days. When the Father tells Jesus that he cannot take the cup away from him, the Father will glorify his name. When Jesus submits to the abuse of the Sanhedrin, High Priest, and Pontius Pilate, the Father will glorify his name. When Jesus is stretched out over the cross and nailed in place, the Father will glorify his name. When Jesus suffers the Father’s wrath, hell itself, over your sins and mine, there, too, the Father will glorify his name.

Again, this doesn’t sound glorious, does it? It doesn’t sound praiseworthy at first blush. But the Father is glorified for his mercy to us, his forgiveness to us, his keeping the promises he made to us. And Jesus, too, in his willing sacrifice, is glorified. It’s why we’re here at all this morning, to glorify our Triune God for the redemption and forgiveness won for us in the vicious death of that kernel of wheat by which we have eternal life.

The Father’s name would be glorified again after all of this took place when he sent his angels to speak to people on earth. Like Christmas, this would once again be “good news of great joy, which will be for all people” (Luke 2:10). It would be good news not of birth, but of triumph and resurrection as his angels took their positions at the entrance to Jesus’ tomb. 

And here is the glory of the Father and of Jesus and, truly, of the Holy Spirit. This news of Jesus’ work is for all people. That’s exactly what Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Jesus’ death would heave Satan from any position of power that he might have thought he had and proclaim Jesus as that King of kings and Lord of lords. And in doing so, Jesus would draw all people to himself. He will become the Savior for all people of all time. Because he did not shy away from the cross but embraced it as his glory, all people—you and me included—have eternal life!

Let’s go back, briefly, to the very beginning of our Gospel: Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew. Andrew came with Philip and told Jesus. We see from Philip and Andrew models for our lives. They knew Jesus, and there were people that came to them with both a request and a need to see Jesus. So Philip gets help from Andrew, and they both go, presumably, to bring these people to Jesus. There are echoes to the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry when Philip called to Nathanael, and when confronted with questions about them supposedly finding the Messiah, he simply said, “Come and see” (John 1:46).  

We have an opportunity in a couple of weeks to do something unprecedented in our lifetimes. After more than a year of fear, confusion, hurt, and exhaustion dealing with the pandemic, its restrictions and aftershocks, we have a populace that in many different ways likely feels without any hope whatsoever. Whether people directly contracted COVID, knew someone who did, lost loved ones, or simply have spent a year trying to do the right things to keep others safe, this has perhaps peeled back the false ideas that life is fine, that they don’t need a Savior, that things are just ducky on their own.

They’re not ducky! Just look at the world around us! From disease to war to hate between people, this world is a disaster. Anyone who depends on this world, this life, or actions here will find nothing but failure, disaster, and eventual punishment. There is no hope here. There is no confidence here. There is no true, lasting glory here.

Ah, but you know where there is true, lasting glory, don’t you? “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” And you know how he draws all people to himself, right? Not through magic or storms or anything like that. Even the pandemic is only an ache that points to the real need. No, he draws people to himself with his Word; and his Word is shared by his people, by you and me.

So we have a world in an unprecedented condition and a message with eternal comfort. Share it. You have an opportunity to lead the “Greeks” in your life to Jesus. As we look ahead to Holy Week, invite people to join you for worship here on Good Friday and on Easter, to hear of the victory Jesus won. Forward the email invitations to someone who needs to hear this message of eternal hope and comfort, so they can join us for our worship livestreams. Be ready to answer questions, be ready to find answers with them through formal or informal study of God’s Word. You may be the one and only link someone ever has to the gospel. Take the opportunities to share it while we are able. This, too, is the Father glorifying his name.

Jesus’ glory is in his death on the cross because it was his power and love exercised to save you. The Father who sent his Son is glorified in it. The Holy Spirit who brings the message to us of this work is further glorified in it. Rejoice in Jesus’ glory, because it is your glory too. Your glory for eternity, and your glory to share. Thanks be to God! Amen.

"Let Jesus’ Zeal Be Your Zeal" (Sermon on John 2:13-22) | March 7, 2021

Text: John 2:13-22
Date: March 7, 2021
Event: The Third Sunday in Lent, Year B

John 2:13–22 (EHV)

13The Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

14In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers sitting at tables. 15He made a whip of cords and drove everyone out of the temple courts, along with the sheep and oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those selling doves he said, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a place of business!” 

17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 

18So the Jews responded, “What sign are you going to show us to prove you can do these things?” 

19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” 

20The Jews said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! And you are going to raise it in three days?” 21But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. 22When Jesus was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and what Jesus had said.

Let Jesus’ Zeal Be Your Zeal

Zeal, passion, can be a good thing. Although we did see on Wednesday evening how misguided zeal can lead down really wrong paths, as we saw Peter brandishing his sword in the Garden of Gethsemane. But godly zeal, a zeal that is in tune with and focused on God’s will is a good thing. It’s a passion that leads to serving our God. It’s a fire that burns brightly in thanksgiving for all that he’s done for us.

This morning in our Gospel we’re taken to an early part of Jesus’ ministry, not long after he called his first disciples. This is the first Passover of Jesus’ ministry and, as we would expect, he and his disciples make the trek up to Jerusalem to go and worship.

The Passover was the celebration of God rescuing his people in Egypt from the plague of the firstborn and more generally from their slavery at the hands of Pharaoh. This was one of, if not the, biggest festival of the year. People would come from all over the known-world to return to Jerusalem, to the temple, to celebrate. 

You can see the logistical trouble people might have had, right? If they were coming from a great distance they probably couldn’t easily travel with sacrificial animals. Their money was probably not correct for offerings in Judea. And so something started that on the surface makes sense. Why not offer a service at the temple, especially around these festivals, where people could purchase the animals they needed for sacrifice right there rather than having to travel with them? Why not offer to exchange money into the local currency for ease of use at the temple and beyond?

But what might have started with good intentions had gotten out of hand. The noise and smell of the animals, the clinking of money, the din of conversations and bargaining undoubtedly distracted the people trying to  worship at the temple. It conveyed a sense of irreverence for God’s house and seemed to place a higher priority on business than worship and meditation.

Enter Jesus. He binds together some cords to make a whip to shoo the animals and people out of the temple courts. He overturns the money changers’ tables and casts the coins to the floor. He has a harsh rebuke for these people: “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a place of business!” 

There’s probably a lot to talk about here at the intersection of church and business, but that’s best left for another time. I want us to focus on what this brought to mind for the disciples, a quote from Psalm 69 about the Messiah that we read just a few minutes ago in our service, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” Why was Jesus so passionate, so zealous, for God’s house? Because this was where the people heard about their sins and need for a Savior. Here was where they heard God’s promises to send that Savior, those promises that in the next three years Jesus would fulfill completely. This was the place that the people would find rescue from sin, death, and hell and find eternal life.

Are we zealous for God’s house? I think that’s a really difficult question to ask right now at this moment because for so long we have been separated from worshiping together and are just now beginning to cautiously come out of that. I’m hopeful that today’s worship service is our first step to ultimately restoring the sense of normalcy in our congregation. But we’re not there yet. So maybe it’s easier to ask about what we hear in the house than the house itself right now: are you zealous for God’s Word?

What place does God’s Word have in your life? Are you regularly tuning in for worship or making plans to come in person when certain safety metrics are met? Are Bible classes a priority for you? Is Sunday School or Catechism a priority for your children and your family at large? Do you have time in personal devotions or family devotions around the table at some point during the day? Do you spend time in prayer to thank, praise, and ask God for help? Or, are there a multitude of others things that take precedence in your life and heart so that God slips down the priority ladder? 

If the Word has priority in your life in worship, study, and devotional time, does it have an effect on the way you live? Do you walk away from a time with God’s Word more thankful for his love to you, more ready to serve your fellow people in gratitude to God? Or does it go in one ear and out the other? Does it become just a set of facts and figures to learn with no tangible effect on your heart or actions?

In other words, do you posses Jesus’ zeal for the Word or not? I can assure you I do not meet Jesus’ level of commitment and knowing that you all are sinners like me, I know that you don’t as well. We’re often dismissive of anything that would lead us off the of the path that we want to be going down, up to and including God’s will for our lives. Maybe we’re not setting up shop selling things at the back of church and distracting from worship, but often times our respect for God and his Word is on a similar level.

Understandably, those turning the house of worship into a market were annoyed by what Jesus did. Who was this guy to be doing this anyway? By what authority does he come in here and “clean house”? “What sign are you going to show us to prove you can do these things?” they ask. And here’s were we get to the heart of Jesus’ message and mission: What sign will he give? “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” 

You and I have not kept this godly zeal for God’s house and Word like we should have, but Jesus did. As we see his passion and zeal for God’s house come out, he’s living the life that you and I should have lived but didn’t, but it’s that very perfect life that Jesus gives to us. You could ask our Catechism students and they would tell you that this is an example of Jesus’ active obedience, where he kept all of God’s laws perfectly in our place. 

But that doesn’t change the fact that we’ve not done this, that we’ve actively been not zealous for God and his Word and instead prioritized other things. Which takes us to Jesus’ statement about the temple. Destroy it and in three days I will raise it up. For us with the benefit of hindsight, we can see clearly what Jesus is talking about. And John, writing well after these events all took place, also gives us an explanation. Jesus is not talking about stone and mortar. But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. 

When the temple of Jesus’ body is destroyed by being nailed to a cross, that’s your solution and mine for our lack of zeal for God’s Word. As the temple of his body bears the weight of all of our sins and the punishment of hell that they deserved, we find forgiveness. Jesus will pay the price for all sin of all time on the cross. By his wounds, you and I will be healed. 

But we know even in these dark and doleful days of Lent, this story doesn’t end in despair. Jesus knew how this story concludes even years before it happened. “In three days I will raise it up again.” His death will mean our forgiveness; his resurrection will prove his victory and ours.

It’s interesting to see how much these words stuck with the leaders of the Jewish people even years after Jesus spoke them. This was one point that the false witnesses came closest to agreeing on during the kangaroo court trial Jesus underwent before the high priest, which we heard in our Passion History this past Wednesday evening, “Some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: ‘We heard him say, "I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.” ’ Yet even on this point, their testimony did not agree” (Mark 14:57-59). In fact, these promises seem to have resonated with Jesus’ enemies more than with his disciples. While the disciples were cowering in fear and later would be shocked at his resurrection, it’s the Pharisees who go to Pilate remembering Jesus’ teaching of his being raised up and call for extra security measures at Jesus’ tomb.

As we strive for this zeal of Jesus, as we aim to have his Word and work mean as much to us as it should, may his words never leave our hearts and minds. May we always cherish, always prioritize, always rejoice in what he has done for us. In good days and in bad, may God’s love for us shown clearly in Jesus be our all-in-all, now and forever. May you be consumed with zeal for your Savior—and the zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish that (cf. Isaiah 9:7)! Amen.

"Jesus' Cross Enables Us to Bear Our Crosses" (Sermon on Mark 8:31-38) | February 28, 2021

Text: Mark 8:31-38
Date: February 28, 2021
Event: The Second Sunday in Lent, Year B

Mark 8:31–38 (EHV)

31Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things; be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the experts in the law; be killed; and after three days rise again. 32He was speaking plainly to them. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But after turning around and looking at his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have your mind set on the things of God, but the things of men.” 

34He called the crowd and his disciples together and said to them, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36After all, what good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38In fact, whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 

Jesus’ Cross Enables Us to Bear Our Crosses

Fiction is fun because you get to do things that aren’t realistic. Whether it’s reading a book that takes you to a world that doesn’t exist, playing a video game where you can to do things that defy human ability or the laws of nature, or watching a movie where the only limitation is the director’s vision and the special effects budget, these fictional things take you out of the mundane or difficult reality and give you a break, give you an escape. 

But, the issue with all of them is that at some point, you have to close the book, or turn off the game, or the credits roll on the movie. And then what are you left with? You’re back to reality. You still have those tough things to do for school, that troubled relationship still needs your attention, or your financial difficulties are still bearing down on you. We can escape reality for a little while, but we can’t ignore it completely. In the end, we always get a wake up call to be reminded of the difference between what is real and what is imaginary.

As Jesus was coming into the latter days of his ministry, he begins to give his disciples a wake-up-call of sorts. The disciples had been living a relatively easy, near-fictional life. They got to travel and learn from Jesus—God himself!—and they never wanted that to end. They loved Jesus and loved that they got to be near to him. Six days after this conversation in our Gospel would be the transfiguration that we saw just a couple of weeks ago, and we probably remember Peter’s stumbling words recognizing that he just wanted to stay in that glory with the radiant Jesus and the honored Moses and Elijah. 

But the closer we come to the end of Jesus’ ministry, the more blunt he becomes with his disciples. Because this will not go on forever. Jesus’ ministry would last about 3 years and then it would come to an end. So, Jesus is clear how it would end. Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things; be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the experts in the law; be killed; and after three days rise again. 32He was speaking plainly to them. No parables, no metaphors. Jesus is being blunt as blunt can be.

But as we saw at the transfiguration, Peter does not want to leave the pleasant and go to the unpleasant. So his response is to refuse to allow Jesus to do this, rebuking his own dearly-loved teacher! But Jesus is quick to see this for what it is—a trap laid by Satan to pull him off course—and so he turns and rebukes Peter in front of the other disciples, “You do not have your mind set on the things of God, but the things of men.” 

How often does Jesus’ barb hit us exactly? How often are we like Peter, not noticing the things God is doing despite our troubles, the good he’s working in difficulties? How often don’t you and I only long for and even pray for things to be simple and easy and pleasant rather than the toilsome burden that they often are. And yet, along with that, how often don’t we forget the promises God has made. Good will come from bad, eternal blessing will come despite earthly trials. 

Consider the exact event that Jesus is talking about. Peter understandably doesn’t want Jesus to suffer all of those things. But those events that Peter and the others would undoubtedly call “very bad” in the moment are the eternal good from God because by them he would work the forgiveness of sins and give eternal life. Peter couldn’t see it as Jesus told him what was going to happen and it’s doubtful he could see it while these events were happening. But if Jesus has gone down the “easy” path, the path focused on the things of man rather and the things of God, it would’ve meant short-term ease but long-term disaster. If Jesus hadn’t gone to the cross, there would be no forgiveness for Peter, or you, or me, or anyone. We would all be lost to our sins.

But God’s plans are always greater than ours, and if he’s doing something in our lives or allowing something to happen to us that seems awful or even unbearable, he has a reason for it. He blesses our life through the good things he brings to it and works our eternal good from from the challenges he places on us. This is not often what we would choose, but these are the things of God, not the things of mankind.

But it’s hard to kick our natural reaction to bad, uncomfortable, and difficult things. It’s tempting to try to live in the daydream that God wants to and will always just make our lives better. Plenty of television preachers have made huge amounts of money peddling that very thing. “God wants you to be healthy! God wants you to be wealthy! God wants you to be happy!” Just this week the church received an email titled, “Three Bible passages that prove God wants you to be rich.” Appealing? Yes. But it’s fiction. 

If that’s where our mind and heart go, we need a wake-up-call from that delusion. God cares about us, yes, and God absolutely provides what we need. But never, ever has God ever said that our lives are going to be easy. What did Jesus tell his disciples? If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. We should see hardship and difficulty in this life not as God failing us or any indication that he doesn’t love us. The difficulties and crosses of this life simply prove that he is faithful to his promises and was honest with us about what was coming.

But as we look at Jesus’ cross, we find the strength to take up our own crosses. Look at what he did for us! Look how he did not hesitate to give up everything, even his very life, to save us from our sins! Look at how his suffering, the events that Peter forbade, mean our eternal rescue and deliverance! If God was able to work good—the ultimate good—from that most horrible of tragedies, is he not able to work good from your and my relatively smaller struggles and problems? The God who worked the death of his own Son for our salvation, is he too weak to work good and blessing through our difficulties? Is he not able to help us bear those crosses as we follow him?

This is hard to prioritize when all the world around us preaches a “gospel” of ease and comfort. Why take the difficult path when the easy one is right there? Why be a Christian when it’s far more in-sync with our culture to jettison faith? Jesus addresses that: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. The ultimate example of this would be someone who becomes a martyr, who dies for their faith in Jesus. But at this time and in this place, this is not the most common way that you and I will run into this. We may not always run into threats on our physical life, but maybe we run in threats to our way of life, to our reputation among unbelievers who are our neighbors, friends, or family members. And in an effort to preserve that way of life or the quality of those relationships, perhaps we are tempted to set aside our faith or our Christian morals or priorities that come from bearing crosses in this life and instead take the route of the things of men rather than the path God has placed before us.

But woe to us if we continue to be bewitched by the illusion that an easy life now is of the highest priority! If we discard our faith for the easy life now, we lose eternity. But prioritizing Jesus and his good news of salvation through his death on the cross despite any difficulties that comes from it means eternal safety with our Savior. 

Jesus put the guarantee of his suffering right in what he initially taught his disciples about his own path: the Son of Man must suffer many things; be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the experts in the law; be killed; and after three days rise again. There is certain victory after those grim circumstances. He attaches the same promise to you and me in our life of cross-bearing. Continuing to patiently endure trials and difficulty and clinging to God by the faith he provides will end in guaranteed victory: whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. Paul expounded on this in our Second Lesson: We also rejoice confidently in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces patient endurance, and patient endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope. And hope will not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us (Romans 5:3-5).

The victory of eternal life that Jesus won by his death on the cross means that you and I can bear our crosses in confidence. Difficulty is not a sign of God’s hate, but something he uses to work for our good, both now and especially toward eternity. Today, face your trials with joy and confidence, knowing God’s promises, knowing his eternal love, knowing that you are his now and forever. This is not fiction; this is the gospel truth! Amen.

"The Transfiguration Gives a Glimpse of the True Jesus" (Sermon on Mark 9:2-9) | February 14, 2021

Text: Mark 9:2-9
Date: February 14, 2021
Event: The Transfiguration of our Lord, Year B

Mark 9:2-9 (EHV)

2After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were alone by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. 3His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. 4And Elijah appeared to them together with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 

5Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6He did not know what to say because they were terrified. 

7A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” 

8Suddenly when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone. 

9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 

The Transfiguration Gives a Glimpse of the True Jesus

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At Christmas this past year, I thought I knew what one of the presents was that my mom had sent to the kids was. But when the presents arrived, it was not the shape or feel at all of what I thought it would look like. Eventually I began thinking that I misunderstood what Mom had said she was planning and had chosen something different instead. 

But around our house, the kids were mostly mystified about those presents, “But do you know what Gram sent?” the kids would ask. And I would have to puzzle out a truthful, “Well, I thought I did, but now looking at it, I’m just not so sure.” “Is it something practical or fun?” the questions continued. And my confusion continued as well, “I... I’m just not sure.” 

But then fast forward to Christmas Day and the presents are opened. Once the wrapping paper was off the puzzle made sense. Under the wrapping paper, the gift was wrapped in this thick, bubble shipping sleeve, which added the very strange feel and shape. But under the wrapping paper and bubble sleeve was the exact present that I thought was coming. It had just been masked and hidden.

In many ways, that’s kind of what happened with Jesus. The promises of the Messiah were clear that the Savior would be divine, would be God. And yet what did Jesus look like? Just another guy, right? If you were living at that time, he would’ve looked no different than you or your neighbor. And we’ve seen through this Epiphany season that yes, in many ways, Jesus and others revealed who Jesus truly was in words and actions. But there still would’ve been this nagging question in the minds of people seeing and listening to Jesus: “Really? This guy? He’s the Messiah?”

So that brings us to the Transfiguration, a moment later in Jesus’ ministry where he set aside all doubt as to who he was and focuses on what he had come to do. As we come closer and closer to our Lenten journey that will take us down the path of difficult self-examination and seeing the price our sins cost our Savior, we will keep the events on this hilltop in mind because it gives us perspective. For as difficult as it will be to see our Savior’s passion, for as weak he may appear, the transfiguration gives a glimpse of the true Jesus, the Savior who came to be our champion.

For this event, Jesus took just the “inner circle” with him—Peter, James, and John. It was just the four of them because, as the de facto leaders of even the twelve disciples, there was something important for them to see. There he was transfigured in front of them. The word “transfigured” comes from the Latin word used to translate the Greek “metamorphosis.” It simply means “changed.” Jesus’ appearance changed. He changed from something that masked his true nature into showing who he really is. His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. This was not a wardrobe change on Jesus’ part. He didn’t bring a brighter set of clothes with him. These clothes were supernaturally white. The other gospel writers use words like “lightning” and “the sun” to describe Jesus’ changed appearance, both his clothing and his face.

This is Jesus showing himself to be God as he is. He wasn’t just like you or your neighbor. This was God who had taken on our human nature. And that’s important because in order to the Savior of the world, our Savior needed to be God. No one else but God could live the perfect life we needed, and have that life count for all people. No one else but God could have his death count for everyone. This glimpse into Jesus’ true nature was meant as a comfort for the disciples. “Yes, what you will see will be difficult to watch. It will appear that I am powerless, but I am not. I am doing this to save you and everyone else from their sins.”

As if this were not enough to take in in the moment, it is suddenly not four on the hilltop, but six. Moses and Elijah, two of God’s prophets from the Old Testament appear to speak with Jesus. Luke recounts in his Gospel that they were talking about Jesus’ upcoming “departure,” that is his death. Note with what focus Jesus approaches your need for a Savior! Nothing deters him; he is laser-focused on your forgiveness. Everything is leading to the cross and the empty tomb. It’s all leading to a triumphant “It is finished!” amid apparent defeat, and the glorious proclamations of “He has been raised!” As we will confess in the Nicene Creed, this was all “for us and for our salvation.” 

We can sympathize a bit with Peter, can’t we? Here is Jesus in his glory as God, here are two respected heroes of faith from the past. Who wouldn’t want to stay? And also, who wouldn’t be scared out of their wits? Peter’s offer to put up the tents makes some sense in a terrified-beyond-rational-thought sort of way. This is what happens to sinners in the presence of God, and yet a God who loves us. Our sin makes it impossible to stand in his presence, but knowing that is also our Savior means that we can recognize that it’s good to be here. 

And if Peter had any clarity on what would happen—the gut-wrenching upheaval that would come to all of their lives beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane—that would have been all the more the reason to want to just stay up here forever. But that’s not the plan. It was not the plan for Jesus to just be here and live out time in peace, and that wasn’t the plan for Peter, James, and John either. They all had work to do. They all had difficulty to endure. And it would all be for the good of those around them, for the good of all who so desperately needed the forgiveness that God freely provides. 

We get to experience good times that we hope will never end; we have to endure trials that we wish would end immediately. But the Savior who showed a glimpse of his power at his transfiguration stands by us in all of it, blessing the good and working the bad for our eternal benefit. Peter longed to stay with Jesus on the top of that mountain, but Jesus had bigger plans. Not an extended camping trip, but an eternity of perfection with our God. That is what he came to do, thus they could not stay there that day.

But before they break camp and move on, a cloud envelops them, likely the same cloud pillar that led the Israelites through the wilderness, the same glory of the Lord that surrounded the shepherds at Jesus’ birth. This is the presence of God made clear. Here the Father speaks again, like he did at Jesus’ baptism. But this time the Father speaks not to Jesus, but to the disciples, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” 

Jesus is going to ramp up how blunt and clear he’s going to be with his disciples in the days ahead. He’s going to be clear about the suffering he’ll undergo—the betrayal, arrest, condemnation, death, burial, and even the resurrection. Peter had already been direct with Jesus that these things should never happen to him and Jesus had to rebuke him as a messenger of Satan trying to veer him off course. The Father’s message for the disciples is clear, “Jesus knows what he’s doing. He’s doing what is right. I love him and his dedication to the mission that I sent him on. Listen to him.”

None of this is going to make sense in the moment. It’s going to seem weird, out of place, and shocking. It’s going to continue to seem like this Messiah is not the Savior that we expected. But what lies ahead for Jesus is not what it might seem. Jesus’ transfiguration points ahead to the greater glory, the greater victory that Jesus will display. That victory will be directly beneficial for Peter, James, John, you, and me. Jesus made it clear that the disciples shouldn’t talk about this until after he had been raised from the dead because only then would all of the pieces fit together. Even in that moment, they didn’t really understand what he was talking about in regard to the resurrection, but they would in time.

As we continue to go through trials and difficulty, as we continue to hope for and wish for the relief from trials we have and to experience blessings that we have not had, as we seek to understand what God is doing in our lives and why he’s doing it, take this scene and the Father’s words to heart. Your Savior knows what he’s doing. He’s conquered sin and death for you and will bring you to his heavenly home when the time comes. Until that day, rest easy in the one who might not have looked the part, but who is your heaven-sent Savior who conquered sin and death by his life and death for you. Thanks be to God! Alleluia! Amen.

“Jesus’ Authority Is Your Certainty” (Sermon on Mark 1:21-28) | January 31, 2021

Text: Mark 1:21-28
Date: January 31, 2021
Event: The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B

Mark 1:21-28 (EHV)

Then they went to Capernaum. On the next Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22They were amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them as one who has authority and not as the experts in the law. 23Just then there was a man with an unclean spirit in their synagogue. It cried out, 24“What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 

25Jesus rebuked the spirit, saying, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” 

26The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions, and after crying out with a loud voice, it came out of him. 27Everyone was so amazed that they began to discuss this with each other. They said, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him!” 28News about him spread quickly through all the region of Galilee. 

Jesus’ Authority Is Your Certainty

“Um, well, I don’t know...” Those words can be both refreshing and frustrating. It can be refreshing because it’s honest. We’d probably rather someone admit that they don’t know the answer to a question or the best method to accomplish a goal than just make something up, pretending to have the information we needed. But, on the other hand, when it’s information we want or even need, to run into the a lack of knowledge from someone you hoped could help is frustrating. 

This morning as we move deeper into the season of Epiphany, we see the completion of a change that has been happening over the last couple of weeks. In our Gospels we’ve seen a shift from revelation of who Jesus is coming other people to those revelations coming from Jesus himself. And this morning is kind of completeing that shift as Jesus’ teaching and his actions prove his authority. Jesus doesn’t run into a situation where he has to say, “Well, hmmm, I’m not sure...” Jesus has his own complete authority as God, and that authority is eternal certainty for you and me.

We meet up with Jesus again early on in his ministry. He’s in the northern region of Galilee, in the town of Capernaum. Jesus wastes no time and as soon as the Sabbath day rolls around, he goes to the local synagogue to teach. The people were amazed at how Jesus taught. Maybe as a relatively young man, it would have been surprising to hear him teaching at all. But it was more the tone and how he taught. Mark records that the people’s amazement was because Jesus was teaching as one who has authority, evidently a stark difference from the scribes, the experts in the law.

That’s not as big of a dig on the scribes as we might read in the first place. These men would teach, but often teach on the basis of history and tradition. They would teach about a certain section of God’s Word and bring many other opinions and interpretations from previous generation’s great teachers to help explain things. It’s the same sort of teaching you might have experienced when a pastor quotes from a Bible commentary to supplement and explain using God-given insight recorded from other faithful teachers.

But even the prophets throughout the Old Testament taught and preached with borrowed authority. A familiar refrain throughout the prophetic books is, “This is what the Lord says...” In other words, the prophets were not bringing their own ideas; they were telling the people what God had sent them to speak, often times with direct quotations and verbatim recountings of what God had said. There’s certainly nothing to scorn or scoff at there. They were doing exactly what God had called them to do.

But then put yourself in the position of those people in Capernaum’s synagogue. After all your life hearing “This is what the Lord says...” from the scriptures and commentary and insight from many different, respected teachers, here comes a man who teaches and speaks with no adherence to anyone else. Jesus doesn’t have to say, “This is the message God sent me to deliver,” because he himself is God. Jesus doesn’t have to rely on other teachers’ insights to expound on his teaching because all of those teachers, illumined as they might have been by the Holy Spirit, were still restricted in their understanding of God’s divine Word by their their human natures and their sin. But not so with Jesus. He teaches with authority with no deference to anyone else. He doesn’t say, “I don’t know” or “I don’t understand” because he has been the author of the Word from the beginning. This is God teaching his people.

As if the authority in his words was not enough, Jesus underscores his authority with a miracle. A man possessed by an unclean spirit approaches Jesus and testifies the truth about him, and yet we might well suppose that Jesus doesn’t really want an endorsement from a demon. So Jesus’ authority is directed at this spirit possessing this man, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” At that moment, the words stop and the spirit cannot help but come out of the man. The Creator of the universe commanded him; he had to obey. The spirit didn’t stand a chance against Jesus.

The crowd is further rightly amazed at Jesus as they begin to understand that Jesus is doing something new and spectacular, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him!” Jesus is not just teaching about these spirits, and he’s not unsuccessfully giving them directions. He commands and they obey. 

The people recognized the authority, they recognized the new teaching, but that is something a little bit different than trusting that the teaching is true. This is not necessarily faith in the promises of God.

How do we approach Jesus’ authority? For those of us who have known these truths for a long time, it can be easy to slip into apathy. The truths of God can easily slip and become just pieces of information we know like we know the plot of a movie rather than the promises we cling to with all of our being for rescue from sin and hell. Do we put God’s promises into practice? We might know that God promises to work good in all things for us, but when something bad is actually happening to me, do I trust that he’s doing that or do I treat my troubles as if they are beyond the scope of God’s promised help? 

My conscience also screams at me daily. It is all too ready to remind me of my failings to God, that I have not been the perfect person that God demands that I be. And my conscience is not wrong. Luther made this clear in his Small Catechism’s explanation to the faith petition of the Lord’s Prayer when he wrote, “We daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment.” 

But do I live as if I’m unforgiven? Do I live as if that sin can never be taken away? Do I live as if my conscience is correct and the only thing I have to look forward to is an eternity of hell as the just punishment for my sins? May it never be! May Jesus’ authority be your certainty, not just of who he is, but of what he has done for you! Jesus is clear that he came to this earth not primarily to teach but to lay down his life as the payment for your sins and mine. 

So what should we do with the guilty conscience that screams out at us every day? Let Jesus treat it like the unclean spirit. His death and resurrection says to the fretting conscience, “Be quiet!” Our worries about things in life might lead us to start thinking that God can’t or at least won’t follow through on his promises to us. They make us start thinking that he can’t or won’t work all things for our eternal good to care for us as his dearly loved people. Jesus’ authority says to those misleading worries and fears, “Come out of [them]!” 

God’s authority is absolute, and nothing, not worry and fear, not sin and Satan, not our own emotions can make God’s promises untrue or leave them unkept. Jesus, who had the authority to drive our the unclean spirit from that man, has the authority to forgive sins and has, in fact, forgiven your sins by living and dying for you. Jesus who taught with astounding authority to the crowd gathered in Capernaum teaches with that same authority through his Word as he teaches that the forgiveness of sins means eternal life for us. He teaches that as we have been baptized, so we are members of his eternal family, that as we receive his true body and blood with the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper, we are given his forgiveness directly and clearly. Nothing from inside of us or outside of us can invalidate Jesus’ authority. 

Jesus’ authority is absolute which means we can be absolutely certain that every promise he’s made for us will be kept. When he promises your troubles will be worked for good, they will. When he promises that he will always be at your side to guard and protect you, he will. When he promises that by his life and death and resurrection he has forgiven your sins, they are gone. When he promises that at the end of your time in this life, he will bring you to that eternal, perfect life with him forever, he will. 

My brothers and sisters, your authoritative Savior can be trusted. We can have certainty in him unmatched by anything else in this life. You are loved, cared for, and forgiven. Thanks be to God! Amen.