O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai:
Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.
O Come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who ord’rest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall Come to thee, O Israel!
O Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and permeating all creation, mightily ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.
O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown.
O sacred Head, what glory,
What bliss, till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.
How pale Thou art with anguish,
With sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy face now languish
That once was bright as morn!
Grim death, with cruel rigor,
Hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor,
Thy strength, in this sad strife.
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
And grant to me Thy grace.
My Shepherd, now receive me;
My Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me,
O Source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me
With words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me
To heav’nly joys above.
What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever!
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never,
Outlive my love for Thee.
My Savior, be Thou near me
When death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me,
Forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish,
O leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish
By virtue of Thine own!
Be Thou my consolation,
My shield, when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion
When my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee,
Upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfold Thee.
Who dieth thus dies well.
I was doing some looking into the trends of churches which use blue over purple for Advent. Several of my pastor friends have thoughts as to why it should blue over purple or purple over blue. Then I came across this post, Advent is blue for a reason. This pastor writes:
I would argue that Advent is blue and for a reason. For many pastors, the season of Advent is a very depressing time.
He later goes on saying:
Needless to say, the season of Advent, and the entire month of December, can be draining on a pastor, both physically and emotionally. I always look forward to a vacation right after Christmas, but that may not happen for every pastor. During December, a pastor is running at 200% and still has things on his “To-Do” list. Through all of this, a pastor has to have a smile on his face and seem as if nothing is bothering him.
He hasn’t posted anything in a little while, but I think that this is a good post.
1 For all the saints who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
2 Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
3 Oh, may Thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
4 Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
5 And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
6 The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
7 But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day:
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of Glory passes on His way.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
8 From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Lutheran Service Book 677
Out of love and zeal for truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following theses will be publicly discussed at Wittenberg under the chairmanship of the reverend father Martin Lutther,1 Master of Arts and Sacred Theology and regularly appointed Lecturer on these subjects at that place. He requests that those who cannot be present to debate orally with us will do so by letter.2
In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” [Matt. 4:17],3 he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
2. This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.
3. Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortifications of the flesh.
4. The penalty of sin4 remains as long as the hatred of self, that is, true inner repentance, until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
5. The pope neither desires nor is able to remit any penalties except those imposed by his own authority or that of the canons.5
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God; or, to be sure, by remitting guilt in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in these cases were disregarded, the guilt would certainly remain unforgiven.
7. God remits guilt to no one unless at the same time he humbles him in all things and makes him submissive to his vicar, the priest.
8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to the canons themselves, nothing should be imposed on the dying.
9. Therefore the Holy Spirit through the pope is kind to us insofar as the pope in his decrees always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.6
10. Those priests act ignorantly and wickedly who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penalties for purgatory.
11. Those tares of changing the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory were evidently sown while the bishops slept [Matt. 13:25].
12. In former times canonical penalties were imposed, not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.
13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties, are already dead as far as the canon laws are concerned, and have a right to be released from them.
14. Imperfect piety or love on the part of the dying person necessarily brings with it great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater the fear.
15. This fear or horror is sufficient in itself, to say nothing of other things, to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near the horror of despair.
16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ the same as despair, fear, and assurance of salvation.
17. It seems as though for the souls in purgatory fear should necessarily decrease and love increase.
18. Furthermore, it does not seem proved, either by reason or Scripture, that souls in purgatory are outside the state of merit, that is, unable to grow in love.
19. Nor does it seem proved that souls in purgatory, at least not all of them, are certain and assured of their own salvation, even if we ourselves may be entirely certain of it.
20. Therefore the pope, when he uses the words “plenary remission of all penalties,” does not actually mean “all penalties,” but only those imposed by himself.
21. Thus those indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences.
22. As a matter of fact, the pope remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to canon law, they should have paid in this life.
23. If remission of all penalties whatsoever could be granted to anyone at all, certainly it would be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to very few.
24. For this reason most people are necessarily deceived by that indiscriminate and high-sounding promise of release from penalty.
25. That power which the pope has in general over purgatory corresponds to the power which any bishop or curate has in a particular way in his own diocese or parish.
26. The pope does very well when he grants remission to souls in purgatory, not by the power of the keys, which he does not have,7 but by way of intercession for them.
27. They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory.
28. It is certain that when money clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased; but when the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone.
29. Who knows whether all souls in purgatory wish to be redeemed, since we have exceptions in St. Severinus and St. Paschal,8 as related in a legend.
30. No one is sure of the integrity of his own contrition, much less of having received plenary remission.
31. The man who actually buys indulgences is as rare as he who is really penitent; indeed, he is exceedingly rare.
32. Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.
33. Men must especially be on their guard against those who say that the pope’s pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to him.
34. For the graces of indulgences are concerned only with the penalties of sacramental satisfaction9 established by man.
35. They who teach that contrition is not necessary on the part of those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessional privileges10 preach unchristian doctrine.
36. Any truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt,11 even without indulgence letters.
37. Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.
38. Nevertheless, papal remission and blessing are by no means to be disregarded, for they are, as I have said [Thesis 6], the proclamation of the divine remission.
39. It is very difficult, even for the most learned theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the bounty of indulgences and the need of true contrition.
40. A Christian who is truly contrite seeks and loves to pay penalties for his sins; the bounty of indulgences, however, relaxes penalties and causes men to hate them—at least it furnishes occasion for hating them.
41. Papal indulgences must be preached with caution, lest people erroneously think that they are preferable to other good works of love.
42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend that the buying of indulgences should in any way be compared with works of mercy.
43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed than he who buys indulgences.
44. Because love grows by works of love, man thereby becomes better. Man does not, however, become better by means of indulgences but is merely freed from penalties.
45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his money for indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God’s wrath.
46. Christians are to be taught that, unless they have more than they need, they must reserve enough for their family needs and by no means squander it on indulgences.
47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of indulgences is a matter of free choice, not commanded.
48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting indulgences, needs and thus desires their devout prayer more than their money.
49. Christians are to be taught that papal indulgences are useful only if they do not put their trust in them, but very harmful if they lose their fear of God because of them.
50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the indulgence preachers, he would rather that the basilica of St. Peter were burned to ashes than built up with the skin, flesh, and bones of his sheep.
51. Christians are to be taught that the pope would and should wish to give of his own money, even though he had to sell the basilica of St. Peter, to many of those from whom certain hawkers of indulgences cajole money.
52. It is vain to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or even the pope, were to offer his soul as security.
53. They are enemies of Christ and the pope who forbid altogether the preaching of the Word of God in some churches in order that indulgences may be preached in others.
54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or larger amount of time is devoted to indulgences than to the Word.
55. It is certainly the pope’s sentiment that if indulgences, which are a very insignificant thing, are celebrated with one bell, one procession, and one ceremony, then the gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
56. The treasures of the church,12 out of which the pope distributes indulgences, are not sufficiently discussed or known among the people of Christ.
57. That indulgences are not temporal treasures is certainly clear, for many [indulgence] preachers do not distribute them freely but only gather them.
58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the saints, for, even without the pope, the latter always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outer man.
59. St. Laurence said that the poor of the church were the [treasures of the church, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time.
60. Without want of consideration we say that the keys of the church,13 given by the merits of Christ, are that treasure;
61. For it is clear that the pope s power is of itself sufficient for the remission of penalities and cases reserved by himself.
62. The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.
63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last [Matt. 20:16].
64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.
65. Therefore the treasures of the gospel are nets with which one formerly fished for men of wealth.
66. The treasures of indulgences are nets with which one now fishes for the wealth of men.
67. The indulgences which the demagogues acclaim as the greatest graces are actually understood to be such only insofar as they promote gain.
68. They are nevertheless in truth the most insignificant graces when compared with the grace of God and the piety of the cross.
69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of papal indulgences with all reverence.
70. But they are much more bound to strain their eyes and ears lest these men preach their own dreams instead of what the pope has commissioned.
71. Let him who speaks against the truth concerning papal indulgences be anathema and accursed;
72. But let him who guards against the lust and license of the indulgence preachers be blessed;
73. Just as the pope justly thunders against those who by any means whatsoever contrive harm to the sale of indulgences.
74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those [who use indulgences as a pretext to contrive harm to holy love and truth.
75. To consider papal indulgences so great that they could absolve a man even if he had done the impossible and had violated the mother of God is madness.
76. We say on the contrary that papal indulgences cannot remove the very least of venial sins as far as guilt is concerned.
77. To say that even St. Peter, if he were now pope, could not grant greater graces is blasphemy against St. Peter and the pope.
78. We say on the contrary that even the present pope, or any pope whatsoever, has greater graces at his disposal, that is, the gospel, spiritual powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I Cor. 12[:28].
79. To say that the cross emblazoned with the papal coat of arms, and set up by the indulgence preachers, is equal in worth to the cross of Christ is blasphemy.
80. The bishops, curates, and theologians who permit such talk to be spread among the people will have to answer for this.
81. This unbridled preaching of indulgences makes it difficult even for learned men to rescue the reverence which is due the pope from slander or from the shrewd questions of the laity,
82. Such as: “Why does not the pope empty purgatory for the sake of holy love and the dire need of the souls that are there if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial.”
83. Again, “Why are funeral and anniversary masses for the dead continued and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded for them, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?”
84. Again, “What is this new piety of God and the pope that for a consideration of money they permit a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God and do not rather, because of the need of that pious and beloved soul, free it for pure love’s sake?”
85. Again, “Why are the penitential canons, long since abrogated and dead in actual fact and through disuse, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences as though they were still alive and in force?”
86. Again, “Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus,14 build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?”
87. Again, “What does the pope remit or grant to those who by perfect contrition already have a right to full remission and blessings?”15.
88. Again, “What greater blessing could come to the church than if the pope were to bestow these remissions and blessings on every believer a hundred times a day, as he now does but once?”16
89. “Since the pope seeks the salvation of souls rather than money by his indulgences, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons previously granted when they have equal efficacy?”17
90. To repress these very sharp arguments of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies and to make Christians unhappy.
91. If, therefore, indulgences were preached according to the spirit and intention of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved. Indeed, they would not exist.
92. Away then with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, “Peace, peace,” and there is no peace! [Jer. 6:14].
93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, “Cross, cross,” and there is no cross!
94. Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their head, through penalties, death, and hell;
95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace [Acts 14:22][1]
1 Luther spelled his name Lutther in this preamble.
2 There was actually no debate, for no one responded to the invitation. The contents of the ninety-five theses were soon widely disseminated by word of mouth and by the printers, and in effect a vigorous debate took place that lasted for a number of years.
3 The Latin form, poenitentiam agite, and the German, tut Busse, may be rendered in two ways, “repent,” and “do penance.”
4 Catholic theology distinguishes between the “guilt” and the “penalty” of sin.
5 The canons, or decrees of the church, have the force of law. Those referred to here and in Theses 8 and 85 are the so-called penitential canons.
6 Commenting on this thesis in the Explanations of the Ninety-five Theses (p. 114), Luther distinguishes between temporal and eternal necessity. “Necessity knows no law.” “Death is the necessity of necessities.” Cf. WA 1, 549.
7 This is not a denial of the power of the keys, that is, the power to forgive and to retain sin, but merely an assertion that the power of the keys does not extend to purgatory.
8 Luther refers to this legend again in the Explanations of the Ninety-five Theses below, p. 178. The legend is to the effect that these saints, Pope Severinus (638–640) and Pope Paschal I (817–824), preferred to remain longer in purgatory that they might have greater glory in heaven.
9 Satisfaction is that act on the part of the penitent, in connection with the sacrament of penance, by means of which he pays the temporal penalty for his sins. If at death he is in arrears in paying his temporal penalty for venial sins, he pays this penalty in purgatory. Indulgences are concerned with this satisfaction of the sacrament of penance—they permit a partial or complete (plenary) remission of temporal punishment. According to Roman Catholic theology, the buyer of an indulgence still has to confess his sins, be absolved from them, and be truly penitent.
10 These are privileges entitling the holder of indulgence letters to choose his own confessor and relieving him, the holder, of certain satisfactions.
11 To justify the placing of absolution before satisfaction, contrary to the practice of the early church, theologians distinguished between the guilt and the penalty of sins.
12 The treasury of merits is a reserve fund of good works accumulated by Christ and the saints upon which the pope could draw when he remitted satisfaction in indulgences.
13 The office of the keys: the preaching of the gospel, the celebrating of the sacraments, the remitting of sins to the penitent, and the excommunicating of impenitent sinners.
14 Marcus Licinius Crassus (115–53 b.c.), also called Dives (“the Rich”), was noted for his wealth and luxury by the classical Romans. Crassus means “the Fat.”
15 See Theses 36 and 37
16 The indulgence letter entitled its possessor to receive absolution once during his lifetime and once at the approach of death.
17 During the time when the jubilee indulgences were preached, other indulgences were suspended.
[1]Luther, M. (1999, c1957). Vol. 31: Luther’s works, vol. 31 : Career of the Reformer I (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther’s Works (31:25-33). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.
Today, we in the Lutheran Church celebrate the Reformation (Observed). The theme for today is the reformation of the Church; that is, reforming the practices that the Roman Catholic Church had instituted.
A monk by the name of Martin Luther became very outspoken of the practices which the Roman Catholic Church were doing: praying to saints, worshipping the relics and other practices. Two practices that sparked Luther’s angst the most were the selling of indulgences and the doctrine of salvation by good works. All of this prompted the posting of his Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, or what has popularly become known as the 95 Theses.
Enjoy this lovely video celebrating the Reformation.
Early in the fourth century, a north African pastor named Arius began teaching that Jesus Christ was not truly God. The Church responded decisively in AD 325 with a statement of faith (The Nicene Creed), which confessed that Jesus is, in fact, true God. Toward the end of the fifth century, another creed was written that delved further into the mystery of the Trinity. Though attributed to Athanasius, a fourth-century opponent of Arius, this anonymous creed clearly came at a later stage in the debate.
The Athanasian Creed declares that its teachings concerning the Holy Trinity and our Lord’s incarnation are “the catholic faith.” In other words, this is what the true Church of all times and all places has confessed. More than fifteen centuries later, the Church continues to confess this truth, confident that the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has given Himself for our salvation.
| 1 Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith. 2 Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally. 3 And the catholic faith is this, 4 that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance. 5 For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another. 6 But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. 7 Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit: 8 the Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated; 9 the Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite; 10 the Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal. 11 And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal, 12 just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one Uncreated and one Infinite. 13 In the same way, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, the Holy Spirit almighty; 14 and yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. 15 So the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God; 16 and yet there are not three Gods, but one God. 17 So the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord; 18 and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord. 19 Just as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so also are we prohibited by the catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords. |
20 The Father is not made nor created nor begotten by anyone. 21 The Son is neither made nor created, but begotten of the Father alone. 22 The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding. 23 Thus, there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. 24 And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another; 25 but the whole three persons are coeternal with each other and coequal, so that in all things, as has been stated above, the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity is to be worshiped. 26 Therefore, whoever desires to be saved must think thus about the Trinity. 27 But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 28 Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man. 29 He is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; and He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age: 30 perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh; 31 equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with respect to His humanity. 32 Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ: 33 one, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of the humanity into God; 34 one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. 35 For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ, 36 who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead, 37 ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead. 38 At His coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds. 39 And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire. 40 This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved. |
Note: The portions in green are from the sermon for Confirmation Sunday.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for today is the Gospel which was read earlier.
Dear confirmands – it’s that time. Time for you to declare your faith, given to you at your Baptism by the Holy Spirit, confessed for you by your parents and your sponsors. It’s a daunting task, but one that will be easy for you, because of someone who watches over you and protects. No, it’s not your parents. Rather, it is the Good Shepherd.
One of the most familiar pictures the Bible uses to teach us about our relationship to God is that of a shepherd and his sheep. It has its roots deep in the Old Testament. In the most popular psalm, Psalm 23, the author declares, “The Lord is my shepherd.” He describes his Lord as a good shepherd who takes care of His faithful believers who are His sheep.
Jesus uses this same picture in our Gospel reading for today when He says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” His listeners knew that a real shepherd is concerned first and foremost with the welfare of his flock. He would provide the flock the necessities of life such as food and drink. When a wild animal attacked, he would risk his life for the sheep. He would put his own life in jeopardy to protect his flock.
Jesus spoke these words some six months before His suffering and death. The way He sets up His opening sentence, He makes sure that all eyes will be upon Him. The personal pronoun “I” stands in emphatic position at the beginning of the sentence. From the outset, we are invited to look at Jesus, only Jesus, and away from ourselves, our limitations, our worries and our problems.
Once Jesus has our attention, He makes us see Him for what He really is. He is, literally, “the shepherd, the good one.” Jesus stands in a class all by Himself; there is no other shepherd who even comes close. Jesus is doing much more than telling pretty stores about heroic shepherds who rescue lovable little lambs from the mouths of hungry lions. He is claiming us as His own. He is saying, “I am the Lord to whom the psalmist looked in all his needs. I am the One who leads and provides. I am the One who goes with you through the valley of the shadow of death. I prepare a banquet table before you in the presence of your enemies. I fill your life with goodness and mercy and lead you to dwell in my house forever.”
With Jesus’ speech, He makes the distinction between the shepherd and the hired hand. We would do well to make the distinction between the shepherd and the hired hand. For many, they seek the comfort of the hired hand, thinking that it is the shepherd who is protecting them. They seek the comfort in the things of this world because it is tangible, it is here and now. It seems good, at the time. The reason for it is because of the false comfort that the world can give. The world is the hired hand. The world watches over the sheep because of the pay, that is, what we can do for the world; the world doesn’t have any investment in the sheep, nor does it invest any love or affection in them. The world comes and the world goes, in the end, only worried about itself. For you confirmands, the world will very much try to be your shepherd, but in the end, it will only be the hired hand. When the assaults of the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh come against you, and they will, the world will run and scatter, leaving you to defend yourself. If it hasn’t happened to you already, it will happen. For all of you here this morning, these attacks are very real and they are very harmful, for they bring about death, your death. The hired hand “sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”
This, my friends, is why the true doctrine is so important. That is why it is so important to have our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as your Good Shepherd. When these assaults come at you, you will not be harmed because He has protected you. He has protected you from the devil, the world and your sinful flesh by His own body and blood, given for you upon the cross. The Good Shepherd has called you by name through the waters of Holy Baptism. As you confirmands have studied, St. Peter tells us, “Baptism now saves you.” You, dear confirmands, have been called by name to be children of God. It is here in these waters that we have been called from darkness into light. We have been called into the light of our Good Shepherd, not the hired hand, for it is only the Good Shepherd who “has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” These are words which many of us should be familiar with, especially you confirmands. These are Martin Luther’s words to the explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed. These words tell us exactly what Jesus Christ has done for each and every one of us. These are things which only the Good Shepherd can do for us.
Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, tells us, “I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father know me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus tells us that not only does He love the sheep above all else, but He has the power to do something for them. He has described the close relationship that develops between a faithful shepherd and His flock. The sheep learn to know their master by His voice, and because of the way He always cares for them, they trust Him. They follow Him wherever He leads. The Shepherd, on the other hand, also gets to know His flock. He keeps track of which ones are feeble and unable to travel as quickly, which ones are sick and so forth. Shepherd and sheep come to know each other so well because they have been together so long, have been through so much.
Because of this love, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ knows who we are and how best to take care of us. He knows that we are feeble from the outset because of our sinful nature. He knows that because of that sinful nature, we will do stupid sheep things like stray from His Word by not hearing it preached and by not studying His Word with the other sheep of His flock. He knows that we will stray from His body and His blood which gives to us forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. When we do all of that and even more, our Good Shepherd comes after us, to find us and bring us back into the sheep fold. He does not leave us to the wolves to be devoured; rather, He brings us back to Himself, where He can keep an ever watchful eye on His beloved sheep.
Dear confirmands, this is not the end of your catechesis, of your study of the faith. Your catechesis will continue; but not in confirmation class. In just a few moments, you will all take vows, the same vows which the members of Trinity have taken. One of the vows that you will take is this: “Do you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully?” Look around you. Here you see those who have taken that same vow and who gather to be fed, fed by the Word of God and His Son’s precious body and blood. These sheep, both young and old, still need and desire the Good Shepherd’s care. Many have seen the days of confirmation come and go, yet they still come to be taught. They come because they know that their catechesis does not end on Confirmation Sunday. Your catechesis does not end on Confirmation Sunday, for it will continue – it will continue tomorrow and the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, until that day when your Lord calls you to His heavenly home.
My dear friends, on this Good Shepherd Sunday, we know that the Good Shepherd laid down His life for sinful, faithless, wandering sheep like you and me, of His own free will and His own divine authority. It is this same divine authority by which He takes up His life again. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does not shed His blood and leave His sheep alone, abandoned, and unprotected from the evil that seeks to devour and destroy us. He has taken His life up again in the resurrection on Easter morning. Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need fear no evil, for the Good Shepherd, who has already been through death and the grave, leads us through this life, to everlasting life in heaven.
Even now, as we wander like sheep through the dangerous fields and valleys of this life, our Good Shepherd continues to protect us from the evil one and to provide for us. He sets His under-shepherds over His flock to keep watch and warn against the wolf who seeks only to destroy Christ’s flock. He provides for our spiritual nourishment in the proclamation of His Word and with the meal of salvation that He has prepared for His sheep to feast upon. In this Holy Supper, the Good Shepherd comes to us and gives us His very body and blood to feast upon to strengthen and renew our sin-weakened souls. Here at the Lamb’s High Feast even the feeblest of sheep finds forgiveness of sins and strength for their weak and struggling faith. Here at His table, the Good Shepherd bids us to eat His flesh and to drink His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. In this heavenly feast of bread and wine our Good Shepherd well provides for His lambs.
For us sheep, we know that we may safely graze in the green pastures because our Good Shepherd is with, will never leave us nor forsake us, because we are safe in the arms of our Shepherd. In the name of Jesus, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.
Easter Morning
Almighty God the Father, through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, You have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us. Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
O God, for our redemption You have Your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross and by His glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of the enemy. Grant that all our sin may be drowned through daily repentance and that day by day we may arise to live before You in righteousness and purity forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.