Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon this morning comes from the Epistle, which was read earlier.

All too often, we hear the phrase, “I promise.” Sometimes those promises are kept, sometimes they are not. Sometimes those promises have the potential of being kept, while sometimes they do not. We promise young children that nothing bad will happen to them; yet the first time they fall and skin their knees, you have broken your promise. We are promised the world; yet in order for that promise to come to fruition, we must work at achieving those things of the world in order for them to be ours.

When one reads of the promises of God, there is never any doubt that what God promises will indeed take place. God, as far back as Genesis 3, gave to Adam and Eve, and all people, the first Gospel promise: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” That first Gospel promise was the promise of the Messiah, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Paul, in our text today, refers to the promise made to Abraham and his offspring “that he would be heir of the world.” The emphasis of the promise lies in the fact that this “did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” God did not and, in fact, could not make the promise, this great promise to Abraham or to his seed, by means of the Law. He did not attach this promise to Law; Law would have been the wrong vehicle. Law could never had made either Abraham or his seed righteous, and they had to be so in order to have this promise and to have it fulfilled in them, for if they had been left in an unrighteous state, they would have been no better than all the rest of mankind. Abraham and his seed had to be made righteous. They were and are made so by means of faith’s righteousness.

Since Law was an impossible means and faith the only means and source, the norm had to be grace, and God intended it to be so. Grace was God’s part of it, a part that was glorious for Him and blessed for us beyond anything that language is able to express. No wonder God intended it so; in fact, as we read elsewhere in the Scriptures, God intends that no man shall ever doubt that pure grace is the norm of His entire saving work.

Likewise it appeared that Abraham had no reason to continue hoping that he would be the “father of many nations.” Humanly speaking, every basis for hope had to be discounted. And yet, contrary to all human expectations, Abraham continued to “hope against hope.” His hope persisted because its basis was God and His promise. God had said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abraham believed that. He believed it contrary to every human indication, even as he had believed it when God first gave him that promise. And he was not disappointed or put to shame for that hope. In due time he realized its fulfillment. Hope that looks to God and his word is a fruit of faith—faith which considers God’s promises as being as good as done.

What kept Abraham going was the faith he had in God to do what He had promised. Each and every one of us has that promise of God because of what He says in the book of Isaiah: “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” What is the purpose in which the Word of God was sent? The purpose is the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, is what God sent to us. He sent the Word to make ready the hearts of God’s people, to allow the Holy Spirit to create saving faith in us, so that we may believe in God, the giver of all good things, especially the one who gives to us the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

God calls us as He called Abraham – into the unknown. There, faith is tested. There faith takes leave of the comfortable and steps out into obedience of God’s Word. There faith grows strong, trusting in the promises of God.

Just as we see with Abraham, we see the same in Paul. Both men had faith in God and His promises. Abraham had faith that God would make him the father of many nations. Paul, while he went by the name of Saul, had no faith. On the contrary, he did all that was in his power to stamp out Christianity. When he met Christ on the Damascus Road, his eyes were opened and faith was given to him. From that moment on, he became one of the most prominent Christians of the day.

You and I are no different than Abraham or Paul. God has made a promise to each and every one of us; the promise of His Son sent for the forgiveness of our sins. However, there is one thing between us and that promise: our sin. Should we be left to our own devices, we would have a broken promise from God. Thanks be to God, we are not left to our own devices. God’s promise is not one that can be broken. His promise surpasses our sin and remains true: Jesus Christ has come to forgive you all of your sins and to make you a child of God.

While the promise of God is and always will remain true, we tend to doubt His promise. Weak faith has little appetite for endurance. It rejoices easily in a promise, but loses heart when the fulfillment of that promise is delayed. Common sense takes over. Maybe we misunderstood. Or maybe it was meant only in a spiritual sense. The gap between our experience and our faith-experience is too painful to endure, so we lower our expectations. When faith trusts God’s promise in the face of discouragement, we are driven to reach more deeply into the strength and grace of God.

Several times, when discouragement weighed heavily on Abraham, God called him back to the original promise and re-established His covenant with him. Times of discouragement are occasions for bold remembering, remembering the promise which God has made to you through His Son, Jesus Christ.

When Martin Luther was afflicted with doubt and discouragement, when God seemed to have allowed every trace of faith to be stripped away, he would return to God’s foundational promise, and affirm, “But I am baptized!” This was not a foolish hoping in a magical rite. It was a unyielding return to the promise of baptism, that he had be grafted into Christ. It was a trusting in God’s promise when all evidence and all experience seemed to argue to the contrary.

God allows discouragement to teach us the true nature of faith and that we may see faith grow. Faith is not a mere agreement of the mind to certain truths. Martin Luther grasped the true nature of faith when he wrote, “Faith is a sure trust and confidence of the heart, and a firm consent whereby Christ is apprehended; so that Christ is the object of faith, yea rather he is not the object, but, as it were, in the faith itself Christ is present!”

Faith is a personal union between the believer and the risen Christ, which is brought into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. To grow strong in faith means to grow strong in your relationship with Christ. To grow strong in faith means to have His lordship gain strength in your life. To grow strong in faith does not mean that some part of you called “faith” gets stronger, but rather that Christ in you gets stronger. For faith is nothing other than that, Christ in you. Strong faith is not something reserved for a handful of supersaints. You can have strong faith because you have a strong Christ and a strong Father who keeps His promise to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus until life everlasting, amen.

Pentecost 4A 2008

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon this morning comes from the Epistle, which was read earlier.

All too often, we hear the phrase, “I promise.” Sometimes those promises are kept, sometimes they are not. Sometimes those promises have the potential of being kept, while sometimes they do not. We promise young children that nothing bad will happen to them; yet the first time they fall and skin their knees, you have broken your promise. We are promised the world; yet in order for that promise to come to fruition, we must work at achieving those things of the world in order for them to be ours.

When one reads of the promises of God, there is never any doubt that what God promises will indeed take place. God, as far back as Genesis 3, gave to Adam and Eve, and all people, the first Gospel promise: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” That first Gospel promise was the promise of the Messiah, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Paul, in our text today, refers to the promise made to Abraham and his offspring “that he would be heir of the world.” The emphasis of the promise lies in the fact that this “did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” God did not and, in fact, could not make the promise, this great promise to Abraham or to his seed, by means of the Law. He did not attach this promise to Law; Law would have been the wrong vehicle. Law could never had made either Abraham or his seed righteous, and they had to be so in order to have this promise and to have it fulfilled in them, for if they had been left in an unrighteous state, they would have been no better than all the rest of mankind. Abraham and his seed had to be made righteous. They were and are made so by means of faith’s righteousness.

Since Law was an impossible means and faith the only means and source, the norm had to be grace, and God intended it to be so. Grace was God’s part of it, a part that was glorious for Him and blessed for us beyond anything that language is able to express. No wonder God intended it so; in fact, as we read elsewhere in the Scriptures, God intends that no man shall ever doubt that pure grace is the norm of His entire saving work.

Likewise it appeared that Abraham had no reason to continue hoping that he would be the “father of many nations.” Humanly speaking, every basis for hope had to be discounted. And yet, contrary to all human expectations, Abraham continued to “hope against hope.” His hope persisted because its basis was God and His promise. God had said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abraham believed that. He believed it contrary to every human indication, even as he had believed it when God first gave him that promise. And he was not disappointed or put to shame for that hope. In due time he realized its fulfillment. Hope that looks to God and his word is a fruit of faith—faith which considers God’s promises as being as good as done.

What kept Abraham going was the faith he had in God to do what He had promised. Each and every one of us has that promise of God because of what He says in the book of Isaiah: “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” What is the purpose in which the Word of God was sent? The purpose is the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, is what God sent to us. He sent the Word to make ready the hearts of God’s people, to allow the Holy Spirit to create saving faith in us, so that we may believe in God, the giver of all good things, especially the one who gives to us the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

God calls us as He called Abraham – into the unknown. There, faith is tested. There faith takes leave of the comfortable and steps out into obedience of God’s Word. There faith grows strong, trusting in the promises of God.

Just as we see with Abraham, we see the same in Paul. Both men had faith in God and His promises. Abraham had faith that God would make him the father of many nations. Paul, while he went by the name of Saul, had no faith. On the contrary, he did all that was in his power to stamp out Christianity. When he met Christ on the Damascus Road, his eyes were opened and faith was given to him. From that moment on, he became one of the most prominent Christians of the day.

You and I are no different than Abraham or Paul. God has made a promise to each and every one of us; the promise of His Son sent for the forgiveness of our sins. However, there is one thing between us and that promise: our sin. Should we be left to our own devices, we would have a broken promise from God. Thanks be to God, we are not left to our own devices. God’s promise is not one that can be broken. His promise surpasses our sin and remains true: Jesus Christ has come to forgive you all of your sins and to make you a child of God.

While the promise of God is and always will remain true, we tend to doubt His promise. Weak faith has little appetite for endurance. It rejoices easily in a promise, but loses heart when the fulfillment of that promise is delayed. Common sense takes over. Maybe we misunderstood. Or maybe it was meant only in a spiritual sense. The gap between our experience and our faith-experience is too painful to endure, so we lower our expectations. When faith trusts God’s promise in the face of discouragement, we are driven to reach more deeply into the strength and grace of God.

Several times, when discouragement weighed heavily on Abraham, God called him back to the original promise and re-established His covenant with him. Times of discouragement are occasions for bold remembering, remembering the promise which God has made to you through His Son, Jesus Christ.

When Martin Luther was afflicted with doubt and discouragement, when God seemed to have allowed every trace of faith to be stripped away, he would return to God’s foundational promise, and affirm, “But I am baptized!” This was not a foolish hoping in a magical rite. It was a unyielding return to the promise of baptism, that he had be grafted into Christ. It was a trusting in God’s promise when all evidence and all experience seemed to argue to the contrary.

God allows discouragement to teach us the true nature of faith and that we may see faith grow. Faith is not a mere agreement of the mind to certain truths. Martin Luther grasped the true nature of faith when he wrote, “Faith is a sure trust and confidence of the heart, and a firm consent whereby Christ is apprehended; so that Christ is the object of faith, yea rather he is not the object, but, as it were, in the faith itself Christ is present!”

Faith is a personal union between the believer and the risen Christ, which is brought into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. To grow strong in faith means to grow strong in your relationship with Christ. To grow strong in faith means to have His lordship gain strength in your life. To grow strong in faith does not mean that some part of you called “faith” gets stronger, but rather that Christ in you gets stronger. For faith is nothing other than that, Christ in you. Strong faith is not something reserved for a handful of supersaints. You can have strong faith because you have a strong Christ and a strong Father who keeps His promise to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus until life everlasting, amen.

Pentecost 4A 2008

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

Someone has said that worry is prayer in reverse. That makes sense. When we worry, we depend on ourselves, not on God, the giver of all good things. Jesus makes a connection between worry and prayer in our text. He’s just taught His disciples the prayer that we say at every Divine Service: the Lord’s Prayer. Now He expands on that, talking about what makes us anxious. As we listen to the Words of Jesus, we learn that when we take our anxieties to God and turn them over to Him, prayer puts worry into reverse.

The question we need to ask ourselves is why do we let worry drive us backward? It’s an easy question to answer. The answer is because we do not fully put our trust in God and His provisions for our lives. Some of us may be concerned about our daily needs, such as food and clothing. However, we should not be concerned about our daily needs, as these are provided for us by God daily. Luther, when explaining the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed writes the following: “He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.” There are those who face devastation in their lives, such as those affected by the tornado in Colorado last week. They are desperately seeking daily needs of food, clothing, and shelter; yet we know God will provide for them because He has said that He will.

Those who are poor in worldly things are hardly free from mammon’s idolatrous powers. He can make them his victims through their anxieties over their daily needs. Jesus reminds His followers that for God’s children, such anxieties are faithless worries. Jesus lists two cases in point. First of all, Jesus says, since God provides life itself and its bodily needs, shall we not trust Him to provide our less important daily needs just as well? Secondly, since God sustains even the birds who do not have the ability to plan and store for their future, how much more will He sustain us humans who have these added gifts of God as well?

Our anxiety and worry is due to our dependence on something or someone other than God. We often find ourselves relying on all things other than God for our daily needs. We rely on credit cards to pay bills; we rely on hopes that we if play the lottery, that we will win millions. We rely on the things of this world, hoping that we will have all that we want, excuse me, need for our lives. In the end, that’s what it boils down to: want versus need. We want and want and want. But how much of our wants truly translate into needs? Wants are luxuries; needs are necessities. Deep down inside ourselves, we know that what we depend on is not the final answer. Instead the final answer is Jesus.

Our Gospel reading for today focuses on a single theme of Jesus: “You don’t need to worry.” If our worries are about tomorrow – and they often are – then Jesus’ words are a reality check. We can’t change many of tomorrow’s troubles and trials even if we want to. Worrying takes up our time and energy which we waste trying to change something which we cannot.

Jesus reminds us that our heavenly Father loves us infinitely more than He does the short-lived flowers. Reminding the people that the beauty of the flowers is short-lived, Jesus now argues from the lesser to the greater. If God dresses the passing flowers in the field with royal robes, how much more will He give ordinary clothing to His disciples who are going to live forever? He provides for our needs of both body and soul.

Luther, in his Large Catechism writes the following: “In addition, we also confess that God the Father not only gave us all that we have and see before our eyes, but He also daily protects and defends us against all evil and misfortune, turning aside danger and mishap of every sort. All this He does out of pure love and goodness, without our deserving it, like a kind father who takes care of us so that no harm may touch us….”

Why should we worry? “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” These are the words of Jesus, giving to each and every one of us. Their purpose: to assure us that God will provide for all of our needs. He shows to us the Father’s love by serving God to the fullest extent for us. Paul writes to the Philippians that Jesus “[took] the form of a servant,… and… humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” We don’t need to worry because Jesus of the saving work of Jesus Christ, for you and for me. Christ came into this world to serve the Father by taking all of your sins and mine from us and putting them on Himself. He carried them all to the cross. When He entered the grave, they were buried with Him. When He rose from the dead, Jesus offered to us new life and forgiveness.

The greatest gift that we have received as Christians is the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. The Christian is not to worry at all. Worry is like the unbelief of the heathen world. Unbelievers think that they “earn their own way in this world,” that they provide for their own needs. Trusting themselves, they seek after the mammon of unrighteousness. But the child of God lives by a different creed because he resides in a different kingdom. His heart belongs in the kingdom of grace. Since he has a heavenly Father who knows exactly what he needs, then why worry at all?

The greatest way to put worry into reverse is with God’s gift of prayer. If worry is prayer in reverse, then prayer can be worry in reverse. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we move away from our own solutions and toward God. We let God know about all the things, big and little, that trouble us. We turn them over to His care and keeping. We are able to pray boldly the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread” knowing that God will indeed provide us with our daily bread. We can pray because we also rejoice that we have what we need: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all theses things will be added to you.”

As we pray, we seek God’s will and the coming of where God’s will is always done: his kingdom in our lives. We do this trusting in the heavenly Father, who loves us so much to send His one and only begotten Son to take upon Himself our sins and worries.

There is no reason to let worry drive us. Worry may well be seen as prayer in reverse – and it always drives us backwards. But Christ’s assurance in our text – that by His death and resurrection we are in His kingdom and all we need will be added to us – means that our prayers are always heard for Jesus’ sake. Bringing our concerns to Him is the very reverse of worry, and the promise that He answers can drive us also – drive us to faith and confidence and joy that is found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Pentecost 2A 2008

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

Someone has said that worry is prayer in reverse. That makes sense. When we worry, we depend on ourselves, not on God, the giver of all good things. Jesus makes a connection between worry and prayer in our text. He’s just taught His disciples the prayer that we say at every Divine Service: the Lord’s Prayer. Now He expands on that, talking about what makes us anxious. As we listen to the Words of Jesus, we learn that when we take our anxieties to God and turn them over to Him, prayer puts worry into reverse.

The question we need to ask ourselves is why do we let worry drive us backward? It’s an easy question to answer. The answer is because we do not fully put our trust in God and His provisions for our lives. Some of us may be concerned about our daily needs, such as food and clothing. However, we should not be concerned about our daily needs, as these are provided for us by God daily. Luther, when explaining the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed writes the following: “He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.” There are those who face devastation in their lives, such as those affected by the tornado in Colorado last week. They are desperately seeking daily needs of food, clothing, and shelter; yet we know God will provide for them because He has said that He will.

Those who are poor in worldly things are hardly free from mammon’s idolatrous powers. He can make them his victims through their anxieties over their daily needs. Jesus reminds His followers that for God’s children, such anxieties are faithless worries. Jesus lists two cases in point. First of all, Jesus says, since God provides life itself and its bodily needs, shall we not trust Him to provide our less important daily needs just as well? Secondly, since God sustains even the birds who do not have the ability to plan and store for their future, how much more will He sustain us humans who have these added gifts of God as well?

Our anxiety and worry is due to our dependence on something or someone other than God. We often find ourselves relying on all things other than God for our daily needs. We rely on credit cards to pay bills; we rely on hopes that we if play the lottery, that we will win millions. We rely on the things of this world, hoping that we will have all that we want, excuse me, need for our lives. In the end, that’s what it boils down to: want versus need. We want and want and want. But how much of our wants truly translate into needs? Wants are luxuries; needs are necessities. Deep down inside ourselves, we know that what we depend on is not the final answer. Instead the final answer is Jesus.

Our Gospel reading for today focuses on a single theme of Jesus: “You don’t need to worry.” If our worries are about tomorrow – and they often are – then Jesus’ words are a reality check. We can’t change many of tomorrow’s troubles and trials even if we want to. Worrying takes up our time and energy which we waste trying to change something which we cannot.

Jesus reminds us that our heavenly Father loves us infinitely more than He does the short-lived flowers. Reminding the people that the beauty of the flowers is short-lived, Jesus now argues from the lesser to the greater. If God dresses the passing flowers in the field with royal robes, how much more will He give ordinary clothing to His disciples who are going to live forever? He provides for our needs of both body and soul.

Luther, in his Large Catechism writes the following: “In addition, we also confess that God the Father not only gave us all that we have and see before our eyes, but He also daily protects and defends us against all evil and misfortune, turning aside danger and mishap of every sort. All this He does out of pure love and goodness, without our deserving it, like a kind father who takes care of us so that no harm may touch us….”

Why should we worry? “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” These are the words of Jesus, giving to each and every one of us. Their purpose: to assure us that God will provide for all of our needs. He shows to us the Father’s love by serving God to the fullest extent for us. Paul writes to the Philippians that Jesus “[took] the form of a servant,… and… humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” We don’t need to worry because Jesus of the saving work of Jesus Christ, for you and for me. Christ came into this world to serve the Father by taking all of your sins and mine from us and putting them on Himself. He carried them all to the cross. When He entered the grave, they were buried with Him. When He rose from the dead, Jesus offered to us new life and forgiveness.

The greatest gift that we have received as Christians is the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. The Christian is not to worry at all. Worry is like the unbelief of the heathen world. Unbelievers think that they “earn their own way in this world,” that they provide for their own needs. Trusting themselves, they seek after the mammon of unrighteousness. But the child of God lives by a different creed because he resides in a different kingdom. His heart belongs in the kingdom of grace. Since he has a heavenly Father who knows exactly what he needs, then why worry at all?

The greatest way to put worry into reverse is with God’s gift of prayer. If worry is prayer in reverse, then prayer can be worry in reverse. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we move away from our own solutions and toward God. We let God know about all the things, big and little, that trouble us. We turn them over to His care and keeping. We are able to pray boldly the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread” knowing that God will indeed provide us with our daily bread. We can pray because we also rejoice that we have what we need: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all theses things will be added to you.”

As we pray, we seek God’s will and the coming of where God’s will is always done: his kingdom in our lives. We do this trusting in the heavenly Father, who loves us so much to send His one and only begotten Son to take upon Himself our sins and worries.

There is no reason to let worry drive us. Worry may well be seen as prayer in reverse – and it always drives us backwards. But Christ’s assurance in our text – that by His death and resurrection we are in His kingdom and all we need will be added to us – means that our prayers are always heard for Jesus’ sake. Bringing our concerns to Him is the very reverse of worry, and the promise that He answers can drive us also – drive us to faith and confidence and joy that is found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Pentecost 2A 2008

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon comes from the Epistle, which was read to you earlier.

In just a matter of months, Americans will come together on a day that marks us as a nation: the 4^th of July, Independence Day. Why is the 4^th of July so important? Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. On this day, more than any other, we identify ourselves with the nation of the United States of America.

The Old Testament Feast of Pentecost was one of the three annual harvest celebrations of the ancient Israelites. Grain in Israel is harvested in the spring, and on Pentecost the Israelites were expected to bring to the Lord the “firstfruits of the wheat harvest.” Pentecost was also one of the three great festivals for which every Israelite was to assemble in Jerusalem. It was a day like this that the Jews truly identified themselves as Jewish.

What did happen on that first Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to the Church in a very special way? In the tradition of the day, Pentecost was a kind of memorial day. Everybody got the day off from work. They gathered to celebrate the spring harvest and to remember the time in history when Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. Pentecost was a day to celebrate God’s direction and the purpose given to His people in His law and sustained in the fruitful harvest. This was the Jewish Festival of Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover feast.

The importance of this day is not about how many people were gathered. It’s not about people hearing others in their own language. The importance of the event is the coming of the Holy Spirit.

What is so important regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit? It has been said that “from that moment the Holy Spirit became the dominant reality in the life of the early Church.” Jesus prepared His disciples for the coming of the Spirit with the promise of Pentecost. He promised that His followers would be “baptized in the Holy Spirit.” But Acts emphasizes especially one aspect of the Spirit’s work, namely, inspiring believers to speak God’s message. Every reference to the coming of the Spirit and the work He is sent to do connects Him to the Word of Christ.

The Spirit works through God’s saving Word. It is a Word intended for all people, not just a select and gifted few. Every person in the house was filled with the Holy Spirit. The list of nations represented in Jerusalem signifies that the gift of God’s Word is to all nations and all peoples. It was a message that was understood in every language.

That is the purpose of the Word. It is the message of the saving work of Jesus Christ for all peoples. The day of Pentecost was the giving of that message to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit came to spread the Word of God to the apostles, allowing them to spread that Word as pastors to the churches around them: Paul was sent to Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, Thessalonica. Timothy was sent to the church at Ephesus to preach and teach. These were faithful pastors who received the gift of the Holy Spirit, though not necessarily on the day of Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit continues to be given to pastors today, to preach and teach the Word of God. They follow the tradition set forth for them by the apostles of old. Their work: to spread the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to all the world. They preach the Law and the Gospel. Through the Law, God works to convict those who mock the apostles and those who ridicule Christians today. For those present there at the day of Pentecost, they mocked the apostles, saying “They are filled with new wine.” They refused to believe that what was taking place was the work of the Holy Spirit. It was too easy to dismiss the events as drunkenness rather than acknowledge that this was the work of Holy the Spirit. His Word convicts sinners who continue to look for extraordinary means rather than the ordinary means of God’s Word. Through the Gospel, God saves “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.” This is done through the preaching of the Word of the cross, through Baptism and through the Lord’s Supper.

God’s mighty work comes to us through His simple Word and Sacraments. It is the Holy Spirit working through that Word and Sacraments who assures us of salvation and empowers us to confess that faith in our daily lives.

The miracle of Pentecost is when the Word suddenly reaches us. When we speak of the miracle of the Holy Spirit, we are confessing that something has come to us which we didn’t comprehend before. God gives us His Spirit so that we may have fellowship with Him and be led to do His will, that is, to be children of God.

God’s saving Word works even when it is delivered quite ordinarily. It worked through the apostles and it works through pastors today. Both are sinful, ordinary men whom God calls to do extraordinary work. We have ordinary means, such as water, bread, and wine; yet when combined with God’s Word, become something extraordinary – they become the means by which God delivers forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

So what do we have today from the day of Pentecost? We have the Word of God – we have the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good News that He has died to take away our sins. We don’t have any living apostles, but we do have their apostolic teachings in the New Testament. It was this same message that St. Peter proclaimed to the crowds that day; the same message that saved 3,000 that day is the one that is proclaimed here at Trinity.

That same Holy Spirit rests even on us very ordinary people. The Holy Spirit was given to us at our Baptism. It was in that moment that the Holy Spirit worked in us saving faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is given to all believers, not on account of what we do, but what was done for us.

There is much that the Holy Spirit gives to us, though we do not recognize it. Through the Holy Spirit, we are given the opportunity to confess the faith of the Christian Church. It is not a testimony of the believer, but of the works of God and all that He does on behalf of His children. The Holy Spirit allows us believers to speak God’s saving Word in ordinary ways that people understand. The Holy Spirit causes God’s Word of salvation to be understood when it is confessed by believers. The message of salvation doesn’t have to be complex. The message of salvation is simple: Jesus Christ came into the world on behalf of your sins. Because of that, all believers will have everlasting life.

It’s ordinary human nature to be attracted to the extraordinary things of the world. However, the God who gives us His Spirit directs our hearts to only one place. It is the Word of Christ, who came to save those of every nation, tribe, people and language through the forgiveness He won in His suffering, death, and resurrection. In Jesus name, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, amen.

Pentecost A 2008

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon comes from the Epistle, which was read to you earlier.

In just a matter of months, Americans will come together on a day that marks us as a nation: the 4^th of July, Independence Day. Why is the 4^th of July so important? Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. On this day, more than any other, we identify ourselves with the nation of the United States of America.

The Old Testament Feast of Pentecost was one of the three annual harvest celebrations of the ancient Israelites. Grain in Israel is harvested in the spring, and on Pentecost the Israelites were expected to bring to the Lord the “firstfruits of the wheat harvest.” Pentecost was also one of the three great festivals for which every Israelite was to assemble in Jerusalem. It was a day like this that the Jews truly identified themselves as Jewish.

What did happen on that first Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to the Church in a very special way? In the tradition of the day, Pentecost was a kind of memorial day. Everybody got the day off from work. They gathered to celebrate the spring harvest and to remember the time in history when Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. Pentecost was a day to celebrate God’s direction and the purpose given to His people in His law and sustained in the fruitful harvest. This was the Jewish Festival of Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover feast.

The importance of this day is not about how many people were gathered. It’s not about people hearing others in their own language. The importance of the event is the coming of the Holy Spirit.

What is so important regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit? It has been said that “from that moment the Holy Spirit became the dominant reality in the life of the early Church.” Jesus prepared His disciples for the coming of the Spirit with the promise of Pentecost. He promised that His followers would be “baptized in the Holy Spirit.” But Acts emphasizes especially one aspect of the Spirit’s work, namely, inspiring believers to speak God’s message. Every reference to the coming of the Spirit and the work He is sent to do connects Him to the Word of Christ.

The Spirit works through God’s saving Word. It is a Word intended for all people, not just a select and gifted few. Every person in the house was filled with the Holy Spirit. The list of nations represented in Jerusalem signifies that the gift of God’s Word is to all nations and all peoples. It was a message that was understood in every language.

That is the purpose of the Word. It is the message of the saving work of Jesus Christ for all peoples. The day of Pentecost was the giving of that message to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit came to spread the Word of God to the apostles, allowing them to spread that Word as pastors to the churches around them: Paul was sent to Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, Thessalonica. Timothy was sent to the church at Ephesus to preach and teach. These were faithful pastors who received the gift of the Holy Spirit, though not necessarily on the day of Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit continues to be given to pastors today, to preach and teach the Word of God. They follow the tradition set forth for them by the apostles of old. Their work: to spread the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to all the world. They preach the Law and the Gospel. Through the Law, God works to convict those who mock the apostles and those who ridicule Christians today. For those present there at the day of Pentecost, they mocked the apostles, saying “They are filled with new wine.” They refused to believe that what was taking place was the work of the Holy Spirit. It was too easy to dismiss the events as drunkenness rather than acknowledge that this was the work of Holy the Spirit. His Word convicts sinners who continue to look for extraordinary means rather than the ordinary means of God’s Word. Through the Gospel, God saves “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.” This is done through the preaching of the Word of the cross, through Baptism and through the Lord’s Supper.

God’s mighty work comes to us through His simple Word and Sacraments. It is the Holy Spirit working through that Word and Sacraments who assures us of salvation and empowers us to confess that faith in our daily lives.

The miracle of Pentecost is when the Word suddenly reaches us. When we speak of the miracle of the Holy Spirit, we are confessing that something has come to us which we didn’t comprehend before. God gives us His Spirit so that we may have fellowship with Him and be led to do His will, that is, to be children of God.

God’s saving Word works even when it is delivered quite ordinarily. It worked through the apostles and it works through pastors today. Both are sinful, ordinary men whom God calls to do extraordinary work. We have ordinary means, such as water, bread, and wine; yet when combined with God’s Word, become something extraordinary – they become the means by which God delivers forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

So what do we have today from the day of Pentecost? We have the Word of God – we have the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good News that He has died to take away our sins. We don’t have any living apostles, but we do have their apostolic teachings in the New Testament. It was this same message that St. Peter proclaimed to the crowds that day; the same message that saved 3,000 that day is the one that is proclaimed here at Trinity.

That same Holy Spirit rests even on us very ordinary people. The Holy Spirit was given to us at our Baptism. It was in that moment that the Holy Spirit worked in us saving faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is given to all believers, not on account of what we do, but what was done for us.

There is much that the Holy Spirit gives to us, though we do not recognize it. Through the Holy Spirit, we are given the opportunity to confess the faith of the Christian Church. It is not a testimony of the believer, but of the works of God and all that He does on behalf of His children. The Holy Spirit allows us believers to speak God’s saving Word in ordinary ways that people understand. The Holy Spirit causes God’s Word of salvation to be understood when it is confessed by believers. The message of salvation doesn’t have to be complex. The message of salvation is simple: Jesus Christ came into the world on behalf of your sins. Because of that, all believers will have everlasting life.

It’s ordinary human nature to be attracted to the extraordinary things of the world. However, the God who gives us His Spirit directs our hearts to only one place. It is the Word of Christ, who came to save those of every nation, tribe, people and language through the forgiveness He won in His suffering, death, and resurrection. In Jesus name, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, amen.

Pentecost A 2008

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon this morning comes from the Epistle, which was read earlier.

In Luther’s Morning Prayer, we pray the following: “I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger….” We pray that for a reason and that reason is this: as Christians, we will be harmed and there will be danger. Peter recognized that in our text. Although the followers of Jesus could not be accused of wrongdoing by the unbelieving community, their faith in Jesus of Nazareth and the kindness and love which they strove to show everyone set them apart from most other people, but also set them up for ridicule and abuse from the community. How were the Christians to act toward those who falsely accused them of doing evil? How should they react in the face of questions and objections? Ask yourself how are you, as a Christian, to act toward those who falsely accuse you of doing evil? How should you react?

Jesus tells us how we are to react: “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well….” Instead of trying to get even for evil done to us, instead of plotting on how to make the person pay for evil done to us, Jesus says that we are to turn the other cheek; we are not to seek vengeance for wrongs done to us.

Peter has said that on most occasions no one will insult, threaten or harm us if we do what is good. But even if we should experience suffering for doing the good things we do in Christ, there is no reason for us to be afraid of such threats. The unstated question is: “How can we be unafraid of those who threaten us even when we have done nothing wrong?” The answer is clearly given by Peter: “In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

Peter’s answer may or may not make sense. Therefore, we must ask the good Lutheran question: What does this mean?

First and foremost, we are to “regard Christ the Lord as holy.” To regard Christ as Lord is to give the Savior first place in our hearts. Just as every sin of thought, word or action can be traced to the sinful desires of the heart, so the effective rule of Christ in our lives must begin with His reign in our hearts. Christ rules in the hearts of all who trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life and who rely on Him for providential care and protection.

All too often, we put many things before Christ: our families, our jobs, our hobbies, our problems and many other things. If there is time left in our busy schedules or our hectic lives, then we will make that time for Jesus; however, that is not the way that it should be. Jesus is not someone that we can put on a shelf, pull Him out when we need Him, then put Him back on the shelf until the next time. Christ does not place anything above His bride, the Church. He came to give His life for the Church. He died so that His bride, the Church, could live. He died so that YOU could live. Nothing in this world is greater than each and every one of God’s children.

The second half of Peter’s answer is just as difficult, if not more than the first half: “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

The situation in which a Christian may find himself could prove personally embarrassing, potentially threatening or even life-endangering, but he is to be ready to give an answer. He is to be ready to make an “apology,” that is, a defense of his faith.

Making an apology of the faith is nothing new to Lutherans. We even have a document in our Lutheran Confessions entitled “The Apology of the Augsburg Confession.” The princes of the German provinces gave their statement of faith to Emperor Charles V in the Augsburg Confession. When the Roman Catholic Church refused to accept that statement of faith, Philip Melanchthon issued the Apology, an even greater defense of the faith which the Lutherans held. Both documents were essentially a death sentence, insofar as they were confessions which were contrary to that of the Roman Catholic Church, yet both were presented and the Lutherans refused to back down on their confession and defense of the faith.

Times have changed since 1530. A defense of the faith is not as quick to come by as it was then. We don’t want to make a confession of faith because our non-Christian friends may look at us differently if we start with the “God-talk.” Our defense of the faith may not be good for our career. It may not be good for our reputation. It may not be good for any number of things. However, that doesn’t mean that we are not to give a defense of the faith, especially when the opportunity presents itself to us.

We are reminded of the words which Jesus left the disciples following the resurrection: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” We have all been charged to give a witness and testimony of the faith that has been given to us. Through that witness and testimony, we make a defense of the faith.

Let me ask you a question. Is there a right way and a wrong way of making a defense of Christ? Peter says that yes, there is a right and wrong way. The right way is “with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience.” The reason for this is simple: the Gospel is offensive. How we speak to or about people can turn people off, even if that is not our intent. This attitude is the opposite of brashness, arrogance,

hot-headedness or a “holier-than-thou” attitude. This should be obvious to the Christian. The unbelieving world can be expected to speak maliciously – to harass, insult, threaten, mistreat, abuse or revile us. Why should we use the same type of speech to them when we are bringing a message of love and forgiveness which was given to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

The simple message which we proclaim is again given to us by Peter: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” In one sentence Peter summarizes the scope and effect of Christ’s work. The first part of the sentence tells us what Jesus did and how effective His work was while the second part of the sentence reminds us that Jesus is the sinless Son of God who died for sinners. Jesus is not our Savior because He gave himself as an example for us to follow so that we might save ourselves. Jesus is our Savior because He is the perfect Son of God who gave His life in our place in order that we might be brought to God. This faith and hope is not a misplaced faith or an unsure hope. Jesus is the perfect substitute who has fully completed His atoning work in our behalf and has brought us, without sin, to God. All of this was done for us through His life, death and resurrection. This gift of everlasting life is given to us in our Baptism. Baptism is more than a rite of initiation, more than a church ceremony or christening. Baptism saves you. How does Baptism save you? Baptism saves you “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Without Jesus’ resurrection there would be no baptism, no salvation; in fact, there would be no righteousness at all.

Challenges will indeed come in your life. As the baptized children of God, those made to be His disciples through Baptism and the teaching of God’s Word, you are continually being made ready to make a confident defense of the eternal hope that is in you through the life, death, descent into hell, resurrection, and reign at the right hand of the Father of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In His name, amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Easter 6A 2008

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon this morning comes from the Epistle, which was read earlier.

In Luther’s Morning Prayer, we pray the following: “I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger….” We pray that for a reason and that reason is this: as Christians, we will be harmed and there will be danger. Peter recognized that in our text. Although the followers of Jesus could not be accused of wrongdoing by the unbelieving community, their faith in Jesus of Nazareth and the kindness and love which they strove to show everyone set them apart from most other people, but also set them up for ridicule and abuse from the community. How were the Christians to act toward those who falsely accused them of doing evil? How should they react in the face of questions and objections? Ask yourself how are you, as a Christian, to act toward those who falsely accuse you of doing evil? How should you react?

Jesus tells us how we are to react: “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well….” Instead of trying to get even for evil done to us, instead of plotting on how to make the person pay for evil done to us, Jesus says that we are to turn the other cheek; we are not to seek vengeance for wrongs done to us.

Peter has said that on most occasions no one will insult, threaten or harm us if we do what is good. But even if we should experience suffering for doing the good things we do in Christ, there is no reason for us to be afraid of such threats. The unstated question is: “How can we be unafraid of those who threaten us even when we have done nothing wrong?” The answer is clearly given by Peter: “In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

Peter’s answer may or may not make sense. Therefore, we must ask the good Lutheran question: What does this mean?

First and foremost, we are to “regard Christ the Lord as holy.” To regard Christ as Lord is to give the Savior first place in our hearts. Just as every sin of thought, word or action can be traced to the sinful desires of the heart, so the effective rule of Christ in our lives must begin with His reign in our hearts. Christ rules in the hearts of all who trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life and who rely on Him for providential care and protection.

All too often, we put many things before Christ: our families, our jobs, our hobbies, our problems and many other things. If there is time left in our busy schedules or our hectic lives, then we will make that time for Jesus; however, that is not the way that it should be. Jesus is not someone that we can put on a shelf, pull Him out when we need Him, then put Him back on the shelf until the next time. Christ does not place anything above His bride, the Church. He came to give His life for the Church. He died so that His bride, the Church, could live. He died so that YOU could live. Nothing in this world is greater than each and every one of God’s children.

The second half of Peter’s answer is just as difficult, if not more than the first half: “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

The situation in which a Christian may find himself could prove personally embarrassing, potentially threatening or even life-endangering, but he is to be ready to give an answer. He is to be ready to make an “apology,” that is, a defense of his faith.

Making an apology of the faith is nothing new to Lutherans. We even have a document in our Lutheran Confessions entitled “The Apology of the Augsburg Confession.” The princes of the German provinces gave their statement of faith to Emperor Charles V in the Augsburg Confession. When the Roman Catholic Church refused to accept that statement of faith, Philip Melanchthon issued the Apology, an even greater defense of the faith which the Lutherans held. Both documents were essentially a death sentence, insofar as they were confessions which were contrary to that of the Roman Catholic Church, yet both were presented and the Lutherans refused to back down on their confession and defense of the faith.

Times have changed since 1530. A defense of the faith is not as quick to come by as it was then. We don’t want to make a confession of faith because our non-Christian friends may look at us differently if we start with the “God-talk.” Our defense of the faith may not be good for our career. It may not be good for our reputation. It may not be good for any number of things. However, that doesn’t mean that we are not to give a defense of the faith, especially when the opportunity presents itself to us.

We are reminded of the words which Jesus left the disciples following the resurrection: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” We have all been charged to give a witness and testimony of the faith that has been given to us. Through that witness and testimony, we make a defense of the faith.

Let me ask you a question. Is there a right way and a wrong way of making a defense of Christ? Peter says that yes, there is a right and wrong way. The right way is “with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience.” The reason for this is simple: the Gospel is offensive. How we speak to or about people can turn people off, even if that is not our intent. This attitude is the opposite of brashness, arrogance,

hot-headedness or a “holier-than-thou” attitude. This should be obvious to the Christian. The unbelieving world can be expected to speak maliciously – to harass, insult, threaten, mistreat, abuse or revile us. Why should we use the same type of speech to them when we are bringing a message of love and forgiveness which was given to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

The simple message which we proclaim is again given to us by Peter: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” In one sentence Peter summarizes the scope and effect of Christ’s work. The first part of the sentence tells us what Jesus did and how effective His work was while the second part of the sentence reminds us that Jesus is the sinless Son of God who died for sinners. Jesus is not our Savior because He gave himself as an example for us to follow so that we might save ourselves. Jesus is our Savior because He is the perfect Son of God who gave His life in our place in order that we might be brought to God. This faith and hope is not a misplaced faith or an unsure hope. Jesus is the perfect substitute who has fully completed His atoning work in our behalf and has brought us, without sin, to God. All of this was done for us through His life, death and resurrection. This gift of everlasting life is given to us in our Baptism. Baptism is more than a rite of initiation, more than a church ceremony or christening. Baptism saves you. How does Baptism save you? Baptism saves you “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Without Jesus’ resurrection there would be no baptism, no salvation; in fact, there would be no righteousness at all.

Challenges will indeed come in your life. As the baptized children of God, those made to be His disciples through Baptism and the teaching of God’s Word, you are continually being made ready to make a confident defense of the eternal hope that is in you through the life, death, descent into hell, resurrection, and reign at the right hand of the Father of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In His name, amen.

Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Easter 6A 2008

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon comes from the Gospel, which was read earlier.

“You just don’t get it, do you?” “The lights are on, but nobody’s home.” “He’s not playing with a full deck.” These are just a few phrases people use to suggest that someone lacks a little something in the intelligence department.

When reading our text for today, we see that Jesus speaks in a figure of speech, “but they did not understand what he was saying to them.” All too often, we do not understand what is being said to us. However, that doesn’t change the message of the text. The words of our text are addressed to Christ’s entire audience: His disciples, the formerly blind man, the Pharisees, and the other Jews who happened to be there. The purpose of the entire parable was to point out to everyone the Pharisees’ sin of leading people astray, so that the people would avoid them, and to try to lead those same Pharisees to repentance. The entire text forms a beautiful picture of Jesus’ work for us as our Savior, being the one who truly gives us life in every sense of the word.

Jesus begins with a parable with which we are all familiar. The picture of the sheep and the Good Shepherd is used repeatedly throughout Scripture. A shepherd cares for the sheep and is willing to give his own life for the sake of the sheep. Why is that? Sheep are dumb animals. They will walk themselves off of a cliff if not watched. When a storm comes, they will cluster together, often suffocating one another because they are so close to one another. That is why sheep need a shepherd.

To be a true shepherd, there must be a certain quality about the shepherd. The shepherd is one who lays down his life for the sheep. How he approaches the sheep is also key. A shepherd enters through the gate and the sheep know who he is. One who is not the shepherd climbs in the sheep pen by another way. This is startling to the sheep and the sheep scatter.

People who enter the sheep pen by this way are thieves and robbers. They are not the shepherd, yet sneak in to the sheepfold to use the sheep to their own advantage. One avoids the door and gets in some other way. He is described as a thief, one who tries to steal something quietly, and a robber, one who steals things by force and violence. He does not own the sheep and does not really care about the sheep. The shepherd, however, uses the gate.

As we see in our text, Jesus is referring to Himself as the Shepherd. If He is the Shepherd, then we are the sheep. Jesus Christ, who is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” is our Shepherd. He enters by the door, speaking honestly and without concern for Himself. He is recognized by His voice, that of the Gospel. The Gospel is not about what we owe God, but of what God in Christ freely gives us: forgiveness, life, and salvation. He leads all His sheep in and out. Regardless of where we go in life or what happens to us, the Good Shepherd has gone there ahead of us and remains with us. Although the evil of this world surrounds and infects us as sinners, in his gifts Christ constantly cleanses and restores us.

As our Good Shepherd, that is what Jesus did on our behalf. He has gone on before us and has taken our place. He has taken our rightful punishment on Himself so that what is to be ours now becomes his. What is meant for us? All that is not God. What is meant for us is everlasting condemnation and all the torments of hell for our sins against God and His Word. However, Jesus took all of that from us and gave to us His holiness and righteousness so that we might receive everlasting life.

Christ is your Good Shepherd, who has laid down His life for the sheep. He has gone to the cross to redeem you from sin; He has suffered God’s judgment so that you might be His people. And so the psalm declares: “we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”

Your Good Shepherd has laid down His life for you, and now He has taken it up again. He is risen from the dead, and the grave could not silence Him. He declares, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Today you hear His voice, for even today He speaks, and His Word does what He says. To you He cries out, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” To you He cries out, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” To you He cries out, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” He declares this to you in His eternal Word; and by the work of His Holy Spirit, you hear His voice and follow Him. He is your rest. He is your resurrection. He is your life.

The Lamb who suffered for our sins is also the Shepherd who leads and guides us, but we also Jesus Christ, the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” as the Shepherd who is the door.

It is through Jesus Christ and Him alone that the sheep are led to safe pasture.

Throughout the many days of our lives, there will be many a time where we will not be in safe pastures. Often, we will “walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” Without a Shepherd to guide us, there will be nothing to prevent us from the wild beasts that set out to devour us. Only our true Shepherd can protect us from all that seeks to devour us, namely, all that leads us into sin. Our sin keeps us from entering the gates of heaven. The gates of heaven were shut to you and me, and we had no hope of everlasting life – only the futility of living here apart from God before an eternity of His wrath. But now the door has opened, for Jesus has taken away your sins. You have access to the Father, who delights to hear your prayers for the sake of His Son; and you have the promise that you will live with Him in glory forever. That access to heaven is given to us because Jesus, our Good Shepherd, has gone on before us to lead us to the way of peace.

There are so many voices who call us to follow them. There are even thieves who jump the fences of our lives and forcibly attempt to make us follow them. It isn’t hard to get confused amid the swirl of so many voices: the voice of worry and fretting; the voice of sorrow; the voice of concern; the voice of fear. Voices of all kinds pound our ears and the cross becomes obscured as other forces come to play on our life, virtually drowning out the one voice that really can and will lift us above all this and sustain us with His life-giving body and blood.

Jesus closes our text with a stark contrast between the thief and Himself. The thief is only out to steal the sheep, kill the sheep and thoroughly destroy them. The sheep are not safe from him. Certainly, this is the effect false teachers and leaders have upon people. They may speak the reassuring words of a shepherd. They may even come dressed as a real shepherd. But in the end they only destroy the precious souls of people by their false teachings.

In contrast, Jesus comes to give life. That is why He laid down His life for the sheep, for you and for me, by His perfect life and innocent suffering and death. That is what He guarantees to us through His triumphant resurrection. Through His work He gives real life, which forgives sin, frees people from guilt, removes the fears and worries of everyday life, and ultimately lasts for all eternity in heaven. As Jesus says, He came so people could have life “and have it abundantly.” Jesus gives life that no one or nothing else can give. He gives us an abundance of grace, of joy, and of peace. He also gives us the ability to live for Him, free from our slavery to sin and Satan. Jesus is the life-giver in every sense of the word.

He has done all these things for you, too. He is your Good Shepherd. By His Word, He has voiced His salvation to you. He is your Door, and through Him you have come into the Kingdom of Heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Easter 4A 2008

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon comes from the Gospel, which was read earlier.

“You just don’t get it, do you?” “The lights are on, but nobody’s home.” “He’s not playing with a full deck.” These are just a few phrases people use to suggest that someone lacks a little something in the intelligence department.

When reading our text for today, we see that Jesus speaks in a figure of speech, “but they did not understand what he was saying to them.” All too often, we do not understand what is being said to us. However, that doesn’t change the message of the text. The words of our text are addressed to Christ’s entire audience: His disciples, the formerly blind man, the Pharisees, and the other Jews who happened to be there. The purpose of the entire parable was to point out to everyone the Pharisees’ sin of leading people astray, so that the people would avoid them, and to try to lead those same Pharisees to repentance. The entire text forms a beautiful picture of Jesus’ work for us as our Savior, being the one who truly gives us life in every sense of the word.

Jesus begins with a parable with which we are all familiar. The picture of the sheep and the Good Shepherd is used repeatedly throughout Scripture. A shepherd cares for the sheep and is willing to give his own life for the sake of the sheep. Why is that? Sheep are dumb animals. They will walk themselves off of a cliff if not watched. When a storm comes, they will cluster together, often suffocating one another because they are so close to one another. That is why sheep need a shepherd.

To be a true shepherd, there must be a certain quality about the shepherd. The shepherd is one who lays down his life for the sheep. How he approaches the sheep is also key. A shepherd enters through the gate and the sheep know who he is. One who is not the shepherd climbs in the sheep pen by another way. This is startling to the sheep and the sheep scatter.

People who enter the sheep pen by this way are thieves and robbers. They are not the shepherd, yet sneak in to the sheepfold to use the sheep to their own advantage. One avoids the door and gets in some other way. He is described as a thief, one who tries to steal something quietly, and a robber, one who steals things by force and violence. He does not own the sheep and does not really care about the sheep. The shepherd, however, uses the gate.

As we see in our text, Jesus is referring to Himself as the Shepherd. If He is the Shepherd, then we are the sheep. Jesus Christ, who is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” is our Shepherd. He enters by the door, speaking honestly and without concern for Himself. He is recognized by His voice, that of the Gospel. The Gospel is not about what we owe God, but of what God in Christ freely gives us: forgiveness, life, and salvation. He leads all His sheep in and out. Regardless of where we go in life or what happens to us, the Good Shepherd has gone there ahead of us and remains with us. Although the evil of this world surrounds and infects us as sinners, in his gifts Christ constantly cleanses and restores us.

As our Good Shepherd, that is what Jesus did on our behalf. He has gone on before us and has taken our place. He has taken our rightful punishment on Himself so that what is to be ours now becomes his. What is meant for us? All that is not God. What is meant for us is everlasting condemnation and all the torments of hell for our sins against God and His Word. However, Jesus took all of that from us and gave to us His holiness and righteousness so that we might receive everlasting life.

Christ is your Good Shepherd, who has laid down His life for the sheep. He has gone to the cross to redeem you from sin; He has suffered God’s judgment so that you might be His people. And so the psalm declares: “we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”

Your Good Shepherd has laid down His life for you, and now He has taken it up again. He is risen from the dead, and the grave could not silence Him. He declares, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Today you hear His voice, for even today He speaks, and His Word does what He says. To you He cries out, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” To you He cries out, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” To you He cries out, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” He declares this to you in His eternal Word; and by the work of His Holy Spirit, you hear His voice and follow Him. He is your rest. He is your resurrection. He is your life.

The Lamb who suffered for our sins is also the Shepherd who leads and guides us, but we also Jesus Christ, the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” as the Shepherd who is the door.

It is through Jesus Christ and Him alone that the sheep are led to safe pasture.

Throughout the many days of our lives, there will be many a time where we will not be in safe pastures. Often, we will “walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” Without a Shepherd to guide us, there will be nothing to prevent us from the wild beasts that set out to devour us. Only our true Shepherd can protect us from all that seeks to devour us, namely, all that leads us into sin. Our sin keeps us from entering the gates of heaven. The gates of heaven were shut to you and me, and we had no hope of everlasting life – only the futility of living here apart from God before an eternity of His wrath. But now the door has opened, for Jesus has taken away your sins. You have access to the Father, who delights to hear your prayers for the sake of His Son; and you have the promise that you will live with Him in glory forever. That access to heaven is given to us because Jesus, our Good Shepherd, has gone on before us to lead us to the way of peace.

There are so many voices who call us to follow them. There are even thieves who jump the fences of our lives and forcibly attempt to make us follow them. It isn’t hard to get confused amid the swirl of so many voices: the voice of worry and fretting; the voice of sorrow; the voice of concern; the voice of fear. Voices of all kinds pound our ears and the cross becomes obscured as other forces come to play on our life, virtually drowning out the one voice that really can and will lift us above all this and sustain us with His life-giving body and blood.

Jesus closes our text with a stark contrast between the thief and Himself. The thief is only out to steal the sheep, kill the sheep and thoroughly destroy them. The sheep are not safe from him. Certainly, this is the effect false teachers and leaders have upon people. They may speak the reassuring words of a shepherd. They may even come dressed as a real shepherd. But in the end they only destroy the precious souls of people by their false teachings.

In contrast, Jesus comes to give life. That is why He laid down His life for the sheep, for you and for me, by His perfect life and innocent suffering and death. That is what He guarantees to us through His triumphant resurrection. Through His work He gives real life, which forgives sin, frees people from guilt, removes the fears and worries of everyday life, and ultimately lasts for all eternity in heaven. As Jesus says, He came so people could have life “and have it abundantly.” Jesus gives life that no one or nothing else can give. He gives us an abundance of grace, of joy, and of peace. He also gives us the ability to live for Him, free from our slavery to sin and Satan. Jesus is the life-giver in every sense of the word.

He has done all these things for you, too. He is your Good Shepherd. By His Word, He has voiced His salvation to you. He is your Door, and through Him you have come into the Kingdom of Heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Easter 4A 2008