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 Gospel, which was read earlier.

“Peace be with you.” It was just an ordinary greeting, much like our greeting of “hello” or “have a good day.” Just an ordinary greeting, but on the occasion reported in our text, it had an extraordinary meaning.

The disciples were huddled together behind closed doors; afraid, scared because of the authorities. Would they arrest the disciples? Would they execute them because they had befriended the man who was killed for being a traitor and a heretic, this man Jesus? Now there was a rumor floating about that this man was alive again. Stamp out the rumor by rubbing-out the disciples; a sensible strategy. So now the disciples were huddled together in fear.

As the disciples huddle in fear, something miraculous happened. “Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” Then there follows in the text those incredible words: “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord and recognized Him as Lord by the wounds and scars on His body! It must have been frightening, to say the least, when Jesus first appeared to them when the room was locked. Days earlier, Christ was arrested and killed. Now the body of Christ is missing. Some say that robbers have stolen the body, while others have seen the resurrected Christ. Because of the thoughts of some that the body has been stolen, it would only seem logical that it was the disciples themselves who stole the body. It could even be said that the disciples were the next on the arrest list for propagating the false teachings of Jesus. For that reason, they hid, much as you and I would hide.

This first time that Jesus speaks peace to them, He speaks in terms of forgiveness giving peace from fear. It is a joyful assurance, the presence of God, the complete opposite of fear. Yet just days ago on Good Friday, there was no peace for the disciples. All of them had left Jesus in fear, especially Peter. They were deathly afraid the Jews would come for them too. That’s why the doors were locked. What is worse is now they have no leader to make them feel more secure.

What sort of fear upsets our peace? Is it fear of illness or death? Is it fear that a hidden sin might be exposed? Is it fear of anything that may go wrong in our lives? Christ returned from death to give peace from fear. He gives to us His forgiveness. He gives to us His peace. It is that peace that passes all human understanding. It is peace in Christ which only He can give. He gave it to the disciples on Maundy Thursday when He instituted His Supper and He will give that peace to you in just mere moments when you come and receive His body and blood. Christ has come to give us all peace, that peace of knowing that our sins have been forgiven.

The result from Christ’s statement: peace from fear. The disciples rejoiced because their relationship was restored. We can rejoice also because we have nothing to fear because our sins are forgiven.

Startled as they were, Jesus says to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” What is it that Jesus is saying to them? The Savior not only assures them of peace, but He also commissions them to announce peace to the world. Peace comes from forgiveness of sins. It is peace between God and men through the work of Christ. It is peace of conscience to the sinner. This peace was Jesus’ way of saying that these idlers were still precious – and useful – to him. Jesus’ word of peace was their forgiveness, and now they had the power to share that same forgiveness with the world.

During this first meeting, the disciple Thomas was not present. When the disciples saw Thomas next, they told him how Jesus had appeared to them in the locked room. Thomas, known for his doubting, refused to believe unless he saw everything for himself.

How often are we the “Doubting Thomas?” How often do we doubt who Jesus is? How often do we doubt what is given to us in our Baptism? How often do we doubt what we receive in the Lord’s Supper: the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation? The world and all that is in it will cause us to doubt. Satan will do all that he can to cause doubt in a person. If a person wavers or doubt in their belief, then Satan has won. However, Christ has given to us that forgiveness in Him. He has given to us that peace in Him. He has given to us that new life in Him. Christ has given all of this to us through His life, death, and resurrection. This is not given to us by the world. The world will leave us disappointed and wanting and needing more; Jesus will not.

To ease the fears of Thomas, Jesus tells him the same thing that He told all the other disciples: “Peace be with you.” Jesus doesn’t stop there. He tells Thomas, “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Immediately, after Thomas put his hands in the wounds of Jesus, Thomas believes.

Jesus tells you the same thing today: “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” We understand Thomas, don’t we? We believe Jesus died and rose and even that He’s given us eternal life in heaven. But do we really, always, believe that because my Redeemer lives, we will live also or do our doubts leave us with no peace?

Jesus forgave Thomas’ unbelief. He returned to make Thomas whole, to give him the contentment of faith that is found only in Him. He comes today to us, to forgive us of our unbelief. We doubt. We question. We waver. But Jesus, through what He did for us on the cross, forgives us of our doubt, our questioning and our wavering. Through His gift of His body and blood, He continues to strengthen and keep you in the one true faith until life everlasting. That one true faith is found in Him.

True peace, the Bible describes it, is always a product of the restored relationship between God and man, and that is only a result of the forgiveness that Christ earned for us on the cross. The Lord brings His peace to you. He has paid the price for your sin and disobedience. Peace with God has come at a cost, but Christ has borne that cost for you. And now, He brings that peace to you.

Therefore, do not be troubled. As the risen Lord visited His disciples, so He visits you. As He spoke peace and forgiveness to them, so He speaks it to you. As He came to them with His risen body and blood, so He comes and gives you His body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. No matter what your sinful nature or circumstance might argue, you can be certain by God’s grace that you are at peace with God, because you are forgiven for all of your sins. In Jesus name, amen.

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

Easter 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 this morning comes from Gospel, which was read earlier.

“Peace be with you.” It was just an ordinary greeting, much like our greeting of “hello” or “have a good day.” Just an ordinary greeting, but on the occasion reported in our text, it had an extraordinary meaning.

The disciples were huddled together behind closed doors; afraid, scared because of the authorities. Would they arrest the disciples? Would they execute them because they had befriended the man who was killed for being a traitor and a heretic, this man Jesus? Now there was a rumor floating about that this man was alive again. Stamp out the rumor by rubbing-out the disciples; a sensible strategy. So now the disciples were huddled together in fear.

As the disciples huddle in fear, something miraculous happened. “Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” Then there follows in the text those incredible words: “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord and recognized Him as Lord by the wounds and scars on His body! It must have been frightening, to say the least, when Jesus first appeared to them when the room was locked. Days earlier, Christ was arrested and killed. Now the body of Christ is missing. Some say that robbers have stolen the body, while others have seen the resurrected Christ. Because of the thoughts of some that the body has been stolen, it would only seem logical that it was the disciples themselves who stole the body. It could even be said that the disciples were the next on the arrest list for propagating the false teachings of Jesus. For that reason, they hid, much as you and I would hide.

This first time that Jesus speaks peace to them, He speaks in terms of forgiveness giving peace from fear. It is a joyful assurance, the presence of God, the complete opposite of fear. Yet just days ago on Good Friday, there was no peace for the disciples. All of them had left Jesus in fear, especially Peter. They were deathly afraid the Jews would come for them too. That’s why the doors were locked. What is worse is now they have no leader to make them feel more secure.

What sort of fear upsets our peace? Is it fear of illness or death? Is it fear that a hidden sin might be exposed? Is it fear of anything that may go wrong in our lives? Christ returned from death to give peace from fear. He gives to us His forgiveness. He gives to us His peace. It is that peace that passes all human understanding. It is peace in Christ which only He can give. He gave it to the disciples on Maundy Thursday when He instituted His Supper and He will give that peace to you in just mere moments when you come and receive His body and blood. Christ has come to give us all peace, that peace of knowing that our sins have been forgiven.

The result from Christ’s statement: peace from fear. The disciples rejoiced because their relationship was restored. We can rejoice also because we have nothing to fear because our sins are forgiven.

Startled as they were, Jesus says to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” What is it that Jesus is saying to them? The Savior not only assures them of peace, but He also commissions them to announce peace to the world. Peace comes from forgiveness of sins. It is peace between God and men through the work of Christ. It is peace of conscience to the sinner. This peace was Jesus’ way of saying that these idlers were still precious – and useful – to him. Jesus’ word of peace was their forgiveness, and now they had the power to share that same forgiveness with the world.

During this first meeting, the disciple Thomas was not present. When the disciples saw Thomas next, they told him how Jesus had appeared to them in the locked room. Thomas, known for his doubting, refused to believe unless he saw everything for himself.

How often are we the “Doubting Thomas?” How often do we doubt who Jesus is? How often do we doubt what is given to us in our Baptism? How often do we doubt what we receive in the Lord’s Supper: the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation? The world and all that is in it will cause us to doubt. Satan will do all that he can to cause doubt in a person. If a person wavers or doubt in their belief, then Satan has won. However, Christ has given to us that forgiveness in Him. He has given to us that peace in Him. He has given to us that new life in Him. Christ has given all of this to us through His life, death, and resurrection. This is not given to us by the world. The world will leave us disappointed and wanting and needing more; Jesus will not.

To ease the fears of Thomas, Jesus tells him the same thing that He told all the other disciples: “Peace be with you.” Jesus doesn’t stop there. He tells Thomas, “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Immediately, after Thomas put his hands in the wounds of Jesus, Thomas believes.

Jesus tells you the same thing today: “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” We understand Thomas, don’t we? We believe Jesus died and rose and even that He’s given us eternal life in heaven. But do we really, always, believe that because my Redeemer lives, we will live also or do our doubts leave us with no peace?

Jesus forgave Thomas’ unbelief. He returned to make Thomas whole, to give him the contentment of faith that is found only in Him. He comes today to us, to forgive us of our unbelief. We doubt. We question. We waver. But Jesus, through what He did for us on the cross, forgives us of our doubt, our questioning and our wavering. Through His gift of His body and blood, He continues to strengthen and keep you in the one true faith until life everlasting. That one true faith is found in Him.

True peace, the Bible describes it, is always a product of the restored relationship between God and man, and that is only a result of the forgiveness that Christ earned for us on the cross. The Lord brings His peace to you. He has paid the price for your sin and disobedience. Peace with God has come at a cost, but Christ has borne that cost for you. And now, He brings that peace to you.

Therefore, do not be troubled. As the risen Lord visited His disciples, so He visits you. As He spoke peace and forgiveness to them, so He speaks it to you. As He came to them with His risen body and blood, so He comes and gives you His body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. No matter what your sinful nature or circumstance might argue, you can be certain by God’s grace that you are at peace with God, because you are forgiven for all of your sins. In Jesus name, amen.

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

Easter 2A 2008

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

Darkness. Ask a child what they’re afraid of and more often than not, they’ll tell you that they are afraid of the dark. The darkness can elicit many feelings. You hear a strange sound in the dark and you wonder what is lurking. Your eyes play tricks on you, showing you things in the dark when they’re not really there.

On this particular day, a Sunday, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb of Jesus in the dark. She needs to feel that connection to her dead Savior. She is grieving at the loss of a loved one, just as we would. Somehow, when we stand at the grave of our loved one, we feel that connection.

That is the feeling that Mary Magdalene needed; connection to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. However, when she arrives she cannot receive that feeling of being connected to Jesus because He is not there.

Many things have taken place in the last week. Christ has been betrayed, mocked, sentenced, crucified and has finally died in what seems like a matter of minutes. All that Christ stood for was now gone, hope buried behind a stone. Now after journeying to the tomb, Mary Magdalene sees that the stone is no longer in its final resting place. She dare not venture into the tomb because of the darkness, in fear of what may or may not be there. That is why she races to get Simon Peter and the other disciples. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

When everyone arrived again at the tomb, it was an awkward moment. The stone was too large for one man to move; it would have taken several large men to move it. What had taken place exactly? The grave of Jesus had been disturbed and His body has been taken. Killing Jesus wasn’t enough. Now someone had to desecrate the body; they couldn’t leave Him in the nice tomb of Joseph. But notice what it is that she says. She still refers to Jesus as “the Lord.” Although Mary Magdalene thinks Jesus is dead and all His work has been for nothing, she cannot do otherwise than still call Him “the Lord.”

When Peter and the other disciple arrive at the tomb, they find it just as Mary Magdalene had described: the stone was rolled away. When they entered the tomb, they found the linens they had wrapped Jesus in. The sight riveted John to the spot as he hesitated at the entrance and peered in. Peter didn’t stop but went right inside and studied the scene intently. The linen cloths are lying there; the face cloth neatly folded by itself. Grave robbers went to a lot of work of tidying up behind themselves after stealing Christ’s dead body. Again, what is the purpose? Jesus Christ is not the Son of God. If He were, He would not have died. The fact that there is no body means nothing at all. The only thing that matters is that Christ is dead and therefore, cannot be who He said He was: the Son of God.

Having seen the stone rolled away from the tomb, having seen the burial linens disturbed, having seen that Christ’s body was gone; there was nothing left to do except to return home. The reason why everyone left: “they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”

In all that is reported in our text, there is just one little expression of faith. It is reported that John, after he entered the tomb and observed the linen cloths and the face napkin carefully placed separately, believed. This is the one word of faith mentioned in our text. The text explains that the lack of faith in these disciples was because they did not yet know the Scriptures, that He must rise from the dead. Even though Jesus had clearly predicted His resurrection on the third day after His death, it was reported at that time and became evident on Easter Sunday morning, that they understood none of these things; this saying was hid from them, and they did not grasp what was said. Thus, Peter, John, Mary Magdalene and the others did not have a spectacular celebration of the resurrection, but went back to their homes.

Why are you here this early Easter morning? Are you here because of an empty tomb? Are you here because of a risen Christ? Peter and John did not understand that Christ must rise from the dead. After the last three years, being with Jesus, seeing all that Jesus had done, hearing all that Jesus had spoken, they didn’t understand what Christ’s purpose was: to defeat sin and death on our behalf. Even for us at times, we fail to understand that Christ had to rise from the dead. “Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life.” The Scriptures point us to His resurrection. They spell out the meaning of Christ’s resurrection for us, as well as the event. It provided a forceful demonstration of Christ’s deity. It announced our justification. We know that we shall follow Jesus in rising from the dead. Our faith is sure since we have a living Savior.

While John and Peter had left, Mary remained. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the tomb. If ever there was a time for Christ to be present, now would be it. She was in a state of mourning because her Savior had been killed. Sitting outside the tomb where He laid would bring comfort to her, knowing that He was inside. But now seeing the stone rolled away, the empty tomb brought only fear and uncertainty to her. She stayed and wept uncontrollably.

Seeing two angels appear in tomb must have been startling, to say the least. She would have expected to see her Lord and Savior, if the stone had been rolled away. Now that the stone was rolled away, it wasn’t Jesus that she but an empty tomb. Now two angels appear in a tomb where a dead Man should be. How could Jesus be gone and these two angels appear in His place?

These angels, along with the linen cloths, serve as witnesses of the resurrection. The linens were two earthly witnesses while the angels serve as heavenly witnesses to attest the Lord’s resurrection to men. Heaven and earth unite in the tomb of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is there to see it.

Heaven and earth unite for us this day also. We come together, united as brothers and sisters in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We worship today with one another, members of the Church Militant, as well as “angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven,” all those who have died in the faith and have joined the Church Triumphant.

On this Easter Sunday, we, with the resurrected Jesus Christ, who instituted His Supper for us on Maundy Thursday, who gave His very life for your sins and mine on Good Friday, who descended into hell on your behalf, rise again to new life, with sins forgiven, are free to enter the gates of heaven as children of God, brought with the blood of the Lamb. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! Amen.

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

Easter Sunrise A 2008

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

Darkness. Ask a child what they’re afraid of and more often than not, they’ll tell you that they are afraid of the dark. The darkness can elicit many feelings. You hear a strange sound in the dark and you wonder what is lurking. Your eyes play tricks on you, showing you things in the dark when they’re not really there.

On this particular day, a Sunday, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb of Jesus in the dark. She needs to feel that connection to her dead Savior. She is grieving at the loss of a loved one, just as we would. Somehow, when we stand at the grave of our loved one, we feel that connection.

That is the feeling that Mary Magdalene needed; connection to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. However, when she arrives she cannot receive that feeling of being connected to Jesus because He is not there.

Many things have taken place in the last week. Christ has been betrayed, mocked, sentenced, crucified and has finally died in what seems like a matter of minutes. All that Christ stood for was now gone, hope buried behind a stone. Now after journeying to the tomb, Mary Magdalene sees that the stone is no longer in its final resting place. She dare not venture into the tomb because of the darkness, in fear of what may or may not be there. That is why she races to get Simon Peter and the other disciples. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

When everyone arrived again at the tomb, it was an awkward moment. The stone was too large for one man to move; it would have taken several large men to move it. What had taken place exactly? The grave of Jesus had been disturbed and His body has been taken. Killing Jesus wasn’t enough. Now someone had to desecrate the body; they couldn’t leave Him in the nice tomb of Joseph. But notice what it is that she says. She still refers to Jesus as “the Lord.” Although Mary Magdalene thinks Jesus is dead and all His work has been for nothing, she cannot do otherwise than still call Him “the Lord.”

When Peter and the other disciple arrive at the tomb, they find it just as Mary Magdalene had described: the stone was rolled away. When they entered the tomb, they found the linens they had wrapped Jesus in. The sight riveted John to the spot as he hesitated at the entrance and peered in. Peter didn’t stop but went right inside and studied the scene intently. The linen cloths are lying there; the face cloth neatly folded by itself. Grave robbers went to a lot of work of tidying up behind themselves after stealing Christ’s dead body. Again, what is the purpose? Jesus Christ is not the Son of God. If He were, He would not have died. The fact that there is no body means nothing at all. The only thing that matters is that Christ is dead and therefore, cannot be who He said He was: the Son of God.

Having seen the stone rolled away from the tomb, having seen the burial linens disturbed, having seen that Christ’s body was gone; there was nothing left to do except to return home. The reason why everyone left: “they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”

In all that is reported in our text, there is just one little expression of faith. It is reported that John, after he entered the tomb and observed the linen cloths and the face napkin carefully placed separately, believed. This is the one word of faith mentioned in our text. The text explains that the lack of faith in these disciples was because they did not yet know the Scriptures, that He must rise from the dead. Even though Jesus had clearly predicted His resurrection on the third day after His death, it was reported at that time and became evident on Easter Sunday morning, that they understood none of these things; this saying was hid from them, and they did not grasp what was said. Thus, Peter, John, Mary Magdalene and the others did not have a spectacular celebration of the resurrection, but went back to their homes.

Why are you here this early Easter morning? Are you here because of an empty tomb? Are you here because of a risen Christ? Peter and John did not understand that Christ must rise from the dead. After the last three years, being with Jesus, seeing all that Jesus had done, hearing all that Jesus had spoken, they didn’t understand what Christ’s purpose was: to defeat sin and death on our behalf. Even for us at times, we fail to understand that Christ had to rise from the dead. “Because He is now risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, all who believe in Him will overcome sin and death and will rise again to new life.” The Scriptures point us to His resurrection. They spell out the meaning of Christ’s resurrection for us, as well as the event. It provided a forceful demonstration of Christ’s deity. It announced our justification. We know that we shall follow Jesus in rising from the dead. Our faith is sure since we have a living Savior.

While John and Peter had left, Mary remained. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the tomb. If ever there was a time for Christ to be present, now would be it. She was in a state of mourning because her Savior had been killed. Sitting outside the tomb where He laid would bring comfort to her, knowing that He was inside. But now seeing the stone rolled away, the empty tomb brought only fear and uncertainty to her. She stayed and wept uncontrollably.

Seeing two angels appear in tomb must have been startling, to say the least. She would have expected to see her Lord and Savior, if the stone had been rolled away. Now that the stone was rolled away, it wasn’t Jesus that she but an empty tomb. Now two angels appear in a tomb where a dead Man should be. How could Jesus be gone and these two angels appear in His place?

These angels, along with the linen cloths, serve as witnesses of the resurrection. The linens were two earthly witnesses while the angels serve as heavenly witnesses to attest the Lord’s resurrection to men. Heaven and earth unite in the tomb of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is there to see it.

Heaven and earth unite for us this day also. We come together, united as brothers and sisters in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We worship today with one another, members of the Church Militant, as well as “angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven,” all those who have died in the faith and have joined the Church Triumphant.

On this Easter Sunday, we, with the resurrected Jesus Christ, who instituted His Supper for us on Maundy Thursday, who gave His very life for your sins and mine on Good Friday, who descended into hell on your behalf, rise again to new life, with sins forgiven, are free to enter the gates of heaven as children of God, brought with the blood of the Lamb. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! Amen.

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

Easter Sunrise 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 is the Gospel which was read earlier.

Death. It is all around us. At some point in our lives, someone we have known or someone we know has died or will die. At some point, even you will die. Benjamin Franklin, one of our “Founding Fathers” is quoted as saying “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Taxes aside, Benjamin Franklin is right: death is certain. This isn’t a concept that Franklin came up. This is reiterated throughout Scripture. Paul says in Romans that “the wages of sin is death.” As we see in our text for today, death has come for Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.

Death is the ultimate result of sin. Sin separated us from God. Sin caused pain and hurt to enter into creation. As a final result, sin gave to us death, the ultimate separation from God. It separates us from His holiness, His perfection and His Word of truth.

At the loss of a loved one, we seek comfort. Some seek comfort in friends and family. Some seek comfort in the things of this world. For Martha, she sought comfort in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She tells him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” She knows that while family and friends can tell her that things will be okay, her brother is still dead. She knows that the world can bring her comfort in many things, but in the end, the world cannot bring back her dead brother. She goes seeking Jesus because she knows that He is the Christ, the Son of God. He gives her the assurance that she is looking for: “Your brother will rise again.” That is the assurance that Christ gives to each and every one of us: you will rise again.

During this season of Lent, now, more than ever, we hold the cross before us as a constant reminder of why the cross is there. The cross is there because of you. The cross is there because of me. The cross is there because of your sin. The cross is there because of my sin. Paul knew that it was his sins that put Christ on the cross. As he writes to Timothy and his church at Ephesus, he says, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” He knew of his acts against Christianity, how he murdered Christian after Christian after Christian. He knew, after meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road, that he was indeed a sinner and was in need of forgiveness. He knew that he was spiritually dead because of sin.

Do you know that you are spiritually dead because of sin? Do you truly and honestly accept that fact? The psalmist David did when he wrote Psalm 51: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” We are sinners, each and every one of us. However, that does not mean that we are left without hope. There is indeed hope for each and every one of us, hope for every man, woman, and child. That hope cannot be found in the teachings of Islam or Buddhism. You can’t go to Wal-Mart and say that you want hope for sinners. That hope can only be found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

While Martha grieves the death of Lazarus, Jesus gives to her that hope that is only found in him: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” That is the hope which we have to look forward to. That is the hope which the world cannot give. This is hope which can only come from God. It comes to us through Jesus Christ and His life, death, and resurrection. This is hope which we see demonstrated for us on the cross of Calvary.

With this hope that Christ gives, there is one caveat that He gives to Martha: “Do you believe this?” The answer is both an easy one and a hard one. It is easy insofar as that we say that we believe what Jesus says about Himself, that He is the resurrection and the life and that He gives to each of us everlasting life. The hard part comes about how we believe. We can’t believe on our own! Luther writes in the Explanation of the Third Article, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” We cannot believe because we are sinners. We only believe because the Holy Spirit gives to us that faith and the ability to believe. That’s what happens when you are spiritually dead; you have no faith. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that faith is given to us.

When we see Martha and Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus tells her to remove the stone, that Lazarus may exit the tomb. Even though she had earlier confessed to Jesus that she knows that she will see her brother again “in the resurrection on the last day,” here she shows her doubt, saying that Lazarus has been dead for four days. Then, Jesus asks her a question which, if He were standing here before us today, He would ask us the same question: “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

That is the question which is before us today, the question of whether or not we believe. But what is it that we believe in? Do we believe in God, the God of Scriptures, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or do we believe in “god” as he is revealed to us through Islam or Buddhism? Do we believe in the “god” of televangelism, the “god” who blesses you if you just believe that you’re a good person and give lots of money to that particular televangelism ministry?

We see throughout Scripture people who believed in a “god” other the one true God. We see people over their children as a fiery sacrifice. We see people, who after having seen the miracles which Jesus performed, still do not believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God. Even in our text for today, we see how some of the Jews who were with Mary and had seen Jesus bring Lazarus back from the dead went to the Pharisees to tell what had taken place. Their major concern: “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” They were worried that the people would believe in Jesus rather than in them. They were more worried about their position of power than the fact that Jesus is offering to them everlasting life.

That is what Caiaphas, the high priest, tells all those who are gathered. “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” Caiaphas had used the term “people,” a term used for the Jews as God’s covenant people. This was God’s intention, that His Son die in the place of people who would benefit from His Gospel covenant. This was first of all the Jews through whom the promise would be realized. But it was also the entire human race. As John comments on this promise, he switches to the word “nation,” emphasizing that the Jewish people had for the most part forsaken God’s covenant. They were now merely the nation through whom God had made the promise and were not the “people of God” by faith. John then immediately adds that this promise was not merely for the Jewish nation, but for all people of all nations for all time. From all the nations of the world, the children of God would be gathered into the one holy Christian Church by Spirit-worked faith in the Savior who gave His life to earn forgiveness for all people. 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.

Lent 5A 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 is the Gospel which was read earlier.

Death. It is all around us. At some point in our lives, someone we have known or someone we know has died or will die. At some point, even you will die. Benjamin Franklin, one of our “Founding Fathers” is quoted as saying “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Taxes aside, Benjamin Franklin is right: death is certain. This isn’t a concept that Franklin came up. This is reiterated throughout Scripture. Paul says in Romans that “the wages of sin is death.” As we see in our text for today, death has come for Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.

Death is the ultimate result of sin. Sin separated us from God. Sin caused pain and hurt to enter into creation. As a final result, sin gave to us death, the ultimate separation from God. It separates us from His holiness, His perfection and His Word of truth.

At the loss of a loved one, we seek comfort. Some seek comfort in friends and family. Some seek comfort in the things of this world. For Martha, she sought comfort in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She tells him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” She knows that while family and friends can tell her that things will be okay, her brother is still dead. She knows that the world can bring her comfort in many things, but in the end, the world cannot bring back her dead brother. She goes seeking Jesus because she knows that He is the Christ, the Son of God. He gives her the assurance that she is looking for: “Your brother will rise again.” That is the assurance that Christ gives to each and every one of us: you will rise again.

During this season of Lent, now, more than ever, we hold the cross before us as a constant reminder of why the cross is there. The cross is there because of you. The cross is there because of me. The cross is there because of your sin. The cross is there because of my sin. Paul knew that it was his sins that put Christ on the cross. As he writes to Timothy and his church at Ephesus, he says, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” He knew of his acts against Christianity, how he murdered Christian after Christian after Christian. He knew, after meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road, that he was indeed a sinner and was in need of forgiveness. He knew that he was spiritually dead because of sin.

Do you know that you are spiritually dead because of sin? Do you truly and honestly accept that fact? The psalmist David did when he wrote Psalm 51: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” We are sinners, each and every one of us. However, that does not mean that we are left without hope. There is indeed hope for each and every one of us, hope for every man, woman, and child. That hope cannot be found in the teachings of Islam or Buddhism. You can’t go to Wal-Mart and say that you want hope for sinners. That hope can only be found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

While Martha grieves the death of Lazarus, Jesus gives to her that hope that is only found in him: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” That is the hope which we have to look forward to. That is the hope which the world cannot give. This is hope which can only come from God. It comes to us through Jesus Christ and His life, death, and resurrection. This is hope which we see demonstrated for us on the cross of Calvary.

With this hope that Christ gives, there is one caveat that He gives to Martha: “Do you believe this?” The answer is both an easy one and a hard one. It is easy insofar as that we say that we believe what Jesus says about Himself, that He is the resurrection and the life and that He gives to each of us everlasting life. The hard part comes about how we believe. We can’t believe on our own! Luther writes in the Explanation of the Third Article, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” We cannot believe because we are sinners. We only believe because the Holy Spirit gives to us that faith and the ability to believe. That’s what happens when you are spiritually dead; you have no faith. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that faith is given to us.

When we see Martha and Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus tells her to remove the stone, that Lazarus may exit the tomb. Even though she had earlier confessed to Jesus that she knows that she will see her brother again “in the resurrection on the last day,” here she shows her doubt, saying that Lazarus has been dead for four days. Then, Jesus asks her a question which, if He were standing here before us today, He would ask us the same question: “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

That is the question which is before us today, the question of whether or not we believe. But what is it that we believe in? Do we believe in God, the God of Scriptures, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or do we believe in “god” as he is revealed to us through Islam or Buddhism? Do we believe in the “god” of televangelism, the “god” who blesses you if you just believe that you’re a good person and give lots of money to that particular televangelism ministry?

We see throughout Scripture people who believed in a “god” other the one true God. We see people over their children as a fiery sacrifice. We see people, who after having seen the miracles which Jesus performed, still do not believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God. Even in our text for today, we see how some of the Jews who were with Mary and had seen Jesus bring Lazarus back from the dead went to the Pharisees to tell what had taken place. Their major concern: “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” They were worried that the people would believe in Jesus rather than in them. They were more worried about their position of power than the fact that Jesus is offering to them everlasting life.

That is what Caiaphas, the high priest, tells all those who are gathered. “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” Caiaphas had used the term “people,” a term used for the Jews as God’s covenant people. This was God’s intention, that His Son die in the place of people who would benefit from His Gospel covenant. This was first of all the Jews through whom the promise would be realized. But it was also the entire human race. As John comments on this promise, he switches to the word “nation,” emphasizing that the Jewish people had for the most part forsaken God’s covenant. They were now merely the nation through whom God had made the promise and were not the “people of God” by faith. John then immediately adds that this promise was not merely for the Jewish nation, but for all people of all nations for all time. From all the nations of the world, the children of God would be gathered into the one holy Christian Church by Spirit-worked faith in the Savior who gave His life to earn forgiveness for all people. 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.

Lent 5A 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 earlier.

The words of our Collect for today tell us what the season of Lent is all about: repentance. “…Be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word….” When we go astray from God’s ways, we are His enemies. For most of us, that description seems a bit strong. Who has not felt that they have been searching for or grasping for something, someone, who will connect them to the rest of the world? Who has not felt at some time that they are a stranger or an alien to God? When things go utterly bad in our lives, we look to the things of this world to make our lives better, to put some sense of order to our troubled lives. We look to friends and family. We look to the local self-help section of Hastings. Who we often don’t look to is God.

Paul tells us in our text for today that it is precisely at these moments, when we have felt far away, that God has acted on our behalf. God did not wait until we were ready, until we changed, until we made the first move. While the silence of our doubt still rang loud, while our words were nearly erased by our stuttering, while we were reduced to apathy by our confusion, God made things right by the death of Jesus. We were separated, at a distance from God because of our sin, but He brought us back to Him through Christ’s life, death and resurrection, on our behalf.

Though we may die for the sake of a loved one or maybe even a combat in arms, rarely does one die for a complete stranger or even an enemy. With God, however, it is different. The cross is the word that there are no strangers, just sons and daughters. There are no enemies, only friends. All of this was done for us for the reason that Paul says: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Through His suffering, self-giving love, He offers Himself to us, and we are changed from strangers and enemies to God’s beloved children.

Because we are justified we now have peace in the presence of God. No sinner can stand in the presence of God and live. But by faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross, our sins, which would bring our certain death before God, have been removed. We are reminded by Paul that it is something that was done to us by God. That is the only way that it could ever be, God doing the act of salvation for us. Now, washed clean of our sins and wearing Jesus’ robe of righteousness, we have direct and permanent access to God and His grace. This right is given to all who trust in the justifying work of Christ.

Of great comfort, assurance, and hope is the truth that God tells us we now currently and permanently stand in His grace.

Because we have been declared innocent and have been set free from our sins, we can boast in the hope of enjoying God’s glory in heaven. People have always been told that it is not good to be boastful. However, Paul is telling us the exact opposite! We joyfully boast. This is not glorying in our own accomplishments. This is a joyful boasting in what God has done and what He promises to all who trust in Jesus. We boast in the blessings which have been given to us by God, namely, as Paul says, our sufferings.

The question that we ask ourselves is why we would want to “rejoice in our sufferings?” We suffer many things in our lives. We suffer from the loss of a job. We suffer the death of a loved one. We suffer day in and day out. So why is it a good thing to rejoice in our sufferings? Paul says we boast about sufferings because suffering produces perseverance, the ability to cope and endure, no matter how difficult the situation. Take for example the Israelites during their time in Egypt. They were made to be slaves and servants. They were the chosen people of God and yet they suffered. However, their suffering led to perseverance because they knew that God would take care of all of their needs.

We too boast about our sufferings, knowing that God has made us His children through what Christ has done for us. As we learn to persevere and our faith passes test after test of troubles, that perseverance produces true Christian character or Christ-likeness in us. Then we too, when we are insulted, will not retaliate and when we suffer will make no threats. Then we will thank God for our sufferings which test and prove – thus strengthening our faith – and we will commit ourselves to our faithful Creator. Finally, suffering and persevering and character building will come full circle and produce even greater hope in us concerning our eternal future with God. This hope, Paul promises, will not leave us disappointed. God continually pours out His love for us into our hearts through the Gospel. As the Holy Spirit works through that Gospel in Word and Sacrament, He confirms in our hearts the truth of God’s message and the trustworthiness of the hope that message creates.

How does God’s love produce persevering, character-building, confident hope in us? He sets Law and Gospel side by side, correctly distinguishing between them. We were powerless, ungodly, unrighteous, corrupt sinners. And yet Christ died for us, that is, in our place. There was nothing in us or about us that would move Him to do such a thing. Not only were we incapable of doing what God requires for salvation, we were actually ungodly and impious. We were God’s enemies, whose sinful minds were hostile toward God, not wanting or desiring anything God wanted for us or from us. Yet, for those who hated God and actually fought against Him, Christ stepped in and let their punishment be put on Him.

We are God’s enemies. We don’t want anything to do with God because of our sin. Though we want nothing to do with God, God wants everything to do with us. That is why He sent Jesus Christ to this sinful creation. Creation was not meant to be sinful. Sin and death were not part of the order of creation; however, sin and death are now very much a part of creation. To remove the eternal affects of sin and death, Christ was sent to buy creation back, to buy YOU back. Jesus was our substitute, taking our place and suffering the punishment of death we deserve for our ungodly sinfulness.

Christ dying for sinners is the fullest demonstration of God’s love we could ever have. God gave up His only Son to pay the price of our sins. There could never be a greater demonstration of love. As we look at the cross during Lent and are reminded that our sins brought Christ to that place, we should also be reminded of the width and length, the height and depth of God’s love for us, demonstrated on that cross in the death of His Son. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is the gift which all Christians have, given by the life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have gone from being enemies of God to being reconciled to Him through the death of His Son. Through faith, we have peace with God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

Lent 3A 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 earlier.

The words of our Collect for today tell us what the season of Lent is all about: repentance. “…Be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word….” When we go astray from God’s ways, we are His enemies. For most of us, that description seems a bit strong. Who has not felt that they have been searching for or grasping for something, someone, who will connect them to the rest of the world? Who has not felt at some time that they are a stranger or an alien to God? When things go utterly bad in our lives, we look to the things of this world to make our lives better, to put some sense of order to our troubled lives. We look to friends and family. We look to the local self-help section of Hastings. Who we often don’t look to is God.

Paul tells us in our text for today that it is precisely at these moments, when we have felt far away, that God has acted on our behalf. God did not wait until we were ready, until we changed, until we made the first move. While the silence of our doubt still rang loud, while our words were nearly erased by our stuttering, while we were reduced to apathy by our confusion, God made things right by the death of Jesus. We were separated, at a distance from God because of our sin, but He brought us back to Him through Christ’s life, death and resurrection, on our behalf.

Though we may die for the sake of a loved one or maybe even a combat in arms, rarely does one die for a complete stranger or even an enemy. With God, however, it is different. The cross is the word that there are no strangers, just sons and daughters. There are no enemies, only friends. All of this was done for us for the reason that Paul says: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Through His suffering, self-giving love, He offers Himself to us, and we are changed from strangers and enemies to God’s beloved children.

Because we are justified we now have peace in the presence of God. No sinner can stand in the presence of God and live. But by faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross, our sins, which would bring our certain death before God, have been removed. We are reminded by Paul that it is something that was done to us by God. That is the only way that it could ever be, God doing the act of salvation for us. Now, washed clean of our sins and wearing Jesus’ robe of righteousness, we have direct and permanent access to God and His grace. This right is given to all who trust in the justifying work of Christ.

Of great comfort, assurance, and hope is the truth that God tells us we now currently and permanently stand in His grace.

Because we have been declared innocent and have been set free from our sins, we can boast in the hope of enjoying God’s glory in heaven. People have always been told that it is not good to be boastful. However, Paul is telling us the exact opposite! We joyfully boast. This is not glorying in our own accomplishments. This is a joyful boasting in what God has done and what He promises to all who trust in Jesus. We boast in the blessings which have been given to us by God, namely, as Paul says, our sufferings.

The question that we ask ourselves is why we would want to “rejoice in our sufferings?” We suffer many things in our lives. We suffer from the loss of a job. We suffer the death of a loved one. We suffer day in and day out. So why is it a good thing to rejoice in our sufferings? Paul says we boast about sufferings because suffering produces perseverance, the ability to cope and endure, no matter how difficult the situation. Take for example the Israelites during their time in Egypt. They were made to be slaves and servants. They were the chosen people of God and yet they suffered. However, their suffering led to perseverance because they knew that God would take care of all of their needs.

We too boast about our sufferings, knowing that God has made us His children through what Christ has done for us. As we learn to persevere and our faith passes test after test of troubles, that perseverance produces true Christian character or Christ-likeness in us. Then we too, when we are insulted, will not retaliate and when we suffer will make no threats. Then we will thank God for our sufferings which test and prove – thus strengthening our faith – and we will commit ourselves to our faithful Creator. Finally, suffering and persevering and character building will come full circle and produce even greater hope in us concerning our eternal future with God. This hope, Paul promises, will not leave us disappointed. God continually pours out His love for us into our hearts through the Gospel. As the Holy Spirit works through that Gospel in Word and Sacrament, He confirms in our hearts the truth of God’s message and the trustworthiness of the hope that message creates.

How does God’s love produce persevering, character-building, confident hope in us? He sets Law and Gospel side by side, correctly distinguishing between them. We were powerless, ungodly, unrighteous, corrupt sinners. And yet Christ died for us, that is, in our place. There was nothing in us or about us that would move Him to do such a thing. Not only were we incapable of doing what God requires for salvation, we were actually ungodly and impious. We were God’s enemies, whose sinful minds were hostile toward God, not wanting or desiring anything God wanted for us or from us. Yet, for those who hated God and actually fought against Him, Christ stepped in and let their punishment be put on Him.

We are God’s enemies. We don’t want anything to do with God because of our sin. Though we want nothing to do with God, God wants everything to do with us. That is why He sent Jesus Christ to this sinful creation. Creation was not meant to be sinful. Sin and death were not part of the order of creation; however, sin and death are now very much a part of creation. To remove the eternal affects of sin and death, Christ was sent to buy creation back, to buy YOU back. Jesus was our substitute, taking our place and suffering the punishment of death we deserve for our ungodly sinfulness.

Christ dying for sinners is the fullest demonstration of God’s love we could ever have. God gave up His only Son to pay the price of our sins. There could never be a greater demonstration of love. As we look at the cross during Lent and are reminded that our sins brought Christ to that place, we should also be reminded of the width and length, the height and depth of God’s love for us, demonstrated on that cross in the death of His Son. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is the gift which all Christians have, given by the life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have gone from being enemies of God to being reconciled to Him through the death of His Son. Through faith, we have peace with God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

Lent 3A 2008