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 Epistle, which was read earlier.

On July 1, 1523, two Augustinian monks were burned to death in Brussels, Belgium by the Inquisition. Their names were Heinrich Voes and Johann Esch. What was their crime you might ask? They were teaching the doctrines taught by one of their Augustinian brothers – a man named Martin Luther. These were the first men ever killed for teaching Lutheranism, for teaching what is revealed to us in Holy Scripture. For us, it seems a little strange in our country today to think about persecution, doesn’t it? We in this country aren’t likely to be burned at the stake or thrown to the lions or beheaded for being Christian. And for that fact, it makes it a little tougher for us to get our heads around our text for today, and yet Peter begins by saying, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

The fact is that persecution of Christians has been the norm of the Church from the beginning. In looking at Peter’s first three chapters of his epistle, he puts the question of suffering in the context of a kind of sermon on themes from Christian baptism. Now, in chapter 4, the focus narrows from suffering in general to the specific trials of this specific group of believers. And they are suffering, apparently, for no other reason except that they are believers.

It’s pretty much of a certainty, then, that this letter is addressed to Christians who are being actively persecuted because of their faith. Under the Roman emperors of the time, the infant community of Christian believers began to assume a kind of Passion in imitation of Christ’s own suffering – believers were burned at the stake, fed to the lions, hounded out of their homes and cities. In short, it cost something in those days to believe in Christ.

There is a sense that it will always cost something to believe. It’s doubtful that any of us are fed to the lions or burned at the stake, but don’t we suffer for being Christian? There is that unspoken indifference to your faith by friends and coworkers, maybe even your family. There is the mindless inattention by the rest of the world, to those things of the Spirit which you take to be passionately important. There is suffering there, and accusation, and trial. And to those of you who feel that pain, for the sake of your faith, Peter has a job for you to do: “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

It seems like a strange thing to do when you are suffering for Christ, for remaining faithful to the faith that has been granted to you. But God has a purpose in allowing such persecutions. These trials, as Peter says, are “to test you.” There is the sense here that sufferings purify the Christian. Because we are always sinners and saints, we are never pure enough. Christ is always striving to purify our hearts and minds. The Christian, in standing firm, shares in Christ’s life and death. He suffers and dies with Christ. That is the joy we have in our Baptism, that we die to sin and are made alive in Christ Jesus. On the other hand, that can be our curse as well, for the world is hostile to the saving faith that comes through Jesus Christ; therefore, the world is hostile to the Christian as well.

But there is great comfort for you, the suffering Christian. Peter says, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” Fellowship with Christ does not end with the earthly death of a Christian but continues on to eternity. That is because we are connected with Jesus Christ and He with us. He strengthens us when we are persecuted. He is there with us when we suffer.

As you go about your life as a Christian, you should expect trial and suffering along the way. It may be society’s generic accusation that you are a bigot and a racist for holding fast to the Word of God, or that you’re intolerant for proclaiming that Jesus is the way to heaven. It may be the awkward conversations with family or friends who have different beliefs, who are less than pleased with the confession of faith on which you stand. It may be Old Adam’s whispers of doubt that you must endure as your sinful flesh persuades you to question God’s promises; or it may be battling teachings that were deeply ingrained in your youth. It may be the accusation of some that, if you care about doctrine, you must not love people. It may be the silly, man-centered notion that numbers are proof of the life of the Church. But if you are one who, by the grace of God, follows Jesus, you can expect to be misunderstood, falsely accused, mocked and rejected. As the world treated Jesus, so it will also treat you.

And how should you respond? Peter tells you not to be surprised, but be prepared. Furthermore, rejoice in the trials you suffer for being a Christian. This is, strange but true, a confirmation that you are the Lord’s, and that the Lord counts you worthy to suffer for His name. Therefore, declares the Lord, do not be ashamed if you suffer for being a Christian. Rather, humble yourself before the Lord. Suffering and fiery trial hurt; and during such times, peace is hard to find. Therefore, humble yourself and submit to the Lord. Confess to Him your sins and doubts, and give thanks that He considers you worthy to suffer for His name. And, adds St. Peter, be on guard and resist the devil, because he prowls like a lion to devour you; and he wants to devour you by making you suffer until you reject your Savior.

For this is your salvation: for your sin in which you were born, you faced only the prospect of suffering God’s eternal wrath and judgment. But so that you might be saved, Jesus Christ took on flesh and blood just like you, to go to the cross and die for your sins. He suffered rejection by the world, as man had him arrested, beaten and crucified. But even more, He suffered God’s rejection on the cross, as His Father condemned Him for all the sins of all the world-for all of your sins, too. Now He is risen from the dead, risen to give you forgiveness and life. For all the times that you sin and thus deserve God’s fiery trial, Jesus declares that He has suffered and died to deliver you. For all the times that you resent suffering, He declares that He has died for that, too.

Do not think it strange that you suffer for being a Christian in this world: for if you are delivered from eternal suffering, the devil, the world and your own sinful flesh will do their best to torment you while they still have time. No, do not think it strange, and remember the words of St. Paul: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” That glory is yours for the sake of

Jesus, who suffered, died and rose again for you. No, even as you are given to suffer, you do not suffer without the hope of God’s favor and everlasting life: because you are forgiven for all of your sins. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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 Epistle, which was read earlier.

Jesus once said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In this fallen world when people try to promote peace, or champion righteousness, or live a life of gentleness and meekness, they find opposition. One would think that such a life would attract people to the kingdom of God. But the fact that it does not naturally do that tells us clearly that creation is not only alienated from God, but in rebellion to God. John the Baptist called for righteousness and went to an early death. Jesus proclaimed all the right virtues but found opposition to His message because it called for them to enter His kingdom. And if they persecuted these, will they not also oppose the disciples?

This beatitude is for followers of Christ, those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness. And as the next verse clarifies to the disciples, that means suffering for Christ’s sake. They have been identified by faith with the King, they carry His name, and they proclaim the good news that there is a kingdom of righteousness and peace that is spiritual and eternal. But they will find opposition. Nevertheless, they should rejoice, for their reward in heaven will be great.

As Peter writes his epistle, he could hear the protests: “People will take advantage of us.” “Be kind to these people when they’re trying to kill us?” You can just imagine the protests the people were making, probably the same protests that you and I have made as well. But the words of Peter echo that of Jesus: “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled…” Jesus had taught Peter well. Even in times of persecution, Peter wanted the believers of Jesus to hang on to and trust that God would take care of His Church.

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 ask you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

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, and 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 that the Lutherans held. Both documents were essentially a death sentence, insofar as they were confessions that 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.

To bring the message of love and forgiveness that Jesus brings, Peter sums up the work of Jesus for us: “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.

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

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.

Would you like some good news this morning, news that can make even the faintest of heart rejoice and sing for joy? Our Lord speaks some wonderful words to His disciples gathered around the wonderful gift of food that He gives: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”Why would your hearts be troubled when you hear the voice of your Good Shepherd speak to you with words of great comfort? The disciples needed to hear words of great comfort because they were distressed. It’s hard to watch Jesus go about His preaching and teaching and get the treatment that He did from the Pharisees. Anything the Pharisees could do to disprove Him, to show He was a heretic, they would do it because the message that Jesus preached was condemning and threatening to their teaching.

When you look at the teaching of Jesus, what was so threatening? Clearly Jesus preaches something threatening here in our text when He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Clearly the Pharisees and I are on two different pages because what they hear as threatening, I hear as comforting. I would imagine that when you hear these words of Jesus, you do not hear them as threatening but comforting as well.

If you’re a Pharisee, it’s very easy to see how that declarative statement of grace can be threatening to their doctrine. It wasn’t Jesus who was going to save. It wasn’t the Messiah who was going to save. Rather, it would be your adherence to the Law of God. The only problem with that is that you would not be able to keep the Law of God because you were a sinner and could not do all that God had demanded. But if you were a Pharisee, you were the one who was able to because you were able to keep the Law perfectly or change it so that they could keep it.

For you and I, we don’t have to worry about whether or not we kept the Law because the reality of it is that we cannot keep the Law. There is hope for us, a hope that lies not in this world, but a hope that likes in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. He tells His disciples and all of us, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Our hope likes in the promise that God has made to us through His Son Jesus Christ. Instead of reasons for despair, the disciples realize the good news that the cross of Jesus Christ overcomes troubled hearts with the promises, assurances, and benefits of our great God.

There is no need for troubled hearts, as they are overcome by the Lord’s amazing promise of what God has in store for us. We look at this world and we see how much it has suffered because of sin. We have wars. We have disease. We have death. We all have seen the effects of sin on this world and we ask ourselves, “Is this it? Is there more to this thing called life?” And the answer is no, this isn’t it. There is more to this thing called life, or at least life as we know it. There is salvation. There is forgiveness. There is everlasting life. No matter how good or how bad your life may be on this earth, there is more waiting for you. There is a room in heaven that your Savior has prepared for you. If that isn’t good enough, Jesus also tells us, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”Jesus will personally take us to our eternal rooms, rooms prepared by Jesus when He said from the cross, “It is finished”because there at the cross, Jesus paid for your sin, giving to you that key to your room in heaven.

Then Jesus speaks the all-familiar words to Thomas and the other disciples. “I am the way, and the truth,and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you want words of assurance and comfort, then these are the words for you. Jesus comforts the disciples with what they had previously learned and experienced. With these words, He reminds us that He is the world’s one Lord and Savior.

These words, Jesus also speaks to you. He spoke these words to you on the cross. He spoke these words to you at your baptism. He speaks these words to you this morning. He speaks these words when you feast upon His body and blood. He speaks these words to you each and every day of your life, and He will speak these words to you as you draw your final breath.

Christ is the one and only source of blessed existence and life for us. In our sin is death, the separation from God. Left to ourselves, we should remain in this separation forever, dead beyond hope. In the person of Jesus, God sent us “the life.”Take away Jesus, and the way, truth, and the life are gone. All hope of God and heaven outside of Jesus is vanity and worse. “Except through me” is absolute and final. Despair would be the order of the day for this world, except for this wonderful news that our Lord declares. Despite the sin and evil of the world, there is a Way. The way is not what we would expect. The way is not a route or a set of directions. Instead, it is a person – Jesus Himself. We cannot travel this route. Instead Jesus must take us. In fact, that is exactly what He promised when He said, “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Through the blood that flowed from His body on the cross, Jesus is the way. Through the Scriptures that testify He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, Jesus is the truth. Through His taking our sin and our curse upon Himself, Jesus is the life. What comfort this is to our troubled hearts! 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.

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.

Which would you prefer: a thief and a robber or a shepherd? Think long and hard about your choices. Obviously, we’re all going to choose the thief and robber, right? Because of our sinful nature, that’s who we are and what we deserve, and sadly, that which we choose. Thieves and robbers don’t care about the people they steal from. There is no connection to them other than what they take from you. Once they’ve gotten what they can from you, you are of no use to them anymore and they move on to the next target. What we so desperately need is a shepherd, someone who will care for us.

Fortunately for us, we do have a Shepherd, one who cares for the sheep, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s great to have a shepherd, but what will the shepherd do? The shepherd is one who will lay down his life for the sake of the flock. He will be the one who will tend to the needs of the flock, great or small, because they are his flock. He will be the one who will provide for all of their wants and needs, keep them safe and do all that is within his power to make sure that nothing harmful happens to the flock.

Isn’t that the description of our Shepherd? We just celebrated Easter a few weeks ago and what is the purpose of Easter? It is the celebration of our Shepherd who laid down His very life for us, only to take it up again and defeat sin, death, and the devil for us. Jesus tended to the needs of the people, healing them of their earthly diseases but more importantly, healing us of our eternal disease of sin. Nothing that you and I could do would ever be enough to cure the disease of sin and death and so Jesus comes and says, “I will rid sin and death from my Father’s creation. I will die so creation will never die again.” Jesus is the one who went to the utter depths of hell so that we would not suffer. A thief and robber would never do such a thing, but a true shepherd would.

While Jesus gives an excellent description of who a true shepherd is, John throws in a verse of bad news: “This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.”As Jesus spoke, we might expect the Jews to have understood at least some of His figurative language. The sheep were God’s chosen people. The strangers and thieves were those who would endanger and harm them. The shepherd was Jesus, sent by God to take care of the flock. But the Jews did not understand His extended figure of speech. Maybe they really didn’t catch on, or maybe they wouldn’t follow it because they didn’t believe in Jesus and were not ready to conclude that they themselves were among the strangers.

The language was filled with great imagery. But Jesus is pretty clear when He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep…. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus is the door. Through the door of His holy life and bloody sacrifice, we have eternal life. Through Him and Him alone, we have heaven. He’s a door that is dripping with water and blood through whom we find good pasture.

Outside of Jesus Christ is the way thieves and robbers play. That’s how the devil and other false teachers of this world tempt us to believe that our salvation and life and success are all really based on us picking ourselves up and improving our lives on our own. After all, Jesus has done His part and now it’s up to us to do our part.

But that’s not how things work for salvation. It’s not Jesus plus me, Jesus plus you, Jesus plus something else. It is Jesus alone. The final words of Jesus in our text speak to what Jesus does: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” He’s gone before you into the grave — the shepherd has laid down His life for the sheep. But here’s the thing: He’s come back out. He’s risen from the dead. So He says to you, “Yea, though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, fear no evil, for I am with you. I will comfort you — and I will raise you up.”

That’s what the Good Shepherd does: He’s gone before you in life and death and resurrection. He’s been to hell and back for you, then ascended into heaven. Now He calls you by His Word, feeds you with His Supper: and He says to you, “I came so that you might have life—and have it abundantly.” He gives you grace abundantly—He forgives you more sins than you could ever commit.

My dear friends, on this Good Shepherd Sunday, we know that the Good Shepherd laid down His life for sinful, faithless, wandering sheep like you and me, of His own free will and His own divine authority. It is this same divine authority by which He takes up His life again. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does not shed His blood and leave His sheep alone, abandoned, and unprotected from the evil that seeks to devour and destroy us. He has taken His life up again in the resurrection on Easter morning. Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need fear no evil, for the Good Shepherd, who has already been through death and the grave, leads us through this life, to everlasting life in heaven.

For remember what the Good Shepherd says to you: He calls you by name and leads you out of darkness. He’s led you by the still waters of the font and washed you clean in your baptism. As long as the enemies of sin, death and devil hang around, He prepares a table for you, gives you His own body and blood to send those enemies scurrying away. He continues to speak His Word to you in the Scriptures so that you hear His voice, grow strong in faith and follow Him. He comes and gives you life, abundant life; and He promises that you will hear His voice as He raises you from the dead.

Your Good Shepherd has given up His life for you. He took upon Himself all the times that you live for yourself and not others. He died for all the times you try to make yourself the door to everlasting life. He rose again on the third day. You have life in His name, in His Baptism. You are His own sheep. He goes before you, protects and guides you. He meets your enemies head-on and defeats them for you. You follow Him, for you know His voice. You are His sheep. He isn’t just any shepherd, but your Good Shepherd, the one who lays down His life for you on the cross, the righteous sacrifice that makes you acceptable to God.

It is He who loves God perfectly for you. It is He who loves His neighbor perfectly for you. It is He who died for you. It is He who rose from the dead for you. It is He who ascended for you. He is the one whose body is the door to salvation. It is He who calls you by name. He has done all that you need. And He has done it so that you can live with Him forever. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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 Acts reading, which was read earlier.

There is bad news and good news for you today from the mouth of Peter. The bad news: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” But there is also good news for you as well: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Within the same statement, there is both bad news and good news. Often times, a statement has either bad news or good news, not both. However, for Peter, as he begins his wonderful sermon, this statement is filled with both bad and good news.

As far as the bad news goes, it’s rather more of a statement: “this Jesus whom you crucified.”That is not something that you want to here, that you are the one who sent Jesus to be crucified. Peter announces this to “all the house of Israel.” In other words, he is addressing everyone.

Imagine what that must have felt like when the people heard that statement. Even the disciples were standing there as well and that statement was addressed to them also. With the exception of Judas, the disciples could never think of doing anything to harm Christ. And now Peter is telling them that it was they who crucified Christ. It was all those who were there who crucified Christ. It was all of Israel who crucified Christ. A large portion of the crowd might have been present at Christ’s crucifixion but none of them hammered the nails into Christ themselves. What Peter meant by his statement was that it was their sins that sent Christ to the cross. It was the sins of the disciples. It was the sins of the crowd. It was the sins of all of Israel. It was your sins.

The statement that Peter makes is one that cuts deep because it’s not a message that anyone wants to hear because it makes us come to reality with ourselves. It makes us acknowledge that we are sinners. It makes us acknowledge that because of our sins Christ had to go to the cross in the first place.

Those who were gathered there felt a huge amount of pain at the words of Peter. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”” They were willing to do whatever it took to right the situation. They wanted to feel better, if not for Christ’s sake, for their own. The shame they felt was enough to kill them. The disciples, especially, had the utmost respect for their Teacher. There was so much that He taught them, so much more they could have learned. But when they saw their Master crucified, they ran. They hid. They were ashamed and afraid. Now they are together. Feelings of shame and fear overtake them and the crowd. They were greatly troubled that they had sinned against God and killed the Christ.

The feelings that they felt 2000 years ago we feel today as well. It is hard not to. What if I told you that you alone were the cause of death of the Savior? What would you feel? If only your sins were present, Christ would have died for your sins. Why? Death entered through the craftiness of Satan and ruined what God had created, what had been deemed “ good” and “very good.” There was only one way to purge that death: through the death of an innocent. That’s where the good news comes in to play.

Peter says that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. It means that because He is both Lord and Christ, His death and resurrection have proven to be sufficient payment to God. Solely by what He has done for us on the cross, all those sins from Adam unto the present have been paid for. They have been atoned by the blood of Jesus that was shed upon the cross.

So what is left to the Christian, both then and now to do? We’ve already run in shame. We’ve already mourned and now are taking responsibility for our actions, that we have crucified Christ. There is only one thing left for us: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Peter here uses the word “repent” simply to mean “believe.” This involves a changing of the mind effected by the Holy Spirit working through the Gospel in which an unbeliever becomes a believer. Peter invites the crowd to trust the forgiveness Jesus had already accomplished.

This repentance is not a condition for receiving forgiveness as the text implies: “for the forgiveness of your sins.” Such a thought would make forgiveness dependent upon human action. We are “dead in [our] transgressions and sins.”This repentance is all God’s doing by grace. Peter ties the forgiveness of sins to faith, baptism, and the Holy Spirit. When God empowers believers to share the Gospel, the Holy Spirit works through it to create faith in the hearts of unbelievers and to nourish the faith of those who already believe.

It is because we are dead that Jesus has come. It is because we need to have our sins forgiven that Jesus has come. It is because of God’s great love for His creation that Jesus has come. It is because of this wonderful gift that we are able to stand before God our heavenly Father and receive His graciousness, His invitation to be His beloved children. That comes from our repentance and baptism in Jesus’ name.

The best part of Peter’s sermon is what he leaves out: your action. Aside from repentance, which is the part of man, there is nothing else for you to do. All the action is solely the work of God for us. That is the way it is meant to be. That’s the way that Jesus spoke His entire ministry – He is the subject of the verbs, He is the one who is doing the action. We graciously receive all that He has to offer, namely the forgiveness, life, and salvation that comes about because of what Jesus Christ has done.

We have heeded the words of Peter through our baptism. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith….” Through our baptism, we have been marked as children of God. Through the Lord’s Supper, we continue to sustain our faith by the food that Christ gave to the disciples and to His Church.

Take heart, for “this Jesus whom you crucified”, has taken your sin from you. You have died in Christ and have been forgiven all of your sins through His death and resurrection. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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.

At some point in our lives, we all retreat to a place that is safe, a place where all of the bad things cannot reach us. As little kids, it’s often to the arms of mom and dad who will protect us from the monsters under our beds or in our closets. As we get older, we retreat to a close friend who will be there for us when everything seems to be going wrong in our lives. Or there might be that special place where we can go where no one knows about, where all of the bad seems to be kept at bay. Today, that is exactly where we find the disciples, in a place that is safe from all harm and danger.

On the evening of that first Easter Sunday, the disciples are not rejoicing in that their Lord has risen from the dead just as He promised. Rather, they are cowering in a locked room, fearful that what happened to Jesus would happen to them as well. All of this seems out of place with what happened in the early morning hours. Peter and John, along with the Marys see first-hand that the tomb of Jesus was empty. They hear from the angels and from Jesus Himself that He has risen from the dead as He promised He would. With news like that, the disciples should be shouting it from the rooftops on every street corner. But that’s not what they’re doing, because reality has set in for them: what happened to Jesus could happen to them as well.

When we see everything that happened to Jesus since His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, one can hardly blame the disciples for hiding out in a locked room. Jesus was falsely charged and put to death because of His heretical teaching according to the Pharisees. They wanted to stamp out the false teaching of Jesus and everyone who taught it. That meant that the same punishment could come to the disciples as well. In their very limited thinking, they thought that hiding in a room with the doors locked would keep them safe from all harm and danger that could befall them. Much to their chagrin, they weren’t as secure as they thought.

The number of people in the locked room has increased from ten to eleven in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, “Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”” Somehow, Jesus managed to appear in this locked room without being noticed, without a means to unlock the doors. At first, it would appear that the disciples are not as safe as they thought they were. If Jesus could appear in this room, then anyone could appear. But the greeting that Jesus gives is one that is meant to bring peace and comfort to them. This is not just an empty greeting. This is full Gospel. It is an absolution. The greeting is in keeping with the Greeter. The first thing He does is to forgive their sins and declare that all is well.

What comfort the disciples should have right now! It’s a comfort that they are desperately in need of at this moment. “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! 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.

But now in this moment, there is peace, even if it is only temporary, though the peace that Christ brings isn’t temporary. It is a peace that is everlasting, one that transcends beyond the here and now, for it is that peace that passes all understanding. Christ returned from death to give peace from fear. He gives to us His forgiveness. He gives to us His peace. 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.

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, as 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 that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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

On the Sixth Day of Creation, God made Himself a king. From the dust of the ground He brought forth His king and placed him in a garden made just for him. He wasn’t just someone for an all-powerful God to boss around like a peon; this man was God’s representative on earth. And this king was not created to lollygag around the garden all day; he was made to have dominion and to rule. This king was created with feet, for God gave him work to do, and he had to get around. His blessed work was to tend the garden and to guard it, and that meant also guarding His bride, Eve.

But Adam blew it. He blew it big time. A preacher from hell, a fallen angel, came into the garden. And he came to Adam’s wife spewing his poisonous lies. Now, Adam should have taken those feet and planted them right between his wife and the serpent and said, “Eve, don’t listen to that preacher. He’s a liar.” But he was a very convincing preacher, smooth-talking and slick. You’ve been mesmerized by him too. God had graciously said to Adam, “the day you eat of it, you shall surely die.” But instead of moving his feet and standing up to the serpent, he was caught flat-footed and did nothing. Instead, he turned his toes to his deceived wife. “Take; eat, Adam,” and he did.

Almost all kings leave some kind of legacy, something they are remembered for. David was the great warrior king, who purchased the land for construction of God’s temple. Solomon is remembered for his wisdom and for building the temple. But King Adam built nothing. His legacy was death. His work brought tombs and graves into the world, funeral homes and obituaries, sickness and disease, fear and anxiety. Before the fall, Adam and Eve revered God with a holy fear. Now they were scared of Him and everything else. Because of them, the world was filled with fear. Little boys would now be afraid of the dark. Teenage girls would live in fear of not being thin or pretty enough. Women now would fear the judgment of other women more than the judgment of God. Men would fear conflict in a world where men needed to have courage, backbone, and self-sacrifice. But men feared failure, causing many of them to “bury” their lives before they were even dead. And then there’s man’s conscience. There’s a saying that says that death and conscience make cowards of us all. And so man even feared telling the truth and being honest about himself. Instead he re-labels his sins. “I’m not stingy. I don’t lack generous spirit. I’m good with money.” “It isn’t stealing if the other guy’s got more than enough.” Indeed, death and conscience now make cowards of us all.

So God drove His king out of the garden, and placed security guard angels at the door. Angels that stood at attention. With flaming swords. To keep the man from the tree of life in the garden. The garden was no longer his home. Adam made man’s bed, and it’s a grave, and he’ll now have to lie in it too.

But God loved the king that blew it and He promised one day to send another. The Seed from woman. A royal Seed. His only-begotten Son, God in the flesh, God with feet. These feet would not be the feet of a coward, but the feet of a champion who came into the world to restore all that King Adam ruined. His were the feet that came to crush the head of that false preacher who deceived Adam and filled the world with fear. But this King, our Lord Jesus Christ, was not caught by the enemy flat-footed. He used His holy feet to get just where He needed to help fallen man, to heal the sick, the blind, deaf, and the lame. To feed the hungry. To walk right into a tomb and raise Lazarus. To walk right into a funeral procession and raise a widow’s son.

He used those feet to get where He needed to go to instruct the ignorant. To preach to them about entrance to a Kingdom that they could never merit. A Kingdom that He bestowed freely. This King was just the right King. And His feet were just the feet that were needed to save you. To open up the entrance to the garden paradise that Adam closed up. But the way back to the Garden of Paradise meant that this King had to be sliced up by the sword. A king had to bleed; a king had to have the courage to sacrifice Himself for rebels. A king who would not be tempted by that preacher from hell to take the easy road and let a world be damned. And Jesus didn’t blow it.

He had the royal feet that willingly staggered to the cross as this King shouldered your sin to the cross. He had the royal feet that laid in the grave to heal your wandering feet.

But what good is a dead king? What good are the feet of a king if they can’t move? How can a dead king give out gifts, give out a share in his kingdom, give glory and honor to his rebel subjects? How can a dead king share his royal feast of feasts? What good is merely a Crucified King, if that king is not raised to show His wounds and bring peace to man’s raging and guilty conscience? It’s no good. So God raised up this King to be our King Raised. The Crucified King raised from the dead, so that you might reign with Him forever. That you might see that you are no longer in your sins. So that you might see that in Him death has no power over you. So that you might hear and rejoice in the results what our King’s holy feet accomplished—Satan’s head crushed, and the teeth in His accusing mouth kicked in.

Our King was raised on this holy day and what wonderful things we hear about. We see the sad and scared Marys, a picture of God’s sad and scared church, filled with joy and gladness at the angel’s preaching. We see the stone rolled back and no body in there, catching a glimpse of our own future graves. Remember how those angels stood and guarded the entrance to the garden of paradise? How different things are on this morning. See the angel preacher in white. He has no sword. He is not imposing. He has no scowl on his face. He’s not even standing on his feet. He simply sits in a garden graveyard and preaches a short but magnificent sermon. “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said.” No need for fear in this fear-filled world, says the preacher from heaven. This King has on the cross dealt with and conquered all that could ever make you afraid.

See how Mary Magdalene and the other Mary take hold of those blessed feet of the Second Adam, as Jesus comes to them and preaches the same sermon. “Don’t be afraid.” They grasp and worship at the feet of their Savior and King who took the bed that Adam had made for man, laid in it for three days, and emptied it of its dread and power.

How great was that sixth day when God made Himself a king with feet. But how much greater is what happened on this day, the eighth day, the first day of a new creation, when God placed His King back on His pierced feet, that you might be baptized and fed with His life-giving body and blood, and reign with Him forever. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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

What was Mary Magdalene thinking? John records for us, “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”Just why was she going to the tomb? When Jesus died on Friday, she saw the tomb sealed with a massive stone. Did she think that somehow she would be able to dislodge the stone? And even if she could, then what? Jesus was dead, the body already starting to decay. When Lazarus died, his body was in the tomb for four days and everyone knew that there was certainly an odor from his dead and decomposing body. Jesus was dead for three days so the stench of death was certainly present in His tomb as well. Maybe she wanted to cry outside of Jesus’ tomb, to somehow feel connected to Him. Whatever the reason, she goes to the tomb of Jesus and something is amiss; “the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”

What a sight to behold, the stone rolled away. She doesn’t even dare to enter the tomb. Whatever she was planning on doing when she arrived at the tomb, all of that goes out the window and she immediately runs to Simon Peter and John to tell them what she saw. Without skipping a beat, both of the disciples make a mad dash to the tomb to see it for themselves. Just who would have had the strength to dislodge the stone? What was the purpose in disturbing Jesus’ earthly resting place?

Peter and John do what anyone who is curious would do – they enter the tomb of Jesus. Upon inspection, the linen burial cloths were lying there, along with the face cloth. However, something was missing, or rather, someone was missing! Jesus’ body was gone. Someone must have made off with Jesus’ body. Everything was too pretty to be graverobbers. Graverobbers wouldn’t have tidied up after themselves.

What happens next is unexpected: the two disciples went back to their homes. What?! What do you mean the disciples went home? What about all the things that Jesus said, statements like, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Who was Jesus talking to when He made that statement? He was talking to the disciples. Surely Peter and John were present when Jesus said that. But John records something in his Gospel: “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”

How sad is that! Members of Jesus’ inner twelve did not get what Jesus was all about. And so Mary Magdalene is left at the tomb by herself, dealing with everything that has just happened: she goes to the tomb to find it empty, Peter and John arrive and inspect the tomb only to go home without realizing what has just taken place. What is Mary Magdalene to do? She weeps outside of the tomb. As she weeps, she sees two figures in the tomb that weren’t there earlier; two angels inquiring about her weeping. As distraught as Mary was, she didn’t catch on to the significance of the angels’ presence as they asked her why she was crying. She simply answered that people had taken her Lord and she didn’t know where they had put Him. But she didn’t have time to think about who these two strangers in white were or to hear anything more from them because she turned away and saw a gardener who asks the same question. As she stood weeping in front of the tomb, she still didn’t think that Jesus had risen.

With just a single word, all is revealed. All this gardener has to say is her name and she knows that it is not a gardener but it is her risen Lord. Today, your risen Lord speaks your name following His resurrection and you are assured that Christ is indeed risen from the dead. What God spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden has come true. Everything that the prophets of old had foretold has come true. Everything that Jesus spoke about Himself has come true. What Jesus told the disciples regarding His death, that message that they did not understand, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” has been fulfilled.

Jesus your risen Savior reaches out to you today. His Gospel invitation is personal, for His death was personal. His death was meant for you personally, as He died personally so you would not die. And today, He speaks your name following His resurrection. Harkening back to His final words from the cross, “It is finished!” His death marked the completion of God’s master plan of salvation for His creation. And now, our Lord harkens to you, this time with a word that tells us that He is indeed risen from the dead. And if Christ our Lord is risen from the dead, then we know that we too shall be raised from the dead, not by our own devices, but by the blood of Jesus that was shed upon Calvary’s cross, that blood that washes over us forgiving us all of our sin.

If Christ had not risen, then the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross would be meaningless. We would still be in our sins. The confusion of sin would reign. We would be looking forward to an eternity of punishment.

But Christ has risen. Our salvation is sure. We are children of God. Our eternity is with Christ. When the end of this age comes, God will remove all evil to hell. He will create a new heaven and a new earth. At that time He will raise us just as Jesus rose. He will reunite our bodies with our souls. He will clothe us in immortality. We shall all know the joy that Mary shared as she fell to the ground and wrapped her arms around the feet of her risen Savior.

Christ has risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia!