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

“Once upon a time…and they lived happily ever after. The End.” These are words which we all grew up on, words which we enjoyed to hear because of the happiness which it would bring to us. You always knew that if a story started as “Once upon a time,” it would always end with “and they lived happily ever after. The End.”

There was another story that we enjoy to hear because of the happiness which it brings to us. However, it doesn’t begin with “Once upon a time.” It begins with “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This particular chapter, entitled “Jesus” begins with the following: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

This is a familiar story to all of us. We know the happy ending of this story: God’s promises are fulfilled on that day of final resurrection. One day, Jesus will come back. On the Last Day, everything will come to an end. Those who had died will have their physical bodies rise up and live again. On this Judgment Day, those who have believed in Jesus Christ enter into the final glorious heavenly life forever, with body and soul reunited.

When we read this story, we see it is not a fairy-tell story. The story is very real. It has real people with real lives and real consequences. It involves criminals, bad guys. It involves a story which we don’t like to hear, one that involves a man who was crucified for the message which He preached. People did all they could to get Him to stay quiet: finding His errors in the Law, showing how He violated it. In the end, the only way to quiet His message was to kill Him. Right now, it doesn’t seem that this will end happily ever after.

It wasn’t easy quieting the message of Jesus Christ. They tried and tried and could not quiet Him. The only way was through His death. During Christ’s crucifixion, others were crucified along with Him, two criminals. They were placed on either side of Jesus. Though these men are criminals, though Jesus is surrounded by those who would persecute Him, He still preaches until His dying breath: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Regardless that His life is coming to an end, He still prays a prayer for them. Why does He pray for them? They didn’t ask Him to pray. If you ask some of them, they would tell you that they don’t need His prayers. The answer to why He prays for them: because they are sinners and are in need of forgiveness.

That same prayer which Jesus prayed on the cross for the people of His time, He continues to pray that same prayer for us today. He continues to pray to God, our Father, for forgiveness. We continue to sin. We revel in sin. We adore sin! However, we were not meant to sin at all. We were not meant to revel in sin. We were not meant to adore sin. Due to the Fall, we became sinful human beings. We need forgiveness, whether we want to admit it or not. Jesus recognized the fact that those standing before Him at His crucifixion needed forgiveness. He recognized the fact that all people need forgiveness. That is why Jesus prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Because of the sin they commit, they do not know what they are doing. They are ignorant in their actions, crucifying the Son of God. Even Jesus’ own followers were ignorant, not truly understanding the identity of their Lord until after His resurrection. In ignorance of what true paradise was in the Garden of Eden, they sin. In ignorance of who Jesus Christ is, they crucify Him. Through all of this, Jesus prays for forgiveness.

Forgiveness was not the only thing which occurred on the cross. Mockery occurred also.

Jesus was mocked. The soldiers mock Jesus, having fun at His expense. They ridicule Him as the King of the Jews who can’t even save Himself. The Jewish leaders also mock Jesus. They see Him as weak and pathetic, a fraud who claimed to be the Christ. Even one of the criminals mocked Jesus. If that weren’t enough, even the sign above Christ’s head mocks Him. They deride Him for being the King who couldn’t save Himself.

We too are mocked. We are mocked for our beliefs and our faith. We are mocked for going to church rather than sleeping in. We are mocked for attending a Bible study, studying and meditating upon God’s Word rather than go out for a night on the town. Death continues to make a mockery of us and our faith. The body stops breathing, the hearts stops beating. Death mocks us. Death tells us that that’s all there is. However, we know that death is not all that there is.

When the criminals mocked Jesus, one of the criminals told the other, “And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” The one criminal recognized that Jesus was innocent of any accusations brought against Him. If anyone was to be tried for their crimes, it would be the criminals hanging on either side of Jesus. The criminal makes one request of Jesus: “And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” The criminal is broken and beaten. He sees himself as he truly is, lost and condemned. Honest admission of his guilt leaves him with only one hope. He turns to Jesus and sees more than a dying man, more than the blood and agony. Others see a failed and fallen false messiah, but he sees the true Messiah! His eyes look at Jesus in moments of complete humiliation and utter torment. In an act of faith, he places himself into the outstretched arms of the Christ. He sees Jesus as innocent, as the One who can save him. He confesses Jesus as the King, someone who has a kingdom he wants to live in. In that moment, he receives more than he could ever imagine – paradise.

Jesus answers the criminal’s request, giving him paradise by turning the mockery of the sign above his head in a sign of truth for all believers. The criminal’s request is granted. “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” His happy ending is assured. On the cross, the criminal sees the sign above Christ’s head and believes. The One who doesn’t save Himself saves others by His death. It’s not that Christ couldn’t save Himself as the mockers claimed, but that He wouldn’t. He needed to take our punishment on the cross, so that on the Last Day we would be judged innocent, free to enter into His presence with body and soul rejoined together forever. The sign is not a sign of ridicule but a sign of truth: Jesus is the King who saves us because He did not save Himself. Jesus gives paradise from the cross by saving others instead of Himself and because of that, we look forward to that day of fulfillment when He restores all of creation with the resurrection from the dead.

Jesus granted that same request of the criminal to each of us through the waters of Holy Baptism, just as He did for Caleb (early) / Adam (late) this morning. When we received water with the Word of God, “I baptise you…”, that is a promise. That is a promise that we have died. We have died to sin and are reborn in Christ. We live these days as both sinner and saint until the day we die. When we die, we receive the ultimate promise: paradise from God the Father, through His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

For our life story, it begins with “Once upon a time.” There are good parts and there are bad parts, but we know the end of the story. The story ends with “and they lived happily ever after” because of the words which Jesus gave to each and every one of us: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” 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.

Last Sunday of the Church Year

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 comes from our First Reading, which was read earlier.

Today we observe All Saints’ Day. This doesn’t honor saints like one would think of in the Roman Catholic Church. Today, we remember those who have died in the faith. Saints are all those who are “knit together as one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Jesus Christ.” The saints are blessed in Christ, who is the Blessed One. They serve as an example of faith and “virtuous and godly living” to those who still struggle in this world.

While all believers in Christ in heaven and on earth are His saints, on this day the Church remembers all of God’s saints who have died and now participate in the “unspeakable joys” of heaven. These saints, who trusted in the Lord in their earthly life, as members of the Church Militant, live now in His eternal peace, the Church Triumphant. They exalt and magnify His Name, look to Him, and are radiant, reflecting His glory.

Once upon a time, this world was sinless, without death and all that is harmful and takes away from the goodness that God made. Things could not have been better. Adam and Eve had an entire garden at their fingertips. Everything that they could ever need was theirs. God even walked alongside with them and they could see God and talk to Him face to face. But as we all know, paradise didn’t last for long. Satan managed to get himself into the garden and tempted Adam and Eve, causing them to fall into sin.

However, prior to this, we were perfect, without sin.

As John writes in his Revelation, 144,000 Israelites were sealed, 12,000 each from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Upon seeing all these people, John says that, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”” The people whom St. John saw were indeed saints.

We need to ask ourselves this one question: what makes a saint a saint? For the Roman Catholic Church, it is a detailed process. First, the person has to be dead for at least five years; that counts any of us out! Then, once the person has been dead for the requisite period, the bishop can begin an investigation to see just how virtuous the hoped-to-be saint actually was. If the investigation turns out favorably, the documentation is turned over to Rome, where, after investigation by select theologians, the cardinals and bishops specifically assigned to handle saints take a vote on whether to proceed or not. Finally, there must be at least one miracle performed by the dead saint-to-be before the examination is completed, and one miracle performed after. As you can see, it takes quite a bit of effort to become a saint according to Rome. You can’t stop working at it even after you’re dead!

That is too much work. A saint is one called by the Spirit to faith in Jesus Christ, forgiven, and made holy in the sight of God. Thus each Christian, whether on earth or in heaven, is a saint. The Church is a communion of saints – a group of diverse people united by what they share in common: Jesus Christ and His heavenward calling.

If you are like many, you may wonder whether or not the Gospel is indeed working. While the effects of the Gospel may not always be visible to us, as it wasn’t to John’s readers during persecution, Jesus’ revelation assures us it is still God’s power to save. We trust in the words of God, recorded by the prophet Isaiah, who says, “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” We do not always see the Gospel’s work. As a pastor, that is the most apparent. We want to see the Gospel working, doing something in a person’s life, but we don’t always see it. It may not happen during our ministry. It may not even happen during our lifetime, but the Word of God will accomplish what it was intended for.

The Word of God did accomplish what it was intended for. The Word of God caused Jesus Christ to come to this earth, to be born, to live a sinless life and to die, so that you and I may have eternal life. While we have eternal life, we still die a physical death here on earth. We focus on the words which the choir sang earlier: “For You have won the battle That they might wear the crown; And now they shine in glory Reflected from Your throne.”

The saints, who are clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, are those who have already departed this life to be with the Lord forever and ever. They are our sainted dead today, our loved ones and all others who have gone before us, who have fallen asleep in the faith. But we also think of ourselves and other members of the body of Christ on this earth as the “saints alive.” We remember the saints now, at the end of the Church Year, as an anticipation of the coming kingdom.

Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom, has given His life for us and called us His own. Our sinful name is washed away in the waters of Holy Baptism. Being baptized into Christ, we have received the Father’s family name, given to us by the Holy Spirit. Now our names and the names of all God’s saints are written in the Lamb’s book of life. When we are brought into Christ through Baptism, nothing can keep us separated from Him because He has bridged the gap of separation with His own body and blood. Because of what Christ has done, “they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” The fact that the saints are wearing white robes shows that this righteousness is not their doing but is imputed to them for Christ’s sake.

As St. John writes, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore…” This is because they are in the saving, protecting arms of Christ Jesus. They no longer suffer from sin in this life because they have been made perfect. All of their needs have been provided for, because “the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

As John ends our text, he paints for us a picture of the complete joy of believers in eternal glory. Verse 15 indicates that part of their joy is being in God’s presence. Verse 16 describes the freedom of God’s people from the effects of sin, while verse 17 again points to the source of the believers’ joy in God’s personal presence.

When we are brought into Christ, we receive the gifts that are given to those who are in Christ, the gifts that belong to the sons and daughters of God. We are given the waters of new life, Holy Baptism which gives new life to those who come to it. The tree of life is Christ Himself who provides the food which nourishes us, His own body and blood. We will once again be able to see God face to face like we were meant to before, to be able to walk and talk with God and to be His own. Those in Christ will live forever with Him.

Today we remember those who have gone on before us, who continue to worship with us, just on the other side of heaven. We know this because it is in our liturgy that we speak: “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven…” They are the ones who confessed the name of Jesus Christ. We too who confess the name of Jesus Christ will one day be reunited with those saints who have gone on before, but more importantly, we will be reunited with the One who allowed us to enter heaven by His sacrificial death, Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus, amen.

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

All Saints’ Day

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 comes from our First Reading, which was read earlier.

Today we observe All Saints’ Day. This doesn’t honor saints like one would think of in the Roman Catholic Church. Today, we remember those who have died in the faith. Saints are all those who are “knit together as one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Jesus Christ.” The saints are blessed in Christ, who is the Blessed One. They serve as an example of faith and “virtuous and godly living” to those who still struggle in this world.

While all believers in Christ in heaven and on earth are His saints, on this day the Church remembers all of God’s saints who have died and now participate in the “unspeakable joys” of heaven. These saints, who trusted in the Lord in their earthly life, as members of the Church Militant, live now in His eternal peace, the Church Triumphant. They exalt and magnify His Name, look to Him, and are radiant, reflecting His glory.

Once upon a time, this world was sinless, without death and all that is harmful and takes away from the goodness that God made. Things could not have been better. Adam and Eve had an entire garden at their fingertips. Everything that they could ever need was theirs. God even walked alongside with them and they could see God and talk to Him face to face. But as we all know, paradise didn’t last for long. Satan managed to get himself into the garden and tempted Adam and Eve, causing them to fall into sin.

However, prior to this, we were perfect, without sin.

As John writes in his Revelation, 144,000 Israelites were sealed, 12,000 each from every tribe of the sons of Israel. Upon seeing all these people, John says that, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”” The people whom St. John saw were indeed saints.

We need to ask ourselves this one question: what makes a saint a saint? For the Roman Catholic Church, it is a detailed process. First, the person has to be dead for at least five years; that counts any of us out! Then, once the person has been dead for the requisite period, the bishop can begin an investigation to see just how virtuous the hoped-to-be saint actually was. If the investigation turns out favorably, the documentation is turned over to Rome, where, after investigation by select theologians, the cardinals and bishops specifically assigned to handle saints take a vote on whether to proceed or not. Finally, there must be at least one miracle performed by the dead saint-to-be before the examination is completed, and one miracle performed after. As you can see, it takes quite a bit of effort to become a saint according to Rome. You can’t stop working at it even after you’re dead!

That is too much work. A saint is one called by the Spirit to faith in Jesus Christ, forgiven, and made holy in the sight of God. Thus each Christian, whether on earth or in heaven, is a saint. The Church is a communion of saints – a group of diverse people united by what they share in common: Jesus Christ and His heavenward calling.

If you are like many, you may wonder whether or not the Gospel is indeed working. While the effects of the Gospel may not always be visible to us, as it wasn’t to John’s readers during persecution, Jesus’ revelation assures us it is still God’s power to save. We trust in the words of God, recorded by the prophet Isaiah, who says, “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” We do not always see the Gospel’s work. As a pastor, that is the most apparent. We want to see the Gospel working, doing something in a person’s life, but we don’t always see it. It may not happen during our ministry. It may not even happen during our lifetime, but the Word of God will accomplish what it was intended for.

The Word of God did accomplish what it was intended for. The Word of God caused Jesus Christ to come to this earth, to be born, to live a sinless life and to die, so that you and I may have eternal life. While we have eternal life, we still die a physical death here on earth. We focus on the words which the choir sang earlier: “For You have won the battle That they might wear the crown; And now they shine in glory Reflected from Your throne.”

The saints, who are clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, are those who have already departed this life to be with the Lord forever and ever. They are our sainted dead today, our loved ones and all others who have gone before us, who have fallen asleep in the faith. But we also think of ourselves and other members of the body of Christ on this earth as the “saints alive.” We remember the saints now, at the end of the Church Year, as an anticipation of the coming kingdom.

Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom, has given His life for us and called us His own. Our sinful name is washed away in the waters of Holy Baptism. Being baptized into Christ, we have received the Father’s family name, given to us by the Holy Spirit. Now our names and the names of all God’s saints are written in the Lamb’s book of life. When we are brought into Christ through Baptism, nothing can keep us separated from Him because He has bridged the gap of separation with His own body and blood. Because of what Christ has done, “they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” The fact that the saints are wearing white robes shows that this righteousness is not their doing but is imputed to them for Christ’s sake.

As St. John writes, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore…” This is because they are in the saving, protecting arms of Christ Jesus. They no longer suffer from sin in this life because they have been made perfect. All of their needs have been provided for, because “the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

As John ends our text, he paints for us a picture of the complete joy of believers in eternal glory. Verse 15 indicates that part of their joy is being in God’s presence. Verse 16 describes the freedom of God’s people from the effects of sin, while verse 17 again points to the source of the believers’ joy in God’s personal presence.

When we are brought into Christ, we receive the gifts that are given to those who are in Christ, the gifts that belong to the sons and daughters of God. We are given the waters of new life, Holy Baptism which gives new life to those who come to it. The tree of life is Christ Himself who provides the food which nourishes us, His own body and blood. We will once again be able to see God face to face like we were meant to before, to be able to walk and talk with God and to be His own. Those in Christ will live forever with Him.

Today we remember those who have gone on before us, who continue to worship with us, just on the other side of heaven. We know this because it is in our liturgy that we speak: “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven…” They are the ones who confessed the name of Jesus Christ. We too who confess the name of Jesus Christ will one day be reunited with those saints who have gone on before, but more importantly, we will be reunited with the One who allowed us to enter heaven by His sacrificial death, Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus, amen.

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

All Saints’ Day