April 2019 – Bethlehem Lutheran Church

April 28, 2019

Second Sunday of Easter (John 20:19-31)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR

Second Sunday of Easter + April 28, 2019

Text: John 20:19-31

“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you,” Jesus tells His disciples on the evening of the first Easter. He wants His ministry to continue, for the Gospel to be preached to every town throughout the world. And history has shown this calling to be true. The Lord has preached, and continues to preach in every corner of the world.

The rub in that is that he sends men to do this—with all their flaws, their backgrounds, their quirks, their fears, their sins. But as is true anywhere there are people, it gets complicated. The apostles were behind locked doors for fear of the Jews, they were still behind locked doors a week later. They were uncertain, small in faith, weak in resolve, small in vision of what the Lord was asking of them.

Take Thomas for instance. In perpetuity, he has been dubbed, Doubting Thomas. The court of public opinion and years of pastors’ ink has been spilled either defending or defaming this man.

But like any of the other apostles, Thomas was a man. He had praiseworthy moments, like in chapter 11:16 at the death of Lazarus, it says, “So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’” If only that were a constant or regular state for his faith and conviction.

No, today, we see Thomas at one of his low points, putting a rash condition on the Resurrected Lord—“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” But then there’s another high point when Thomas returns to his faith and confesses, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus instituted His Church. He founded it on the rock with the promise that not even the gates of hell can prevail against her (Matthew 16:16). And in that church, He instituted the Office of the Ministry. He did this because it’s all well and good that there were eyewitnesses to the resurrection, and that’s great for the first generation. But the Lord’s will is that “Repentance and forgiveness of sins be proclaimed in His Name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47) and He will not return until “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

That word is carried on through this Office of the Ministry, populated by men who are officeholders. They aren’t the power or the authority, and more than a police officer or a soldier has the right to become a vigilante and take justice into his own hands. He acts in the stead of the state. So also, the pastor in the office doesn’t have authority in himself to forgive or retain sins; it is Christ who is the power behind the words the pastor speaks. That’s also why, in the liturgy, the pastor says, “The Lord be with you”—because He is sent to speak the Lord’s Word to you. The congregation then replies, “And with your spirit” or “And also with you.” Both are an acknowledgement that it is the Lord who sent this man, and the congregation is also asking that the pastor be kept faithful and strong to carry out that divine Office.

Scripture speaks many different ways about these servants (literally slaves) of the Lord: house managers who give the proper portion (Luke 12:41-48), shepherds (John 21:15 ff.), stewards of the mysteries (1 Cor. 4:1-5). But their sufficiency for that office is not a matter of charisma, or managerial acumen, or what family they come from. As St. Paul, the man who had a history of persecuting the Church wrote, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:5-6)

And Jesus says the same thing multiple times: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I sent receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” (John 13:20) and in a warning tone, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” (Luke 10:16) It is the will of the Lord for His congregation, gathered around Him, to hear His Word through these men, even though they are weak and fallible.

At this point, you might be saying, Pastor, you’re just tooting your own horn. If I am, it’s meaningless because I am no more than an officeholder. Although I might want accolades for my labors, the glory really belongs to God alone. There have been pastors before me who have tended the flock here, and—God willing—there will be pastors in years to come. The point is that Jesus called even Thomas, even Peter, even James and John the sons of Zebedee, even Saul (Paul), even Martin Luther, even Pastors Caruana, Barkley, Rehley, and Rummerfield, and Miller. All of them men, all of them sinners. But it was the will of the Lord to make their feet beautiful with the good news of salvation. It is out of love for you that Jesus continues to send these men to tend you.

Jesus says to the Eleven: “Peace be with you” on both occasions that He comes to them. He declares this because, as men, they need the peace of the Lord just as much as the people they will proclaim to. Even as Thomas was sent with this good news, he needed it himself. All pastors need to receive forgiveness from the people they serve.

And you and I are blessed through this Office of the Ministry, because “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15)

So what does the Lord do with these men and His Church? He makes their feet beautiful with the good news of His Kingdom. He blesses us still with His good news: Peace be with you. The Word Jesus speaks is always aimed at forgiveness, but sometimes needing to preach a firm word of repentance. In those times, where the servant is sent to preach rebuke or correction, that’s when it gets complicated again. We can’t just accept the pastor as God’s called servant when he tells us what we want to hear. He is God’s servant for our spiritual and eternal good, whether it’s a word of Law that He speaks or it’s the glad tidings of peace with God.

So, on this Second Sunday of Easter, we rejoice that we still hear the voice of Jesus. Yes, it’s complicated because we don’t see him in just one place and with our own eyes. But blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe. We will see, but for now, the order of the day for now is hearing. As St. Paul continues about those who are sent with good news: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) Blessed are you who hear those who faithfully serve you in the Office of the Ministry. Amen.

April 21, 2019

The Resurrection of Our Lord (Mark 16:1-9)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR

The Resurrection of Our Lord – April 21, 2019

Text: Mark 16:1-9

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

As Americans, we are used to having options to choose from. If you were going to buy a car, you wouldn’t want to be told that there was only one model that ran; the rest will break down in a year. If you were going out to eat, you wouldn’t want to be told that there was only one restaurant to eat at; the rest will make you violently ill. If you were going to find a church, you wouldn’t want to be told that salvation was only to be found in one; the rest are leading people to hell. While the first two examples are not true, the third is. There is only one church, and one Jesus in whom salvation is found.

JESUS OF NAZARETH, WHO WAS CRUCIFIED, IS NOT HERE; HE HAS RISEN.

Which Jesus are you coming here to find?
1. “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint [Jesus].” (v. 1)
  1. These women had been with Jesus for much of His ministry. They heard Him teach. They saw Him cast out demons, heal the sick, and heard how He had raised the dead. At the cross, Mark tells us “When Jesus was in Galilee, [these women] followed him and ministered to Him” (Mk. 15:41). They saw Him die and be placed in the tomb.
  1. But in all of their hearing, seeing, and ministering, what did they perceive? Did they see the “valiant One whom God Himself elected”? (LSB 656:2) Did they see “the Son of Man” who “has authority on earth to forgive sins”? (Mk. 2:10) Did they hear His words when He said, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise”? (Mk. 9:31) Or was it another Jesus they perceived?
  1. The Jesus they bought anointing spices for was still in the tomb. He had been overcome, defeated, eliminated. He wasn’t powerful enough after all to be a savior. Just like everybody else that they knew, this Jesus had died. He was just a charismatic guy with long hair, a beard, and a robe—just like they always show him on television—nothing more.
1. Which Jesus do you think you’ll find?
  1. Now that we’ve gotten up early this morning, perhaps put on something special, eaten some excellent food…which Jesus did we come here to find?
  1. The Jesus of pop culture? Long hair, beard, white robe, chiseled features… This is the Jesus who is acceptable to all, even Hindus, but you’re never quite sure what He teaches besides a generic message of love and tolerance. He gets dragged into attacks against Christians who have biblical convictions. His Word gets used as a weapon to support your opinion with Scripture taken out of context. This Jesus came to bring peace, but when men were done with him, they killed him and left him in the tomb.
  1. The Jesus of the Spiritual-but-not religious? This Jesus is popular with those who want to call themselves a “Jesus follower” or a “Christian” but would rather go their own direction. They’re upset that the Church of Jesus doesn’t meet their expectations, so they don’t associate with others. This Jesus doesn’t tell you how to live your life. Yet, in not warning you to repent, he’s going to let you stand naked before the judgment seat of God. This Jesus died, and can’t find his way out of hell.
  1. The Jesus of Conservative Values? This Jesus stands up for what he believes is right. He campaigns against same-sex marriage, he’s at all the right-to-life rallies, but he also puts up billboards bashing the godless left-wing. He doesn’t say much besides that. In this Jesus’ mind, loving your neighbor is fulfilled in telling them that they’re wrong and they should agree with him. This Jesus is all Law and no Gospel, and unfortunately for him, the law always condemns the sinner. He’s not getting up after Good Friday.
“And he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him” (v. 6)
1. Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, and Salome did not find the Jesus they were seeking.
  1. It’s a good thing that they were wrong. They were ready to despair that not even God could save them from the power of sin, death, and Satan. Mary Magdalene, from whom the evangelist later says Jesus cast out seven demons (v. 9), was ready to have them come back knocking. But the Jesus they followed was not the limited Jesus of their imagination.
  1. No, the young man clothed in white brought a message that they could never imagine for themselves. They were lost and couldn’t find themselves. They were guilty under the Law and couldn’t forgive themselves. They were dying, and they couldn’t keep themselves alive. But these are the very things which this Jesus of Nazareth was crucified for! His being delivered into the hands of men, His painful crown of thorns, His being crucified under Pontius Pilate, His shedding of blood, and His dying—were to bring eternal salvation for all! His ministry had been about more than cleansing a few lepers, healing a few sick people, and raising a few dead people. And this is the message which the young man proclaimed to them when He said “He has risen, He is not here.”
1. The Jesus of our imagination is not what we find here either.
  1. All of the ideas about Jesus that people come up with cannot compare with this Jesus of Nazareth. If left to our own understanding, we cannot know anything except law and God’s judgment. We cannot find forgiveness for ourselves, and we are unable to offer it to anyone else. That’s why Pop Culture Jesus has no true comfort to offer. Spiritual-but-Not-Religious Jesus never leaves the confines of his own imagination and knows neither his own sin nor the life-giving power of true forgiveness. And Conservative Values Jesus has forgotten what the name Christian means in his pursuit of a “Christian nation.” Thankfully, none of these Jesuses is what you will find on Easter.
  1. The proclamation of Easter of Jesus of Nazareth is this: He is not here in the grave where you think He is. He is risen from the dead, never to see death again. And that’s where there is true comfort and good news for you, a sinner.
  1. Because He is risen, Your sins cannot stick to you. You have been crucified with Him, and you died there with Jesus of Nazareth. And if you are crucified with Him, then you are not dead; you are risen with Him.

The women who ministered to Jesus thought they would find no more than a reason to weep, but they left with astonishment because the Jesus of Nazareth who they knew was their God and Savior. He had borne their griefs and carried their sorrows; He left them there on the cross and rose to new and eternal life.

No matter which Jesus you may have thought you’d find this morning. Jesus of Nazareth is the one who is not in the grave. He is risen from the dead! He risen for you to rise with Him. Truly, Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

April 21, 2019

Easter Dawn (John 20:1-18)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR

Easter Dawn + April 21, 2019

Text: John 20:1-18

MARY MAGDALENE COMES TO THE GRAVEYARD TO WEEP,

BUT THE LORD HALLOWS THE GRAVE AND FILLS IT WITH NEW HOPE.

When you wake up, you usually come up with a plan of what to expect that day. Mary was expecting to go to the tomb, numb to what had happened and finish giving her Lord a proper burial. What she found was worse than her expectations could have told her: The tomb was open and his body was gone!

“So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’”

After they go home, Mary remains behind, weeping. Weeping not only because Jesus has died, but now because there is something else that’s happened. Something terrible! Her mind goes to all the worst scenarios, like one of His enemies in a fury took His body and did some awful thing with it. She is in the utter pit of despair.

There is a reason that Easter begins in a graveyard, in the deepest place of loss. If you walk around a cemetery, the tombstones tell a story. If you look at the date of birth and the date of death, a picture unfolds in your mind. It may have happened in old age, it could have happened in middle age, or it could have happened to a child (even a miscarriage or a stillbirth). No matter the cause or the time, it’s still the same because they’re gone, and they will never be back. You will never hear them speak again, except perhaps in a recording. You’ll never be able to share new memories with them or call them on the phone when you want to share something. You’ll never be able to hold them again. All that seems to be left is memories.

Imagine Mary’s anguish at the tomb. That is where God came to her. First, He sent two angels: “Woman, why are you weeping?” But then God comes to her personally and says, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Still grasping for answers, she implores this man to tell her where Jesus is, until He calls her by name—remember that voice you never thought you would hear again? Oh wonderful surprise! She wanted Him to stay, to revel in this moment. Can you blame her, after being spared from such excruciating emptiness? But He says, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

Easter begins in a graveyard as a proof to who God is. There, in the place of death, He doesn’t stand far off, or shy away from comforting us. He is compassionate toward all of our loss and pain. He’s no stranger to it, because Jesus, the Son of God, also shares our mortal life. He is acquainted with us in the way only our Creator could be, but He also became our brother. Don’t think God does not understand your pain. He feels it in His own body.

Here in the place of death, He shows His great power to save. We think of death as final because that’s what our heart and our experience tells us. No scientist (mad or otherwise) has been able to reverse when someone dies. But God the Father did by raising His Son from the grave. He breathed into His nostrils His Holy Spirit and Jesus lives forevermore. He is the God who raised Jesus from the dead, the God of the living.

Even standing amidst other tombs, this God is the one who proclaims and delivers hope. Many can talk about hope and silver linings at the time of death, but so much of it is just platitudes—they’re in a better place; God needed another angel. The Word of Jesus proclaims and delivers that hope, because it is the Word that formed the heaven and earth, and it is that Word which will bring a new heavens and earth. Jesus did not rise for Himself, but for us, that by believing in Him we might have life. He rose so that you could laugh at death and say, “This person is not dead, but sleeping”[1] and it’s no euphemism; it is the truth because God Himself has made it true.

There, in the graveyard, at her lowest point, Mary learned what St. Paul later wrote for our benefit:

³⁴Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But Jesus was not done with His work as He stood outside the tomb: “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” He destroyed the power of sin and death, and He ascended to the Father, there to intercede on our behalf with His holy wounds. There, He goes as a forerunner, so that as Jesus stands before God the Father, so we who are in Him will be able to stand in the presence of a holy God. He goes there to rule over all creation, where by His almighty power, He indeed works all things for the good of those who are called by His Name.

The Almighty God, the Victor over Death comes to you today. Amen!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

[1] Mark 5:39

April 19, 2019

Good Friday (John 18-19)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR

Good Friday + April 19, 2019

Text: John 18-19

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus is dead. This was everything His enemies wanted. This is everything that God wanted. “It is finished.” This is what Lent has been leading up to—the Son of God, hanging lifeless on the tree of the cross.

Another tree brought this all about—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Our ancestors brought sin and death into the world by disobeying God’s one simple command. Along with their disobedience, they passed this evil down to their descendants so that every single last human being is well-acquainted with evil and only knows a fleeting shadow of good.

We have every right to be angry with Adam and Eve for what they did. It’s your fault things are this way. It’s your fault that wars break out. It’s your fault that children die. It’s your fault that injustice and corruption are rampant. But even as we judge and condemn them, our own sin gets in the way. Even the wildest rage of anger is just despair dressed up in different clothes. Both of them are a confession of hopelessness, a resignation that even the highest powers of heaven can’t repair what was broken. This will not do.

As we hear the Passion of Our Lord—the heartlessness of Judas, the sleepiness and the cowardice of the disciples, the mockery and condemnation of an innocent man—it’s maddening to hear that they got away with it. But we are no better. If we had been there, we would have done evil too. We would have rejected the Christ, because “it was the will of the Lord to crush him.” (Isa. 53:10)

None of us is able to master and conquer our sinful, dying condition. Adam died, along with all his descendants—Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalel, Jared—all died. Your ancestors have all died, or will die soon. One day soon, you will die, too.

But, Jesus died, and that was the thing that turned everything around. It is He who “accomplished the salvation of mankind by the tree of the cross that, where death arose, there life also might rise again and that the serpent who overcame by the tree of the garden might likewise by the tree of the cross be overcome.” “It is finished” He said as He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit: All that needed to be done to overturn the reign of sin and the power of death.

The evangelist points out that these things were done to fulfill the Scriptures. Jesus died that the Scriptures might be fulfilled which say: “He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:6-9) and “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25-27) and “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15).

Jesus died and now death is finished. Sin is atoned for. You who believe in Him have overcome sin and death. Jesus died, but you will live eternally. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

April 18, 2019

Maundy Thursday (John 13:1-15, 34-35)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR

Maundy Thursday + April 18, 2019

Text: John 13:1-15, 34-35

When we think about the Lord’s Supper as Christians of the Lutheran confession, we talk a great deal about the nature of the Sacrament (what it is), and how it benefits us personally. And it is necessary for us to know that, but as they say, there’s more to the story. The setting for the institution of the Lord’s Supper is the discourse Jesus has with His disciples on the night in which He was betrayed. Here’s how the story continues after the assigned pericope:[1]

¹⁶Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. ¹⁸I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ ¹⁹I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. ²⁰Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

²¹After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” ²²The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. ²³One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, ²⁴so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. ²⁵So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” ²⁶Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” ²⁸Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. ²⁹Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. ³⁰So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

³¹When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. ³²If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. ³³Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ ³⁴A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

Love is essential to understanding what Jesus was doing for the disciples that night. It’s also essential to what He expects them and us to continue to do in our continued life together.

Contrary to popular thought, the most insidious thing in God’s sight is not gross immorality; it’s people who call themselves Christians but have no need for a Savior. They may be able to recognize true from false doctrine; they may love conservative practices over clever innovations. But if you truly desire to be a Christian, you must confess yourself a sinner.

Peter says to Jesus, “Lord, you shall never wash my feet!” This is like saying, Thanks for the teaching Rabbi, thanks for giving me a religion to follow on my way to heaven. But you can’t come already clean to Jesus. “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” You must know that you are “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, naked,” (Rev. 3:17) and dirty.

This empty-handed sinner’s confession is central to the Lord’s Supper. As the Lord says in another place, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Luke 5:32) One who has no need of this medicine and antidote to the poison of their sin has no place at the feet of Jesus. And at His feet, Jesus washes us where we are the filthiest—in our innermost being, in our heart.

But what about love? On the night in which He was betrayed, Jesus says: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ³⁵By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is a commandment that cannot be fulfilled merely by outward action. It must begin in the heart. An evil heart, a heart that has not been broken by the weight of sin and healed by the Lord cannot achieve this commandment.

What kind of love is this? It says, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” The example that Jesus gave was that He, their Teacher and Lord, humbled Himself as a servant and washed His disciples feet. But that also included loving the very one who would betray Him. The kind of love which our Lord commands us to do is that you give of yourself, even if the only payback you get is betrayal.

But how can we be capable of such love? That brings us back to the Sacrament of the Altar. In Luke 7, Jesus enters the house of a Pharisee, where besides the invited guests, a sinful woman comes and dotes on Jesus in a really embarrassing way: “When she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, ³⁸and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.” What could have inspired this unabashed love? Jesus says of the woman, “I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.” (7:47). It’s the forgiveness of sins. When we recognize and appreciate what our Lord has saved us from, we love Him and others that much more.

This is what the Lord’s Body and Blood is capable of doing within us. In it, Jesus releases us from our sins and raises us up with new hearts for loving service. That’s why we often pray after receiving this gift: “We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another.” (LSB 201)

[1] Periscope means “to cut around” and describes the complete thoughts into which the Bible readings are divided. Many Bibles use subheadings to indicate this.

April 14, 2019

Palm Sunday (Palmarum) (John 12:12-19)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR

Palm Sunday (Palmarum) + April 14, 2019

Text: John 12:12-19

The anticipation was great. This wasn’t something just thrown together at the last minute. The people of Israel had been waiting for literally centuries for this day to arrive. The Son of David had finally come. How could they know? The signs pointed to this: The water into wine, the healings, the feeding of the 5,000, walking on the water, and raising the dead.[1] Now it’s nearing the culmination of the Son of David coming to accomplish what was foretold: “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13).

That is why they gave Jesus a king’s welcome, laying palm branches on the ground before Him, and crying out, “Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” They were anticipating great things from Jesus, that He would bring an everlasting Kingdom of perfect righteousness and justice. They were ecstatic about His arrival.

In contrast, you know who people aren’t excited to see arrive? A representative from the government. In our lives today, take for instance the county sheriff. Far different from joyful anticipation, there’s a dread as he (or she) parks in your driveway, gets his things in order, and then walks up to your door. What could it be for? This visit usually isn’t just dropping by; there’s something behind it. What could it be? The good thing would be a welfare check (although that usually means your neighbors are worried about you). But it could also mean someone is serving you with a lawsuit or divorce papers. Oh great! I guarantee nobody who gets a surprise visit like this says, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the law.

But, “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord” because of what had been foretold about His coming: “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming to you” and from the original Zechariah 9 adds: “Righteous and having salvation is he.” The reason Jesus arrives is to bring something not found anywhere else in the world. The sheriff brings notice of wrongdoing, impending condemnation, of failures and troubles. Your conscience brings up the ways you’ve failed family and friends, how you’ve hurt others with your words and actions, and how people have put their confidence in you and you’ve let them down…again.

Blessed is Jesus, who comes in the Name of the Lord because He has righteousness and salvation with Him. The prophecy from Zechariah goes on to say, “Humble and mounted on a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) He comes not only as a King, but as a servant for your good. Even though He is very God in flesh, He humbled Himself to take your place under condemnation. Jesus came to carry the sins of the world—your wrongs, your failings, your hurts, all the putrid stuff that weighs you down. He humbly carried all of it to the cross so that you might be free before God. All of His passion that you heard today was in service to you.

The people that day, expected a very different fulfillment of the promise to King David. Most expected Jesus to reign from Jerusalem in an earthly kingdom. But that wasn’t the plan. Just a few days later, the crowds were incited to shout, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (John 19:6) He would reign, but His enthronement was nailed to the cross. His Kingdom would not be visible, but hidden and received by faith.

That’s where we find ourselves. God’s promise has been fulfilled. The Son of David did come to reign, and the Kingdom He established will last for everlasting ages. But we have not reached the end of the age, the consummation. So, we who believe in our King receive what He brings us: His righteousness and true salvation.

That’s what lifts the weight of what we continue to face in life—the unexpected bad turns, being cheated out of money, our health declining. Because a Christian has the righteousness and salvation of Jesus, these troubles—though painful—are temporary. They literally are not the end of the world. Our sufferings should be of no surprise to us, for He says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) So, if we follow in His train, singing Hosannas to Himn, this teaches us that God is not taken offguard by the things we suffer. His sinless Son suffered all these things that were not His sins, so that through His righteousness and salvation, we would have peace. Because Jesus has served us, the end of the world will unveil our hopes to be true. Amen.

[1] The seven signs in John include: Changing water into wine at Cana in John 2:1-11; Healing the royal official’s son in Capernaum in John 4:46-54; Healing the paralytic at Bethesda in John 5:1-15; Feeding the 5000 in John 6:5-14; Jesus walking on water in John 6:16-24; Healing the man blind from birth in John 9:1-7; The raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-45

April 7, 2019

Fifth Sunday in Lent (Genesis 22:1-14)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR

Fifth Sunday in Lent + April 7, 2019

Text: Genesis 22:1-14

Genesis 22:2: “[God] said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’”

We should be horrified at this

1) Because of what is being asked, and

2) Who is asking.

This is disgusting! An outrage! And for God to ask for it?! But over against the wrenching feelings in his gut that told him this was wrong, Abraham obeyed because of Who was asking.

We also are told to believe God and trust what He says because of Who is speaking, even if it seems outrageous to our ears.
In the world, when we are told that immoral things are acceptable and even good.
We are flooded with examples of same-sex relationships that are supposed to validate them from Doc McStuffins[1] (a show for preschoolers which featured a “two mom” family in 2017) to Star Trek Discovery, which glorifies an intimate relationship between two men.
Lawmakers harden their hearts against God and lead astray the ignorant by legalizing and encouraging murder under the guise of healthcare and destruction of gender distinctions and family structure under the banner of civil rights.
We are told to believe and embrace some disgusting things, things contrary to nature, which even a healthy conscience says are wrong. But who is telling us this? Should we obey people, or God?
Lest we become proud of how we haven’t been fooled by the world, we in our lives have made excuses for why it’s not so bad when we sin.
1. The Lord condemns gossip, but we think He doesn’t mind our gossip, like when we get together and badmouth people who aren’t there to speak for themselves. After all, we have their best interests at heart because we’re “good Christian” people. But no matter how good our intentions are, we are going about it a sinful way, and we need to repent.
1. There’s a lot in this world to be angry about—about what we hear on the news, corruption, the way people treat each other, and how people have treated us. But the Lord says in Psalm 4:4, “Be angry and do not sin.” When we feel anger over these things, we may be getting angry over genuinely bad things, but in our sin we go beyond our place. We plot ways to make them see their error, ways that we can get an advantage over them. But really what we need to do is get down on our knees and confess our pride and let God be right. God will have His righteous anger, and act in the way that He knows is best.

But most of all in believing God over our understanding, we are to believe the Word of God that’s spoke in Confession and Absolution
- Matthew 18:18-20: “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”” – The Lord says an incredible thing here. The keys are given to the Church, to be shared between each other. And when we share that forgiveness, it isn’t just a human act—“whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”—that forgiveness is valid before God.
- John 20:22-23: “The Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” – The keys of the Kingdom are exercised publicly.
- Reason would say, “Why should I believe that this word of forgiveness has any power beyond the person speaking it?” “Who is the pastor to forgive sins?” But faith answers, Amen even when our reason says we don’t deserve it, or others don’t deserve it. We believe this because of Who has spoken this Word.

A faith that lives by God’s Word is called complete.
1. James later says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; ²³and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’” Abraham’s faith was completed by this work, as a matter of proof that his faith was living and active.
1. Abraham’s faith was completed by his works. How is our faith completed? What sort of works does the absolution result in? If we are absolved and immediately go out and condemn another, how have we taken grace to heart? If we are absolved of our wretched thoughts, words, and deeds, and go out and freely do it again, are we actually letting the Holy Spirit sanctify us? If our Christianity is only good on Sunday morning, but doesn’t change the rest of how we raise our families or live as citizens, are we really being salt and light as the Lord calls us?
1. Abraham is an example for us, the man of faith. The point is that faith in God and His Word changes who we are—how we think, how we speak, how we act.
  1. Biblical examples of this: Abraham went from being a pagan to a forefather of faith. Peter started as a timid fisherman but God made him into a bold apostle. Paul went from being a zealous enemy to a humble and powerful witness.
  1. God works these changes in your life as well, according to His own plan. These are the fruits of faith. It isn’t going to be the same for everyone, because God has specific callings and situations for each of us.

[1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/doc-mcstuffins-two-mom-family_n_59888da3e4b0ca8b1d49d483