Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Bethel Lutheran Church, Sweet Home, OR
3rd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 6A) + June 18, 2017 Text: Matthew 9:35-10:8
Common themes
The Lord’s care for His people by sending the elders with His Word
The message: “You are my treasured possession”/”The Kingdom of heaven is at hand…Heal the sick, cast out demons in my name”
The people are in a wilderness (the Israelites knew it because they could see it, people today don’t realize how desolate the world is and full of wolves)
Harassed and helpless – On the one hand, burdened by heavy Law and false religion, on the other hand ignorant and left to follow myths about God. Either way, without the pure Word of God, they were in grave spiritual danger.
In the Old Testament lesson, the context is Moses leading the children of Israel in the wilderness. God gives His Word to Moses, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”[1] You can hear in those words how precious the people are to God, that He ransomed them from Egyptian slavery with a strong arm, so that they would be His treasured possession. He wanted good and blessing for them.
In short, God was a father to them, and He showed compassion to them. He heard their cries from slavery and bore them up on eagles’ wings. He provided for all their material needs—bread from heaven, quail for meat, clothing and furnishings, health, He even promised them an everlasting inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey. But most important to them was that they hear God’s heart toward them while they walked through the wilderness. Without His Word and faith in it, they quickly fell into despair—“Was it because there were no grave in Egypt that you have brought us here to die?” “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”[2]
God’s response is to send His Word and heal them (Ps. 107:20)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
The Day of Pentecost + June 4, 2017 Text: Numbers 11:24-30
At this point in history, the Church needs to spend a lot of time straightening up the public office of the ministry—the preaching office. In previous generations, it was never challenged that congregations need pastors, and of course those pastors are men. However, when those simple truths are challenged by false teaching, it’s necessary for the Church to take a stand.[1] So, this is why we drive home the point that Jesus called 12 men to be apostles (14 counting Matthias and Paul), that St. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14 that women are not to preach in the congregation, and that a pastor should be the husband of one wife.[2]
Likewise, when our Synod is pressured to distinguish between regularly-called pastors, “specific ministry” pastors, and licensed lay deacons[3] who do the work of pastors, we have to make a clear confession. There is one Office, the “ministry of reconciliation”[4] to which the Lord gives His commands: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you…receive the Holy Spirit, if you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven. If you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”[5] And it is to this one Office, the Lord attaches His precious promises: “The one who hears you hears me” and “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”[6] So any talk of different levels or authority should be squashed by the Word of the Lord, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.”[7]
Indeed, Pentecost is an example of the Holy Spirit empowering the public Office of the Ministry. Yet, the Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in Christ. So, today, we will consider Moses’ request, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets,[8] that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!” and the Scripture quoted by Peter, “even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy.”[9]
The Third Person of the Trinity calls us to faith in Christ, out of darkness, makes us alive through the Word. What does it mean to prophesy, though? It means to be a bear God’s Word and announce it to others.
There’s an important point. The Word of God does not enter your heart and stay there. It’s not a treasure to be buried in the ground once you receive it. The word “to prophesy” in Hebrew means to “bubble up or pour forth”[10] In that way, Jesus says in the Gospel, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”[11] The Word which God gives is not for you alone, but also for everyone whom you meet in your life!
By that same Spirit He empowers us to live faithfully, each in our vocations (where God has placed us in life). Each of us has been called in Baptism to be a child of God, holy and beloved. Each of us has received the Holy Spirit, and we each have a place in the Body of Christ and in the world. Hear what St. Paul says about this in Romans 12:
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:3-8)
Not everyone is a preacher, a man who publicly declares the Word of the Lord for the congregation. And that is perfectly okay. However, the Spirit does assign us teach a measure of faith “for the common good.”[12] Every Christian is a bearer of God’s Word in word and deed.
As fathers and mothers, the Spirit gives the work of bringing up our children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”[13]–showing them while they’re young how important the faith is (even when the unbelieving world offers so many other options), and continuing to support and admonish them in the Lord after they are grown. Sometimes this even comes in the form of godly grandparents rising to the occasion when the parents can’t or won’t.
As husbands and wives, the Spirit leads them to pray for one another and share God’s Word of encouragement and comfort with each other in difficult times. In mixed faith marriages, this manifests itself in one spouse showing the patient, loving heart of God to the one who doubts or does not believe, with the hope that the Lord might win them.
As friends, the Spirit makes you prophets by the example of sharing the love which Christ has shown you, and by sharing what God has done and is doing whenever the occasion arises.
As students, the Spirit puts the Word in you, so that when the challenge comes against your Lord and His teaching, you would “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, being ready to give an answer for the reason for the hope within you.”[14]
It’s about prophesying where God places you. Although the Spirit calls some to service to the Church, each Christian is called to everyday life. While everyday life may not sound very exciting, for you who believe, it is a life that is built on the sure foundation of God’s mighty works. In that you rejoice, and with that you touch the lives of your family, friends, and coworkers. Praise the Lord that He is the One who works all this in and among us. Amen! [1] Galatians 2:4-5 [2] 1 Corinthians 14:34, 1 Timothy 3:2 [3] The LCMS resolved at its 2016 convention to move such licensed lay deacons toward ordination. (Resolution 13-02A) [4] 2 Corinthians 5:18 [5] John 20:21-23 [6] Luke 10:16, Matthew 28:20 [7] Matthew 20:25-27 [8] Hebrew does not have the word “prophets” but says, “as these” referring to Eldad and Medad who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, were prophesying. [9] Acts 1:18 [Joel 2:29] [10] NVA (Brown Driver Briggs) [11] John 7:38 [12] 1 Corinthians 12:7 [13] Ephesians 6:4, KJV [14] 1 Peter 3:15
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Sunday after the Ascension + May 28, 2017 Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19, 5:6-11
Just imagine that you are hearing this as a first century Christian, who has witnessed the horror of crucifixion. It’s how the world knows that criminals are punished. Now apply that to your faith, that you believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and that He was crucified, died, and buried. To add one more offense on top of that (in the world’s sight), you believe that He rose from the dead on the third day and that He comes again to judge the world.
This is what inspired one man in Rome to scribble a figure of a man with a donkey’s head, nailed to a cross. At the base of the cross is another figure lifting looking up and lifting his hand in adoration. The caption reads, “Alexamenos worships his god.”[1]
It’s with this in mind that St. Peter writes, “12 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. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” Perhaps the sting of what it means to be a follower of Christ is deadened a bit when we don’t have actual crucifixions to look at on a daily basis. But sharing in Christ’s suffering remains, even if we can’t visualize it. Because we belong to Christ and are called Christians, we will suffer for that Name.
The natural reaction is to balk when people hate Christ and His followers. We might think of the love and mercy which Jesus displayed toward all people and how He uses us in the world today to do the same. They say Christianity is an excuse to hate people who think differently than us. We remember how Jesus welcomed the little children and blessed them. They say Christianity is a mind control program, and that we’re abusing children by teaching them the faith. We respect the religious beliefs of Muslims, Jews, and Hindus who wear special clothing or only eat certain foods. Meanwhile Christians are insulted because their conscience prevents them from supporting same-sex unions.
It causes doubts to arise in our mind whether we’re right. If the whole world says Christians are stupid, hate-filled bigots, maybe they’re right just by popular vote. But Peter casts our experience in a different light: “Rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” When your name is dragged through the mud because you’re a Christian, this isn’t anything new. Your Lord says, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”[2] When He blessed, He was cursed. When He healed, they wanted to kill Him. When He taught, they spread lies about His teaching. But God vindicated the truth of what Jesus said by raising Him from the dead. Your faith is not in vain, and God witnesses that it is true.
With all that stands against Christians, who would remain unless they were a masochist? Who would choose a religion that is so widely opposed and which causes so much dysphoria with the world? Peter answers, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” Even in the insults, you are blessed because you have the Holy Spirit. He has called you believe in Jesus Christ and it is by His power that you remain in this Christian faith. It’s really not about your choosing to follow Jesus, so much as it’s about what He’s done and how He called you to follow Him. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.”[3]
There’s the strength and comfort to share in the sufferings of Christ. To be a Christian is not to hold onto your life with your own strength. “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”[4] That’s the paradox, that we let go of our life and “entrust our soul to a faithful Creator while doing good” (v. 19).
Just as Peter steered us away from a personal “Why is this happening to me?” pity-party, he also turns our eyes from seeing the struggles in our lives from merely human eyes. “6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Everywhere around us we’re encouraged to seize opportunity and take control of our lives. That’s a nice delusion that shatters against the reality that our live isn’t really in our own hands as much as we’d like it to be. Go out and find a job that you can support yourself and your family, and do it today. That chronic ailment you’ve had, go fix it. The deep-seated pain you experience from loneliness, loss, and betrayal? Just turn your heart around.
No, instead see yourself living by God’s mercy, the mercy of a loving Father. You days and times are in His hand. When the time is right, He will bring you out of turmoil and into peaceful haven. So, instead of carrying worry, doubt, and dread yourself—as if it were all up to you—give it to Him. Why? Because He cares for you. Not only do you worship a God who is victorious over the world and death, but you have a Father in heaven who loves you.
You belong to God. He has called you to be His own dear child in the waters of baptism and continually in His Word. Even though you experience suffering for a time, the glory of Christ’s resurrection is eternal. Therefore, this promise is certain: “after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” He will restore you when you falter. He will confirm you when you doubt. He will strengthen you when there is no strength in you. He will cause you to stand firm, when your knees are ready to buckle. Behold, this is your God whom you worship. “To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” [1] For more, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexamenos_graffito [2] John 15:18 [3] John 15:16 [4] Luke 9:24
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Sixth Sunday of Easter + May 21, 2017 Text: John 14:15-21
As we approach Ascension Day (this year, May 25), we continue to hear powerfully encouraging words from our Lord about how He continues to be with us, even though hidden from our sight.
This time, our Lord tells us that we will be distinct among men. The first way He says that we will be distinct is to say that, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” To love Jesus is more than an act we can conjure up. It’s more than thinking He’s a great guy and having affection toward Him. This is the result of faith, not our own doing, that we love Jesus. This is God’s incredible work that He has created a clean heart within us and renewed us with a right spirit. The reason we know if we love Jesus by faith is that we keep His Word. Those who love Jesus treasure the Word of God, hold it sacred, gladly pore over it. They experience spiritual awakening, feeling the terror of God’s Law when He thunders against our wickedness, being raised up by the sweet consolation that our sins are forgiven through the precious blood of Jesus, and living in the joyful freedom of our salvation.
Yet, beware because the devil is a sly enemy. He delights in convincing people that they can love Jesus and close their ears to His Word. He would love to have you believe you can be a true Christian and never pray, put worship on the bottom of your priorities, and close your heart to your neighbor so you don’t care if he perishes in body or soul.
Just as we are too sinful to love God on our own, we also don’t have it in us to continue in this faith even for an hour. Therefore, Jesus says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive.” He is the One who converted our hearts at the beginning, and brought us to know and believe in Jesus (the other Helper). He is also the one who will keep us in this confession and faith, even while the world and the devil war against the true God and all who belong to Him. The Spirit of truth is in us to keep us as the people who bear God’s Name—Christians.
Because of this, Christians are the target of attack. We look vulnerable to the world, because we follow a God who saved us by dying on a cross. But our living Lord assures us that He does not leave us as orphans (fatherless). Rather, He gives a whole string of promises: “I am coming to you…you will see me…you will live…you will know…I will manifest myself to you.” In fact we are not Fatherless, but we have the greatest and most powerful keeper of all, the Triune God.
Because of all this, Christians are distinct from the world.
You are distinct from the world because you love God and keep His Word. His Word is a lamp to your feet. Where the rest of men choose the guidance of their own darkened hearts, you have a light from above. That light shows you who God is, proclaims the glories of His creation, instructs you in what it means to be a human being, and gives definition and meaning to your relationships.
You are different because you know your Father in heaven, and that He is the One who faithfully provides for you. While the world scrambles for resources and men covet each other’s goods afraid they will be left destitute, you rest in God’s care even though we may have to wait for it for a time. What other people in the world have a promise from heaven, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you”?[1]
You have a Savior who gives you a peaceful conscience through your Baptism—“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”[2] While others numb their conscience with drinking and drugs, you have an advocate in heaven whose blood speaks for your guilt and who causes you to be judged by His perfect obedience.
You have the Holy Spirit, the Helper who is with you forever. The world religions all rely on the fortitude and self-dedication of their followers. Not so with your God—“I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from Me you can do nothing.”[3] You are not on your own in your faith or your life in Christ. Jesus has given you His Spirit of Truth who puts His Word into your heart and causes it to bear fruit. He gives you strength for your struggles, and reassures you in your doubts.
What other people have a god so near to them as the Lord your God is to you?[4] The answer is no one but the children of the Triune God. Amen. [1] Hebrews 13:5 [2] 1 Peter 3:21 (Epistle reading) [3] John 15:5 [4] Deuteronomy 4:7
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Fifth Sunday of Easter + May 14, 2017 Text: John 14:1-14
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” The only reason Jesus says this to His disciples is because He knows their hearts are troubled. You don’t say “I am the Life” unless there’s the threat of death. You don’t say do not be troubled unless there is tumult and uncertainty.
Jesus was speaking to His disciples at that time as they were about to face His betrayal, crucifixion, death, and then His ascension. This arrangement where Jesus is with them face to face would not—could not—last forever, because it was necessary for Jesus to be taken from them in His suffering, and taken when He ascended into heaven 40 days after His resurrection.
The Ascension is coming, when Jesus’ disciples would lose their visible presence with the Lord. Now, the Ascension is something we confess each week—He ascended to the Father and sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty—but something that isn’t well understood. Thankfully, these next few weeks, each Gospel reading will teach us about the significance and comfort of Jesus’ Ascension.
In this part of the Gospel, Jesus reassures us about His Ascension: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” “I go to prepare a place for you” and “I will come again and will take you to myself.”
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.”
Things like our bills, the direction of the country, and keeping our job cause great anxiety. How much more should it matter where we go when it’s all said and done?
Yet our Lord says about this: do not be troubled. It’s not based on performance evaluations or lifelong dedication. Instead He says, believe! Believe that He has done everything which is needed to bring a poor, weak, sinful creature back to God and bring them safely into eternal rest.
But how important it is to believe! Where faith reassures a troubled heart, unbelief leads to an uncertain and callous heart. The calling of a disciple of Jesus is to take Him at His Word each day. Repent of your wicked thoughts, words, and deeds. Believe in God and the One He has sent to accomplish your forgiveness, your salvation.
“I go to prepare a place for you.”
On Good Friday, the debt you owed was paid. Every sin which would bar you from God’s holy presence was atoned for there.
So, the comfort for you, as His disciple, is that He returns to the Father to prepare a place for your return to the Father.
This life is a pilgrimage, not a destination. The true end of life is not the grim grave. It is to have a place with God. What counts in the meantime is not our achievements here or how much we collect (because we must let all that go). What truly lasts when this life comes to a close is our faith in Jesus, who alone is the way to the Father and the resurrection to eternal life.
Yet in our pilgrimage, we go through many unknown ways—unknowns about the future and the struggles we and our families will have to endure, as well as unknowns about what will become of Christians in the world. Yet, Jesus assures us, “Let not your hearts be troubled…you know the way to where I am going.” Even though we haven’t seen the end of our journey, we already know the way. You may not know what lies on the road ahead, but you can be certain that through faith, your Savior has already prepared your place.
“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 comfort isn’t in the Ascension alone, but also in the fact that from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. He comes again to gather us into that promise of eternity.
Salvation is not complete yet. Yes, of course, the atonement which brought peace to all who believe is finished (John 19:30). However, the creation still longs in eager expectation for Jesus’ return and the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19-21). That’s why the world is still like it is, full of unrest and destruction. That part of the job isn’t finished yet.
So know where to expect paradise. Paradise won’t be in the body of death you now have—full of sin and plagued by death. Paradise won’t be in this world, filled with corruption and wickedness. It will be complete when we see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in glory. It will be when we rise from our graves finally free from the curse of sin and death. That’s the hope that we press toward, where our longings for outward peace will finally be satisfied.
Through many unknown ways, by faith we already know the only way to heaven. The way is Jesus, who has become your way to eternal life. Do not be troubled that He has ascended and is no longer visibly among us. Believe that He has gone ahead of us, as the forerunner so that the children of God may be at home with their Father. Amen.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Fourth Sunday of Easter + May 7, 2017 Text: John 10:1-10
Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd in this section of John’s Gospel. Typically, we picture the Shepherd standing in endless green hills, leading His sheep. However, right from the top of this discussion, Jesus describes a sheepfold. The sheepfold is a walled enclosure for keeping the sheep safe through the night. The Sheepfold for our purposes is the Christian Church.
Why the walls? Because there are both predators and there are dangers for the sheep that wanders. By setting up these walls, Jesus teaches us—His sheep—why this must be.
You see, we are not just the Lord’s sheep that He’s gathered as He walked along the dusty roads of Palestine. We are sheep who were caught in the thicket of sin, teetering on the brink of going off the cliff of death, and chased by coyotes like the Devil and his demons. We are sheep who have been saved from many things, washed in pure water of Baptism,[1] and given a place where we may safely graze under the loving eye of our Shepherd, Jesus.
So there’s a place inside the Sheepfold (the Church) and there’s a place outside the Sheepfold. Inside the Sheepfold, we have peace with God, we call on Him as our Father, we have His help and consolation through trials and griefs, and the hope of eternity with Him.
Outside the Sheepfold, there is only doubt and despair. There’s no peace with God, so we must always look to our works to see if our life measures up against those around us. There’s no certainty of God being our Father, so people are afraid that he’s only an angry judge toward them, or that he’s an impotent bureaucrat who runs the universe. Outside the Sheepfold, when scary times come, it’s up to you. Even if you have a spiritual belief, it’s up to you to master it so you can find serenity and maintain purpose and hope—nevermind any promises of a blessed afterlife.
Inside the Sheepfold, you have a Shepherd who loves you. His every aim for your life is that you endure many trials and remain steadfast in a Spirit-worked faith. His goal in everything for your life is your salvation—“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Yet, those on the outside of the Sheepfold still try to force their way in, so that they can destroy the Lord’s sheep. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.”
Outside are thieves and robbers. The thieves steal from you the treasures that belong to a child of God—your faith, a clear conscience before God, love for God and your neighbor, a calm confidence in God’s fatherly care during trials, an open ear with God through His Son.
The boldest of these thieves will use biblical language, but rob it of its pure message of Law and Gospel. They might insist on the King James version, or use many obscure translations to make their point. But their work is clear: instead of proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins, they make God’s Word into an almanac to predict the future, make divisions between levels of salvation, or claim that simple faith in Jesus isn’t enough to be a good Christian.
The more subtle thieves make their way into Christian circles and replace Scripture with counterfeit attractive sayings. “With the temptation God will provide a way out that you may endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13) is replaced with the common but unbiblical concept, “God never gives you more than you can handle.” They substitute firm statements of God’s love and faithfulness with platitudes. Instead of “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:39) you hear the measly “God has a plan in this” when someone you know takes their own life. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3) is covered over with the idea that because God is love He would never send such fine people to hell.
Robbers, on the other hand, are those who make personal attacks on your salvation. They call into question your being a Christian because your life isn’t pure and you struggle in weakness to overcome your sin. They fill you with false guilt about things that are not Commandments of God. They hold up their own example of good works—their devotional habits or all that they’ve done for the church—and subtly imply they’re a better class of Christian.
However, inside the Sheepfold of the Christian Church, the only voice that matters is God’s. “The sheep hear His voice, and he calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.” In this Sheepfold, the Lord through His Word and Sacraments gives you abundant life—not prosperity, health, and wealth—but a rich life of faith. With that faith come all the blessings of the Kingdom of heaven. You have a heavenly Father to call upon in need and praise for His goodness to you. You have a High Priest in heaven, who sympathizes with your weakness and interposed His blood for all your guilt. You have the Holy Spirit, who not only works this faith, but also comforts you with the assurance that though heaven and earth pass away, you have believed the right Gospel.
Jesus is the Gate who opens to His sheep so that they have this abundant life. He laid down His life for the sheep so that this treasure would be theirs. Therefore, He also jealously guards you against any who would try to steal you away. The Holy Spirit He has given you gives you ears to recognize His voice and flee from the voice of strangers. When His sheep hear the voice of strangers, they’re not afraid to turn off the TV, walk out of whatever service, or abruptly end the conversation. The strangers can’t deliver on what they say, but can only take what you have from the Lord.
But your Good Shepherd loves you and gives you shelter against them in this Sheepfold of the Church. He is ever faithful, and may He preserve you from every temptation to wander outside of His watchful care. Amen. [1] Hebrews 10:22
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Third Sunday of Easter + April 30, 2017 Text: Luke 24:13-35
On the road to Emmaus is another scene after the Resurrection. It’s another way that Jesus reveals Himself to His disciples that their hope is not in vain and that all He said during His previous ministry is true. His aim in this appearance is to speak to their hearts rather than their eyes, and fill them with a confident faith that He is risen indeed.
Easter afternoon, two disciples of Jesus are on their way to Emmaus. Yet as they walk, they were discussing, debating, mulling over—maybe even arguing about[1]—all that had happened to their Master. Here are some of the things they’re wrestling with and trying to fit together:
Jesus of Nazareth was a mighty prophet before God and all the people,
But the chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned.
We had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel.
Besides all this, it’s now the third day since this took place.
But some of the women….and an angel said: He lives
And they found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see.
This is the information they have, and they’re trying to make it all fit.
Then a stranger walks up (they are prevented from recognizing Him) and in seeming ignorance asks them about the topic of their impassioned conversation. This prompts one of them Cleopas, to sum it all up.
Then this stranger brings clarity to their dashed hopes and scattered experiences. He brings a clarity that comes from the Word of God, beginning with Moses and the Prophets. You believe this Jesus was to redeem Israel, but don’t you remember what God did to redeem Israel at the Red Sea, by putting to death the firstborn sons of Egypt?[2] Do you suppose that freedom comes without a death? And the prophets knew this well because they lived it. Every true prophet preached the Word but at one time or another was rejected by the people and persecuted. In fact, they were sharing in the sufferings of the Christ they proclaimed. But as for the Christ Himself, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied,” for God’s Holy One did not see corruption, but destroyed the covering of death which is over all people.[3]
By then, they had arrived at Emmaus and the stranger said He had to be going on. But they prevailed upon him: “Abide with us for it is toward evening and the day is far spent.” In other words, don’t go, we want to hear more. Your words lift us up out of hopelessness and make Moses and the Prophets clear to us.
So, the stranger stays with them for the evening meal. Yet at the meal, He does something out of the ordinary, even for a pious Israelite two days after the Passover. “He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.” He acted as host, head of the household in the liturgy of the Passover now fulfilled. This was not any common meal—it was the Lord’s Supper. At this point, God opened their eyes and they recognized who this stranger was: it was Jesus, risen from the dead, the true Christ, and their Savior.
But at this point, He disappeared from their sight. Why? They no longer needed it to be with Jesus. They were held back from recognizing Him while He spoke and up until the breaking of the bread. But when God opened the way for faith to recognize Him, He took away the vision.
Their reaction to this is also one of faith. They reflect on their experience on the road: Our hearts burned as He spoke to us and opened the Scriptures. As He opened the Scriptures, we saw Him in a way that eyes could not. When He took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to us, this was Him as well. Then, they go and tell this to their brothers, so that they would also have reason to rejoice.
This is comforting news for us, His brothers today.
Last week we heard Jesus say to Thomas blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. It would be troubling if that’s all Jesus said to future generations of Christians. We believe in a God we haven’t seen. Where is he? I don’t know. Can you hear his voice? I’m not sure. We would be left to search for where Jesus was and wonder if our “burning in the heart” was really Jesus or some bad pizza we had the night before.
This visit from Jesus to Cleopas and the other disciple is good for us to hear, because it shows us with certainty where Jesus is found. Jesus comes to you in the Word of God, where God opens your heart to understand the Scriptures and all things concerning Christ. This is different from having a just a head knowledge of the Bible. You can know the Bible in this way and still go to hell. Jesus said to the Jews, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”[4] God gives His Holy Spirit so that you would know Christ through the Scriptures. Even this is knowing more than the facts that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, etc. It’s more than knowing that this was done for an abstract group of people—for us men and for our salvation. The Holy Spirit brings you to know that all of this was for you, so that you can say “I believe.” This is the Good News that causes our hearts to burn within us, that even when I was lost in blindness, perplexed about what God was doing, uncertain whether He cares, that He sent His Gospel to me that I might be His own and have something to cling to in this world of change and chance!
It’s doubly comforting for us disciples today that Jesus not only comes to us in the Word, but also with accompanying signs of His Good News (what we call the Sacraments). In these, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, He takes the benefits of His birth, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, and delivers it in physical means. Baptism is a washing of rebirth because it is the water by which you are crucified with Christ and raised with Him, adopted as God’s child, and given the gift of His Holy Spirit.[5] The Lord’s Supper is more than a ceremonial meal of remembrance because Jesus Himself says, “This is My Body given for you; this is My Blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”[6] The Words of Institution make this Food one that brings forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
You are blessed this day, because Jesus is among us to bless us. Though our eyes are kept from seeing Him resurrected and glorified, God has opened our hearts and revealed Him to us in the Scriptures and the breaking of the bread this day. Therefore, let us pray:
Abide with us, Lord, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent. Abide with us and with Your whole Church. Abide with us at the end of the day, at the end of our life, at the end of the world. Abide with us with Your grace and goodness, with Your holy Word and Sacrament, with Your strength and blessing. Abide with us when the night of affliction and temptation comes upon us, the night of fear and despair, the night when death draws near. Abide with us and with all the faithful, now and forever. (LSB 257) Amen. [1] The verbs used for their discussion denote debate or passionate discussion. Jesus perceives this too in verse 17 with a word that literally means “throwing back and forth” to describe their conversation. [2] Exodus 11:4-7, Exodus 13:14-16 [3] Isaiah 25:6-9 [4] John 5:39 [5] Titus 3:5, Romans 6:3-5 [6] Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Second Sunday in Easter + April 23, 2017 Text: John 20:19-31
This sermon was written by Pastor David Juhl and adapted by Pastor Michael Miller.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The first word the disciples hear from the mouth of their resurrected Savior is His Easter greeting: Peace be with you. Jesus’ greeting encompasses the whole result of His Easter message: PEACE. On the evening of the day of resurrection, the disciples were together. Their hearts were still full of sadness and guilt. They had heard snippets of the Easter news from the women at the tomb, Peter and John, and even two disciples who saw Him as they travelled to Emmaus.[1] Nevertheless, they still did not believe that their Lord was risen. Fear of the Jews overwhelmed their hearts, driving them to hide behind locked doors. Above all a bad conscience remained because they had forsaken their Lord and denied Him.
Then suddenly the Lord is in their midst. His greeting to them is this: Peace be with you. He also shows them His hands and side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Fear dissolved and peace moved into their hearts. Peace came to them not due to the mere appearance of the Lord, but because Jesus came to them with such a friendly greeting.
The disciples have reason to rejoice after their sorrows. Christ’s greeting to them is precious. This was no ordinary “How ya doin’?” Christ’s words to them are spirit and life. He imparts peace to His disciples with these words: peace with God and forgiveness of sins.
This is what we are doing when we greet one another in the peace of the Lord before the service. It’s not just your ordinary casual exchange, an extra to say good morning. It’s an Easter greeting that we have received from God and are sharing with our brothers and sisters. Jesus’ resurrection means your sins are forgiven and you have a gracious God, and you are able to share that with one another—even those who have wronged you or whom you have wronged.
The fruit of the resurrection is peace with God. When Jesus shows His hands and side, He reminds them of His suffering and death. There is forgiveness of sins in these wounds. There is also satisfaction of God’s wrath over sin and reconciliation between God and mankind.
The resurrection of Christ is a seal that the work of our redemption is accomplished. In a manner of speaking, it is God’s Amen to His Son saying, “It is finished!”[2] We are reconciled to God because of Jesus. We have peace with God because of Jesus. This is why our Lord’s Easter greeting is so precious. He pledges peace with God. In this peace is forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
Is this greeting really for us to hear and believe? We know it is for the disciples, because they saw Him in the flesh, felt His hands and side, and heard Him say, peace be with you. The Lord no longer dwells among us in as He did then. It is not possible for Him to walk into our midst and greet us as He did then.
The first one to ask this question was Thomas. Now, Thomas put himself in a precarious position—willfully staying away from the other disciples that Easter evening, refusing to believe the multiple reports of the resurrection he’d heard, then demanding that Jesus meet his standard of proof before he would believe. By being in unbelief, Thomas actually jeopardized receiving that peace which Jesus had won by those wounds. Let this be a warning for our faith.
Yet, the Lord Jesus brought good out of Thomas not being there that night, because we weren’t either. Think of us, so many centuries later. We have even more rational reasons to disbelieve than Thomas. Can we trust that “peace be with you” was spoken to us too? Hear the words of Jesus, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That’s you and me! We might blame our doubts on not having seen Jesus, but Jesus assures us that’s not a problem. He sends His peace to you even today.
Although Jesus is no longer visible to us, we hear His Word. In the precious greeting to His disciples that Easter evening, Jesus institutes the pastoral office—the preaching office to announce this Easter peace from heaven to you. He sends His disciples as the Father has sent Him. Hear those comforting words to His disciples: Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” What pastors preach is as certain as if the Lord Himself spoke it. What heavenly comfort this office brings to us even when our guilt threatens to crush us and we can’t see any way path to peace. In the midst of the locked door of our heart, Jesus’ Word shines through and says even to us: Peace be with you. Let it be to you as you have believed. Amen.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Funeral of Charles R. Vorderstrasse – April 20, 2017 Text: Ephesians 2:8-10
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The epistle reading that we heard earlier from Ephesians was the sermon text at Chuck’s confirmation back on May 4, 1941 in this congregation. Chuck lived the faith that he professed that day, up until this past Sunday when he breathed his last. So, it’s fitting for us to meditate on these words of St. Paul in light of the life of faith God gave to Charles, His child and our beloved brother.
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
The Gospel was front and center in Chuck’s life: It is by grace that you have been saved. Jesus Christ has done everything necessary to secure your eternal home in heaven. It’s a true gift that doesn’t require any contribution on our part. We might think such a great treasure would demand something of us, but then it wouldn’t be grace. Faith is simply the hand that receives the wonderful salvation God gives in Jesus Christ!
That faith was handed down to Chuck by his parents, Paul and Ida, and that hand of faith received what was taught through word and example. This was the faith that his parents wanted him to have when he was baptized on October 24, 1926. At age 14, Chuck publicly professed that this faith was his own—summarized in the Apostles’ Creed. That faith, borne out of God’s love for Chuck, freed him to love God in return and also love those around him.
It was a faith that gave him an underlying confidence that God is his heavenly Father, so that no matter what may happen in life—whether having to move cross-country during the Dust Bowl, living in poverty, or losing his daughter in a car accident—God would be faithful to see him and his family through.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith.” The calm peace that comes from believing these words attended Chuck as he suddenly found himself in the hospital last Thursday. As the potentially terrifying, terminal diagnoses rolled in, Chuck continued to be optimistic because he knew that God was for him. “Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”[1]
But Chuck knew that whenever he should die, he was not going to face a tribunal for all the ways he had failed God, or even a review of all the good things he had done. None of it counts toward his eternal rest—it was all earned by Jesus who was born, lived, suffered, died, and rose for him.
This faith is not your own doing; it is a gift of God.
When we read in the obituary that Chuck had a “life well-lived,” we can see that it’s true. What we want to know next is how we can accomplish the same thing. What is the good life to live? Gallons of ink have been spilled trying to answer that question. Guess what? God gives us the answer.
If you want to have a life well-lived, don’t look to Chuck—a fellow man and also a sinner (for that is why he died). Look to God. What made this life well-lived was the fear, love, and trust in God that endured to the end, the repentance and faith that the Holy Spirit kept in Chuck’s heart and the heart of every Christian. But we want to know, What’s the secret to having such a faithful life before God?“What must I do to be saved?” asked one inquirer.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”[2] There’s the key—it’s not about what you do. Even the faith in a believing heart is the work of God:[3]“This is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” When we stop trying to save ourselves and let God do His work, He opens our minds and hearts to see His Son and find our true Sabbath rest in His work on the cross. “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
So that no one may boast.
Chuck had this realization because God had given it to him. “It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Since it was a gift from God, there was no reason to be proud of his own accomplishments. What could he boast of in being a Christian son, or brother, or husband, or father? All that he had was a gift from God—his very breath, his family, and his place in God’s eternal family through Jesus.
We are created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Finally, St. Paul says on the basis of this faith, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” What you witnessed in this man was God’s handiwork. God the Father adopted Him as a beloved child in the waters of Baptism, through God the Son who lovingly shed His blood for him and for every single man and woman, and God the Holy Spirit who caused the Word of God to take root and bear fruit in Chuck’s heart.[4]
A caring heart is the work of God, shown in a man who always cared how you were doing, who “in humility counted others more significant than himself.”[5] He did this because He has the Spirit of Christ who made Himself the compassionate servant of all, so that they might be saved from destruction.
A serving heart is the work of God, shown in a man who helped others without complaint, displaying the service of Christ the Lord: “Just as I have loved you, you are to love one another.”[6]In the ultimate show of service, Jesus, the Lamb went uncomplaining forth, and even though it meant loss for Him, it meant great riches for all who believe.
A heart that shares the faith is also the work of God, shown in a man who raised His children in this congregation—not because of the hard work and years of service he put into the organization, but because this is where such a Christian faith is preached and believed. Chuck wanted for his children the same thing Paul and Ida gave to him: a place where the Word of God is preached and taught in all of its glory.
God grant by the power and working of His Holy Spirit, that this faith be in you. In this faith, you will have peace, confidence, and hope. Peace that God has redeemed and fully forgiven you through the holy blood of Christ. Confidence to live life trusting in God’s faithfulness. Hope of knowing what when your last hour comes, you will be talking about the hope of heaven one minute and be there the next.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. [1] Romans 14:8 [2] Acts 16:30-31 [3] John 6:29 [4] Galatians 3:25-26, John 3:16, Acts 2:38 [5] Philippians 2:3 [6] John 13:34
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
The Resurrection of Our Lord (Sunrise) + April 16, 2017 Text: John 20:1-18
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
No doubt you’ve seen it for a few weeks now. Easter sales, Easter dresses, Easter candy, Easter lilies. If you didn’t know better, you might think Easter is just another holiday with its traditions, no different from the 4th of July. It’s just an excuse to get together and have fun with family and friends.
But with all of these traditions, it might be hard to get down to the reason for celebrating. If we don’t know what Easter is about, then we’re just left with pastel colors, bunnies, and ham. The name “Easter” doesn’t tell the story.[1] The reason we celebrate today is because this is the Resurrection of Our Lord. Jesus who was dead now lives!
It’s popular this time of year to try and debunk the Resurrection as old-fashioned myth, or just a peculiarity of Christian religious tradition. If it is, then get up and go home. Religion is just an opiate for the masses, and I’m peddling nothing more than therapeutic lies.
But it is not just myth, it is truth. Jesus actually was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. He actually suffered under the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. And yes, He did rise from the dead on the Third Day. All of this is true, and that’s what makes Easter such a reason to celebrate.
The resurrection of Jesus is a fundamental change to our existence. Sin is forgiven and death’s grasp is broken! Without Jesus and His resurrection, life on earth is depressing. All you can hope to do is live for the moment and spend time with all the other people who no more than a flash in the pan of time. But Jesus is risen, and that means human life has a hope and a future—the hope and future God truly intends for all people.
The resurrection of Jesus gives comfort in sickness and death. He gives the hope of a joyous eternity. His resurrection puts the greatest joys and most painful sorrows of this life into eternal perspective. As we grow weary of this life, that’s where Easter makes all the difference.
The true meaning of Easter—the death and resurrection of Jesus—is not something to be put on the shelf and brought out just once a year. The devil would love it if you believe that lie, because then he can get you to do whatever he wants, scaring you with the threat of the grave. If you believe that, you may as well eat all the ham and candy you can get your hands on, because you too will die. But if you want more, believe in Jesus whose death and resurrection changes everything.
That’s why Easter is such a big celebration. Jesus gives joy to our lives! He gives us more joy than can be found in fleeting things. He lifts up our hearts from the depths of sorrow and gives us new hope and strength. When it looks to us like everything is a lost cause, our Lord and Savior is there with His Word—“Do not be afraid.” Amen. [1] The name Easter comes to us from the Old English name for the month of April.
