The Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord

Easter Morning,

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (April 8, 2012)

Readings:                    Psalm 118, verses 1 to 29                      

                                    Job 19:23-27                          
                                    1 Corinthians 15:51-57          
                                    Mark 16:1-8

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 16^th chapter of St. Mark, especially the following verses.

Mark 16:1-8 (NIV)

¹ When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” ⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!  Alleluia!

“Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mark 16:3). This was the question that the women asked one another that first Easter morn. Their Lord was gone forever. That’s what they thought. Their journey to the grave must have been long and lonely. All of the talk about Jesus as the Messiah seemed cold and dead on their lips. But they wanted to do what was right. They wanted to bring the spices and anoint His body. If He could not live, at least He should die with honor and respect as a great teacher.

We all fight this battle. This battle with death. Sometimes the battle seems to be going well. We’re healthy, the kids are doing okay, and tax season is almost over. God is gracious, and there is much to rejoice about. Other times, though, it seems as though death and Satan are winning. A loved one dies. There’s a sickness that just won’t go away. The economy. Jobs. School. Divorce. Fighting at home. Sometimes the fight is long and the battle hard. Sometimes this earthly strife that we all undergo never seems to end. It can feel as though there is no future, no hope for things to ever get better.

We, of course, are not the first Christians to ever have this battle with Satan and sin and death. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 about those who weren’t certain of the resurrection of the dead. They didn’t know whether the dead would rise. They thought you lived and you died, and that was the end. To that fear and concern he wrote: “If in in Christ we have hope in life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

How often have you been miserable because you have forgotten the most basic, fundamental core of the Christian faith? How often have you lived as if Jesus’ dead body were still decaying outside of Jerusalem somewhere? When we allow the trials and crosses of this life to define us, it is as if we are asking that question with the women at the tomb. I don’t mean that we should always be happy, or that if we simply have a more positive attitude, that things will automatically get better. Heaven knows that there are times when things are hard. We do suffer in this life. And that suffering is real, it is painful, and it may feel as though it will never end.

But Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. And for poor, weak sinners like you and I that is good news indeed. No, it is the very best of news. King David exclaimed,

“You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:10–11).

The path that we walk this day is the path of life through death. There is no such thing as life for us apart from Jesus’ death and resurrection. But with Christ, there is hope. This hope is not a pie-in-the-sky sort of everything-will-get-better hope. No, God founds this hope upon Jesus’ death and resurrection for us. David prayed again in Psalm 16:2, “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.’ ”

But what if you believe this path is not for you? What if you believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection are not enough, or that you are not worthy of God? To you I say remember St. Paul. Untimely born, out of step with the other apostles, if anyone would have a claim on being unworthy of God’s mercy, it would be Paul. He was a persecutor, a murderer by nearly anyone’s standards, or the least of the apostles, as he would call himself (1 Corinthians 15:9). Yet God had mercy on him, baptized him, and made him as His own child.

This is true for St. Paul, and it is true for you, dearly beloved. Everything you have and are, all of your good you have, is from God Himself, who gave Himself to you so that you might have hope. He gives Himself to you so that you can actually live, not just survive to suffer another day.

We have talked a lot about forgiveness this Lenten journey. We’ve talked about our need for forgiveness, the destructive effect sin has on our lives, and we have talked about how sin begets more sin all the time. But more important than that, we have heard how God forgives, that He longs to forgive, that His forgiveness covers you, and that His gracious presence in your life is but a foretaste to come of an eternity of fellowship in Him.

So rejoice this day and be glad. The things of this life that weigh you down will pass. God is at peace with you, and you do not need to be afraid of anything that comes your way. Jesus is risen, and that is all that really matters in this life. Believe it for the sake of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!  Alleluia

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.

© 2011 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®. Catechism: © 1986, 1991 CPH.

Holy Week – Palm Sunday Procession

Palmarum

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (April 5, 2012)

Readings: Psalm 118:19-29

                 Zechariah 9:9-12

                 Philippians 2:5-11

                 Matthew 26:1 – 27:66

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the book of Leviticus, from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and from the book of Revelation.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the laying down of Palm’s is more than a story, it is a reflection of all that God has done for us. It reminds us of those who stood in an ancient Jerusalem and what these people did when their promised king was before them. But, most importantly it represents the extent to which God would go to save His people, for these are the Palms that save us.

In the Old Testament it is recorded that the tabernacle, or tent of meeting, was a place where our holy God would meet in holy communion with a people cleansed from unholiness and hallowed for the promised reunion with Him. The book of Leviticus records that there were to be also various special days of "meetings" in that tabernacle. And the observance of these recurring weekly and annual days stressed Israel’s need of continuing efforts to maintain its status as a "holy nation." Most of these festival days could be kept only after Israel had entered the Promised Land and a they had settled and established their way of life.

One of these festival days was the Feast of the Passover or unleavened bread. So, you may ask, what does this have to do with Palm Sunday? Well God said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath." This was a celebration recognizing that God did just as He had promised. And the return of the firstfruits of the people also acknowledged that what they gave back was not accepted by merit of their own. They were commemorating their national beginnings, but more than that they were also reflecting their dependence on God who continued preserving their lives. The waving of the sheaves was in response to hearing God’s Word’s and recognizing that He kept His promise to them.

Christ was that promised grain of the harvest for us for, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."(James 1:18) The Israelites were required to wave their offerings, today we wave our palms. In both cases the waving acknowledges that God’s promise is fulfilled, and it is real. He is before us, He provides for us, our hands would have nothing to wave except for that promise which God kept for us in giving His Son Jesus Christ for our salvation. Those grains and these palms, acknowledge God fulfillment of His promise.

The Israelites were also told to celebrate the Feast of the Harvest. God said, "On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days."(Lev 23:40) This feast was a time to acknowledge that all that they had been given and to praise all the gifts from God. And they praised God by rejoicing with palm fronds before Him.

But they did not live perfect lives of praise, rejoicing, or in a perfect faith. Even after they had seen the great plagues of Egypt, and their escape from Pharaoh, the still turned away from God. They even built a false god while they still could remember the waves crashing in behind them.

We are no different than they. We have seen great miracles in our lives. We have seen and experienced the miracle of baptism and of Gods presence with us. We have heard of infinite mercy in God’s Holy Word. We have waved palms praising Christ the King, yet we have also praised our own gods while miracles abound around us. We praise the gods of money, of things, and even of other peoples things. We have done things we should not, we have left undone things we should have done. We even retract our praise and rebel that God has not given us all that we think He should, or not the way we wanted it, or maybe not quickly enough.

Yet the Messiah still came and the crowds gathered near Jerusalem to heap their praise on Him. In fact, He rode into Jerusalem, "on a colt, the foal of donkey."(Zech 9:9) just as God had promised through the words of the prophet Zechariah. Though we are not worthy to even lift those palms fronds to praise Him, those palms are still waved at the arrival of the promised one, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The praise with palms does not point to us, rather they point to the promised Lord Jesus Christ.

For our Lord Jesus Christ did arrive according to the promise, with praise, to offer us eternal salvation. And what of those palms that the people waved in praise at His entrance to Jerusalem? In less that a week they would be forgotten. Yet He did not forget, He traveled on. He traveled on in majesty, then He traveled on in betrayal, then He traveled on in scorn, mockery, and deceit. Yet He did not stop, He did not turn, He went to the cross for the forgivenss of our sins. And there on the crosss there would be no palms waving in a chorus of accolades. Rather there was only the palms of Christ which would be pierced for our transgressions. The plams waved by men at the beginning of the week would soon rot and decay. But, the palms of Christ nailed to the cross would never rot and they would never see decay. For those palms could not wave they were nailed to the cross. Yet Christ’s palms pinned down by our sin were in fact palms of salvation. And God in Christ Jesus did not lift His hand to save Himself, rather He left His palm to bleed so that we may be saved. And that salvation which He won is given to you in your baptism. He gives you that salvation in Holy Communion in giving for us His true body and His true blood.

You have been made part of His palms of salvation and so you will one day be seen in, "a great mulititude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb clothed inwhite robes, and palm branches in their hands" (Rev. 7:9) Rejoice in Christ, you wave palm branches this very day. Rejoice in Christ you will one day wave palm branches for eternity. Amen.

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

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The Fifth Sunday in Lent - Judica - March 25, 2012

The Church Season of Lent,

Judica,

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (March 25, 2012)

Readings:        Psalm 43
                        Gen. 22:1-14
                        Hebrews 9:11-15
                        John 8:42-59

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 8^th chapter of St. John, especially the following verses.

John 8:42-59 (ESV)

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but He sent me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” ⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” ⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” ⁵² The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ ⁵⁵ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep His word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” ⁵⁹ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit

One week from today we approach the gates of Jerusalem once again to enter upon that Holy Week when our Lord Jesus suffered death and, as the writer to the Hebrews says, “tasted death for everyone.” It wasn’t for killing that He was killed. It wasn’t for theft or robbery, or adultery or insurrection. What was it that got Jesus killed? It was the claims He had been making about himself.

John tells us, Jesus really began to say some incredible things about himself. That’s also when the Jews began their plot to murder him, because they were suspicious of His claims and rejected His words. All of Jesus’ claims about himself can be boiled down to this: That He had come to give life to a world of dead sinners, and that He was the only one in the entire universe who could do it. Jesus said, “I am He,” and the Jews said, “Oh, no, you’re not.”

So what you see in our Gospel is a war of words. Jesus had been making these bold claims, “I am the true bread that came down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He spoke of His Father who had sent him into the world on a mission to redeem it from sin, and claimed that those who would not believe in him as the life-giver, sent from the Father, would die in their sins.

But the Jews wouldn’t believe, and Jesus asks them, “Why? Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?” In other words, if the Scriptures support my claims and the miracles support my claims, then, what?  But, they weren’t interested in arguing about the facts with Jesus especially if He was going to quote scripture or discuss doctrine with them. “We don’t like what you say. Period. Don’t bother us with the facts, or with Scripture, or with doctrine. We condemn you and that’s that.” It’s the same thing you hear today.

So since they refused to give any valid reasons why they rejected Jesus’ claims, He tells them why they wouldn’t believe. “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” When a person hears the Word of Christ and responds, “No, I don’t believe that,” or “ Yes, But…” or “I don’t know what the Bible says, but…” they show that they have no part with Christ, and therefore, with God. You can’t pick and choose which claims of Jesus you’ll believe and which ones you’ll deny. To deny His words is to deny Him and the one who sent Him.

But the Jews won’t admit it. They fight back. “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” And Jesus goes on making His bold claims. He claims that His Father will judge everyone who fails to glorify His Son Jesus.

So, Jesus makes this bold claim: “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Now, what does it mean to “keep the word” of Jesus? To keep His Word is to accept as true and rely on the bold claims Jesus makes for Himself as the One sent from God to give life to the world. To keep His Word is to hold fast that promise of Jesus in the heart, so that when the devil comes and accuses, when the conscience condemns, when death itself approaches and terrifies, and admits, “I am a sinner, and I should surely die. But the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who promised me life, and nothing in heaven or on earth can make His promise fail.”

Such a person with such a faith in the Word of Jesus will never see death, will never taste death. That doesn’t mean your body won’t wear out and stop working and turn back into dust. It will, unless Christ returns first for the final judgment. But to see death, to taste death is to experience the horror of death, is to feel the wrath of God and the abandonment of God and the eternal punishment of God.

The bold claim of Jesus is that the one who keeps His Word will never, ever, ever taste death in that way, even when the body gives out. Of course, Jesus’ Jewish opponents couldn’t believe that Jesus would make this kind of bold claim, to have power over death.

But more than that Jesus tells them, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” And for them there was no longer any question. Jesus was claiming to be, not only the greatest prophet who ever lived, not only Abraham’s promised son, but Abraham’s God – the very same God who appeared to Abraham and spoke with Abraham, who had created the heavens and the earth, who wrestled with Jacob and renamed him Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave the Ten Commandments in the first place. Jesus was claiming to be the very eternal God – Yahweh – whom the Jews claimed to worship – one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Either Jesus’ bold claims were true and they should bow down before Him in reverence and fear – or Jesus’ claims were lies, for which Jesus would have to die.

We know where the Jews came down on that one, don’t we? They picked up stones to kill him right there, that very day, but it wasn’t time yet for Jesus to die..

The words of today’s Introit are the Messiah’s plea for God to step in and show His enemies that His bold claims were true: “Vindicate me! – Prove me right, O Lord! Defend my cause against an ungodly people; from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!” Most of Holy Week looks like a vindication of Jesus’ enemies. But, on Good Friday, it certainly looked like God was siding with them in rejecting Jesus’ bold claims. But you have to follow Holy Week all the way to the bitter end, and to the sweet beginning of the new week. In reality, God’s true vindication of the Messiah would come on Easter Sunday.

And there you see the wisdom of God and the grace of God. The very claims that got Jesus killed were vindicated by His death and then by His resurrection. He claimed to be God’s chosen servant to save Israel, and by His death on the cross He became the perfect high priest before God and the atoning sacrifice for Israel and for all. He claimed to be God, and by His resurrection was proved to be God. He claimed to be able to keep those who keep His Word from tasting death, and by tasting death for everyone and rising back to life, He saw to it that no one who keeps his Word will ever have to taste death or be stung by it ever again.

Trust in the bold claim of Jesus Christ, that He has come to give life to a world full of dead sinners, and that he is the only one in all the universe who can do it. Trust in his claim to be present with his life-giving body and blood in the Sacrament. Jesus said, “I am He,” and the Jews said, “No, you’re not.” The world still says, “No, he’s not.” But the Scriptures say, “Yes, he is!” Easter Sunday proclaims, “Yes, he is!” And by the power of the Gospel, you, too, confess, “Yes, he is!” Keep his Word, and keep it close as the world and Satan rage against you, even more brutally than they raged against Christ, with one argument after another for why the Word of Christ cannot possibly be true. Holy Week was Jesus’ vindication. It’s your vindication, too. In it, you will find that Jesus is every bit the God and Savior that He claims to be for you. Amen.

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

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