250418 Sermon on how our enemies of sin and death are defeated (Good Friday) April 18, 2025

 Audio recording

Sermon manuscript:

Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will save it.”

Back home on the farm it was not uncommon for kittens to be born around this time of year. The momma cats liked the hay mow of our barn. The old bales of hay and straw provided nooks and crannies for secluded little dens. We kids liked to find these newborn kittens and tame them. The kittens were terrified at first. Their fur would be sticking out and their claws extended, but eventually they would trust you. You could tell when your job was done when the kitten would start to purr while lying on your lap.

The image I would like to bring to your mind is perhaps one you’ve experienced. Sometimes these kittens would be a few weeks old before we would find them. Kittens grow up quickly. These older kittens would want to run away, but if they couldn’t, they would fight back. They were still quite helpless, but they wanted you to believe they were far from helpless. They would puff out their fur, arch their backs, growl, and make that weird spitting sound with their mouths as they would strike out with their paws.

This was quite intimidating. The kittens were quite harmless, but they made me think twice. It was 99% bluffing. If the kitten were facing a real enemy, all this play-acting would be futile. All the enemy would need to do is snatch the kitten up in its jaws, and that would be the end of that.

Human beings can be like those bluffing kittens when it comes to things that are stronger than us. Sin is much stronger than us. I wish we could always and easily tell sin to take a hike, but sin often gets the better of us. Our guilt is stronger than us. We accumulated so much guilt by our evil deeds. The devil is stronger. Death is stronger. We are quite helpless. We are like kittens.

However, it is not uncommon to think we can somehow defeat these enemies. If we bristle out our fur, arch our backs, and strike out, maybe we’ll be left alone. With sin and guilt, for example, the most common strategy is simply to forget about them. As time passes, the pangs of conscience lessen, but does forgetfulness really make our sin go away? Does shutting our eyes or pulling the blanket over our heads make the monster go away?

Another strategy for dealing with sin and guilt is to fight back. Maybe God’s commandments are old fashioned or impractical. Maybe you couldn’t live the life that you want to live and still keep God’s commandments. God wants us to be happy, doesn’t he? “Live and let live” is great advice for a certain kind of peaceable life. However does this make sin and guilt go away? Maybe our conscience is soothed for yet another day, but the enemy remains.

The strategies regarding death can be similar. Nothing is more common than ignoring death. Put it out of mind so that you can more fully embrace whatever good might be coming your way. This sounds like good advice, and maybe it has its place, but does it make death go away?

Or maybe instead of taking death seriously we can celebrate life. Hopefully the person in question is good enough so that we can celebrate. Hopefully they didn’t commit any gross sins—at least not publicly. Hopefully they were only guilty of the common and respectable sins that church people commit. Otherwise it might feel strange to celebrate. But, in any case, what does it matter? It is all for nothing. Even with all this bragging and story telling the person remains quite dead. A few short decades later, they will be quite forgotten.

In all our dealings with these forces we are like defenseless kittens. We do what we can. We put on a show. But nothing can really be done. It’s all play-acting. It’s all bluffing. Our very real enemies have us in their jaws whether we make a fuss or not.

I think this might help us better understand a statement of Jesus’s that can be quite enigmatic otherwise. He said on one occasion: “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but however loses his life on account of me will save it.” We might think that we have no other choice than to playact and to bluff. We have to cope somehow. But if we commit ourselves to these strategies for dealing with these very real enemies, then we will have a very different savior in our minds than Jesus—and what a pathetic Savior it is too. A kitten pretending to be a tiger? By trying to save our own life we will lose it.

But what is the alternative? The alternative is to believe in Jesus. However, this belief will be under the cross. That means we will be in unfavorable conditions and will suffer loss. As Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but however loses his life on account of me will save it.” We must lose our life with Jesus. What does that mean? It means that we allow whatever nasty enemies who have invaded our comfy little den to bite and devour us, while believing, at the same time, that they will not be triumphant. Though they do their worst—though they have me in their jaws—I will prevail because my God is for me and not against me. God will save me when the time is right even if I should end up in their gullet, in the belly of a large fish, or in a den of lions.

Let’s apply this to the enemies we’ve already talked about. There are a lot of ways to cope with sin, but Jesus is the only one way to be victorious. Repent and believe the good news that Jesus is the Savior of sinners. But even when we have done this, sin remains a powerful enemy. I wish that we Christians could become so strong that we could always tell sin to take a hike, but we aren’t. Seasoned Christians know that the devil has very good aim with his poisoned arrows. He can find the gap in our armor so that we fall into sin quite against our will.

Our situation with death is very similar. Try as we might, we can’t avoid it. This is true for Christians and non-Christians alike. We all die. The difference with Christians is that we believe Jesus when he says: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” The first part of that statement is clear enough. We believe that even if we should die, yet we will live because we will be resurrected. But what about the second part when he says, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die?” The apostles died. Christians for two thousand years have died. Did none of those live and believe in him?

No. They were believers. And they didn’t die—not really. They died in the belief that this slight momentary affliction of death would last but a little while; salvation comes with the morning. Sometimes the New Testament calls death a sleep. When we go to sleep at night we do not fall asleep with horror. We know that the morning is coming. Not only will we wake up, but we will even feel refreshed and energized. So it is with those who die with faith in Jesus, the resurrection and the life.

Unfortunately, those who really will die are like foolish kittens who think that they can save themselves by playacting. They think they can stave off death or come to terms with it. They think memories or celebrations can make the person live on in some sense. This posturing and fuss and bother are as insubstantial as smoke. They don’t know how strong their enemy is. Imagine the horror the kitten feels when their show doesn’t work, but they find themselves in the jaws nonetheless. That is death.

I understand perfectly why people do playacting. It can seem like the only recourse we’ve got. It can seem defeatist to admit anything is stronger than us. We are told always to fight, and for good reason. We don’t want to be in those jaws. Playacting is a way to convince ourselves that we need not be in those jaws. The kitten is desperate not to be picked up because it doesn’t know what might happen. One thing is sure: it will lose control.

In order to be a Christian we must lose control, so to speak. We must put ourselves and our futures into the hands of a God who has told us that he has our best interests in mind even as we are going through painful or scary circumstances. And this is not like a fairy tale where the enemy is no more and can no longer hurt us. It will be like that in heaven, but not until then. The apostles said this plainly. They said, “It is only through many hardships that we will enter the kingdom of God.” We kittens have many enemies and their teeth are sharp. However, we have hope! Even if we should die, yet shall we live, and declare the praises of the Lord.

On Good Friday it is fitting to think about our enemies such as sin and death, which are more powerful than we are. Good Friday and Easter show us that Jesus is more powerful than sin and death. However, Jesus saves in a very special way. He doesn’t ignore sin and death. He doesn’t go around them. He doesn’t go over them or under them. He goes through them. The jaws clamped on him, just as they clamp on us. However, what looked like defeat, proved to be victory.

The same thing is true for us Christians. We cannot get rid of sin. We cannot avoid death. We go through these things. They bite and gnash with dreadful effects, but even while they are doing their worst, we believe that we will be victorious and they will be defeated. Jesus will see to that.

Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will save it.” Amen.

250413 Sermon on Jesus's Peace (Palm Sunday) April 13, 2025

 Audio recording

Sermon manuscript:

When we use the word “peace” we often think of calmness, tranquility, the lack of fighting. There are different ways to achieve such a condition. For example, a graveyard is quite peaceful in its own way. Even though there are many people in close proximity, there is little fighting. There is also little love, little joy, but there is a kind of stillness and calmness.

Another way calmness can be achieved is through the establishment of such severe law and order that everyone becomes too scared to step out of line. Totalitarian governments come up with punishments and displays of power that intimidate the people they rule over. Almost all of the great empires of history have used these tactics.  

The Roman government, for example, once crushed a slave revolt and sent a powerful message afterwards. They crucified 6,000 captured slaves along the Appian Way. For 120 miles one person after another hung there dead on crosses. The message was clear: Don’t mess with those in power. It worked. People were frightened. There was a kind of peace.

This is one way you could understand the events of Holy Week that we have entered into today with Palm Sunday. The Jewish leaders wanted a kind of peace. Jesus had been disturbing their peace. So they solved a problem. Jesus had been getting too popular. He had raised Lazarus from the dead. Upon entering Jerusalem he went to the temple and made quite a scene. He flipped over tables and let animals loose. The Jewish leaders wanted to know who had given him such authority.

Jesus was obviously out of control. He needed to be dealt with. The usual measures of getting dirt on someone wouldn’t work with him. Nor could they turn the people against him. The people loved him more than they loved the Jewish leaders. There was only one sensible course to take, and they took it. They arrested him in the middle of the night. They immediately convicted him in their kangaroo court. They applied pressure to Pontius Pilate. By the time the people of Jerusalem were hardly finished with their breakfast Jesus was already nailed to the cross! It was already too late. Efficiency like that would make any dictator tip his beret with respect.

For some of us, though, this kind of thing really makes our blood boil. It was so unjust! The leaders were supposed to be the best of the people, but in fact they were the worst. They were vain. They were vindictive. They were cowards. They purposely engaged Jesus in an unfair fight. They didn’t dispute with him in the open. It was all arranged behind closed doors. Their dirty deeds were done with the cover of darkness. Some of us might like to take our clubs and swords and give them a taste of their own medicine.

This might have been how Peter felt. We’ve been studying Peter in our Adult Bible Study. When the Jewish leaders came to arrest Jesus in the middle of the night, Peter took out his sword and cut off the right ear of the high priest’s servant. I can’t help it: a part of me says, “Hurray for Peter!” At least one of those scoundrels felt a little pain! But that sets me at odds with Jesus himself.

Perhaps you remember how Jesus rebuked Peter. He told him to put away his sword. He said, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me to drink?” He also said, “All who take the sword shall perish by the sword.”

Indeed, that is how it goes. History tells this story over and over. The story goes like this: The oppressors oppress until those they oppresse rise up and take away their power. But without fail, those who were formerly oppressed, when it’s their turn, also oppress whomever they can take advantage of. They, then, become the target until one day a knife is found sticking out of their backs. The situation is always unstable because hatred is just below the surface. Power is maintained only with the utmost vigilance. Knowing that they hate you, you must strike first, before they strike you. It’s kill or be killed. “Whoever takes the sword, perishes by the sword.”

The best peace to be hoped for is the peace of the graveyard. If all goes well you eliminate your opponents before they eliminate you. Then you live happily ever after. That was the Jewish leaders’ theory of peace, and they dealt with Jesus accordingly.

However, this theory did not originate with them. It is much older. It goes back all the way to the gray mists of the earliest recorded history. The first human being born in the natural way was named Cain. He had a brother named Abel. One day Cain became annoyed with his brother Abel. Abel was disturbing his peace. So Cain bashed his head in, and reestablished the peace. Problem solved. No more Abel; no more annoyance. He lived happily ever after… Except he didn’t. Maybe you remember the story. He thought that he would live happily ever after, but in fact he was haunted for the rest of his life by the dirty deeds he did in secret. This is some kind of peace, but it leaves much to be desired.

Is there another kind of peace? Most do not believe so. Jesus says, “Broad is the gate and easy is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter thereby. Narrow is the gate and hard is the way that leads to eternal life, and few there are who find it.” Most people believe what simply comes naturally to all of us: We will be better off if we are in control. We will be richer if we take what someone else has. We will be happier if we eliminate those who annoy us. Kill or be killed. This world is made up of winners and losers. See to it that you are like the Jewish leaders, who obviously won, instead of like Jesus, who obviously lost.

But did he? That is the question! This is why the resurrection is so important. If Jesus rose from the dead, then he was right and his ways are best. If he did not rise from the dead, then the Jewish leaders were right. The message would be: Let no scruples get in the way of your ambitions. If Abel didn’t want to get killed, he should have killed Cain before Cain killed him. If Jesus didn’t want to get arrested and killed, he should have dismissed Judas long ago, armed his supporters, and stormed the chief priest’s palace. The strategy is not hard to understand. Do whatever is beneficial to you, and don’t do whatever might be beneficial to others.

What is hard to understand and to learn is Jesus’s peace. To learn Jesus’s peace you have to change your mind, which is what the word “repent” means. You have to think so differently that the Bible speaks of this change as being born again, or that we must be crucified with Christ and raised with him. So much must change that it is beyond our powers. Faith is a miracle worked by the Holy Spirit. But what comes at the end is worth it. What comes at the end is peace.

Jesus spoke about this peace in those chapters in John that we talked about during our midweek series. Jesus said, “In me you have peace. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart: I have overcome the world.” Again, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Those are words of quiet confidence. Although he knows that is death is but hours away, he is not like a drowning rat, desperate to survive. Jesus said, “You trust in God. Trust also in me.”

Trust in Jesus because his resurrection happened. The resurrection and judgment that is coming at the end of this world is real too. This is what all those who live only for their own ambitions deliberately ignore. The resurrection is coming! When that happens, those who appeared to have won will lose. Those who appeared to have lost will win. “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. There is nothing that is secret that won’t be revealed, and there is nothing that is hidden that won’t be exposed.” These are clear teachings of Jesus.

Now if you are like me, then you probably have your own dirty deeds done in darkness, the exposure of which would bring about intense embarrassment or perhaps even fear. To you I say, “Do not be afraid so long as your peace is in Jesus.” Your peace in Jesus will be stronger than your sins. Jesus’s righteousness speaks louder than our failings.

But don’t go on thinking that your dirty deeds of darkness will get you ahead in life. They won’t. They harm you; they don’t bless you. Even if you managed to gain the whole world by unrighteousness, the time would come when you would regret it—even if you somehow managed to make it into heaven. Change your mind; change your ways. Light, truth, life, and all other good things come from Jesus. Repent and believe the good news that Jesus has overcome the world, and his peace will reign forever and ever!

250223 Sermon on the goodness of God's commands leading us to repentance (Epiphany 7) February 23, 2025

 Audio recording

Sermon manuscript:

Our church is known for holding to certain standards that other churches may not emphasize as strongly. We take seriously the sixth commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.” This commandment has many applications. We believe that marriage, as the one-flesh union instituted by God, is a lifelong covenant between husband and wife. To go against this is sin. Adultery is sinful. Divorce, when contrary to God’s design, is sinful. Fornication is sinful. Living together is sinful. We call for repentance in these areas because unrepentant sin separates us from God, and we cannot, in good conscience, allow members to continue in sin without addressing it.

We also teach that same-sex sexual relationships are contrary to God’s order. Those who experience same-sex attraction are called to deny themselves, repent, and follow Jesus, just as all of us are called to deny our sinful desires and follow him. This is not easy, but it is the path of discipleship.

Additionally, we care deeply about the third commandment: “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” This is why, in April, our congregational assembly will vote on a policy requiring members to partake in communion at least four times a year. If members are absent without explanation or communication, they will eventually be removed.

These standards may seem strict, but they exist for a good reason: to help one another get to heaven. If a congregation isn’t focused on this, it has lost its way. Repentance is essential for true faith. Without it, we remain alienated from God’s commands and promises.

However, holding firm to these standards can create a dangerous mentality. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “As long as I follow these rules, I’m good.” Or what’s worse: “I easily follow these rules, what’s wrong with them?” I’m good; they’re bad. This is self-righteousness—a deadly spiritual condition.

This was the Pharisees’ problem in Jesus’s day. They meticulously followed certain rules—washing their hands a certain way, observing the Sabbath with extreme care—but they ignored weightier matters like justice, mercy, and faith. Jesus accused them of “straining out gnats while swallowing camels.” They were so focused on the things that they wanted to emphasize—things, by the way, that they were already doing—that they were unaware of how recklessly they were breaking God’s commandments in other ways.

Throughout the Gospels it is clear that the Pharisees were annoyed with Jesus. In the end, they hated him so much that they got him killed. Why did they hate him so much? It was because he pointed out those things they didn’t want to have pointed out. He showed them their hypocrisy. They saw themselves as the “good people,” unlike the “sinners” they looked down upon. They didn’t fornicate, commit adultery, or skip church. Jesus shattered their self-image. He showed them that they were just as sinful as those people they loved to despise, if not more so, because they ignored the deeper commands of God while pridefully clinging to their own self-righteousness.

We’re no different. None of us like to be told we’re wrong. If someone criticizes me, my first reaction is defensiveness. I might think, “Well, you’re not perfect either!” or “I’m not wrong—you are!” It’s rare, to say the least, to immediately respond with, “You’re right. I was wrong.” Yet, if or when we should come to that point, it’s exceedingly good for the soul. It’s the beginning of trying to live in the truth—however painful that might be—instead of covering our tracks with lies.

This brings us to Jesus’s commands in Gospel reading today. His words are challenging, even offensive to our natural instincts. I suspect that there were all kinds of reactions among you. Maybe some of you didn’t hear his words at all because you were zoned out. Maybe you heard them and thought, “That sounds weird. I’m not smart enough to understand that.” Maybe you heard them, and then purposely put them out of mind.

Let me remind you of what Jesus said: “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you.” When have you had affection for the one who was trying to make your life miserable? When did you do something nice to the person who gives you dirty looks?

But we’re not done yet. Unfortunately, it gets much worse—practically ridiculous: “To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your outer garment, do not withhold your inner garment either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.”

This is where a person could get upset. How could Jesus make such awful commands? “Give to everyone who begs?” Most of those people are crooks and drug addicts! And we are to sit idly by or even forfeit our goods to scoundrels? Once they’ve taken our stuff, we shouldn’t demand it back? Let us shunt aside these ridiculous things, lest they should see the light of day!

And yet, of course, even while I react this way, I’m still one of the good ones. I go to church, don’t I? The failure to do—the failure to even try!—Jesus’s commands doesn’t make me a bad person. If he wanted me to follow them, he should have made better commands!

I don’t think there is any other way to handle these commands—at least not at first—if we are to really wrestle with them. The easy way to deal with them is simply to ignore them or somehow explain them away as not being applicable. But if we are to take Jesus’s commands seriously, I think they have to make us upset. We really, really don’t want to follow these commands.

Notice how this puts us in the same position as those people with whom I started—the people who might be looked down upon. Those who struggle with God’s commands regarding marriage, divorce, or relationships have their reasons, just as we have our reasons for resisting Jesus’s call to love our enemies or give generously. We all pick and choose which commands we follow based on what feels reasonable or convenient to us.

The ray of hope comes, when, God willing, we start to come to our senses and think: “God’s commands are not bad, like I originally thought, but rather good.”

Instead of mocking Jesus’s commands, what if we were to realize that being merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful is a good thing? To be faithful to one’s spouse unto death—for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health—is honorable and sacred. God’s Law is not bad or foolish. It is holy, righteous, and good. For that very reason it exposes us as sinners. It exposes our pride, self-centeredness, and unwillingness to suffer. But this exposure is not meant only to shame us—it’s meant to heal us. To be exposed as inadequate is painful and embarrassing, but it’s part of the cure.

John the Baptist and Jesus had a very simple message that is just as applicable today: “Repent, and believe the Gospel.” First of all, with “repent,” if you find yourself resisting God’s commands—whether about marriage, generosity, or loving your enemies—I encourage you to pause and ask yourself why. What if our resistance is not because of some defectiveness of the commands, but because of the hardness of our hearts? What if God is calling us to something deeper, something more beautiful than we can imagine?

That, indeed, is just what he is doing. He is calling us out of our hypocrisy, fakery, being judgmental, covering our tracks with lies, so that we may come into his grace and his truth. When we come to Jesus we don’t need to pretend to be good people anymore. We can confess our sins, and God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Already in the midst of being exposed as evil, we can and should fully embrace God’s acceptance of us in Jesus, knowing that his grace extends on an on. The difficulty—the seeming impossibility—of keeping God’s commands reveal our need for God’s grace. We cannot do these things by our own strength or willpower. But we surely will not do these things if we’ve made up our mind beforehand that we don’t need to do them or won’t do them.

Believe—have faith—in God’s promise to transform us, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Christ has done for us. As we repent and believe the Gospel, do not be afraid. Be very courageous! God, who has begun a good work in you, will bring it to completion on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

250209 Sermon on Peter becoming a disciple of Jesus (Epiphany 5) February 9, 2025

 Audio recording

Sermon manuscript:

Jesus chose twelve men to be his apostles. With about half of those we hardly know anything more than their names. With the rest, we know a bit more, but not too much. The Gospels tell us primarily about Jesus, not his disciples. The disciple we know the most about is Peter, who is also called Simon. Our Gospel reading tells us more about him.

Our reading begins by telling us about a crowd who was pressing in on Jesus, eager to hear him. They were so packed together, it was as if they were laying on him—their interest was that intense! But where was Peter? Not in the crowd. He was down the shore, cleaning his nets. Why? It wasn’t because he hated Jesus. The reason might be hinted at later in the reading: he had worked all night and caught nothing. Fishing was his livelihood—no fish meant no food, no income, no way to pay the bills. He had to get ready to try again.

Maybe you’ve been there—stuck in a job you don’t like, grinding through mundane tasks. It’s exhausting. It’s depressing. A person might wonder how to escape.

One of the most plausible solutions for no longer needing to work is money. If you get enough money you could retire early. Move to a beach somewhere. But maybe that goal is out of reach for you. Instead you might just dream about having a nice little nest egg. If only I had a little more, I would have to live hand to mouth. These thoughts make sense. Money can do a lot!

Maybe Peter had thoughts like that while he was bending over his nets, cleaning them out for the millionth time. If only he wouldn’t have to work so hard. If only he could get ahead.

What is interesting about Peter is that if those were his goals, then Jesus made them come true, but then Peter left all of that behind. When Jesus drove the fish into the nets, Peter had never had a bigger catch. The boats were so full they began to sink. So many fish! So much money! But instead of celebrating, and instead of investing, he left it all behind. It says, “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Jesus.”

I would like to consider what happened to Peter. Why did he leave that bonanza behind to follow Jesus? But before we begin to answer that, I think it is helpful to point out how difficult the answer will be for us to take seriously. We have been trained since infancy that money and power are the most important and useful things in life. Therefore we have some commands that we live by, according to that principle: Do what is best for you. Seek your own advantage. The more you can get for yourself, the better. These are taken to be the basic facts of life, and only a fool or a fanatic would live otherwise. That is probably how most of us took Peter’s actions today when we heard them. We thought, perhaps unconsciously: “That has nothing to do with me. I am not an apostle. Peter is some strange sort of person that I am under no obligation to imitate.” That is not true, if you want to be a disciple of Jesus.

Jesus says in another place, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will keep it for eternal life.” This verse is a good way to understand what took place with Peter. Maybe he had been dreaming about boat-fulls of fish that make him rich. If he made enough money, maybe he could start a franchise. Then other people could do all the work, and he could cash all the checks. That’s not what happened. If Peter had dreams like that, he left them behind for something better.

But was it better? That is the question. Should you or should you not be a follower of Jesus? Is it better to deny yourself, to take up your cross, and follow Jesus, or is it better to indulge yourself, avoid all trouble and suffering, and chase your own dreams?

When Peter left behind the many thousands of dollars worth of fish to follow Jesus he was rejecting a way of life that many assume to be the best life possible. Many assume that there is nothing higher or better than chasing after your own success. Peter, in contrast, put himself completely in the hands of Jesus with his kingdom. He became a disciple, which means, “student” or “follower.”

The life that ensued for Peter wasn’t filled with wealth or prestige, but God did give him each day his daily bread. God gave him a good conscience through the forgiveness of sins. He was given the hope of seeing the glory of God in heaven. On the other hand, Peter faced suffering, embarrassment, and failure. He wept bitterly, was criticized, imprisoned, and, according to tradition, crucified upside down.

Was this life better than the self-seeking life he left behind at the beach? Absolutely! Already it was far more honorable, plus there is the resurrection from the dead. Let us not discount the importance of the resurrection. Paul says that were there is no resurrection from the dead, then we Christians are to be pitied above all people. If there were no resurrection, then perhaps it would make sense to live in the way that is so common among us, where the highest goals in life are merely to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. On the other hand, however, if there is a resurrection from the dead, then it is foolish not to live under Christ in his kingdom. Otherwise we will find ourselves to have been on the wrong side.

It is safe to say that we live in a time and among a people who do not take the resurrection seriously. We are thoroughly earthly minded. Our culture values profit, growth, and success above everything else. We are taught to be completely self-obsessed. The mantra most of us live by is: “If it isn’t good for me, then I’m not doing it.” That is a pathetic and ultimately unsatisfying way to live.

Jesus’s ways are better. Jesus teaches us to live outside of ourselves in God. God is righteous and just. He loves life. He cares for the poor and hurting. He reaches out to people who are regarded as untouchable and unclean. He is not threatened by bluster and intimidation. He loves what is right. To be is to enter into this realm of God. What he likes we are to like. What he hates we are to hate. What he speaks we are to speak. And this is where disciples get into trouble. There has never been a shortage of people who think that they can dictate whatever they want to have happen, and they will punish whoever gets in their way. The disciples of Jesus get in their way, and this causes trouble.

Peter along with almost all of the other apostles would be put to death for continuing to testify to Jesus and Jesus’s ways when powerful people told them to stop. Christians’ willingness to die for the sake of Christ can be puzzling because people’s default understanding is that this life is everything. Why needlessly suffer?

But Christians believe in Christ’s kingdom that will result in the resurrection. That is the glory we must strive after, otherwise it won’t seem as though the sacrifices are worth it. It is always easier to leave the devil be, to leave evil alone, to allow this world to rot with all of its corruption instead of fighting, but that is what you have been called to do. You have been called to follow Jesus.

Where should you go? You need not go anywhere necessarily. There is no shortage of evil or corruption all around us. There is a great deal of evil within us, with our sinful flesh, that we can fight against. Peter could have been a disciple of Jesus within his livelihood of being a fisherman if Jesus hadn’t specifically called him to be an apostle. There are temptations and evil particular to being a fisherman and businessman that Christians are called to fight against and correct. All of us, no matter what our callings in life are, have temptations and sins and corruption that are particular to our situation. It is easy, of course, not to care. You will have fewer troubles if you only care about yourself. But that is not the point of life.

God revealed the point of life to Peter. It is to follow Jesus the Christ. He is at work in his kingdom fighting against the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature. The Holy Spirit is writing God’s Law on the hearts of Christians. The world is getting ready for the resurrection from the dead, and we all, as Christians, have our part. We are all members of the body of Christ. Therefore, this life that we have been called into as followers of Jesus is not a hobby, or a way to pass the time. Nor is it senseless or foolish. Nothing is more serious and practical.

Let God’s kingdom come. Let his will be done. Amen.

250126 Sermon on Jesus being believed or rejected (Epiphany 3) January 26, 2025

 Audio recording

Sermon manuscript;

I’d like to begin today by setting the scene for our Gospel reading. It is from Luke chapter 4, so this is towards the beginning of the story of Jesus. Not long before our reading Jesus was anointed with water and the Holy Spirit when he was baptized. Then he went out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. With our reading today he has come back to Galilee and Nazareth, which is his hometown.

Thus our reading today is a report of what was happening early on. People were just beginning to hear and know about Jesus. This was because of what Jesus himself was saying and doing. However, Jesus is not always believed in and accepted. At the end of our reading, the people of Nazareth wanted to throw him off a cliff.

In the sermon today I’d like to look more closely at Jesus’s sermon, which was based on a section of Isaiah. We will see how Jesus’s sermon was applicable to the people at Jesus’s time as well as being applicable to ourselves. Then I’d like to consider how and why Jesus was rejected. This, also, I think you will see, is applicable to us.

So, let’s take up the main point of Jesus’s sermon. Here is a portion of what he read from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” When Jesus was finished reading he said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus was saying that this prophecy was about him.

Let’s look more closely at this prophecy. It says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” We know that the Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus in the form of a dove at his baptism. It says, “Because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” This is a good, general statement about what Jesus does. The word “anointed” is the meaning of the word “Christ.” Jesus is the anointed one. The reason why he has been anointed is “to proclaim good news to the poor.” “Good news” is the meaning of the word “Gospel.” Thus we have a couple short statements that well describe Jesus: He is the anointed one, the Christ. He proclaims the Gospel, good news, to the poor.

Good news is always welcome to the poor. Poverty is a major hindrance to the enjoyment of life. It prevents people from doing what they would otherwise like to do. People might not be able to buy what they want because they are poor. People might be able to go to the doctor because they are poor. If it gets really bad, people might not be able to buy food. Poverty is the lack of power to do what you want.

Throughout the Gospels you can read about how Jesus helped people who didn’t have the resources to help themselves. People came to him who were in the grips of evil spirits. The evil spirits made them miserable, but they lacked the power to get them out. People came to Jesus who were sick with various diseases. If any of you have had diseases that don’t go away, you know how tiring and frustrating that can be. Helplessness in the face of a disease that is stronger than you can be very frightening. It might mean the death of you. Jesus helped people like that.

Let me pause for a moment to point out that Jesus continues to have good news for the poor. This has not stopped, nor has it been lessened from the reports of Jesus’s miracles that we hear about in the Gospels. A lot of people assume that since miracles like that aren’t very common, Jesus must no longer be at work, or that his work is strictly spiritual and therefore somewhat unreal. The truth is that Jesus’s work after the resurrection is stronger and more profound than anything he did before. The works Jesus does and will do are greater.

Let me give you a few examples. Jesus forgives sins. Maybe you have grown cold to that idea, but maybe I can refresh it for you by a simple question: What are you able to do to make up for the evil you have done? There’s nothing. You are powerless. You are poor. The good news that is proclaimed to the poor is that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

Or how about those diseases? How about that progressive onset of death that we call getting old? How about death itself? What can you do in the face of these things? Our options are severely limited, even with all our medical advances. The good news is that by his death Jesus defeated the power of death, and by his resurrection he opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

Let me give you one more healing that I am especially looking forward to. What can be done with our evil minds and souls? What can be done with our anger? What can be done with our dirty minds, our coveting, meanness, sadness, apathy, coldness towards life, and a host of other evils? We are bombarded with commercials for various drugs, some of which might help somewhat, but they can’t ever get to the core. The resurrection means healing not only for our bodies, but also our minds and souls. Believing in Jesus is trusting him to do things that otherwise seem impossible.

So, to get back to our text: After he finished reading from Isaiah Jesus said, “I’m the fulfillment of what you heard. I preach good news to the poor. I set people free from unbreakable chains.” And, as it turns out, the people were quite receptive. “How interesting!” they said. “He speaks so well! Maybe I’ll sign up for his newsletter. It’s especially surprising since one of our own. He’s Joseph’s son, is he not?”

This is the point at which everything changed in the story. The change is so abrupt that it’s easy to miss. Everything was going fine, the people were enjoying Jesus, but then Jesus said some more stuff and they were no longer pleased. They started to push and shove him towards the brow of a cliff. What happened?

It's Jesus’s fault really. Jesus turned on them. After they started talking about him as the mere son of Joseph, Jesus knew that they would eventually be dissatisfied with him, and he told them so. Others—foreigners—would believe in him, but they would be left out in the cold. He brought up a couple Old Testament examples with the prophets Elijah and Elisha through whom God did miracles to foreigners, but not to his own people. This was what upset his hearers in his hometown. If he would have just left them be with their lukewarm admiration, they wouldn’t have had such a violent reaction—at least not at that point. Jesus got pushy, and they didn’t like that.

This is not uncommon. There are several examples in the Bible where people responded to the Gospel by saying, “How interesting. I would not be opposed to hearing more about that in the future.” However, the message that Jesus preaches is not just a pleasant way to pass the time or to be part of a community. Jesus’s message is “Repent, and believe the Gospel.” Another way of saying the same thing is: “Change your ways, change your mind, believe the good news that Jesus preaches to the powerless poor.” That is an all or nothing proposition. Either you will change your mind or you won’t. Either Jesus will have all of you, or you will reject him.

Jesus speaks this way in other places as well. It always make us nervous, because we are afraid to commit completely and totally. So, for example, Jesus says: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” That is being “all in” on Jesus. It is difficult and scary, but it makes sense if you think about it.

Jesus is the difference between total bliss and freedom on the one hand or total sadness and imprisonment on the other. Either Jesus sets you from all your enemies—even those that you thought were impossible to overcome. Or you are still stuck—powerless and impoverished—in the face of things much mightier than you. It makes sense that this must be an all or nothing kind of thing.

Jesus is not like an insurance policy that you stick in the filing cabinet until you have to use it. Jesus is Christ the king who is at work with the Gospel and sacraments. He is converting one soul at a time by the power of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of his kingdom is to destroy all the evil works of the devil. You don’t fight wars with insurance policies. Wars involve total commitment.

The people at Nazareth refused to be completely serious about Jesus. They thought he was interesting. They thought he was a good speaker. They would have told you that they were on his side! But they quit being on his side when he told them that their lukewarm approval wouldn’t cut it. Eventually their lukewarm approval would turn to criticism, because then it is only a matter of time before Jesus says or does something that doesn’t meet their complete approval.

It is easy to apply this to ourselves. We are not unlike those Nazarenes! None of us, including myself, are comfortable “losing our lives” as Jesus puts it. None of us are as eager as we should be to take up our cross and follow him. It is much easier to believe that merely being a fan of Jesus is good enough. And, if you think about it, how convenient! We can feel good about being a fan without having to live as a soldier of the cross, denying ourselves.

But this fakery only makes sense if there is no real war going on. There is a war. Jesus is our king. He is fighting against the devil and all evil, including the evil that is found in us, his Christians. The nature of the situation requires us always to repent and believe the Gospel. Repent and go “all in” with Jesus. You will not be disappointed!

250112 Sermon against cynicism for Christ's kingdom (The Baptism of our Lord) January 12, 2025

 Audio recording

Sermon manuscript:

Donald J. Trump will begin his term as president at noon, January 20^th. Have you been planning for what will happen January 21^st? Have you been making lists, getting everything ready, rehearsing what you will do for the day after the inauguration? Probably not. I haven’t either. I don’t think a lot will change with our new president. It isn’t really about him. I’m cynical about what elected officials can do in general. The people who hold the reins of power—the people who are massively wealthy, who can write the checks—won’t let too much change, unless it is to their own benefit. Things will probably keep going on like they have for a long time. I am not expecting any massive changes.

What about Christ’s kingdom? Is our attitude the same there as well? Our festival today is somewhat like Jesus’s inauguration as the Christ. Jesus’s baptism marks the beginning of his great words and deeds that are recorded in the Gospels. Immediately after his baptism Jesus was very busy. He was tempted by the devil, swamped by sick and demon possessed people, teaching in the synagogues, doing one miracle after another. Things looked like they were changing for the better, but then Jesus was arrested, crucified and died. That was when the cynicism began in earnest. Folks had wondered whether Jesus might have been the Christ, but he couldn’t have been since he died.

That was the end of the road for the vast number of people who had once believed in Jesus. At one point there had been many thousands who were interested in Jesus being made king by force, but any hope of that was gone when everyone could see him hanging dead on the cross.

Even after Easter the picture didn’t improve very much as far as the disciples were concerned. John chapter 21 seems to indicate that the disciples went back to their old livelihood of fishing. Acts chapter 1 tells us that the number of believers in Jerusalem was only about 120. That is a far cry from many thousands. Even with the great day of Pentecost, when 3,000 repented and were baptized—that was less than the feeding of the 5,000, or the feeding of the 4,000.

Cynicism is a way to protect yourself from being disappointed. Cynicism is when you don’t get your hopes up. Having your hopes dashed is painful. The higher the hopes, the more intense the desire, the worse the pain. To prevent getting hurt you can check yourself out. Things will stay the same. Why bother? Just go gentle into that good night.

This is a way to insulate yourself from pain. Disappointments will not hit you as sharply. But there is a terrible cost. With cynicism things will, at best, stay the same, but more likely get worse. If you won’t get involved, if you won’t change your ways, if you won’t hope for change, then nothing is going to change. It is forfeiting to the powers that be.

This defeatist attitude is disastrous in all areas of life, but it is especially devastating for faith in Christ’s kingdom. If we would not have hope in Christ, then we are left with how things are. Paul calls these the elementary principles of this world, to which we are enslaved. We are enslaved to the devil. We are enslaved to our desires. We are enslaved to pursuing mere self-interest. Our chains have been put on by ourselves, which are our fears and insecurities, our dread of pain and suffering.

How differently the bible speaks about Christ’s kingdom! Paul says: “For freedom Christ has set you free!” The Gospels speak of Christ “proclaiming liberty to the prisoners!” And indeed, Jesus set people free from all kinds of disabilities and ailments in the Gospels. The people loved that! We slaves love to get a little taste of freedom. But a lot of people thought that that kind of thing was over and done with when Jesus died, and even when he rose. The risen and ascended Christ remains at work in his kingdom, but a lot of people would like it better if he would do those old sorts of things that helped people along in their pursuit of their own self-interest.

But here is what we should realize: the work of Christ in his kingdom is not less after his death and resurrection, it is more. The work of Christ with his death and his resurrection, the baptism with which he baptizes, and the body and blood that he distributes is more. It’s deeper. It gets to the root. The root is evil itself, and Jesus reverses it. The seemingly invincible powers of sin, death, profit, power, and all the rest are not invincible. Jesus promises a reckoning for the powers that be who so often oppress and steal and murder and seemingly get away with it. They will be burned with an unquenchable fire. Everything will be turned upside down. The first will be last and the last will be first. John baptized with water; Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Whatever hopes we might have about Christ’s kingdom, they are inevitably inadequate. You want to be healed of an ailment, a defect, old age, and son. You want to be the man that you should be. You want to be the woman that you should be. “For freedom Christ has set you free!” These things and more are yours. If they are not already fixed somewhat in this life by the healing work of the Holy Spirit, then they will be completely fixed by the resurrection. The goodness of the resurrection is more than we can imagine. Paul says, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the imagination of the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him.” Even if you try to imagine what Jesus’s kingdom will be like, you’re going to fall short. What comes to pass will be greater.

Cynicism, therefore, is incompatible with Christianity. Cynicism is managing your hopes so that you won’t get hurt when they inevitably don’t come to pass. If you are managing your hopes for Christ’s kingdom, you are simply being an unbeliever. If you believe that Jesus can’t or won’t help you, then you are an unbeliever.

Unbelief is by no means uncommon, even among those who would like to consider themselves to be Jesus’s disciples. We see that all the time in the Bible. We see that in particular with the Gospels’ accounts of the resurrection. Even the closest of Jesus’s disciples lost their faith when Jesus died, and they were slow to believe after the resurrection. They were flesh and blood, just like us, with all our hiccups and insecurities. However, we cannot let our doubts and insecurities interfere with what is plainly testified. Jesus’s kingdom is glorious, even if we lack the faith to believe.

Jesus’s kingdom is glorious among us. Let us not doubt that either. Whenever anyone comes to believe that the seemingly invincible powers are not invincible because Jesus is greater—that is a miracle worked by the Holy Spirit. Whenever anyone remains in the faith—that is an ongoing miracle of the Holy Spirit. These believers will one day be caught up together with the Lord in the clouds for an adventure that is too great for words to describe.

It does not please me, therefore, when I hear something that is quite common among us. It is quite common for people to comment on how large or small a gathering is—and usually it is how much smaller the gathering is these days. This strikes me as largely missing the point. It would like the people in Jesus’s day who could have scoffed at the smaller number who gathered after the resurrection. I could imagine that some of them must have said: “Do you remember how many people there were at the feeding of the five thousand or the four thousand? The attendance these days is greatly reduced.”

Christ’s kingdom is not about crowds or impressing those who have the ability to count. Christ’s kingdom is about setting people free and changing hearts and minds. This is always an individual affair. Each individual either remains enslaved in their unbelief or they are set free through faith in Jesus. Whenever a sinner repents, the angels rejoice, and we should too. The kingdom of God remains at work. It is glorious, but the glory is only apparent to those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

So as we consider the inauguration, so to speak, of Christ’s kingdom with Jesus’s baptism, we should cast away cynical thoughts. Cynicism is not very attractive or useful in general, but it is particularly inappropriate when it comes to Christ’s kingdom. Our problem is not that we have too low of thoughts and hopes and dreams. Our problem is that we do not think as grandly as we must if we are beginning to understand Christ’s kingdom. We are too earthly minded.

Therefore, I’d like to close with a passage that speaks to this. In Colossians chapter three Paul says: “If you have been raised with Christ, then seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

When Christ appears, you will appear with him in glory. That is more than enough for anyone who is hungry for that which is good.

241225 Sermon on Jesus, the light, scattering the darkness (Christmas Day) December 25, 2024

Audio recording

Sermon manuscript:

Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the light no darkness can overcome. In our reading John puts it this way: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Again, Jesus is spoken of this way: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” Here comes Jesus. Here comes the light.

One of the simple statements that the apostles use to describe a Christian is that a Christian has moved from darkness to the light. Peter encourages us to “proclaim the excellencies of God who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Paul says, “You formerly were of the darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.”

If the fruit of light is in everything that is good and right and true, then the deeds of darkness must be bad and wrong and false. An example of that was when Jesus was betrayed and arrested. One of the 12 did it. Judas had already been operating in the dark for some time. He kept the money for their little group, and he had been helping himself. He struck a deal with the chief priests and elders. He would lead them to Jesus so that they could arrest him, nice and quiet-like, when there was no one else around. Judas used an amazing sign. He would kiss Jesus when he greeted him. Then the soldier would know who to arrest.

Judas, with a band of soldiers and Jewish officials, came to Jesus either very late on Maundy Thursday, or, more likely, in the very early morning hours of Good Friday. He said, “Greetings teacher!” and he kissed Jesus, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” Then Jesus asked the officials and soldiers: “Why do you come out against me with clubs and swords? I have always been public with my teaching, and yet you didn’t seize me when I was out in the open.” Then Jesus said, “But this is your hour, and the power or authority of darkness.”

What happened there was bad and wrong and false. Jesus was betrayed by his friend. Jesus was rounded up in the middle of the night, when the multitudes of people who loved him were asleep. Jesus’s enemies didn’t care whether what they were doing was honorable or not. They just wanted to win.

Darkness has its advantages. If you want to impose your will without anyone getting in the way, then operating in secrecy and darkness is the way to go. Jesus was arrested when most people were still sleeping, and already by nine o’clock in the morning he was nailed to the cross. The powers that be engineered the whole thing so that it would be over before it even began. Everyone, including the disciples, thought that it was a done deal. The authorities had used darkness, yet again, and carried the day.

Paul characterizes the time that we live in as being a time of darkness. The story of history has largely been a story of darkness. One fellow gets the better of another fellow. Now he’s king. But today kings don’t hold the power anymore. The people who hold the power today are in business. By and large, the story of business is darkness too. Somebody figures out some clever way to get more from his employees or more from his customers or he sabotages his competitors. Then he uses his ill-gotten gains to buy off politicians who will pass laws that will further his empire. The rule he follows is always the same: He wants more for himself and less for others.

We are largely powerless against these powers and authorities. Never before have human beings had such ready access to information with the Internet and all, but who can know what is true and not true? There is information, disinformation, misinformation. The darkness is bad enough already, but it is only made worse when false lights and false christs come along and say, “Trust us. We’ll fix everything for you.”

Jesus Christ is the light of the world; the light no darkness can overcome. Jesus has come for judgement. Jesus says, “This is the judgement: The light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, otherwise he would be convicted of his evil deeds. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been worked in God.”

Here is the choice: The light or the darkness. Do you want God to prevail in Jesus Christ or do you want to do what you want to do under the cover of darkness? It seems like it should be an easy choice, but doing whatever we want is awfully enticing. It’s how we first learned to lie and operate in the darkness. If you good enough at that kind of thing, nobody else needs to know the truth. When the light comes, you can’t hide anymore. You’ll be convicted. You’ll lose the shiny, white façade and be revealed as a sinner.

That’s how it is, strangely enough, for those who have been converted. Those who believe in Christ, who believe in the light, are exposed by that very same light as being evil. Christians should not hide their sins. That’s the old strategy of fig leaves and bushes from the Garden of Eden that won’t get you very far with God. Instead we should plead guilty before God like we do when we confess our sins:

I am a poor, miserable sinner. I have sinned with my mind, by the words I have spoken, and by the deeds that I have done. I deserve God’s temporal and eternal punishment. That is what the light reveals about me.

But the light is not merely like a searchlight or an interrogation light. It does not solely expose what is hidden or evil and to do nothing more about it. The light of Christ exposes, but it also heals and forgives. It obliterates the darkness so that it is no more. We are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Jesus says as much in the same section that I quoted from earlier. He says: “God loved the world in this way, that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned.”

God has sent his Son. He is the light. This light will save those who are in darkness, but we cannot remain in darkness. If we prefer the darkness to the light, then we are on the wrong side. Jesus heals. He’s also coming to judge. The powers that be in this present age of darkness believe that they are on top of the world. They believe that they can do anything they want whether their actions be honorable or dishonorable. But their time is limited. They better hope that they can live long lives, because that is all the good times they will have.

What is much more prudent is to embrace Jesus, the light and life of men, who has come into the world. As Paul encourages us, we should cast away the works of darkness. Whatever is bad, wrong, and false will not help us in the long run. Grace, mercy, and truth come from Christ. They radiate out from him like light from its source. You have something better with Jesus. Jesus will win. The light will scatter the darkness. 

241222 Sermon on why Elizabeth and Mary are happy (Advent 4) December 22, 2024

 Audio recording

Sermon manuscript:

Our Gospel reading is appropriate as we approach the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Our Gospel reading describes something that happened not long before Jesus was born. Mary, Jesus’s mother, visited her relative, Elizabeth. Both Mary and Elizabeth were pregnant with very special babies. Mary had been visited by the angel Gabriel who told her that she would conceive and bear a son. She was to name him Jesus because he would be the Savior.

Elizabeth’s pregnancy was also unusual. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were old and had not been given any children. Zechariah had also been visited by Gabriel who told him that he and his wife would conceive in their old age. The child was to be named John. Zechariah and Elizabeth did conceive about six months before Gabriel went to Mary.

So in our reading today Mary was pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist. Luke says that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She is filled with joy, and she speaks several blessings. She blesses Mary:  “Blessed are you among women.” She blesses Jesus: “Blessed is the fruit of Mary’s womb.” She blesses herself. She rhetorically asks: “Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Her thoughts turn to her son. She comments on how her baby leaped for joy at Mary’s greeting.

Finally, Elizabeth blesses Mary for her faith. Perhaps Elizabeth’s thoughts turned to what it might have been like when Mary heard Gabriel’s message. Elizabeth said, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” Not every woman would believe that she could conceive while remaining a virgin simply because the Lord said so. Mary did. She said to God: “Let it be done to me according to your Word.”

Elizabeth moves from one blessing to the next. Everyone is blessed. All are exceedingly happy. What I’d like to consider today is why they are so happy. I’d also like to pay attention to our own happiness. Happiness is important to us. We all would like to be happy. So, in fact, before we consider what makes these women happy, I think it would be beneficial first to consider what makes us happy. We can then be on the lookout for what might be different with these women.

There are a lot of things that can make us happy. Hunger being satisfied with food makes us happy; thirst, with drink. We have many desires and needs. We want and need affection, comfort, entertainment. We like to be right. We like to be the best. We like making progress. Getting richer is better than getting poorer. Getting stronger is better than getting weaker. There are so many ways to be happy, and we like them all. The more, the better; the more, the happier.

Now let’s consider these women’s happiness. What makes them happy doesn’t exactly fit the pattern we’ve sketched out. They aren’t getting stronger, richer, better. Elizabeth’s life didn’t get easier with her pregnancy in old age. Mary’s life was thrown into turmoil to a much greater degree. Mary became pregnant when she wasn’t married. Everyone would have assumed that the pregnancy was the result of fornication. Joseph, her fiancé, had no other choice but to assume that she had been unfaithful. An angel had to intervene to tell him otherwise. Mary would have had a hard time of it because most would not believe what sounds like a far-fetched story—that Mary was pregnant with the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Consider, additionally, the several clues about Mary and Joseph’s poverty and powerlessness. When they came to Bethlehem they couldn’t get a room. If they had more money, they could have compelled someone to provide for them. Later, when the sacrifices were made in the Temple, the cheaper option of two pigeons was offered instead of the more expensive lamb. These clues indicate that Mary and Joseph were poor. The baby was born into poverty: “No crib for a bed” to lay down his sweet head.

If we place ourselves into Mary’s shoes, we can see how she lacked things that we regard as essential for happiness. So how can she be happy? How can Elizabeth be happy for her when trouble is on every side? She even makes the audacious claim that Mary is blessed over and above all others. The only explanation is that they were focused on things that aren’t often looked to for happiness. We might sum up all that they were feeling by saying: They were happy because the kingdom of God was coming upon the earth.

What is the kingdom of God, and why is it a good thing? We can’t hardly talk about a kingdom without talking about the king. Something you might keep an ear open for the next couple days is how often Christmas carols will sing about Jesus being the king, or the Lord: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” Or: “Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ, the newborn king.” The good news of great joy that is for all people is, as the angel declared on Christmas night, that unto us a Savior has been born who is Christ the Lord.

The work of Christ the King in his kingdom is made plain in the Gospels. Jesus did several things. He taught the Word of God that has always been calling people away from evil, away from the devil, towards that which is good and true—life giving and life protecting. Jesus taught people to believe in the only true God instead of the various false gods. Jesus acted with power, performing miracles. His many cleansings, healings, and restorations to life were a foreshadowing of the greater work he will do when he resurrects the dead.

Over and above all these things, but also at the very root of them, Jesus suffered and died. As our epistle reading mentions, he offered his body once for all. My favorite line of all the Christmas carols is the one where it says: “Nails, spear shall piece him through. The cross be borne for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, the babe, the Son of Mary.” The king sacrificed himself. The result is forgiveness, righteousness, and life for everyone.

So if we return to the happiness and joy of Elizabeth and Mary, we can see that it is outside of them. The kingdom of God is coming. Happiness depends on the king, not on themselves. So long as their faith in this king doesn’t fail, nothing can take their happiness away. Whatever sadnesses might come, they cannot undo the march of progress the kingdom of God will make.

You can see this in both their lives. Both Elizabeth’s and Mary’s unborn baby boys would eventually be killed at the hands of evil men. Simeon prophesied to Mary in the temple: “A sword will pass through your heart.” Mary mourned at the death of her Son, but God will turn all mourning into gladness. Jesus died, but then he rose. Then his kingdom only entered a new phase, the song swelled to an even higher pitch. Joy will grow, even if, in the meantime, we pass through the valley of the shadow of death.

This joy is available to each and every one of you. All that is needed is to be like Elizabeth and Mary: Believe in Jesus’s kingdom. To believe is not some great challenge or a puzzle you have to figure out. It is only a matter of believing the testimony that is given about Jesus, and testimonies abound! Elizabeth gave her testimony in our reading. The angel gave his testimony on Christmas night. The apostles, evangelists, prophets, prophetesses, deacons, and deaconesses all gave their testimony, and they all say the same thing: Jesus Christ is Lord. He does all things well. He sets all things right.

This is good news, which comes to us from the outside. It does not place any demands upon us. It does not require any preparation. Think of all those people in the Gospels whom Jesus helped. Did the blind man have to start improving himself before Jesus would give him sight? No. The blind man remained as blind as a bat. The deaf man remained as deaf as a stone, until Jesus made them otherwise. The only thing that happened to them prior to their healings was that they were given hope in Jesus the king by the good news that was told them.

The same thing is true for us today. We have problems. We might have a bad reputation. We might be poor. We might be blind, deaf, lame, demon possessed. Believe in Jesus.

And let’s apply this to sin. One of the most frustrating parts about being a Christian is that we end up falling into sin, even though we really don’t want to—or at least a part of us doesn’t want to. What do we do with that? We almost can’t help thinking that we must clean ourselves up in order to become acceptable before God. That seems right. To do otherwise can make it seem as though sin doesn’t matter. We have to take our sin very seriously.

These are not altogether bad thoughts, but they can make us lose sight of the one thing that makes all the difference—the one thing that makes us happy with a happiness that no one can take away: Jesus is the king. He saves sinners. He baptizes you, you don’t baptize yourself. He forgives you, you don’t forgive yourself. The kingdom of God is on a roll with the preaching of the Word that Jesus is the Savior. What is asked of us is not a great burden: Stick with the king. Listen to his Word. Jesus will do everything he has promised. Jesus is going to win.

So you, like Elizabeth and Mary, may fully embrace the goodness of the kingdom of God that made them so happy that blessings were flying all over the place. The kingdom of God is the best, because Jesus is the best. No matter what is going on, no matter how disappointed you might be in yourself or in others, Jesus Christ is Lord.

“Come Thou long-expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free.” Amen.

241215 Sermon on our reluctance to hate sin (Advent 3) December 15, 2024

 Audio recording

Sermon manuscript:

I remember being very distressed by splinters when I was a kid. Splinters are not terribly serious. You won’t die from having a splinter. They do cause a bit of discomfort, but what’s far worse, is that the splinter has to come out. To get the splinter out, the finger must be turned over to an adult. What might the adult do? Armed with a needle or tweezers, the adult must dig around in there until the splinter comes out. I remember asking, “Can’t we just leave the splinter in there?” I didn’t like how the splinter ached, but I more disliked the much sharper pain involved with getting it out.

I think this is helpful for what can happen to us spiritually. Just as it is by no means unusual that a kid gets a splinter while playing, it is very common to fall into sin. Just as a kid regrets doing what he was doing whereby he got the splinter, so also a person can regret having sinned. The advantage or the pleasure of the sin soon passes, and we are left with a dull ache. We’ve disappointed ourselves. We thought that we were better than that. Maybe we’d promised ourselves, “Never again!” and now look at what we’ve done. What a shame.

But besides that dull ache of disappointment, the splinter of sin doesn’t hurt too badly. It’s nothing compared to the much sharper pain of being caught. That is very embarrassing. So our natural reaction is to try to manage sin on our own. We’ll cover it up. We’ll lie about it if we have to. Eventually, with the passage of enough time, we’ll forget about it—and that’s a relief. If we manage to pass though this experience without too much pain, we might draw the conclusion that our sins didn’t harm us. We got a splinter, but—like we so hoped for when we were children—it didn’t need to come out. It seemed to have gone away on its own.

With splinters we can easily see the childishness of believing that it will just go away on its own. The splinter will cause infection. The poison of infection will spread. The more time passes, the worse it will get. The splinter must come out.

We are not as good at seeing how childish it is to believe that sins won’t harm us. Just as a splinter inevitably has an effect on the health of a finger, so also sins have an effect on the soul. Think back to the sins that you committed even when you were a little kid—3, 4, 5 years old. Sins darken the mind. They create a habit of lying. Already at a young age we can easily draw the conclusion that sins will not harm us so long as we do not get caught.

But sins are nasty and ugly, full of puss and consequences. Unlike splinters, which only affect the person who has them, sins affect others. One person’s nastiness draws out the nastiness of another. The bible shows that sin affects the whole community. The entire people of Israel needed to be cleansed when only a portion had sinned. Therefore we should not be so nonchalant to think that sins cannot affect a congregation, a classroom, a workplace, a family, or a couple. Sins are no child’s play.

However, a very powerful spiritual force fights against this understanding of sin. It is far worse enemy of Christianity than evolution or wokeism or whatever other boogeymen Christians might fear. This spiritual force does everything within its power to lull people to sleep with gentle phrases about the harmlessness of sin. It says, for example, “All this fuss and bother about sin is counterproductive. If we want the church to grow we must focus on other things! What’s the use of sticking with old fashioned morals when even the old fashioned couldn’t keep them? Or Jesus’s commands: aren’t they unreasonable? Show me one person who forgives, who gives, who is without anger or lust.”

And maybe I haven’t quite caught the tune that would make you shut your eyes to the seriousness of sins, but I know that tune is out there, because we human beings all have the same basic hope. Somewhere in all of us is the hope that our sins won’t matter. Our sins aren’t deadly. We can manage them without any great change. There is no need to go through the sharp pain of repenting them. Just leave them be and hope for the best.

When people believe that sins do not matter, that they do not cause much harm, then the devil has won. This is exactly how the devil wants us to deal with our sins. He wants us to believe that sins are fine or natural or funny or unimportant. Everybody does them, so what’s the harm? He’ll blabber on and on until he finds something that sticks. And he’ll find it too, because, as I’ve said, there is a part of all of us that wants to believe the splinter does not need to be taken out.

The devil starts to lose his grip on people when they move from not caring to caring. This happens when people start to hate the splinter, start to hate sin. So long as people believe that they can peacefully coexist with sin, they remain in the devil’s grip. But sometimes people get sick of the muck and guck and puss and stench of sin. People hate the lovelessness, the chaos, the shame, the hatred, the broken relationships. They get sick of that splinter that has caused them so much grief. They want the splinter out!

This is when tax collectors, prostitutes, drug addicts, liars, porn addicts, alcoholics, scrooges—losers of all kinds—might turn to Christ. They hate their life which has been ruined by sin. They want something else. They long for healing, and they are willing to humble themselves in order to get it.

The fundamental posture of all disciples is always the same. It’s the posture we see in people in the Gospels. People came to Jesus who were blind, deaf, lame, mute, demon-possessed—absolutely wretched. They said, “Jesus, help me!” It is the same posture of those who hate their lives, hate themselves, hate their sins, hate the splinters with all their puss and filth. “Jesus, heal me!”

When such people come to believe that Jesus forgives them, that Jesus died for them, that Jesus will make them better, they then hate all the more the devil with his practically infinite lies, all of which minimize the importance of sin. On the other hand, they begin to like what God has commanded and taught—stuff that they formerly might have rejected and fought against. They’ve been converted. They renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways, and they have embraced a new Lord and God from whom they want help. They no longer want to be on the side of sin and lies and false hope. They want to be on the side that fights sin, that’s true, that embraces the light, even though it means that they have fallen into the strong and terrifying hands of God. If suffer they must, then suffer they will! Suffering is by no means the worst thing. Health, life, truth—that is to say, God’s kingdom—this is what they want.

What I’ve spoken about today—a kind of insanely long introduction—is an attempt to get at something that otherwise might be difficult to understand about our Gospel reading. Our Gospel reading talks about how John the Baptist’s preaching was successful, particularly among those whom you’d think would be the most resistant. John was successful among the unwashed masses. Why did John the Baptist come to be loved by the tax collectors and sinners? Was it because John the Baptist told them that they were fine just as they were? That their sins didn’t matter? No. Just the opposite.  

John hated sin. He wasn’t scared of it either. He didn’t believe that it was inevitable or invincible or any other garbage that the devil likes to say about sin. John himself couldn’t really do anything about sin, but he was an ambassador for Jesus, who was coming after him, whose sandal strap he was unworthy to untie. The Christ is the only one who forgives sins. He promises to wash away all the stains and puss and filth for the life to come.

So, to use the analogy we’ve been working with today, John was someone who would speak the truth. He would say, “That’s a splinter. That needs to come out. You’ll be sorry if it doesn’t.” Since we all know the pain of getting a splinter out, we can understand why some people hated John. They preferred their false belief to the truth of God’s Word that—even though painful—would have helped them.

But some people loved the possibilities that opened up by the Word of God that John spoke. They were so full of splinters, they were so sick of the consequences of their sins, that they embraced John’s baptism for the forgiveness of their sins. They didn’t want to go on with the misery of loneliness, helplessness, and hopelessness. They wanted health, life, and light. They wanted Jesus to be their king instead of the devil. Disciples of Jesus show up in the most unexpected of places.

All of us, including me, have our splinters. They are not cute. They are not harmless. Even if we manage to forget them, they don’t stop silently pumping out their poison. They have to come out. How? We can’t do it ourselves. We can’t get deep enough. We have to turn ourselves over to the adult, so to speak. We have to turn ourselves over to Jesus. That requires courage. What will he do? Is that a needle or a tweezers I see?

But don’t be too afraid. Jesus is good at what he does. He is the good physician who has come to heal those who are sick, who have need of him as a physician.

241201 Sermon on Jesus's Advent as King on Palm Sunday (Advent 1) December 1, 2024

 Audio recording

Sermon manuscript:

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The Gospel reading today is when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. There are some unusual aspects to this story. Jesus told his disciples how they would find a donkey’s colt when they entered the village. They didn’t need to buy the colt. They would only say, “The Lord has need of it,” and the colt would be sent along.

The animal upon which Jesus sat is also unusual. Donkeys are already somewhat small animals to ride. A colt would have presumably been even smaller. Matthew, in his Gospel, tells us that the colt’s mother might have also been involved. I’m not sure what that would have looked like. In addition, this colt had never been ridden. That means he wasn’t broke. Nevertheless, Jesus was placed upon him and it seems to go fine as he rode into Jerusalem.

All these strange details are not just strange for the sake of being strange. They have Old Testament connections. Zechariah, a prophet who lived about 500 years before this, wrote: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; … humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” What was happening with Jesus was not accidental. Jesus is the king that Zechariah wrote about. The rejoicing of Palm Sunday was the rejoicing that Zechariah wrote about.

And these last two elements are really the key features. What is most important about Palm Sunday is that Jesus is the king, and that his disciples are recognizing him as such. That Jesus is the king is not always recognized by everyone. It is an article of faith. It is either believed or not believed. Presumably there were a lot of people in Jerusalem that day who did not believe that Jesus is the king. His disciples did. They were convinced by the signs that Jesus had done.

You are familiar with the signs Jesus did. These, also, were prophesied in the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah lived over 700 years before Jesus, and he said that when the great king would come he would “open the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf would be unstopped, the lame would leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute would sing for joy.” Jesus had done these things and more. In fact, just before Palm Sunday he had raised Lazarus, who had been dead for four days. He was doing all things well. They loved it, and they were praising God with a loud voice. I would imagine that they were wondering to themselves: “What is he going to do next?”

Especially, “What is he going to do next as he enters Jerusalem?” Thus far Jesus seems to have spent most of his time in the north, in Galilee, far from Jerusalem, which was the center of power. The temple was in Jerusalem. The leaders of the Jews were in Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate, the Roman leader, was in Jerusalem. What was going to happen when Jesus, “The King of the Jews,” would come into contact with the powers that be?

I’m pretty sure that the disciples on Palm Sunday were thinking, “He’s going to keep on doing all things well! He’s going to be a good king!” Good kings set things right. They get rid of corruption. They help those who need help. They put down those who oppress. No more lying, cheating, and getting away with it.

Jeremiah, another Old Testament prophet, speaks of Jesus this way in our Old Testament reading. He says, “In those days and at that time a righteous Branch will spring up from David.” Jesus is that righteous branch. And what will he do? Jeremiah goes on: “He shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

This is exactly what Jesus went on to do during Holy Week. You can read about that for yourselves. The first thing that Jesus did was he went to the Temple. He pushed out all the buyers and sellers and money changers. He caused pandemonium. He flipped over tables. He let loose their animals. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have made it a den of robbers!”

On the days following this the powers that be tried to entrap and ensnare Jesus. They needed Jesus to slip up with something he might say so that they could nail him. So they sent their sneakiest and best. They tried every which way to trick him, but it didn’t work. Just as the disciples had been hoping on Palm Sunday, Jesus continued to do all things well.

I think by the time of Maundy Thursday the disciples were almost drunk with excitement. Luke tells us a stunning detail about what happened when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. Not long after Jesus had said, “This is my body which is given for you,” and “This is my blood which is shed for you,” Luke tells us that the disciples were arguing with one another over who was the greatest. They were in high spirits. They were already filling Jesus’s cabinet. Who would be secretary of state? Who would be attorney general?

Given the disciples’ eager expectation, you can perhaps see how the crucifixion, which would happen less than a day later, would crush them. It was cruel—even in the way it got carried out. It wasn’t a fair fight. Those in power never want a fair fight. They arrested Jesus in the middle of the night. They rigged their kangaroo courts in the middle of the night. Already by 9 o’clock that morning Jesus was nailed through his hands and his feet to the cross.

Those in power know how to get things done for their own advantage. They know how to do things in such a way where they come out on top and none’s the wiser to their evil deeds done in secret. History—but often an unwritten history—is filled with power crushing reformers. Those who speak the truth and fight for what is right are marginalized and eliminated. The winners have their perspectives written into the history books that glorify their deeds and ignore whatever evil they have done. Thereby they appear to have won, but appearances can be deceiving.

They better enjoy whatever they have gained for themselves by all their sneaking around because a time is coming when, as Jesus said, “Whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the rooftops.” This will happen because the king is coming to judge. Again, as Jesus said, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” It will be as Jeremiah prophesied: “The king shall execute righteousness and justice in the land.”

The disciples were not wrong with their thoughts about Jesus being the king. The disciples also were not wrong about this king doing all things well, setting things right, rooting out lies, and establishing justice and peace. Their only mistake was that they weren’t thinking quite deeply enough. They were thinking that Jesus would be merely an earthly king. Jesus is the king to which all powers must bow—even the powers of sin, death, and the devil. Jesus continued to do well on Holy Week. By his death and resurrection he set things right in such a profound and fundamental way that it is beyond our understanding.

If we lived at the time of these disciples we would rejoice—and rightly so—at Jesus’s opening the eyes of the blind, unstopping the ears of the deaf, making the lame leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. These are very fine miracles. Often Christians wish that they could see some miracles like that to bolster their faith. But the truth is that the miracles that Jesus works now and in the future are greater.

Jesus works now by the Holy Spirit to turn the hearts of sinners so that they believe in the mercy of their Creator and Judge. The Holy Spirit produces fruit in the hearts of believers so that they have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. Instead of joining in with the powers of evil that seem to offer so much advantage for earthly power and for the indulging of our desires, Jesus’s disciples resist the ways and means of devil, the prince of this world. They work at not lying, not manipulating, not intimidating, not coercing, and so on. They work on following Jesus’s commands that promise blessings to those who have the guts to keep them. These are not small things!

And the miracles of the future will be even greater. They are beyond my ability to communicate them. Jesus, the king, helped so many people as we hear about in the Gospels. That same king will help us. He will give us new bodies that will be like his glorious, resurrected body—better, even, than the restored body of Lazarus. He will purify and strengthen our minds and souls with love and light. He will set all things right like a good king is supposed to. Great wonders are in store for us!

Therefore, we are not all that different from the multitude of disciples who rejoiced as Jesus entered Jerusalem. We, like they, might wonder, “What is he going to do next?” We, like they, might wonder, “What is going to happen when Jesus comes into conflict with the powers and principalities?” It looks like we’re in for show! They’ll kick up a fuss, no doubt, wanting to hold on to their wicked ways, but their days are numbered. The king is coming.

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”