Ascension of Our Lord Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“The King, the Throne, and the Kingdom”

Text: Acts 1:1-11; Luke 24:44-53

Alleluia! Christ is ascended! [He is ascended indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluia!

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The hymns that we sing for the Ascension of Our Lord are not only filled with joy, but also have a certain stately, royal quality to them. As is meet and right. As is befitting an inauguration or a coronation. Something significant is happening, and the music reflects that. 

For the Ascension of Our Lord is the occasion of His enthronement; the coronation of Jesus on the throne of God in heaven. Notice, though, that I did not say the enthronement or coronation of the Son of God - that place on the throne, that place at the Father’s right hand, was always and rightly the Son’s. But the Son of God came down from heaven and was incarnate, or as we confess in the Creed, He was made man. And not just for a little while, using a human nature for a while and then throwing it away when He was done with it - but forever. The Son of God and our human nature have been permanently and inseparably united in the man Jesus. And so in His Ascension, it is not just Jesus’ divinity but also His human nature - our human nature - that is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. What Adam gave up, Christ has restored. What Adam cast down in shame, Christ has lifted up in glory. 

Which means that is our brother there, at the right hand of the Father, on the throne of God, ruling all things for our good. And that’s definitely a reason to celebrate and rejoice this night.

And the disciples seem to get that. We heard from Luke tonight that after watching Jesus ascend, the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy! They weren’t sad that their friend and Master left them, they were overjoyed that His rule and authority would continue. 

So with that in mind, this royal enthronement and coronation, they ask Jesus: Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? I think we usually dismiss that question, thinking that the disciples still don’t get it! They’re still thinking wrongly and about an earthly kingdom. Maybe. But notice that Jesus doesn’t scold them or disagree with them. He would have if He thought it necessary. He had before. But Jesus doesn’t say No! I’m not restoring the kingdom to Israel! He says this instead: it is not for you to know the times or seasons. Or in other words, He is restoring the kingdom to Israel, but the when - don’t worry about that. Instead, He tells them the how. He says: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

The disciples were anxious to see Jesus finish what He started. And they will! And we will. As Jesus continues His work from His throne through the Holy Spirit which He gives to His Church, the new Israel. The old Israel was an earthly nation and had its time and place and purpose. But that’s not the Israel Jesus will restore. Jesus made all things new through His death and resurrection, so it is a new Israel that He is now restoring, a spiritual nation, not limited by time or geography, but including peoples of all times and places - past, present, and future. 

And this restoring will now take place through them, these disciples now apostles. These followers turned sent ones. Sent out into the world. To the ends of the earth. And through their preaching, the kingdom will be restored and grow, for the Spirit will work through that Word. And so just as when Jesus was with them, the preaching will go on, the forgiving will go on, the baptizing will go on, and the feeding will go on, but now through them. Their now-enthroned Lord working through them by His Spirit. When they speak, He speaks. When they forgive, He forgives. When they baptize, He baptizes. When they give Jesus’ Body and Blood, Jesus is giving His own Body and Blood, just as He did on the night He was betrayed. And in this way, yes, the disciples were quite right - Jesus is restoring the kingdom to Israel. 

So while the disciples could see their Lord no longer - for when He ascended, we are told, a cloud hid Him from their sight - they could see Him working; they could see the results. It’s like if I come home from work and see the table set and a wonderful dinner laid out on it - I didn’t see my wife do all that work, but I see the results; I know she did. So, too, with Jesus’ work now. We see people coming to faith and sustained in their faith. Little children, old folks, people from all walks of life, countries, cultures. I didn’t see Jesus do it, but I know He did. Where His Word is preached, people hear. And where people hear, they are baptized. And where they are baptized, they are absolved. And where they are absolved, they are fed. And where all this happens, there is the church, the new Israel. Jesus promised it would be so.

And the apostles see this right away. Ten days after Jesus’ Ascension He sends them the Holy Spirit, just as He promised, and Peter and the eleven preach, and people hear. And hearing, they are baptized. Over 3,000 souls that very first day! And the apostles see the kingdom being restored. A new Israel growing. And it wasn’t because of them, but through them Jesus was still working. Same as He always was, only now even more, even greater.

And so it will be until we finally do see Jesus again, as the angels told the disciples: This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. Then we will see Him. Now, we do not. But we see the signs of His work; the results of His work. Maybe not 3,000 at a time now, but just one soul at a time. But that’s enough. Remember what Jesus said: there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10).

It’s easy to doubt though, when we see the Church persecuted, when we see her divided and struggling, when we see the Bride of Christ scorned and mocked, when we see the Church marginalized and her sons and daughters martyred. Enthronement, coronation, seem so very different from the reality we see. But that’s how it is with life under the cross. For we have not yet ascended. 

But as the Collect we prayed tonight said, we ascend in heart and mind. We see the cross of Jesus and the cross now, but we also see through the cross to the reality that is, for now, unseen. And know that through the cross, the kingdom is being restored. The new Israel is growing. The kingdom is advancing. Led by Jesus, at the right hand of the Father, through His Spirit, by His Word and Sacraments given all over the world. Given here, to you. That you be and remain a part of this new Israel, until Jesus comes again to take you to His glory. And He will, for He didn’t ascend for Himself, but for you. To rule for you, yes. But also this: that your human nature be where His human nature is, forever. That just as He is risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity, so shall you. With Him.

That’s why the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and that’s why our joy, too, this night. For Christ is ascended! [He is ascended indeed! Alleluia!] And we have been clothed with power from on high! The kingdom is being restored! 

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

Easter 6 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“Praying as Children of God”

Text: John 16:23-33

Alleluia! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluia!

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remember back to when you were little. A little child. (Some of us have longer ago to think than others!) But when you were little, when you needed something, you asked your parents. You didn’t worry about whether you were going to get it or not - you just asked. Candy, toys, a ride in the arms, whatever it was. You just asked. Because you had a father and mother who loved you, who provided for you. All that you had, all that you needed, came from their hands. So if you had any need, or anything you wanted at all, you just asked. 

As time went on, however, you changed, didn’t you? You grew up, and your requests changed too. You didn’t just ask for candy, toys, or a ride in the arms, but maybe bigger things; maybe more serious things. For protection from danger. For your parents to help someone in need.

And then more changes. You realized some things were too big for mom and dad. There were some things they couldn’t do for you; some things they couldn’t give you. And then you learned something else too - how to manipulate mom and dad. How to ask, when to ask, to increase your odds at getting what you wanted. And then if mom said no, ask dad - and vice versa.

And then after a while, you just stopped asking. Because you got old enough to do things, get things, on your own. You grew up and began to rely on your parents less and go it on your own. But still, even then, when problems arose, when you needed advice, when things got too big for you, you could still ask. You could still go to mom and dad, and know they would be there for you.

As a Christian, maybe that’s where you’re at. You’ve grown up, do things on your own, rely on God less now than you did before. Oh, He’s still there for advice, or to cry out to when things get too big for you, when problems arise in your life. Maybe you even try to manipulate Him into giving you what you want. But the day-today stuff, the day-to-day needs, you just take care of on your own.

Well, with His words to His disciples (and to us today), Jesus is inviting us back, back to the beginning, back to being, and thinking of ourselves as children of God. Because you always are, you know. Fathers will tell their daughters: you’ll always be my little girl, even when you’re all grown up. Well, you’re always a child of God, even when you’re all grown up. And the disciples are too. They’ve grown a lot over the past three years they spent with Jesus. But even though they will soon be sent out as apostles, sent out to proclaim Jesus and all that He has done, don’t stop being children, Jesus says. Ask. Be always little children asking their father.

That’s what Jesus is saying in the words of the Holy Gospel today. Be that child - again and always - that asks your Father for anything and everything. All that you have, all that you need, comes from His hand. So ask - because you’re His child and He is your Father.

Which is what it means to ask in Jesus’ name. That’s not a magic formula, so that by saying those words, God has to do it. Children often think that with the word please. They learn that’s the “magic word” that will get them what they want - I said please so you have to do it. But to ask in Jesus’ name isn’t like that. It means to ask because His name is on you; because you are a baptized child of God - a child of your heavenly Father.

Which means prayer is never man-to-man, grown up to grown up. It is always child to Father. Which also means that we shouldn’t over analyze our prayers, which we tend to do at times. Is this a good prayer? Can I pray for this? How do I pray this prayer? Just pray! And let your Father figure it out. That’s what children do, isn’t it? Ask mom, ask dad, tug on their sleeve - they’ll figure the rest out; they’ll do what’s best. Children just ask, say what’s on their mind and in their heart. That’s what we can do. That’s how we can be. Not worried about prayer. Just praying. Not because of our request or because of how we’re asking, but because we have a Father who wants us to pray, and has promised to hear us and give us what we ask for.

And then there’s also a bonus, too, Jesus said - joy. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. Little children ask for what they need and then joyfully run off and play, because it’s in their mom or dad’s hands. It’s all good. They don’t have to worry about it. They don’t have to worry about food, house, clothing, protection, or what they asked for - mom and dad’s got it. And for us too. Ask, pray, and then live in the joy of knowing that your Father in heaven got it. He’ll take care of it.

Now, maybe that seems like a tall order, something that’s even impossible for us to do. Because as little children learn, mom and dad don’t always, can’t always, do it. They fail. They’re sinners too. And so we learn to be independent and rely on ourselves. And as Christians, maybe we carry that attitude, that thinking, into our lives of faith, too. The disappointment we have experienced in this world and life that maybe makes us doubt the word and promises of God, that He wants us to pray, that we’re not a bother, that He wants to give us all that we ask for, all that we need.

That’s why when Jesus spoke these words to His disciples is so important - it is on the night of His betrayal, arrest, and in the morning His crucifixion. In very short order, He’ll be the son praying to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane . . . which may seem to disprove this promise Jesus just made to His disciples, to ask and you will receive. But Jesus did receive. He wasn’t saved from death by not dying, He was saved from death by rising from it.

And that, Jesus’ resurrection, is why we can believe this promise about prayer. For here you see God’s love for you. His perfect love. Love that all earthly moms and dads will fall short of. For on the cross is God giving himself for you in His Son. The cross shows the love of God for you, taking care of your greatest need: your need for life. Life in the forgiveness of your sins. Life from the death you will die. And in Jesus, you have it. In Jesus, you too will rise. And if God has done that for you already, the rest is small potatoes, isn’t it? And all the rest, He wants for you too. He delights to give to His children. That you have joy. And peace.

And God does act because of your prayers, because His children come to Him and ask. Sometimes we overanalyze here too, thinking that if God knows everything and already knows what He’s going to do, then why bother? Why ask? But that’s not how the Scriptures speak of it. Abraham’s prayer made a difference. Moses’ prayers made a difference. Maybe Lydia’s prayer by the riverside in Philippi is what led to Paul being there.

Especially when you pray for those who cannot pray for themselves. Unbelievers, or those who think they can’t. I know that I will do things for my children that I will not do for others, because they are my children. So maybe a beggar asks for money - I may or may not give it to him. But if my child asks me to give him some money because she has compassion in her heart and wants to be compassionate, that would make a difference, wouldn’t it? Don’t underestimate your prayers, and don’t overanalyze them. Just be a child of God and ask your Father. Let Him sort out the rest.

And trust that He will. Maybe that’s the hardest part of prayer - trust. Jesus said at the end of the Gospel today: In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. But how often does it seem that the world is overcoming Christians? Is overcoming the Church? Well, it seemed that way on the cross, too. It seemed that way when your friend and Saviour was sealed in a tomb. Yet it’s true, what Jesus said. His resurrection proved it. He did overcome. Everything that the world and hell could throw at Him. But our prayers in this world and life come from Gethsemane, not from glory. From tribulation, not from victory. Not yet, for us.

But that’s why we pray. Because we’re children who need help. Because others need help. And we have a Father who has promised to give us what we ask for. Maybe it won’t be the way we think, maybe it won’t be when we think, maybe it won’t even be on this side of eternity. But His promise is true. As true as the empty tomb. And remember what Jesus said to Thomas the Sunday after His resurrection? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).

And so we pray. And then, as Luther said in his instructions after his Morning and Evening Prayers: Then go joyfully to your work (after the Morning Prayer) and, go to sleep in good cheer (after the Evening Prayer). Because your Father’s got it. He’ll take care of it. 

So pray. And there’s a lot to pray for, isn’t there? John gave us a picture of heaven in the reading from Revelation today, but we’re not there yet, of course. For us is still the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues. For us is still tribulation. For us is still wars and conflict, doubt and death. And it’s hard. And it’s sometimes frightening. And it’s often too big for us.

So pray. Go to your Father, just like you used to. For He has promised to hear and give you what you ask for. Don’t worry about the how and when, just pray. Let Him worry about the how and the when. He’ll take care of it. Just as He baptized you, and feeds you, and forgives you, so He’ll do this, too. Just ask. For He didn’t leave His Son in the grave, and He won’t leave your prayers their either. 

Which we know for Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] And you are a dearly loved child of God in Him.

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

Easter 5 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“Sorrow Turned to Joy”

Text: John 16:12-22; Revelation 21:1-7; Acts 11:1-18

Alleluia! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluia!

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

Jesus doesn’t try to insulate His disciples from sorrow. He is no helicopter God, trying to spare them any hardship or pain. He doesn’t promise them that every day will be sunshine and laughter. You will weep and lament, He says. You will have sorrow. But . . . your sorrow will turn into joy.

Jesus doesn’t try to insulate His disciples from sorrow. He takes it head on, and shepherds it. Good Shepherds it. He takes it into Himself. To transform it. For that is how their sorrow will turn into joy. In Him.

Yes, they will have sorrow. In just a little while. For Jesus is about to be taken from them. They will sorrow when they see their friend and fellow disciple come and betray Jesus. They will sorrow when they see Jesus bound and arrested. They will sorrow when they fail Him and deny Him. They will sorrow when they see Him condemned. They will sorrow when they see Him carrying His cross through the streets of Jerusalem and out to Golgotha. They will sorrow when they see the nails going through His flesh and the agony of their friend and master and Lord, as He is hoisted up onto the cross. They will sorrow when that mouth that spoke so graciously, so wisely, so truthfully, so compassionately, is silenced. They will sorrow when He bows His head and dies. They will sorrow at His tomb, when it is sealed shut. They will sorrow as they mourn for Him the next day - when they wake up that Sabbath Day and it wasn’t just a dream; the nightmare they hoped it was. All that sorrow in just 24-36 hours . . . though it probably seemed a lot longer than that. For that’s how it often is with “a little while” . . . when you are sorrowing. A little while can seem to take forever.

But then their sorrow was turned to joy, just as Jesus said. The joy of the empty tomb. The joy of hearing their master’s gracious and forgiving voice again. The joy of His peace being given to them. The joy of Thomas putting his finger into an alive Jesus’ hands and side. The joy of the great catch of fish again. The joy of Jesus’ ascension. The joy that chased away the sorrow, just as Jesus said. And then this too: this joy, Jesus said, no one will take from you.

But really? Can that really be true? Because it sure doesn’t seem like it. Living in this world so full of sorrow and challenges and struggles - things that rob us of our joy. Is there really a joy that no one can take from us? Think of the ongoing battles with abortion. Some states passing laws to stop it, some to permit it as never before. The lawsuits, the boycotts, the anger and name calling. Joy? 

There’s the continuing battle over religious freedom. Will we be able to continue to preach and practice what we believe? Or will there be threats and punishment and violence because of it? The marriage debate, the sexuality debate, the gender debate . . . Joy? 

Or what about the division in our country, or maybe even in your home? And then there are financial troubles, ever-increasing demands at work, too much to do, too little time . . . Joy? Yeah, four weeks ago, Easter was great. But Jesus, really? Joy that no one will take away?

That was the disciples’ question, too. They couldn’t imagine, couldn’t fathom, such joy. And yet there it is. Jesus said it. So either He’s wrong . . . or we are the ones who lose it, or give our joy away. For if no one takes it from us, that’s the only other option, isn’t it? So how do we do that? Lose our joy or give it away?

Well to answer that, we have to know the source of the disciples’ joy - what it was that turned their sorrow into joy. It was Jesus’ resurrection, that He was with them again, and that rising from the dead, He cannot die again; He cannot be taken away again. And that gave them joy. 

It is His fulfilling all His words and promises, everything that He said He would do for us and for our salvation, He did. It is finished. Signed, sealed, and delivered. And that gave them joy. 

It is the forgiveness of all our sins. He atoned for, paid for, every single one. They’re all on Him and so they’re not on you. All their stupid words, failures, doubting, denial, gone! And that gave them joy. 

It is His victory over satan, who could not stop Jesus. The promised heel came down on his head and issued a fatal blow. And that gave them joy. 

Everything that seemed so real and so final to the disciples and that plunged them into sorrow - Jesus’ death, the sealed tomb, their horrible sins, the triumph of evil - all was reversed in a moment, that moment when the Good Shepherd came out the other side of the valley of the shadow of death, alive! No one had ever done that before; been able to do that before. But He did! And so now everything is changed. Everything is transformed. Everything is new.

And the disciples rejoiced. They rejoiced when they saw Jesus alive. They rejoiced when He forgave their sins; welcomed them back as if nothing had ever happened. They rejoiced when they watched Jesus ascend into heaven. They rejoiced when they were beaten for preaching Jesus. They rejoiced and sang hymns while locked up in prison. Certainly they didn’t have problem-free lives of all sunshine and laughter! But it does seem that what Jesus said was true . . . that no one will take your joy from you.

So what of us? Was this promise, this reality, only for the eleven and not for us? No. The problem is, then, when we forget or lose sight of the source of our joy. When we forget or lose sight of the one who turns our sorrow into joy. 

When we forget the one who defeated death, then death looks so fearsome, so final, so victorious. When we forget the one who atoned for our sin, then our sin seems so crushing, so condemning. And the sins of others? Well, we have to do something about them! When we forget that satan is slithering around with a deadly heel dent in his head, then we think him more powerful than he is. When we forget our Lord’s Word and promises and that He has fulfilled every one, then we doubt and struggle. When we forget His strength, then we see our weakness. And when that happens . . . joy? Yeah, it seems really far away.

But just as Jesus changed the disciples’ sorrow into joy in just a moment, so He can, and does, for you and me. It’s why you come here every Sunday - to renew, to refresh your joy! To hear again, to remember, to lift up your heart to the source of your joy. 

You come to hear again the victory and forgiveness of Jesus, as He says to you I forgive you all your sins. And they are. All the stupid words, the failures, the doubting and denying of this past week and before that - gone! So they cannot rob you of your joy. 

You come to see that font and remember that you are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and know that you are a dearly loved child of God. Not because of anything you did, but because of everything He did. Not because you have to earn it or deserve it, but because of His unconditional, unfailing, love. And what a relief, what a joy, that is to know! 

You come to lift up your hearts and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus that once hung on the cross and laid in the tomb but is now risen and living for you. To receive the life you need and the strength you need and the joy you need.

You come to remember His promises fulfilled for you, that no one can take away from you. For the joyful confidence you need. 

And so the problems and struggles you face this week . . . you can have joy even in them, like the disciples. For you’re not alone and you’re not on your own. And you already know who won! And that when you stumble and fall - and you will! - it won’t change your Saviour’s love for you. 

And while your “little while,” your waiting for joy and hope and renewal may seem to last an eternity, remember it did for the disciples, too. Those three days of waiting seemed so long, while the forty days after that seemed to go by so quickly. So perhaps it is for you, in this world and life. But the Lord is not only the Lord of sorrow and joy, He is also the Lord of time. For Him, Peter tells us, a thousand years is like a day, and a day like a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8). But no matter how long it takes, your Good Shepherd isn’t going anywhere. He is here for you. His victory is here for you. And His joy is here for you.

The disciples learned that. They didn’t know it when Jesus spoke these words to them, these words that we heard in the Holy Gospel today. They weren’t yet ready to bear it, Jesus said. That doesn’t mean they weren’t ready to hear what He had to say, but that they were not yet ready to bear it, to carry it out into the world with them as apostles, sent ones. Not yet. Not until after Jesus’ resurrection. Not until after His ascension. Not until after Jesus sends them the Holy Spirit to guide them and strengthen them and joy them. Then they will bear this good news of great joy out into all the world. Good news of great joy - remember those words? Those are the words of joy the angels sang at Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:10), and now the words of joy the apostles would proclaim once Jesus accomplished His saving work. The marvelous thing that He has done. 

And then the apostles did go out, and what did they do? Preach? Yes. Baptize? Yes. But through those means, this: they gave the joy of the Lord. They turned sorrow into joy. They gave comfort in sadness, hope in the midst of sin, healing for the sick, freedom for the captive, and all in Jesus’ name. All pointing to Jesus and His victory over all that plagues us. Joy for the Jew and, as Peter learned, for the Gentile. Joy for the young and the old. Joy for the rich and the poor. Joy for the sinner and the really bad sinner. Joy for those surrounded by friends and for the outcast and lonely. Joy for you and me.

And then on the Last Day, our joy will reach its fullness as John described in Revelation - when the heavenly marriage feast takes place. When At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing (LSB #633). The song we have begun to sing now, the song we will sing forever. When finally death will be no more, there will be no more mourning or crying or pain anymore, and those tears that stain your cheeks? Wiped away by the hand of God Himself. Write this down, He says, for these words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me, “It is done!” 

So, is it really true, that we have a joy that no one will take away? It is! It is done. As true as the empty tomb. Because that, and all that it means, is the source of our joy. True joy. Godly joy. Lasting joy. 

Or as we’ll sing at the end of the service today:

Let us sing praise to Him with endless joy;

Death’s fearful sting He has come to destroy.

Our sin forgiving, alleluia!

Jesus is living, alleluia! (LSB #466, refrain)

Yes, for Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!]

And His victory, and joy, is ours.

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

Easter 4 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“A Washed Flock”

Text: Revelation 7:9-17; Acts 20:17-35; John 10:22-30

Alleluia! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluia!

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

What does it mean to have a Good Shepherd?

Seems like a simple question. But what would you say? How would you answer that question? 

For most, I think, the answer would be that Jesus is watching over you. That He is feeding you, protecting you, guiding you. That He is making sure you have all that you need. And that answer would not be wrong. A shepherd who does those things is certainly a good shepherd.

But it is more than that. For you have not only a good shepherd, but the Good Shepherd. The one and only. And so there is something that sets Him apart from all others. And so He is not just not a bad shepherd, or even better than most. But when you have the Good Shepherd - or maybe better to say, when He has you, in his flock, it means this: that you will be one of the ones coming out of the great tribulation. 

That’s what we heard in the reading from Revelation today, of the great multitude around the throne of God in heaven. These are the ones, we are told, coming - a continuous process, like a parade; it’s already started but not yet finished - coming out of the great tribulation. Coming out of great trial and trouble.

So that’s good news, right? That a great multitude has come out of that, and still is. That the tribulation did not win. That it did not engulf and consume the Shepherd’s sheep. It tried. Or maybe better to say, the evil one behind it all, tried, but did not win. The Shepherd won. That’s what we’re celebrating this whole Easter season. Our Good Shepherd’s great victory over the evil one, over our sin and death, over hell and the grave. For Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Right?

But it’s important today, I think, to go a little deeper, and think about this a little more. To think: what is it for you? What is the tribulation, the trial and trouble, you need your Good Shepherd to get you through? What is the answer you are thinking in your mind right now?

If you think the answer to that question (or one of the answers) is disease, then what happens when the disease wins? When cancer or Alzheimer’s or stroke or whatever, takes my love one away? Was your Shepherd, then, not a very good one?

Or maybe you were thinking of financial troubles, or relationship and family troubles, or unemployment, or some other kinds of hardship. Do those things coming, and maybe remaining in your life, mean that your Good Shepherd isn’t watching out for you?

These things, and many more, are certainly tribulations. But what makes them so is not the fact that they happen, but what happens when they happen. That the evil one uses them to try to rob you of your faith. To stop unbelievers from believing, and to make believers believe no more. To make you think that your Good Shepherd really doesn’t care about you; that He, in fact, hates you; that He isn’t helping you, and won’t help you. His love is a myth, a fiction. Because, see? Doesn’t a Good Shepherd means a good life, so if your life is not good (in your estimation at least), then . . . And if people who don’t believe have good lives (in your estimation, at least), then . . . 

Now let’s go a little deeper. If tribulation are those things in your life trying to rob you of your faith, then that list should include not just troubles or hardships - but things we might consider good, too. Pleasant and pleasurable. Sexual temptations. A good job, but one that keeps you away from church. Teachings and so-called truths in the world that cause you to doubt or disbelieve the teachings and truths of God’s Word. Things that the world says are good, and that maybe even seem good to us, but God and His Word say no, not good. And your faith weakens and wavers . . .

It’s hard being a Christian. It’s hard being a sheep or a lamb in the Good Shepherd’s flock. As St. Paul told the Ephesians pastors, in the first reading we heard today, from the book of Acts: I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And there’s no shortage of wolves, then or now.

But that’s what makes the words we heard today so important, and so precious. These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They survived! But how they did is just as important as that they did. And here’s how: They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So the key to surviving and coming out of the great tribulation is not being spared either hardship or pleasure - that would be a rather dull and uneventful life! But in the forgiveness of our sins. That when these come, when trials and troubles come and we doubt our Shepherd’s love, we have forgiveness for that. And when the pleasures and seductions of life come and we fall for them, we have the blood of the Lamb for that, too. For the ones coming out are not the strongest, the bravest, the most steadfast, or the most faithful, but the washed. The ones who got dirty, who got bloody, who got beat up, who got trampled, but were washed by the blood of the Lamb.

Which means blood that didn’t stay in the Lamb, but poured forth from Him. Just as water in the pipes won’t clean your dishes, so the blood that stays in the Lamb won’t cleanse you! But His blood shed for you, His blood that poured out of the wounds on His head, His shoulders, His back, His hands and feet, His side, that’s blood that doesn’t stain, but washes away the stains of sin - that washes away the unbelief of doubt, the unbelief of chasing after pleasure, and every other kind of sin. These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation because they have washed, they are washed, in this blood.

Which is the amazing thing about this Sunday, Good Shepherd Sunday - that the Good Shepherd isn’t the Good Shepherd just because He’s almighty and brave, but because He becomes the Lamb of God who put Himself into the wolve’s jaws to be devoured in your place. But this too: the Lamb who is thus devoured then rises from the dead to be your forever Shepherd. That’s what we heard from Revelation. Last week talked about the Lamb who looked as if it had been slain, for it had. But it was no longer. And today we heard that this Lamb is on the throne of God, because this Lamb is God. The Son of God. The Shepherd who became a Lamb, and the Lamb who became the Shepherd. The Good one. 

My sheep hear my voice, He said; this Shepherd-Lamb, Lamb-Shepherd said. And I know them, and they follow me. 

And you have heard His voice. That’s why you’re here. And to hear it again. To be washed again. From the doubt you had this week. From the temptations you have fallen for this week. To wash your robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb, here for you. From the very first words you heard today, the Invocation, which don’t just tell us who we are gathered here before, but which remind you I am baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I am washed in the blood of the Lamb . . . From these very first words, to the words you hear shortly after that: I forgive you all your sins, to the word of the sermon which proclaim this Lamb to you, to the Body and Blood of the Lamb put into your mouth. From first to last, beginning to end, you are being washed, forgiven, joining the parade of the ones coming out of the great tribulation.

That is what it means to have a Good Shepherd. Not just one who is good, not bad, or one who is better than most. The Good Shepherd is the Gospel Shepherd. The Good Shepherd is the dying Shepherd. The Good Shepherd is the one who, risen from the dead, is a Good Shepherd forever. So that when He says no one will snatch them out of my hand, He means it. No one. Ever. In life or in death. You have a Good Shepherd who is greater than all. Greater than all the evil hell can throw at you. Greater than all the seductions the world can heap up before your eyes. Greater than your doubts and fears, greater than your sin and despair. 

He won’t make you stay here in His flock, in His fold, though. You can get up, walk out that door, and never come back. But stay, come back, repent, and all His promises are here for you. His washing is here for you. His Body and Blood are here for you. His love is here for you. 

And then when you get up and walk out those doors, it is not to leave Him, but Him going with you, out into the world with that same love and forgiveness for others. For the dirty, the bloody, the needy, the downtrodden. For those in the seats next to you, in your home, and next door. That they may hear the truth of this Shepherd, the voice of their Shepherd, from your mouth, and have hope. For life now, and life forever. For you are, even now, even in this life, coming out of the great tribulation, following your Good Shepherd, being carried by Him, from life, through death, to life again.

Seems to me, that’s a Shepherd worth having. A good one.

For Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluia!

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