Feast of Pentecost Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“Back to the Future”

Text: Acts 2:1-21 (John 7:37-39; Numbers 11:24-30)

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

It is interesting that on this day when the Apostles receive the Holy Spirit and begin to go OUT into all the world with the Gospel, this is the day when many of you came BACK to the church for the first time in quite some time!

But far from that being ironic or opposites, it’s actually perfect. Because that’s the Holy Spirit’s job - to go OUT into all the world through the preaching of the Word, and through that Word to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the Holy Christian Church (Small Catechism). 

So when the Holy Spirit came on that first Christian Pentecost, that’s what happened. People from all over the world heard the Apostles telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God. And this was not the result of new wine and lots of it, so that the Apostles were babbling like drunks! It was the day of the Lord. The day when the Lord and Giver of life (Nicene Creed) was working. A great and magnificent day, according to the prophet Joel. That everyone who hears this Word and calls upon the name of the Lord be saved. That’s what the Holy Spirit, that’s what Pentecost, that’s what the Church, is all about. And as we hear later in this chapter from Acts, that’s what happened, in a great and magnificent way, as 3,000 souls were baptized that day (Acts 2:41).

So that many of you were able to come back to the church today, on Pentecost - though we wish it could have been on Easter! - is the perfect picture of the Church.

And actually, that word back . . . if you wanted to connect a word with the work of the Holy Spirit, that might just be it. I know that’s not a word we normally think of with the Holy Spirit . . . words like sanctify (to make holy), or inspire (as He did for the biblical writers), or revelation or gifts . . . those are more usual. And they’re good. And right. But that word back is, too. And pretty important. 

For it didn’t take long after the Apostles went out for some to claim that the Holy Spirit wasn’t about back at all, but about forward, about new. A claim that has continued and that we still see today. That the Holy Spirit is all about the NEW - new visions, new revelations, new truths. The Holy Spirit is moving the Church forward. The Holy Spirit isn’t about the same old tired truths and revelations that we find in the Scriptures - but about new, exciting, and different things! Even if those things contradict what He said before in the Bible. That’s okay! That was then, this is now. And the Holy Spirit is leading the way, blazing a new way.

Except . . . on that first Christian Pentecost, the Holy Spirit did nothing of the sort. Instead of new visions, new revelations, and new truths, the Holy Spirit directed Peter and the others BACK to the OLD - the Old Testament. In the verses that we heard today from the book of Acts, and in the ones right after them that we’ll hear next week, when Peter and the others stood up to preach, that’s what they preached! Not that the old was done and God was doing something new - they preached what the old meant, and how it was not only relevant, but was all true, still true, and being fulfilled. Fulfilled by Jesus and the sending of the Spirit. BACK is what the Spirit is all about.

When I teach the catechism, that’s an important part of the teaching - that our faith isn’t just a New Testament thing, but has its foundation and roots in the Old Testament. And so when teaching about Baptism, we look at the story of Elisha and Naaman. When teaching about Confession, we look at the story of David and Nathan. When teaching about the Lord’s Supper, we look at the story of the Passover. And there’s lots more. All these New Testament things are already there in the Old Testament, being foreshadowed, preparing the way, just as John prepared the way for Jesus.

And this is an important point - for the truth doesn’t change, revelation doesn’t change, because God doesn’t change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Which, while some may think is bad news, is actually very good news indeed! For if things keep changing, and the Holy Spirit keeps changing, and what is true keeps changing, then we have a God we really can’t count on. A God who may change His promises to us and change His mind about us. And that would be a God . . . well, like us!

But that’s not a God we want, or need. So what the Holy Spirit does is move us forward to the new by looking back to the old. Or think of it this way: the Christian walks into the future facing backwards. Which, if you think of it, is a picture of faith. Because walking backwards, we can’t see where we’re going, but we go because of what God has done for us in the past, what He has promised in the past, and His faithfulness in the past. And focused on that, we can move into the future with confidence - not because we know where we’re going, but because the Lord knows what He’s doing. And we can count on Him. 

So that’s what Peter and the other eleven did on that first Pentecost - they moved into the future looking BACK to what God had promised and what God had done. 

And that’s how we move into the future still today. Even during these days of pandemic, when it is said that the future is so uncertain and unsure. Not for us! Yes, it is uncertain and unsure if you’re facing forward and trying to see into the future - who can do that? But if you’re moving into the future facing backward, then we can be certain and we can be sure. Not that we know all that’s going to happen; of course we don’t. But we know who our God is, what He has promised, and what He has done. And we know: so He will be and do in the future.

So we move into the future as the Holy Spirit points us back to the cross. We see the love of God for us there, and the lengths He is willing to go for us. We see the atonement for our sins, and so we know they are forgiven and will not condemn us. For as St. Paul said: He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things (Romans 8:32)? So looking back to the cross, we move into the future certain and sure.

And we move into the future as the Holy Spirit points us back even further - to the Old Testament. We see how God kept his promises, and cared for and provided for His people. Even during times of plague, exile, and discipline, God was faithful. They may not always have understood it, just as we don’t. God may not have acted as quickly as they hoped, just as we sometimes think. Maybe His ways were quite the opposite of what they expected. But all of time and history worked toward the fulfillment of the promise God made in the Garden, of a Saviour who was to come. And all of time and history is working toward the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made to us, of a Saviour who is coming again. So looking back to the Old Testament, we move into the future certain and sure.

And we move into the future as the Holy Spirit points us back still further - to Paradise. There is no question that though creation is good, and a good gift of God to us, it is not as God made it. We have plunged it into sin. Natural disasters, mutated viruses, man’s inhumanity toward man, rioting, all testify to this. But as it was in the beginning, so it will be again. In Christ. And so just as in the beginning there was a new heavens and a new earth, so the Scriptures teach us that in the end there will be a new heavens and a new earth. For new you. You made new by the Holy Spirit. You baptized new, you absolved new, you fed new. A newness already begun here and now in you, but not yet complete; not yet fully. That day is still coming. But coming it is . . . So looking back to Paradise, we move into the future certain and sure.

It is so tempting, though, to turn back around and charge into the future! That’s exactly what satan wants us to do. For then we run blindly. Then we may run ahead of where God is leading us. Then we certainly run toward what we want, but uncertain if it’s what God wants, and so not sure we’re on the right path, going the right way, or doing the right thing.

So the Holy Spirit calls us to repent - which, we could say, means to turn back around. Turn back to the cross, turn back to the Word, turn back to Christ. For from His side flows all that you need. 

That’s what we heard in the Holy Gospel today. Out of his heart will flow rivers of living waters. Out of the heart of Jesus will flow rivers of the forgiveness we need, the Spirit we need, and the life we need. Which we know and see by looking BACK . . . Looking BACK to the cross, where - literally! - blood and water flowed from Jesus’ side when He was crucified. Looking BACK to the Old Testament, where water flowed from a rock to give all Israel drink in the wilderness - the rock which, St. Paul tells us, was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). And looking BACK to the Garden, where a river flowed out of Eden to water the world (Genesis 2). And now it is living water that is given to us - the Spirit. A pouring out begun this day, and which hasn’t stopped.

And looking BACK to the Old Testament again, we see a picture of this with Moses and the elders of Israel. God took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and gave it to the seventy elders. It is a foreshadowing of something even greater for us today, as not just some, but the fullness of the Spirit has been given, and not just to seventy elders, but to the whole Church. Sons, daughters, young men, old men, male servants, female servants. You. To call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify, you. To turn you around and point your BACK. That you be certain and sure, looking BACK to move into the future with confidence.

And so we’re BACK today, in Church. Not completely back to normal, but getting there. And hopefully more will come BACK in future weeks, believers old and new, as the Spirit continues to gather His Church. The Spirit still baptizing, still absolving, still feeding. Leading us into a future described like this for us in the book of Revelation (22:1-2): Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Now, you know what all that means because you are looking to the future looking backwards! You know of the water of life, you know of the tree of life, and you know of Paradise, because it’s all old - but the old made new in Christ. 

That’s what the Holy Spirit is all about. That’s what Pentecost is all about. That’s what the Church is all about. For the world. For you and I to live and to take out into the world. And show others our certainty and confidence, and so our joy. And tell them that it’s for them, too. To proclaim: Back to the Future! A most glorious future! In Christ.

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

Easter 7 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“One and Strong in Christ”

Text: John 17:1-11; 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11

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.

We’re in this together. That’s the message in our country and even around the world these days. You see it in TV and internet ads, in memes and hashtags, and on signs all over. We’re in this together. If there was a new phrase that could be called the popular rallying cry of the 21st century, that just might be it.

And the derivations of it, which say that we’re stronger together. That started with the term “Livestrong” in 2004 and has since been used whenever a disaster or tragedy happens as a rallying cry. And so we’ve have #BostonStrong,#JerseyStrong, #AmericaStrong, and the list could go on and on. We’re all in this together. We can get through it together. We’re stronger together. And that’s certainly good, and true, and desirable. As far as it goes.

But how far does it go? How deep does it go? How long does it last? Truth is, what we have seen . . . not very deep and not very long. As soon as the time of crisis or hardship is over, the togetherness seems to vanish as quickly as it came. In fact, it even seems that for some, the divisions that were there before become even deeper and wider, as people not only return to their old ways, but go even farther away from the togetherness and unity that got them through.

So when Jesus today talks about being one . . . well, it sounds familiar. It’s our modern day rallying cry, after all. So maybe we should be #JesusStrong, or #ChristianStrong! 

Except . . . Jesus isn’t here issuing a rallying cry to His disciples. In fact, He’s not even talking to His disciples - or us - at all. He’s praying. He’s talking to His Father. He is about to go to the cross and lay down His life for the life of the world - an event that will seem quite disastrous and tragic to His disciples. And they try to be in it together. They try to be stronger together. They really did. They get together on that first Easter night behind locked doors and try to be #DiscipleStrong! But it doesn’t really work. They are stronger together than apart, but even together they are not nearly strong enough. They are frightened and uncertain and anything but strong. And no rallying cry or hashtag was going to change that. 

Because the true unity those disciples had, with themselves and even with us today, is in being sinners. They were #SinnerStrong! And sinners are definitely stronger together than apart. In a world that questions the truth of God’s Word, it’s easier for us to question the truth of God’s Word. In a world where lies are only bad if you get caught, it’s easier for us to lie. In a world where sexual activity of any size, shape, and kind is the norm, where marriage is optional and divorce taken for granted, it’s easy for Christians to fall into those sins, too. And in a world where the only recognized authority for many is your own feelings, thoughts, and desires, the First Commandment takes on a whole new meaning. You shall have no other gods before me, has become: I shall have no other god besides ME. And yup, we’re all in that together. #SinnerStrong

But when Jesus today talks about being one . . . of course, it is a very different kind of oneness He is talking about. A better one. A stronger one. A more lasting one. And a oneness not of our own making, of our own strength in banding and standing together, but of His making. Of the Holy Spirit’s making. A oneness from the very depths of our hearts to the highest heaven, and a oneness that will last for eternity.

A oneness achieved on the cross - the cross that Jesus, as He prayed this prayer, would be hanging on in just a few hours. For there Jesus became sin - all sin united as one on Him. There Jesus became the sinner - all sinners united as one in Him. And all the wrath of God upon all the sin of the world was put there on that one man, on Him. That is a oneness man could never achieve, for it is a oneness transcending time and place. For all time and space comes together there, in that one place. That one place where Jesus was one, alone, and looked weakest and defeated.

But from the cross of Jesus’ shame flows life eternal in His name (LSB #561, v. 4). For if all the sin, death, and condemnation of the world came together upon Him in that one place, then in the same way all forgiveness, life, and salvation burst forth from Him from that one place into all the world. Making the cross a place of glory - Jesus’ and ours. Glory that is not ours as we band together as sinners trying our best, but when we are united to Jesus and His cross in baptism, receiving His best. When our oneness as sinners is overcome by water and the Word and we are made one with Jesus. #BaptismStrong - a oneness that transcends time and place as we are united with saints from the beginning to the end of time, and from every corner of the globe. A oneness impossible for us to achieve.

But a oneness the Holy Spirit can. And does. As He brings Jesus to us and us to Jesus and unites us to Him. As He brings us the forgiveness Jesus won on the cross and gives it to us. As He creates the Holy Christian Church, calling, gathering, and enlightening through the Word. And as He will on the Last Day by raising all the dead, and gathering and giving eternal life to you and me and all believers in Christ. That is the oneness Jesus is praying for in the words we heard today. Oneness in God’s Name. That is, the Name put upon you in baptism. The name we start every Divine Service here with. The Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. With that Name, in that Name, bearing that Name, we are truly one. United in Christ.

The thing about this oneness, though, is that you might feel and seem very alone. In the world but not of the world. And so alone in a world that is #SinnerStrong and getting stronger, as sin begets sin and together sinners are emboldened in their sin. The truth you speak and live as a baptized child of God isn’t going to make you one with sinners, but will widen the division with the world. That truth got Jesus crucified, early Christians fed to beast and flame, and Christians nowadays beheaded and persecuted. The world wants you to be #SinnerStrong with them. And #BaptismStrong doesn’t do that.

That’s why Peter wrote to the Christians in Rome, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. You are sharing Christ’s sufferings. But you are also sharing His glory. For remember: the shame of the cross is the glory of Christ. The glory of His self-sacrificing love for you. The glory of the forgiveness spoken from the cross. The glory of a God who made Himself one with sinners, so that we could be one with Him in His kingdom - even as He and the Father are one. And that oneness forever is worth a little fiery trial here and now. Or as Peter put it: And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Which is to say that although you may feel and seem very alone in this #SinnerStrong world, you are not. Your adversary the devil may prowl around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, but He is the one devoured by Christ and His love and forgiveness. Even while hanging on the cross - Jesus devours the devil’s hate with His words forgiveness and love, and He devours the devil’s death with His words of life. 

And now Jesus calls us to devour Him. To eat His body and drink His blood, the fruit of the cross, that sin, death, and hell be unable to devour us, and so we be #SupperStrong. Which again isn’t a unity or oneness of our making, but of His. And so as we are #BaptismStrong and #SupperStrong, that just as sin begets sin and together sinners are emboldened in their sin, so too does Christ beget Christians and we Christians are emboldened in our faith, living not in our own strength or our collective strength, but in His strength. Christ’s strength. A humble strength. For humble strength is strength that doesn’t come from ourselves, but from outside us and is given to us. From being one with the one who is all strength, even when He was hanging on the cross. 

So as we come to the end of this rather unusual Easter season, it is with that confidence and joy and strength that comes from our oneness with Christ. A confidence, joy, and strength that enables us to live the truth we believe, even if it makes us quite different than the world, and even in opposition to the world. To speak the truth in love, do the truth in love, and rejoice in the truth in love. 

So even though we haven’t been able to be all together in church, one together here in this place as the Body of Christ, even though we’ve been separated and isolated and distanced, we have - still! - this oneness that gives us such confidence, joy, and strength, that transcends time and space, and that isn’t dependent on what we do, but what Christ has done for us. So no matter what this #SinnerStrong world can throw at us, no matter what the devil can roar at us, no matter what we feel or what seems to be, these words of Christ, this prayer of Christ, is not our rallying cry, but our reality. We are one. His prayer has been answered. We are one in Christ. And where He is, there we will be. One. A oneness not yet visible to the human eye, but which we will see when He comes again, as He promised, in glory. 

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

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

Ascension of Our Lord Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“On the Throne”

Text: Acts 1:1-11; Luke 24:44-53; Ephesians 1:15-23

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.

In our Bible Study on the book of Ezekiel, we heard about Ezekiel’s vision of heaven, which culminated with seeing the Glory of the Lord, a man-like figure, sitting on a throne, above all creation. It was an awesome sight, but also a comforting one. Israel’s king had been taken as a prisoner to Babylon, yet Israel’s true king was on the throne in heaven, still ruling, still reigning. He had not been deposed. There was still hope. And in the same way, Israel’s army had been defeated in battle by the Babylonians, but heaven’s army was still in tact; the angel armies that serve the King were still at the ready. Israel was going through a most difficult time, but God was still the one in control.

In time, this man-like figure, the Glory of the Lord, came down from heaven and became a man. True man. His throne became the manger in which He lay and the cross on which He hung. But He had not been deposed or toppled. He had come to save all people from our captivity - to sin, death, and hell - the captivity that happened when Adam had been desposed and toppled from his place and exiled from the Garden. That was a most difficult time for him and his bride, Eve. But though they had been toppled, God had not. He was still in control. And He promised to come and rescue them from their fallenness and exile. And He did. The rescue and victory that we are celebrating this Easter season.

Yet one thing still remained to do. For the Glory of the Lord, the Son of God, to return to His throne. But He would not ascend as He came. He came humbly, He would ascend in glory. He came as the Son of God only, He would ascend as both God and man. And so not only would the Glory of the Lord return to His throne, but so would man. The fall of Adam from his royal dignity now restored in Jesus. Which is also what we just sang:

He has raised our human nature On the clouds to God’s right hand;

There we sit in heav’nly places, There with Him in glory stand.

Jesus reigns, adored by angels; Man with God is on the throne.

By our mighty Lord’s ascension We by faith behold our own (LSB #494 v. 5).

So with Ezekiel, we can rejoice that even though we are going through difficult and turbulent times of our own, our Lord is on the throne. He is still in control. He is ruling and reigning for us. Maybe it doesn’t look like it. It didn’t look like it in Ezekiel’s day either. That’s why Ezekiel - and Israel - needed this vision. And it’s why we need Ascension Day. To remind us, to comfort us, and to strengthen us.

Which maybe we need especially in these days of fear and death. When Jesus ascended, the disciples asked Him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? It may seem like a foolish question, and maybe they were still a bit confused and misguided. But it does reflect their faith in Jesus as the King - the one who can restore the kingdom to Israel. They just didn’t know the how or the when.

And neither do we. We believe as the disciples did, that Jesus is the King. But we ask, too. Lord, now? Will you restore us now? When will this time come to an end? Why are you doing things the way you are? Why did this happen? And we ask that not just about the current pandemic, but all kinds of things in our world and lives. 

And Jesus responds, to them and to us: It is not for you to know. Times and seasons have been set by the one whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways. We may think we know better how to run the world and how to run our lives, but the truth is that we don’t. And it doesn’t take long to see that! To see the mess we’ve made of the world and often make of our lives. And yet the Lord has preserved us and blessed us and kept us in His care. Had He not, I have no doubt that none of us would be here. 

But there is a King in heaven and sitting on the throne. A King we know and who knows us. A King whose ruling we need not fear, but whose rule we know is compassion and love. A King not far from us, but who wants to be with us, and wants us with Him. And so He ascends not to leave us, but to complete His work for us. He ascends to send us the Spirit, that we be clothed with power from on high. Not worldly power, but with power greater than that - the power of His love and forgiveness. To see us through this life to our own resurrection and ascension, when the Glory of the Lord comes again in glory to take us to glory.

And then the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Their Jesus was on the throne for them, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, with all things under his feet. All things, even death and the grave. So what is left for us to fear? And with no fear, what is left for us but joy? Even in the midst of a sinful world, a world where there is sadness and death. We know it cannot win, for it did not win. Our King is on the throne, and one day we will see Him there. One day, Ezekiel’s vision will be our own.

And so the disciples, filled with joy, were continually in the temple blessing God. Speaking of His mighty acts, and probably, especially His ascension, as they awaited the promised Spirit. For where else would you wait but the Temple? The place Jesus Himself had been so often. His Father’s house, as He said at age twelve. A house of prayer. 

And so we come, to His house here. We who do not know the times and seasons, but who have received His Spirit and know that our Lord is on His throne, ruling all things for our good. We come to receive that good from His hand and mouth, and we leave to give that good to others, filled with confidence and joy. And if we’re not filled with that confidence and joy, perhaps it is because we have lost sight of the Ascension and its significance, and lost faith in our King. 

But today, we can get that back. And rejoice no matter what comes our way. Last year we were praying because of tornadoes and floods.This year, a pandemic and virus. And next year . . . ? But our Lord, our Saviour, our brother, is ruling and reigning for us. Nothing will happen to you that He does not know. Nothing will happen to you that He will not use for good. It may not be for us to know the times and seasons - the whys, the whats, the whens, and the wherefores - but it is for us to know Him, and to trust not in what we see happen or what we think is good and right, but trust in Him. No longer just the Glory of the Lord, a man-like figure, on His throne, but our brother Jesus on the throne!

For Christ is ascended! [He is ascended indeed! Alleluia!] And by our mighty Lord’s ascension We by faith behold our own.

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

Easter 6 Sermon

LISTEN 

Jesu Juva

“Free in Christ, Free to Live”

Text: John 14:15-21

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.

I was reading the latest Lutheran Witness the other day . . . there are some articles in it that address the pandemic, and some mention is made of the plagues and pandemics that have afflicted the world in the past, including the early church. How, often, Christians didn’t run and hide in fear, but loved and served their neighbors - even those who weren’t Christian. Here’s one of the quotes:

During the Plague of Cyprian in A.D. 249, a plague that devastated the ancient world, Romans were astonished that Christians risked and sometimes gave their lives to care for plague victims, including those to whom they were not related and who did not share their religion (Lutheran Witness, May 2020, p. 4).

Now, I’m sure not all Christians did that, and I’m sure that there are some Christians doing that today. Health care workers and first responders, to be sure. And others. But, in general, overall, that doesn’t seem to be the attitude of most today. Instead there is hoarding, separating, isolating. Which got me thinking . . . Why? Why is there such a difference? What did they have that we don’t have?

Some, perhaps, would say that they just didn’t know as much. They were dumb; we’re smart. We know so much more now. Maybe. But they knew death. They knew that caring for others might mean losing their own life, even if they didn’t know why or how, and they did it anyway. So again, I ask, what did they have that we don’t have?

Well, nothing, really. But perhaps there is something we have that they didn’t - an attachment to this world. An attachment to the world which then divides us from our neighbor and even puts us into competition with him. An attachment to this world which makes us cling to life as something that is passing away, rather than as something that is just beginning. Life as something that is ours to lose, rather than a gift we receive. If that’s so - and I think it is - that’s quite a different worldview, and would cause quite a different reaction to plague and pandemic, and any other sickness, disease, or problem that comes our way. And so we marvel at those early Christians and what they did. And I think they would marvel at us and what we are doing. And how we think about life and what it means to live.

For what does it mean to live? Simply to breathe and eat? If so, then self-isolating and social distancing is the way to go. But if it’s more than that, if Jesus was right when He said that life is more than food and the body more than clothing (Matthew 6:25), then maybe those early Christians have something to teach us about life and living. Maybe they weren’t so dumb and maybe we’re not so smart, after all.

And Jesus had something else to say about life, and we heard those words today from St. John. Words that Jesus spoke on the eve of His crucifixion when, according to the biological definition of life, His life was going to end. But that’s not what Jesus said. He didn’t say: Because I die, you will live. Instead, He said this: Because I live, you also will live. 

To some, those are the foolish words of one about to die. To others, though, they are the confident words of the one who has come to conquer death for us, and to give His victory over death to us. Words of resurrection. That just as all life came from Him in the beginning, so all life comes from Him now. Death and the grave would not be able to hold Him, and so it will not hold us. Because He lives, we also will live.

And not just live and move and have our being - that is, breathe and eat - as even the ancient poets at the time of St. Paul said. But live as Jesus lived. His life given, His life lived. Loving others, serving others, and laying down our lives for others. Because we know we have His life - and that nothing in this world can take that away from us.

Which gives us tremendous freedom! We long for the freedom of being able to be back in church all together again. We long for the freedom to go out and do all those things we used to do - like get a haircut! We long for the freedom of when this pandemic is over and we need fear this virus no longer. But that last is really a freedom we already have now! In Christ. With His life. Which it seems that those early Christians knew, as they loved and served their neighbor. They didn’t do that because they had to; they did that because they could. Because nothing in this world could take Christ or His life away from them. And so Christ’s love for them and their love for Christ was made manifest in how they lived. It showed.

And so, it seems their attachment to this world and the things of this world was healthier than what we see in many today, because it was weaker. Or perhaps we could say it this way: If we love what gives us life, then if we think our life is in the things of this world, we will love these and fear losing them and be attached to them, and live accordingly. But if we know our life is from Christ and in Christ, then we will love Him and live like Him.

Which is, in fact, what Jesus says to us today: If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Notice that Jesus does NOT say: If you want to be saved, you will keep my commandments. Saving is what Jesus does. Jesus kept the commandments, all of them, from A to Z, from alpha to omega, perfectly, for us. To give us life. Theology calls that His active obedience. Everything required of us, every good deed to be done, every evil deed to be avoided, Jesus did for us, on our behalf. He fulfilled all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). There is no righteousness left for us to do that He has not already done. He kept the commandments because of His love for His Father and His love for us. We receive God’s good and goodness through Jesus.

So for us to keep the commandments, therefore, is to continue the work of Jesus. What He did, we do. We heard Jesus say that last week, in fact, in the words right before these, when He said: whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do (John 14:12). And in this way . . .

Jesus did not need to keep the commandments for Himself. He already was perfect. He did them for others, for us. He did them to love. He did them to save. He did them for good. 

And so now too us. We do not need to keep the commandments for ourselves. Jesus saved us through His death and resurrection. Through faith in Him, all that is His is ours, and all that is ours is His. In Baptism, He gets our sin and death and condemnation, we get His forgiveness and life and salvation, His perfection and righteousness. All that we need, we have. So like Him, we keep the commandments for others. We keep them out of love for God, and love for our neighbor. Because the commandments teach us what love is and what love looks like. Others receive God’s good and goodness through us as we keep them.

Which doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll feel good doing these things - we might not; often, probably will not. It probably wasn’t easy for those early Christians to take care of diseased and plagued people who didn’t even like them or think they should be around! Love is hard work. For love doesn’t just do what is easy, but what is hard. Like the cross.

The problem for us, though, is that our faith and love are not perfect, like Jesus’, and often fail us. So we don’t live as we should. We don’t live as we could. We serve ourselves, not others. We hold onto what is passing away instead of what is eternal. We live as if our life depended on what we do rather than what Jesus has done for us and gives to us. That’s the legacy passed down to us from Adam and Eve. 

And Jesus knew that. He knew we would need help. And so He promises help . . . and a HelpER:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, . . .  You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

With you and in you. Those sound like almost sacramental words! The Body and Blood of Jesus are, as we say, in, with, and under the bread and wine in the Supper. Here, in these words, it is the Spirit of God who is with us and in us, and will work through us. We do not possess the Spirit, though, like an object that we have. He is given to us, rather, like a husband and wife give themselves to each other. They belong to each other, but do not possess one another. They continually give themselves to each other in the bond of marriage. And as the Bride of Christ, Jesus continually gives us His Spirit. To keep us in Jesus. To give us His life. To work in us and through us for others. To keep His commandments.

Husbands and wives say I WILL do this on their wedding day. I pledge you my faithfulness. But they don’t. Not always. They fail and fall short. But Jesus does not. What He promises, He does. Always. Guaranteed. You need the Spirit and you have Him. And what does it mean to have the Spirit? What we confess in the Creed. It means the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. So that you are here is the Spirit’s work. That you are forgiven is the Spirit’s work. That you have life is the Spirit’s work. That you love is the Spirit’s work. And so that you keep the commandments in the Spirit’s work, in you and through you. For with the Spirit of Christ, as Christ did, you do.

And so the Holy Spirit does His job of making you holy. He gives you the forgiveness of Christ and the love of Christ, conforming you to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), that you live in that image . . . even though it may look quite ordinary. For that’s the thing about holiness - it doesn’t always look holy. Except to God. In fact, the holy church often looks . . . well, like an orphan. Poor, despised, alone. For if God were with you, O Church, wouldn’t you be bigger, better, more glorious, and more successful?

But the image of Christ in this world is the image of the cross. There will be glory - later. But now is the glory of love and service. Getting down and dirty in the muck and mire of the sin in this world and the devastation it has caused. But I will not leave you as orphans, Jesus says. I will come to you. Just as He came in the flesh, so He comes now. Before the cross and after the cross. We are not alone. We are never alone. Yes, it is true that in a little while the world will see me no more, but you will see me, He says. And they would see Him risen, alive, and well. No - better than well, victorious over death and the grave. With the nail holes that proclaim His love for us. And so, He says:

Because I live, you also will live. 

Because Jesus lives (risen from the dead), you also will live (risen from the dead). Risen from being dead in your trespasses and sins to a new life in Christ. And Jesus’ dying and rising are the way to this life. He lays down His life that you may live. And having that life, you can do the same, that others may live. Keeping His commandments, because you have a life to live for others; a life that not even death can end. 

And in that day, Jesus says, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. You in me, that’s Baptism. I in you, that’s the Supper. You have a God not far off, but close. And more than close - united to us, and us to Him. And having Him, you have His life. Real life. True life. Everlasting life.

That’s the life those early Christians had, just as we do. Same Jesus, same life, same gifts, though we live in different times, different ages. Hard to say which is more challenging. We shouldn’t try to become just like those early Christian. But maybe we can learn from them. And from the Apostles and the early Christian martyrs who laid down their lives - not to plague, but to fire, sword, and beast. How could they do that? What did they have that we don’t have?

Nothing. What they had is in you, too. The life of Christ, the Spirit of Christ, the love of Christ, and the Body of Christ. Gifts given to you, too. So live in them. Live from them. Because in Christ, you are free to so live. 

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.

Easter 5 Sermon

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“All or Nothing”

Text: John 14:1-14; Acts 6:1–9; 7:2a, 51–60 

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.

The Easter season and our celebration of our Lord’s resurrection is like a seesaw. Seven weeks of joy divided into two parts with a fulcrum in the middle. The first three weeks we hear of Jesus’ appearances to His disciples after He rose from the dead. The final three weeks, which we are now entering, we hear Him teaching His disciples what He is about to do and what it means. And the middle, the fulcrum, is Good Shepherd Sunday, for Jesus is our Good Shepherd through it all - the Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep and then rose to care for us still. And so seven weeks of joy, because Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and the devil is too big to celebrate for just a day or a week - a victory that changed everything. A victory to give us hope all through our lives - in good times and bad times, in joy or in sorrow, in the middle of life or at the moment of death.

So really, if you’re going to have a pandemic, there is no better time than the Easter season. To celebrate life in the midst of sickness and death. To proclaim the confidence we have in the midst of uncertainty. That a tiny, unseen virus can kill us, but it can’t take our life. Because our life doesn’t end at the grave - we live in the one who is the grave’s grave and death’s death. So all there is left for us is resurrection and life. This virus may have spread throughout the world with its fear and death in just three short months, but our’s Lord’s victory took only three short days - and unlike this virus, will last forever.

So today, we begin the second side of the Easter seesaw and begin to hear Jesus teaching what He is about to do for us. And appropriately, today we heard words that are often used at funerals, to offer comfort when face-to-face with death and the grave. Do not let your hearts be troubled. . . . In my Father’s house are many rooms. . . . I am going there to prepare them for you. And I am coming back to take you there to be with me, for life, forever. The disciples were about to see many troubling things, things they would be unable to unsee. But that’s good. Seeing a suffering Jesus and a dead Jesus would make seeing a triumphant Jesus and a living Jesus that much sweeter. And all this was for them. Jesus was not going unwillingly. Jesus was not losing. He would shed His blod and die, not to lose His life but to gain theirs. Just as fishermen had to prepare their nets before fishing and the tax collector had to organize his accounts before collecting the taxes, so would Jesus prepare a place for them, and then come back for them and take them there. So do not let your hearts be troubled. Look past my death, Jesus says. Tomorrow is not the end of my life, but the beginning of yours. 

But as wonderful as those words are, and comforting for us in the face of death, Jesus then goes on to speak words that are, well, not so welcome by many. For when Thomas questions Jesus about the way to this house, this kingdom that Jesus is going to prepare, Jesus says to him: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. And in a world - then and now - filled with gods of all shapes and sizes, such a claim is rejected.

But just as the two halves of the Easter season go together - the before and after, the promise and the fulfillment - so too do these two teachings of Jesus. You cannot have one without the other. You have both or you have neither. You cannot have Jesus’ kingdom without Jesus. You cannot have the Father without the Son. And the fulcrum between these two parts is what Jesus tells Philip: Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. . . . I and the Father are one. Both before and after the resurrection.

For the truth is not that there is a God in heaven and that Jesus has come down from Him to show us just one of the many ways to Him. The truth is that Jesus IS the one true God come down from heaven, not to show us, but to take us to be with Him forever. The God who heals the sick, who cleanses lepers, who casts out demons, who raises the dead. So do you want to see the Father? Do you want to see His love? His mercy? His life? His compassion? His glory? His power? If you’ve seen these miracles, you’ve seen it. If you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen Him.

And all that was going to be on full display for the disciples to see in the morning. They would see just how much God loves them when they see Him hanging on the cross. They would see the depths God was willing to go to save them. Them! Sinners, great sinners, every one. Those doubting, denying, objecting, glory-hounding, greatness-seeking little faiths! God came down into poverty for them. Into a world of sin for them. A place where foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20), for them. That having no place here, we have a place there, with Him. Where there is no poverty or sin, only love and joy.

That’s who your God IS. A God willing to die for you and your sin. To take it all upon Himself, that you have forgiveness and life. Which is why these verses are so comforting. Because they don’t just tell us the truth of a heavenly kingdom, but of the way to that kingdom, and the life that will get us there. And Jesus is all of it. You have Him, you have His forgiveness, His kingdom, and His life.

But if you do not have Jesus, then you have another god, a quite different god. A god not willing to die for you, but who you must please and hope to get into his kingdom. A god who maybe will forgive your sins, but maybe not. A god who didn’t come down to serve you, but whom you must serve and be good enough for. A god who you really cannot know because he goes by lots of different names and lots of different truths and has lots of different ways. So pick one, try hard, and hope for the best! 

Really? That’s who’s running the show? That’s the kind of god we have? Truth is, that’s what we’re like. That’s a god made in our image.

Perhaps that’s why Jesus’ words are so challenging to us today. They go against the way we think and how we think things should be. But our hearts and minds are steeped in sin, and so don’t think rightly anymore. They need to be corrected. They need to be resurrected. They need to be shown who God really is, and what He is really like, and what His ways truly are. And Jesus is that. He is the way things should be, and the way things will be for us, in Him. 

Now, such bold claims would be nothing if (as we just sang) Christ had not be raised from death (LSB #486). Our faith would be in vain, death would be the end, we would be living a lie, and our sin and guilt remain. Christ is a charlatan, and His words deserve to die with Him. But if Jesus is risen from the dead - which the empty grave testifies to, which over 500 witnesses testify to, which the guards who had to be paid off testify to - then He really is the way, the truth, and the life. And there really is a resurrection for us and our sinful hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.

A resurrection begun already now when you are baptized. For there is where Jesus’ resurrection becomes yours, His forgiveness is yours, and His life is yours. Baptism is Jesus’ three days given to you in a moment of time, that dying with Him and rising with Him, you live a new life. A life of confidence, boldness, and peace.

Like Stephen. We heard part of his story today in the reading from Acts. A martyr’s story. Stoned to death because He spoke the same truth that Jesus did - that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. That Jesus is the one true God. That there is no other Saviour. For those words he wasn’t crucified, he was stoned. But while he was being stoned, he confidently, boldly, and peacefully spoke the words of the crucified: Lord, do not hold this sin against them. Those are the words of a new life. A new life that knows that death is not the end. The life that you and I now have.

So that when we are being stoned for speaking the truth about sin, about forgiveness, about Jesus, we also have no fear. Stones cannot take away what Jesus has given. Just ask the rather large one that tried to hold Jesus in the grave! And satan cannot harm those who are in Him who crushed his head. Jesus’ words of absolution speak louder than all satan’s accusations. And you hear them here every Sunday. I forgive you all your sins. And they all. All of them. None too big, none too small to be forgiven. All on Jesus, all on the cross, so none any longer on you.

Which means a new life. It really does. Like when I was little and did something wrong and dreaded when my father would come home from work and there would be a reckoning. All day long there would be worry and fear and images of the worst happening to me! Only . . . what if . . . when my father came home . . . instead of punishment there was forgiveness. Think I had, at that moment, a new life?

So you, too. We are not left wondering if we will be forgiven or about what will happen when Jesus returns - we know. For we have it all already now. And so a new life, now. 

A new life that does new things - not the same old life with the same old sins. For like the two halves of the Easter season and the two parts of Jesus’ teaching here, so too a new life that does new things go together. It’s who you are. For as the love, life, and forgiveness of Jesus is given to you and lives in you, so too the love, life, and forgiveness of Jesus flow out of you and is given to others. To fill a world in sin and death with exactly what it needs.

For so Jesus said to His disciples: whoever believes in me - and has this new life - will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Greater? Yes, greater! Not in the sense that we could do something even bigger and better than rising from the dead! But that this rising from the dead now goes into all the world through the Church. What Jesus did in Israel is for all the world. What Jesus accomplished in time is for all time. No one excluded or left out. There is love, life, and forgiveness for all. In Him.

So let not your hearts be troubled. Don’t let troubled hearts get in the way of your joy, your confidence, your life, or your forgiving. Believe in God; believe also in the one He sent. Believe that the one who has kept every promise keeps them also for you. And so He is not just coming back - He is coming back for you. To take you to the place He as prepared for you. So that in good times and bad times, in joy or in sorrow, in the middle of life or at the moment of death, even in times of virus and pandemic, you know the way, for you know the truth, and you have His life.

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.