Sermon for the Commemoration of Saint James the Elder, Apostle

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Glory Through the Lens of the Cross”

Text: Acts 11:27-12:5; Mark 10:35-45; Romans 8:28-39

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

Herod is at it again. Two weeks ago, we heard how his sword came down on the neck of John the Baptist. Today it is James who feels the cold steel. The first pleased his niece; the second the Jews. So he arrests Peter, too, and will deal with him after the festival is over. Give the Jews more of what they want. Herod was a people-pleaser.

But Herod’s sword is a two-edged sword. On one edge might be the blood of John and Jamesbut the on the other is his own. Beheading John pleased his niece, but deprived him of the one he heard gladly (Mark 6:20). And the church (as we heard) was actually sending famine relief to his people! Why kill the ones who were helping him? But so it is with sin. Sin isn’t rational. Sin isn’t logical. Sin can’t be satisfied. It always wants more. More of you, until it has all of you.

That’s why sin is so dangerous. You can’t say: I’ll just keep this little sin, this little vice. It’s not a big one! Just over here, in this little corner of my life. Way over here. No one will know. It won’t hurt anyone. It’s fun. It feels good. It satisfies. I can handle it. But sin is not so easily tamed. It won’t stay where you want it to stay. Even a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Cain’s jealousy grew into murder. David’s lust did the same. And so too with Herod. His lust for his niece, and his lust for power.

So when James and his brother John came up to Jesus that day, asking for, praying for, dare we say lusting for, those places of honor beside Jesus, at His right hand and at His left hand, this is not good. They don’t know what they are asking. They don’t know or see the sin at work in them, eating away at them, leading them down the wrong path. Greatness in the kingdom of God is not like worldly greatness. Power in the kingdom of God does not look like worldly power. It is, in fact, quite the opposite. Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. That is the Jesus way. The way of the cross.

And lest we exalt ourselves over James and John and exalt ourselves over the other ten apostles who got indignant at them, realize how we struggle with this, too. How we, too, struggle with the way of the cross.

Take, for example, the first verse we heard in the Epistle today: We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. We hear such a verse and what do we think? My life will be good, as a Christian. Which is true. 100%. That’s what it says. But what good? What kind of good? And whose good? Yours, or God’s? And make no mistake about it, those are often, maybe even mostly, quite different.

For what is good to you? A job that pays well. A life that maybe has some struggles, but not too many. Things mostly go according to your plan, how you think things should be. You get into the right schools, you have good friends, joys are many and tears are few. You might get sick but not too sick - at least, nothing that can’t be cured. Others think and speak well of you, your children don’t rebel too much, Jesus answers all your prayers with yes, right away!, and life, in general, is pretty enjoyable. How am I doing? Pretty close? 

But what is good for God? For God, good is how creation was before sin. Good is a world not with manageable sin, or not too much sin, but without sin. And so it is that good that God is working all things together for - for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose. 

So how does a God do that? How does He take a world completely and totally plunged into and infected by sin, and make it that kind of good again? How do you reform such a world? How do you wash such a world clean? You can’t. If so, you would expect that after the flood, things would have been good again, right? The whole world was washed! All those evildoers drowned and wiped out, and only righteous and believing Noah and his family left. And yet sin was still there and quickly showed its ugly face. It’s a good lesson for us. The problem in this world isn’t other people. It’s me. It’s my sin. Even if you were the only person left in the world, the world would still be filled with sinners.

There’s only one way to deal with sin: to die. Kill it and bury it. You must die and be born again. Not in a reincarnation sense of try and try again; try harder and keep climbing until you get it right, until you reach your goal. That’s not God working good but you working good. That’s you trying to conquer your sin. And a lot of people try that. Some really hard and really sincerely. But it doesn’t work. You need God’s way - the way of the cross. To die with Christ, to die in Christ, to be raised with Christ, raised in Christ, to a new and good life.

That’s why when James and John make their bold and bodacious request to Jesus, He answers them as He does. He gives them the cross. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? That’s cross talk. They say yes, we are able. And they will. Not as punishment, but for God to give them what they want! To glorify them with His glory. To work His good in them. To make them His kind of good. The cross, then, is God’s gift to us.

So not just Jesus’ cross is a gift - so are the crosses given to you. If we don’t see them as good, it is because of the sin in us that wants our own idea of what is good, not God’s good. When we think that these crosses aren’t giving us what we want, but, in fact, just the opposite! Saint Augustine once noticed that, too, and remarked that people want every good except to BE good (City of God)!

But that’s really the only good that matters to Jesus and what He wants for you. He wants to give you good things, yes! But even more, to give you good life. A new life. A new and good and eternal life. And so His cross has transformed the cross. It is no longer merely a Roman instrument of torture and death, but the way of Christ to that life He has for you and wants for you. So yes, James and John, the cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. You will have the cross in your lives, too. That you may live and be exalted and good.

And then Jesus gives them the punchline: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. That’s why Jesus is here. That is His glory. To lay down His life for the life of the world. You want to be on His right and left there, James and John? While Jesus is on the cross? Well . . . that’s not . . . what we meant . . . what we were talking about . . . ! But those places had been prepared for others. In fact, James and John would receive much more than that; much more than they asked for. 

As will you. For you will receive a far greater good and a far greater glory than just the good things and glory of this world and life, but the good and glory of a new life in the new creation. For you have been baptized with Jesus’ baptism, baptized into His death and resurrection, that the old sinner in you been drowned and die, and you rise to live a new and good life. The cup that Jesus drank He has now filled with His blood for you to drink, for the forgiveness of all your sins. That where you go, Jesus goes; and where Jesus goes, you go. For, as Paul said to us today, nothing is able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing. Not tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword. Not even Herod’s bloodthirsty sword. Not angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation. For you are in Christ and Christ is in you. 

So while James and his brother John did experience all that - tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger - and for James, the sword - through such things God builds His Church and brings His people to glory. Wait. What? It’s true. Through tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword God is working good, building His church. John the Baptist was arrested, jailed, and killed and the church grew. James was killed and the church grew. Ten of the other twelve apostles were persecuted and killed and the church grew. These things cannot destroy the church. If it was a church built by men, then yes, it would. Kill the men and kill the church. But if the church is not built by men at all, but by God, if it is His church and not ours, then He’ll take care of it. He’ll see to it. He’ll see to it that there are places of honor for His children; for you.

And so Jesus doesn’t chastise James and John, He teaches them - and us - to think differently. And to think through the lens of the cross. That glory and honor come in no other way than through the forgiveness of sins, through death and resurrection with Christ. And in this world, that don’t look like much! It might even get you hated and killed. Just ask Abel, Uriah, John, or James. But as Jesus said, Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12). That’s Jesus’ way to glory.

That’s the glory now here at the altar. We’ll sing of it in a moment. Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of sabaoth adored; Heaven and earth with full acclaim shout the . . . glory of Your name (Sanctus). Not just heaven is full of His glory, but the earth, too. Look around. Do you see it? James and John didn’t. Not yet. They were looking for something else. What are you looking for? What are you asking for? What are you expecting? Here in water and words and bread and wine is the glory of the God - is God Himself! The glory of a God who comes to serve you. The glory of a God who comes to die for you. Here is the glory of the God who loves sinners like you and me. Here is the glory of the forgiveness of sins. Here is the glory God’s goodness, making everything new and good again. Even you. That when Jesus comes again in glory, a new you live a new and eternal life in a new creation. 

The world will always have its Herods. Don’t worry about them. They’ll do what they do. But as a child of God, you will always have a Saviour greater than all the world’s kings and Herods combined. The King of kings, in fact. That’s who you have. And you have been baptized with His baptism. You drink from His cup. Your sins are forgiven. And so this too: You will be with Him . . . in Paradise.

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

Sermon for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Our Good and Gracious Shepherd”

Text: Mark 6:30-44; Jeremiah 23:1-6

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

Israel was again at the border of the Promised Land. They could see it. They could almost touch it. They would, soon. The last time they were here, 40 years before this, they didn’t. They didn’t trust the Lord, didn’t believe Him. That this gift, this land, He could actually give. So they didn’t receive the gift. Back to the desert, they had to turn.

But now they were back. Moses preaches to them about all that the Lord has said, all that the Lord has done, all that the Lord has promised, that they not make the same mistake again. That this time, they receive this gift from God.

But Moses had another concern as well. For he was about to die. He would not enter the Promised Land. But he was not concerned for Himself, but for the people. That they be led faithfully. And so he asked the Lord to appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd (Numbers 27:17).

The Lord did so, appointing Joshua. And Joshua led them in.

But Jeremiah’s day, however, as we heard, God’s people had become as Moses had feared. After Joshua, Israel’s leaders were a mixed bag. The faith of the people came and went, waxed and waned. Some were faithful shepherds, but many were not. They were shepherds who didn’t shepherd. They didn’t tend the flock, they scattered it. They didn’t feed the flock, they destroyed it. They didn’t lead the flock, they misled the people. 

So when Jesus came, God’s people were hungry. That’s why they ran around the Sea of Galilee to get to where Jesus was. That’s why they sat there all day, listening to Jesus teach. They were hungry for the Word of God. They had been fed on other food, other teaching. Food that did not nourish. Do this, do that. Be this, be that. And it never satisfied. It always fell short. They always fell short. 

But Jesus was different. As we’ve heard, He didn’t teach as their teachers did, He taught with authority. But even more than that, He taught with compassion. Not driving them, but caring for them. Not demanding from them, but binding them up. When they listened to Jesus, they never left hungry. They left like they had been to a lavish banquet. Their souls filled with good food. They left with the work of God and the promises of God ringing in their ears. Including the promise God made through the prophet Jeremiah, that one day He would raise up a righteous shepherd, a good shepherd, for His people.

So it was this day beside the Sea of Galilee. 

But when it grew late in the day, another need arose. People who are both body and soul need feeding of both body and soul. Maybe the children there were getting restless or starting to cry. Or maybe the disciples themselves were getting hungry. After all, Mark tells us, they went to where they were because they had had no leisure even to eat. So now Jesus had done His part. He has taught the people. Now send the people away to do their part - to get some food for themselves, the disciples said. They had gathered around Jesus . . . or had He gathered them? Was it now the disciples scattering them again?

So no. Jesus has a better idea. Why don’t you do it? Jesus says. You give them something to eat.

Now, the disciples had just come back from Jesus sending them out two by two into the towns and villages. They had taken nothing but had lacked nothing. And Jesus had given them authority. They preached. They cast out demons. They healed many who were sick. But this? Feed a crowd like this? That they could not possibly do. Five loaves of bread and two fish would make a lot of sandwiches, but not this many. What answer did Jesus expect from them? 

Jesus tells the people to sit down. That’s interesting. Why were they standing? Had the disciples already been telling them to go? No, that won’t do. Not for a good shepherd. Sit, Jesus says. Sit, my children, Sit, my sheep. I will shepherd you. I am your Good Shepherd. Things are not now like they were before. There is something new. SomeONE new. They called Him the Son of David, and so He was. And so He would be. The promised shepherd who will care for them, so that they fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall any be missing. 

The one promised to Adam and Eve, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to David and Solomon, to Jeremiah and the prophets, was now here. He would make them recline in green pastures and restore them. And for the one who created all that is out of nothing, including the wheat and the fish, and the rain and the water that gives them life, five loaves of bread and two fish is a bounty. Is more than enough. 

And did you ever wonder who was in that congregation that day? Who were those people there in that crowd, listening to Jesus and then being fed by Him? Probably the old and the young. Big families and little families. Fishermen and businessmen. Jews and Gentiles. Loyalists and Zealots. Tax collectors and sinners. It doesn’t matter to Jesus. It is His flock. They are all one. They came here for Him. He came here for them.

And for us.

Five thousand is a lot of people. If it were five thousand men with their families, how many more even than that. Imagine that many here, in our church. But even so, then or now, five thousand or more, not everyone was there. Many did not run around the lake. Many who were on that side of the lake didn’t care. Many thought Jesus a bad shepherd, not a good one. So they didn’t go. So they didn’t receive.

That’s not what Jesus wants. He wants all to receive His gifts. And they do, actually. For everything that is, is a gift from God. The rain that falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Divine blessings are given to believers and unbelievers. The Lord is good and generous to all. We pray the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, for our daily bread, not so that God will give it - He already does - but so that we will realize it all as gift from Him and receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. The eyes of all look to You, O Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time; You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145:15-16).

Sin, of course, effects these gifts of God. Creation is not as it once was. Greedy men horde while others go hungry. One life is destroyed so that another may prosper. Competition not compassion, lust not love, pride not humility, power not service, me not you, take these gifts of God for all and tries to make them mine. That if there are only five loaves of bread and two fish, then I make sure I’m close enough to the front of the line to get my sandwich . . . or, make sure my gas tank is topped off . . . or, make sure I have enough toilet paper to last for a while . . .

So when Jesus told His disciples to give this flock something to eat, He knew they couldn’t do it. But rather than send them away, He wanted His disciples to turn to Him, the Giver of gifts, to give what was needed. Today we call that repentance. To repent of ourselves, turn away from ourselves and relying on ourselves, and look to Him. The eyes of all look to You, O Lord . . . Or, at least, we should.

Because in this world so filled with problems and division and only getting worse, what can we do with our five fingers and two feet? We do what we can, but what is so little among so much?

And do we forget the one who can? Whose five fingers and two feet would save far more than five thousand, but every single person who ever lived and ever will live? For those same hands that took that bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it, would soon be nailed to a cross. Not to never again take, bless, thank, break, and give, but that risen from the dead, He do so forever. He do so today. Here. That that miracle of feeding the flock continue here as the divine and human, dead and now risen, Good Shepherd gives His Body to eat and His Blood to drink. And That His voice still sound forth in the faithful preaching of His Word. And that children of God still be brought into His fold and flock through the washing of Baptism. And that just the eyes of our bodies look to Him for the food we need, so the eyes of our souls look to Him for the forgiveness we need. That all these gifts of His be our daily bread, and that He lead us to realize this and receive these gifts with thanksgiving.

These gifts that are here for all, just as no one in that crowd by the Sea of Galilee that day left hungry. There was even plenty left over. The Lord is never stingy with His gifts, but lavish. 

But remember, there were people who did remain hungry - those who did not bother, who could not be bothered, to go and be with Jesus. Jesus was there for them, Jesus’ feeding was there for them, but they would not.

But that is not the end of the story, of course. Just as Jesus gave His disciples then the food to give to the flock, so He gives His Church these gifts to give and sends His Church to give these gifts. To all. But today, too, not all will come, not all will receive, not all will be bothered, though we pray they will. So each week we gather by the Sea of the Font, we receive the gift of His Absolution, we hear our Shepherd teach, and we eat His divine food. And we know: how blessed we are to be in this flock, the flock of the Good Shepherd. 

And thus blessed, we bless. Let us bless the Lord! Thanks be to God, we say. And we take this blessing out into the world, to others. Twelve baskets full left over. But what are these, what are we, among so many? More than enough. More than enough in the hands of Jesus. Merciful hands. Mighty hands. Compassionate hands. Blessing hands. Feeding hands. Tending hands. Gracious hands. Until they be raising hands, raising us on the Last Day, to enter our Promised Land. Sheep with our Shepherd. Gifts not deserved, but freely given. So let us bless the Lord! [Thanks be to God!]

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

Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Welcome Home!”

Text: Mark 6:14-29; Amos 7:7-15; Ephesians 1:3-14

Introit: Psalm 143:11; Gradual: Romans 11:33

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

It was dark when he woke up. It usually was. There were no windows, just bars and chains. Sometimes he tried to go back to sleep, but it was usually useless. The vermin were up, too, and would keep him awake. Was it day or night? He could hear some of the other prisoners - that usually meant it was day time. But who really knew.

It was a strange existence for him. How long had he been here? He lost track of time. The food wasn’t much, but neither was it in the days he ate locusts and wild honey! He longed for his days in the Jordan, baptizing. Those were good days. The crowds, the preaching, the baptizing, the joy of forgiveness. The day he baptized Jesus! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. It was a lifetime ago. But he knew: Jesus must increase, and he must decrease (John 3:30). But he never thought he’d decrease this much. To one of Herod’s dungeons. 

Some of his own disciples wondered why God was treating him like this, and whether Jesus really was the Messiah or not (Matthew 11:3). But he knew he wasn’t the first, and he wouldn’t be the last. God’s prophets were often mistreated. He remembered Jeremiah and all he went through. He’d been cast into a pit and feared for his life. Isaiah had been sawn in two. Moses - how did he put up with the Israelites all those years? All their complaining and rebellion. Even Amos. He was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took [him] from following the flock, and the Lord said to [him], ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ He did. And they rejected him, too. 

Prophets had a tough life. But not just prophets - any Christian who speaks the Word of God in truth can expect pushback . . . and maybe more.

But maybe he would be set free soon. And not to go back to the Jordan. Not that kind of free. But really free. Truly free. Free from this world and its sin. The freedom death would bring him, to go to eternal life. That would be the day! Maybe today?

He heard guards coming . . . he actually liked that. For often they would come for him and take him out to preach to King Herod. It always took his eyes a while to adjust to light again! But they did. And he always appreciated what he saw more than he had before. It had all been so common before - the flowers, trees, bees, and animals. The sun! Other people. Not anymore. He would never take them for granted again - if he ever got out of here. It was such a treat to see them again! So guards coming . . . that got up his hope . . .

For then he would get to preach again, too. That was his calling, his vocation, after all. To be the forerunner of the Messiah. To preach for Him. To preach Him. To call sinners to repentance and baptize them for the forgiveness of sins. Why had he been selected to do that? He didn’t know. But he knew it was by grace, as all your vocations are. He didn’t deserve such a high calling. Others could surely have done it better than him. And look at him now! In prison! But this, too, part of God’s plan. God’s mysterious, unfathomable plan. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! How true.

So when he heard the guards, he hoped he would get to preach again. To King Herod. It was strange how King Herod kept bringing him back. For he kept telling him how it was not right for him to have married Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Herod’s face always got kind of red when he said that - and he said it everytime he got to preach to him! And while Herod would never repent, he kept bringing him back. He heard him gladly. He thought he knew why. Because when you’re the king, everyone kisses your . . . well, your you know what. They all tell you what you want to hear. No one talks straight. No one will tell you what you really need to hear. That must get old pretty quick. Maybe you know a little of that.

But he wasn’t like that. True prophets aren’t like that. Men called to be preachers aren’t to be like that. He called a spade a spade. He called sinners sinners. And Herod was a sinner! A great one! And he wasn’t afraid to tell him so. And speaking of the prophet Amos and his plumb line - he liked that image; would use that line sometimes. Tell Herod how he was not straight at all, but way off! For what could Herod do to him, after all? Kill him? Then he would be free. Then he wouldn’t have to go back to the darkness - he would be in the light. The everlasting light. That would be the day. He longed for that day.

So Herod heard him gladly. And he liked preaching - not just calling Herod to repentance, but especially telling him of Jesus. That while yes, he was a great sinner, he also had a great Saviour! One who was now here! The one upon whom the Spirit had descended when he, John himself, baptized Him, when the voice came from heaven: This is my beloved son! (Matthew 3:17) Yes, God’s Son was here for sinners, for all sinners, for all people, for Herod. There was hope. 

Herod was always intrigued. He even said one time how he wished to see Jesus and see him perform some miracle (Luke 23:8) - maybe then he would believe. But that wasn’t John’s responsibility. He was just to preach - it was up to the Spirit to do the rest.

Then he heard the guards again - they shook him from his thoughts back to reality. Get up! they said to him. Then he felt the boot in his ribs, and the laugh. How they liked tormenting the prisoners. Like living in this hell hole wasn’t enough. He got up. They unlocked his chains and led him out. It was time to see Herod. It was time to preach. 

Except . . . it wasn’t. Everytime he went to see Herod they turned to the right out of his cell. Today they turned left. Strange. They went down a corridor; it didn’t take long. Before he knew it, he felt a shove in his back. It knocked him off balance, and as his knees hit the floor and he felt waves of pain bolt through his legs, he then felt his stomach - and then his chest - hit a block of stone. And then . . .

Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21). Welcome home!

He heard the words. He opened his eyes. It was light. And warm. There were the prophets he’d just been thinking about - Jeremiah, Isaiah, Moses, and Amos. The life he preached he was now in. What had happened?

He didn’t know. We know. Creepy Herod made a creepy oath to his creepy neice who he drunkenly lusted after when she danced for him at his party - and she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. He didn’t want to do it. But he couldn’t prefer John to his niece. He was afraid of what his guests would think. He didn’t have the hope of eternal life - this life was all he had. He didn’t have a Saviour, so this life he had to save. So he did. He gave the order, and it was carried out, swiftly and efficiently. John would never preach again.

Except he would. He still does. To us. Through the Word he is still speaking to us today, calling us to repentance, to the forgiveness of sins, and to the promise of everlasting life. He is preaching to us to fear no Herod - even if they don’t listen to us; even if they throw us in prison. And to repent if we do. For all any Herod can do is kill us - but they can’t take our life. All they can do is do us a favor, to send us from this world of sin and death to our eternal life. From the darkness to the light. From prison to freedom.

And then we’ll be with Jeremiah, Isaiah, Moses, Amos . . . and John. Because He who promised is faithful. Jesus is faithful. He promised us life and died to fulfill that promise. He promised us forgiveness and atoned for our sins through His death on the cross. He promised us sonship and makes us sons of God in baptism. John’s baptism was great, but His even greater. And so like John, though life may be tough - really tough, dungeon tough! - we are never hopeless. We are never hopeless with Christ.

And one day, just as John’s headless body will rise, so will yours. Whole, complete, perfect, and glorious. Because Jesus rose. And baptized into His death, you are also baptized into His resurrection (Romans 6).

So what Herods do you have in your life? What troubles? What problems? What people who will not listen? Who are against you? Who threaten you? Do not fear and do not despair. Your Lord is greater than all. As we sang in the Introit, He will bring your soul out of trouble and preserve your life. As Paul told us, in Him you have an inheritance in heaven, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of your inheritance. So you have confidence. In Him. In His blood. In His life.

So come and receive His blood, His body, and His life. Come receive the forgiveness of your sins. Come receive and know that - like John - there is nothing in all creation that can now separate you from His love (Romans 8:39). For John was great, but even the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (Matthew 11:11b). And you’re in that kingdom. His kingdom of grace, here, until you enter His kingdom of glory.

So whatever you are going through, whatever doubts and fears you have, whatever challenges, hardships, or troubles, whatever threatening kings or horrible dungeons, the Lord knows, and sees, and has you. Life in this sinful world is never going to be easy, but it is not hopeless either. Your Lord has come to save. Your Lord is here to save. And He is coming again to save. You. For in your baptism, the same words spoken to Him He says to you. And when you calls you home, like John, you’ll hear them again: You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter, with you I am well pleased. Well done, good and faithful servant. Welcome home!

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

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Good Thorns?”

Text: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Mark 6:1-13

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

It was time to give the apostle Paul a gift.

I like gifts. You probably like gifts. I’m sure Paul liked gifts. Especially gifts from God!

So Paul was caught up into the third heaven. He actually doesn’t say it was him, simply calls this person who was caught up “a man.” But as we read on it becomes clear that Paul is talking about himself. He sees things too magnificent to describe. But that was not the gift.

Next, he says, this man was caught up into paradise. Scholars have spilled a lot of ink about whether that’s the same thing as the third heaven or something different, and opinions are mixed. And Paul heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. Things that defy explanation; things for which there are no words. But that was not the gift.

And then, Paul says, because he had seen and heard these things, whether in the body or out of the body, he doesn’t know . . . but so that no one will think more of Paul than he deserves, and so that Paul himself will not become too elated or puffed up, the Lord gives him his gift - a thorn in the flesh.

It sounds like he’s still there when he gets his gift - in the third heaven, in paradise, seeing and hearing things too great for words. And compared to these things, a thorn in the flesh? Not much of a gift! So, uh . . . no thank you, God. Please take it away, take it back. Three times, Paul says, he asked that. Pleaded with God. Tried to return this gift. But then it was the Lord’s turn to say no. No to Paul’s request. Paul needs this gift from God. 

So in just a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, Paul goes from the heights of these glorious revelations to the depths of having a messenger of satan - literally, an angel of satan - to harass him. A lot of ink has been spilled about that, too - what exactly Paul meant by that; what that thorn in the flesh was. But that’s not really the point. The point is what the Lord tells Paul next: My gift to you wasn’t a mistake and I’m not taking it back. My grace, My gift, is sufficient for you. That is, it is of service to you. It is good for you. Your weakness is My power.

Now, why was Paul telling the Corinthians all this? Because there were some people who had come to the Corinthians and were preaching a different Gospel. And they were claiming to be apostles - and not just apostles, but super apostles! Above Peter and Paul and the others. For look at them! Peter and Paul and the others. Poor, despised, lowly, harassed, being martyred. Clearly God is not with them as He is with us. God takes care of His own.

And that is certainly true - God does take care of His own. But what does that mean? What does that look like? Maybe not what you think . . . Maybe it looks quite different than worldly success, worldly power . . . When God takes care of His own, maybe it looks like . . . a cross.

For in describing his own situation, his revelation and then his gift, his thorn in the flesh, what happened to Paul sounds a lot like what happened to Jesus Himself. The very Son of God in the heights of the heavens, at the Father’s right hand, who then came down, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. God’s greatest gift to us, come not in worldly glory, but poor, despised, and lowly. He was harassed - and not by a messenger, or angel, of satan, but by satan himself. Tempted in the wilderness. Tormented on the cross. And harassed not just by satan, but, as we heard today, by the people in His own hometown, who took offense at Him; who rejected Him; who said no thank you to this gift of God. 

But in this weakness was the power of God, the salvation of God. Here in this poor, lowly body - who was laid in a manger, who had to flee from King Herod, who had no place to lay His head, who got tired and hungry and thirsty - was the one who took on sin, death, and the devil, and won.

A 17th century Lutheran pastor in Poland named Valerius Herberger had an interesting thing to say about all this. He was writing on the patriarch Jacob, and specifically when his son Joseph was taken away from him by his brothers - who first wanted to kill him, but settled for selling him into slavery. They dipped the special coat of many colors his father had given him in blood and told the old man that a wild beast had gotten him. And so, understandably, Jacob was heart-broken and would not be consoled. And then 22 years later, after 22 years of mourning, Jacob found out that Joseph was alive, and not just alive, but was the vice president of Egypt and the famine czar, who was keeping that whole region alive during a severe seven-year famine by supplying food that he had stored up. 

So here’s the interesting thing Pastor Herberger said: “Jacob thought for twenty-two years that he was crying [and mourning] because of a great adversity. Now the outcome showed that he had unwittingly wept for his own prosperity.” Because now, because of what happened to Joseph, not only did they have food, but they were also given land in Egypt and were well cared for the rest of Jacob’s life. Jacob unwittingly wept for his own prosperity.

Now, perhaps we could use Pastor Herberger’s insight here, and apply it to these other situations . . .

Paul thought his gift from God was a great adversity that he didn’t want. But the outcome showed that he was unwittingly rejecting his own prosperity.

The disciples thought for three days that they were weeping over the death of Jesus as a great adversity. But the outcome showed that they had unwittingly wept for their own prosperity.

Would Paul have been Paul without his thorn in the flesh? By his own testimony he said: when I am weak, then I am strong. So it would follow then, that when he was strong, he was really weak. So without this thorn . . . would he have messed everything up? Would he have relied on his own wisdom and srength? When he did that, he persecuted the church instead of planting it.

And, of course, Jesus would not have been Jesus without the cross. And without the death of Jesus, of course, we would be poorer. Maybe not in this world, if we could do whatever we want and enrich ourselves however we want. But when we die, then we would have nothing. So are there some now rejoicing in their prosperity, and yet unwittingly rejoicing in their poverty? Are there some now rejoicing in their life, and yet unwittingly rejoicing in their death?

And what about you? What have you prayed for that maybe God didn’t do for you? Healing? To overcome some obstacle? For a particular gift? But so far, at least, like with Paul, the answer has been no. A big fat no. 

We don’t like no. We think God doesn’t like us when He says no. We think there’s something wrong with us when God says no.

Paul had to learn that the gifts God gives are always good, and He always uses them for good, whether they seem good to us or not. Even when they seem to us like socks under the Christmas tree rather than the new phone or video game we really wanted. And Paul did learn. So later, when he and Silas are in chains in prison, they are singing hymns and praising God (Acts 16:25) - which terribly confuses the jailer! And Paul would also write that I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content (Philippians 4:11). 

Now all this is not to say we should do nothing; just accept whatever comes along. Not at all. The gifts of God also include the vocations He has given you, for you to do good for others, and the people in other vocations He has provided for you, to do you good. Paul sang hymns and praised God while in prison, but he also appealed to Caesar for justice. But he learned not to limit his joy and faith to only those times when things worked how he wanted them to, or according to how he thought. He came to understand that the gifts of God are much bigger than that and might look quite different than he or anyone else thought.

And today, too. The Christian life may not be what we think or imagine or are told. 

For today is Independence Day, and many Christians think that just as our country grew and gained its independence, so also Christians should grow in faith and become independent, or less dependent on God - when the truth is exactly the opposite. To grow in faith is to grow more and more dependent on God, to rely His Word and promises, and gifts. It is to grow more and more in repentance and to rely on His forgiveness. It is to grow more and more in the knowledge of our own weakness and inability, and rely on His strength. It is to grow more and more aware of all that we do not know, and rely on His mercy. The God who, as we prayed in the Collect today, whose almighty power is made known chiefly in showing mercy.

So what are the gifts God has given you? Maybe some we know, maybe some we don’t, maybe some, like Paul, we don’t think are gifts at all! So Paul says rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18). For that is what faith does. Faith in our gift-giving God.

And then also come and receive the gifts that we know are gifts - the gifts our Saviour has put here for us in water, words, and bread and wine; the gifts that flow from the cross: the gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. The gifts Jesus sent His apostles out to give, and that He is still giving now through His church and His pastors. Gifts that seem poor but are really rich. Gifts that seem weak but are really strong. Gifts that can give what no other gifts can give - Jesus Himself.

And that’s the gift that will never stop being given. For even when we are cast down into the dust of death - we will, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye - be raised up to life again. And not just life, but eternal life. Life with no more tears, death, or sadness. And no confusion. Everything made clear. That all that God did, all that our Lord gave, really was good, and worked good for us. 

Even if you thought they were thorns in your flesh.

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