Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Adult Confirmation in today's Divine Servcie

Jesu Juva

“The Word that Gives Us Jesus”

Text: Mark 7:1-13; Ephesians 5:22-33

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

The Pharisees were one of the groups that formed in Judaism during what is called the Intertestamental Period - the approximately 400 years between the end of the prophetic career of Malachi at the end of the Old Testament, and the arrival of John the Baptist at the beginning of the New. And with the rise of these groups, Judaism changed. The Judaism of Jesus’ day was quite different than what we read of in the  Scriptures - in the time of Moses, the Judges, and the Kings. Many of their teachings, rules, laws - their traditions - are not found in the pages of Scripture. They evolved and grew during this Intertestamental time, along with and under the tutelage of these groups like the Pharisees. 

Now, to be charitable, most were, I’m sure, well-intentioned . . . though a few could be considered questionable. But this is why Jesus sparred so often with the Pharisees, like what we heard in the Holy Gospel today. They were insisting their traditions be regarded and followed as the Law of God. What they said was it. But Jesus knew better. These were not in God’s Law; not in the Scriptures. And while some may have been good and helpful, others were not. Others, in fact, contradicted and went against the clear Word of God. And anything that goes against the Word of God - however well-intentioned, however wise-sounding, however impressive, however seemingly-enlightened - has got to go.

But it didn’t just happen in Jesus’ day. The same thing happened in the time leading up to the Reformation. Groups were forming within the church and from them changes in teachings, in traditions, and in the liturgy had crept in. Things were evolving. Most, I’m sure, well-intentioned, and some, I’m sure, helpful. But others were not. Others went against the Word of God. And anything that went against the Word of God had to go.

And you could say the same thing has been happening in the church in our day and age. Though today with our technology the changes happen at a much faster pace! But it is not hard to see how some churches have changed their teachings on a whole host of issues - things that were spoken against in the past are now considered okay; and in some cases not just okay, but good, right, and salutary. But we should not just accept these changes uncritically. Some may be good, but some may not. Some may be against the Word of God. And for those, however well-intentioned, however wise-sounding, however impressive, however seemingly-enlightened - anything that is against the Word of God has got to go. Sadly, though, some churches have held onto such teachings and insisted that not these new teachings but the Word of God has to go.

In the Holy Gospel we heard today, the issue Jesus faced was two-fold: first, it was the Pharisees insisting on their tradition of washings - which, really, isn’t bad. Washing is good, right? During the pandemic we were told repeatedly to wash our hands. The problem was the Pharisees were teaching that these washings were commands and doctrines given by God when they weren’t. So they were speaking where God had not spoken, misrepresenting the Word of God. Which, if you can do with something not so vital, like washing, you can do with things much more important - like the commandments. Which, in fact, is what Jesus points to next. For the Pharisees also had a tradition - called Corban - which prohibited them from doing anything for their father or mother. A clear violation, as Jesus points out, of the Fourth Commandment, which commands us to honor, serve, obey, love, and cherish our parents. A commandment, by the way, you never outgrow. So as Jesus pointed out, their tradition was actually not just contradicting but trumping the Word of God.

In our day and age, one of the new teachings or traditions that has overtaken the Word of God - not just in the world but also in some churches - is with regard to what we heard about today in the Epistle - marriage. Now, I’m not going to pick on any one group today - you all know what has happened to marriage in recent years. And to preach just against them would just make all of you smug and self-righteous. And that’s no good either. Because the reality is that the problems in our world, society, and church go back much farther than just recent history and recent changes and re-definitions and is a reason of US to repent. Yeah, us. That we have not taught about nor upheld marriage as we should. 

That the God-given roles of husbands and wives are good and something we should strive to live by. 

That sexuality is reserved for the marriage of one man and one woman and was designed for the procreation of children. 

But do we wink at those who violate this? And at sexuality run rampant in our world today and infecting just about everything? Have we even bought into it? Do we turn a blind eye to the pandemic of folks choosing to “live together” without being married? Have we thrown up our hands at divorce and said: Oh well! Do we choose not to address the issue of pornography because, well, boys will be boys? Do we encourage our children to marry and have children - in that order? And that that’s good to do so? Do we regard children as a gift and blessing from the Lord? Or has medical technology made procreation so clinical that we think the where, when, why, what, who, and how of children is in our control? And I could go on and on . . .

The problem with all this - whether it is what happened with the Pharisees, or at the time of the Reformation, or today - isn’t just a matter of rules and laws and morals. It is far more important than that. It is that Jesus gets lost. The Commandments were given NOT to make us good, because they can’t do that. The Commandments were given to enable us to see that we’re NOT good, and that we need Jesus. We need His forgiveness and His life and His salvation. We need Him to bear our sin for us on the cross. If we think we’re not so bad and that those things God calls sins really aren’t sins at all, then there’s no need to repent, no need for forgiveness, no need for Jesus. And that’s NOT a good place to be! Because on the Last Day, without Jesus, you’re facing a dismal future. And that’s putting it lightly.

So the pure Word of God is important because Jesus is important. As you’ve heard me say, the Bible is not a rule book, it’s a Jesus book. From beginning to end, it’s all about Him. 

Even these verses about marriage we heard from Paul today - for did you hear what He said there? Right in the middle of all this talk about husbands and wives he says, This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. He was really talking first and foremost about Jesus! Christ as the perfect, loving Bridegroom, and the Church as His Bride. This is the way Christ cares for His Bride. This is the way church submits to Christ’s headship. And God wants to bless our marriages in the same way. This isn’t a rule to follow to make God like you! It’s a reality for God to bless you!

And so to change or ignore or disregard the Word of God - in this or any other way - is not just a matter of rules, and who’s good and who’s not. It is to miss out on the blessing God has for us in Christ Jesus. A blessing we want, and as the church want all people to have.

So the call to repentance is a call not to condemn, but to receive - to receive the forgiveness, life, blessing, and salvation of Jesus that He won for you on the cross. Because that is what we need. And that is what Jesus wants to give. To all people. Whoever they are, however they live.

That’s why catechesis is so important for the church. To know the Word of God that gives us life. To know that Word made flesh and all that He has done for us. To know what God has said, so that when the world or even the church says something different, we’ll know something’s not right. That with this false teaching, Jesus is being taken away from us.

So we have catechesis for the sake of Jesus; to give us Jesus. And in catechesis, we actually read the Word of God and discuss it. And then see how that word is reflected in the Catechism. And then see how that Word is lived in the liturgy. And then see how we take the gifts given to us by Jesus in the liturgy out with us into the world to live them and give them to others. It’s all about the Word of God and Jesus.

And that Word of God tells us not only about who Jesus is and all that He has done for us, but also who we are. And that’s something SO important today. To know who you are. Your identity has become a BIG issue in the world. People claim certain identities. Certain identites are considered good and others bad. People try to steal your identity. But what the Word of God tells us is that your identity is a gift. It is something given to you. By the one who created you, the one who redeemed you, and the one who wants you as His own. And that your identity is not what the world says it is or what you say it is, but what God says it is. And He says: you are a baptized child of God, you are mine, your sins are forgiven, and you are an heir of heaven. And that identity trumps all others. Because that identity is eternal. 

But that’s something we have to learn. So we catechize. We read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Word of God. And we rejoice in this gift and in being a child of God. That’s why today is a day of joy as Audra, Barbara, and Joe come up here and confess the Word of God and say that even if threatened with death, THIS is who they ARE. That the life and forgiveness Jesus gives no on can take away. Those are big words. Too big, if they were ours. But not too big for Jesus. Who backed them up with His resurrection from the dead. Who promised to be with us and strengthen us and provide for us and come back again for us, to take us home. And He will. So we can be confident and sure.

And confident and sure in this too: that today is just a beginning. Confirmation is not an ending. Satan is going to step up his attacks and assaults against Audra, Barbara, and Joe, and will continue to hound and harass us. The world isn’t going to stop its opposition to the Word of God, and even our own sinful flesh is going to try to pull us away and drag us down into sin. The Word of God tells us all that, too. Life isn’t going to be easy.

So today is a beginning. The beginning of Audra, Barbara, and Joe receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus with us, continuing to receive the forgiveness of their sins, and being strengthened with this food. They’ll need it as badly as the rest of us. The Bridegroom here caring for His Bride and giving us all we need. And directing our eyes not just to the cross and what Jesus provided for us there, but also through the cross and empty tomb to the life that never ends.

And if you think about it, that means we’re really in a kind of in-between time as well. Not an Intertestamental time, but the time between Jesus’ ascension and His coming again in glory. And in this time, this in-between time, traditions have come and gone, there have been plenty of false teachings and there will be plenty more. But what doesn’t change in the Word of God. So to that we cling. In that we rejoice. And we rejoice most of all that even when we fail and fall, that Jesus clings to His Bride, to us, with His forgiveness. And He will not stop. He will not let you go. He loves you too much. 

So Audra, Barbara, and Joe, we rejoice in the Word you have received, the forgiveness you have received, and the life you have received, and that you will continue to receive here with us. We rejoice that God has brought you here. You are a blessing to us, as we will strive to be a blessing to you. Call us to repentance when we need, and we’ll do the same. Forgive us, pray for us, and expect the same from us. And rejoice with us in the faithfulness of God as He builds His Church and leads us, His Bride, home.

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

Sermon for the Commemoration of Mary, Mother of Our Lord

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Jesu Juva

“The Joy of Faith”

Text: Luke 1:39-55; Isaiah 61:7-11; Galatians 4:4-7

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

You’ve heard me say before that saints days are usually celebrated on the day of their death, not the day of their birth, because that is the day of their birthday into heaven. So today is the day the Church set aside to remember Mary’s death. 

We don’t hear of Mary’s death in the Scriptures though. No verses to read about that today. It could have been included somewhere, it seems, since the average lifespan of people back then was much shorter than it is today. Some traditions have her living just 10-20 years after Jesus’ death and many Biblical books were written after that.

So today, instead of reading about Mary’s death or speculating on it, we heard of what made Mary special and significant - the birth of her son. Or, what she did and said right after she was told she was going to have a son. Which, I want to propose to you today, is the day of her death. The day she died to the life she thought she was going to have, and realized God had another plan for her life. A better one.

We all make plans for our lives. What we want to be when we grow up. Where we want to live. Sometimes those plans include getting married and having children. What our spouse will be like. How successful we will be. Live happily ever after. And more. Sometimes those plans work out and sometimes they don’t.

But now imagine that God comes along and says, nope! What you think, what you’re imagining, dreaming, that’s not how it’s going to be for you at all. I have another plan. A completely different plan . . . 

Well, you’re a Christian, so okay, perhaps you would say, I’ll go along. You’re God, after all . . .

Good! God replies. Now, about my plan . . . That big fancy marriage you were hoping for, no. You’re actually going to get pregnant before you’re married. These days, no one bats an eye at that. But in those days, that was still a big deal. Joseph would not be pleased. Oh, and the son you are going to have, He’ll be spoken against and opposed. Many will hate Him. In fact, He’s going to be crucified, and you’ll be there. You’re going to see Him agonize and then take His final breath. And it’s going to feel as if a sword is piercing your soul also. That’s my plan for you.

Uh . . . I thought this was going to be a better plan . . .

Now, you know, of course, that it was. But better doesn’t mean easier. And life, from this day forth, was certainly not easier for Mary.

Luther marvelled at Mary’s faith, that she was able to assent to the Word of the Lord that the angel Gabriel spoke to her. Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word (Luke 1:38). And that is remarkable. But I think what made Mary remarkable was not just her faith, but her joy. My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, we heard her say today. And remember, she spoke those words - we’re not told exactly when - but not many days after being told that her life was going to be far different than the way she thought. That her plans were not going to come about. That her life was going to be a lot more difficult than she imagined . . .

And her response? Yes! My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! Mary’s voice was not one of grudging resignation or resentment, but a voice of joy. The joy born from a faith that was born from the words and promises of God. A faith that rejoices even when things don’t look or seem or feel good at all. And that’s remarkable.

This week in our Vacation Bible School, one of the stories we heard was the story of Joseph. He was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, thrown into prison because someone lied about him, but then rose to be second in command of all Egypt (the vice president of Egypt, we called him!). When he finally reunited with his brothers, he forgave them and then said that what they meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20), and he rejoiced in the plan of God. But that was some 13 years later, after he saw how God’s plan all worked out. Do you think he was rejoicing as he was being hauled down to Egypt to be a slave? 

Two years ago this past week is when my father died and was called home to his eternal rest. And while we rejoiced in the promises of God given to him and in knowing that though old age and sickness had taken his life, he wasn’t really dead, but now with his Lord, still, we were sad. We’d have liked to have him with us longer. . . . But then, a couple of months after he died, the news started being taken over by this thing called the Coronavirus - maybe you heard of it? And then things got locked down and had my father lived, we would not have been able to see him or visit him for who knows how long! With his memory problems he would not have understood and we would have been worried and frustrated . . . and we realized - later! - how the plan of God was good after all; how God had taken him at just the right time; had spared him of having to live - or not - through that. And then we could rejoice.

And those are just two examples . . . we could go through the Bible and examples from history all day and note other examples of this, how people rejoiced in the plan of God after going though a time - sometimes very long - of hardship, trouble, doubt, and fear. 

So I think that’s what makes what Mary says here so remarkable, and such an example for us: she says it before she sees how it all works out. Faith rejoices not because it sees or knows, but because of the words and promises of God. Which, it turns out, are more sure that what we see or feel or think we know.

So Mary uses some words from the prophet Isaiah that we heard today to express her trust. She uses some words from Hannah, the mother of Samuel, to express her joy. She mentions Abraham, and how God had fulfilled and was - even now - fulfilling His words and promises to him. You see, it wasn’t her, but the Scriptures and God’s history of faithfulness that gave her the faith to rejoice even before she knew how it would all turn out.

And that’s true for you and me as well. And if we don’t, why is that? Is that a sign we don’t know our Scriptures well enough? Is that an indication that we are trusting in ourselves too much? Is that because we want our own way and not God’s way? Is that because our thinking is too much like the world’s and not enough like God’s? Perhaps it is all of the above. And a reason for us to repent.

To repent of ourselves and turn to the Lord for the joy and faith and confidence we need. To read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Scriptures so they become a part of who we are and how we think. To remember our baptism each day and all the promises God gave to us there. To come and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus - the same Body and Blood born to Mary - and receive the forgiveness and life we need. To turn to the Lord in all these ways, and rejoice in our good and faithful Father, whose words and promises are the most sure and true thing on this earth.

Imagine if we did that! Turned to the Lord and rejoiced like Mary no matter what. Think that would make a difference in your life? And maybe the lives of others, too?

This is something we also leaned in our Vacation Bible School this week. Our theme was Jesus Is Our Brother, which also means that God is our Father. For joined to Jesus in baptism and receiving His Spirit, His Father becomes our Father (which is also what He teaches us to pray, right? In the Lord’s Prayer . . . how does that start? Our Father . . .). So as the verses from Galatians that we heard today said, In the fullness of time (or at just the right time), God sent His Son into the world to be our flesh and blood brother, to redeem us and so that we might receive adoption as sons (in baptism). And so now we have God as our Father and can cry out Abba! Father! as sons (and daughters) of God and heirs - inheritors - of His promises. That all that He said and promised is not just for others, but for ME.

This is what enabled those early Christian martyrs to be joyful even in the face of beast and flame. All the modern day martyrs, too. For if (as I proposed at the beginning of this sermon) Mary died to the hopes and plans she had for her life when she received the words and promises of God from the angel Gabriel, she also rose that day to live in the life God had for her, and she rejoiced in it - in Him. 

And so, too, the day we received the words and promises of God in baptism. Our old selves died with Jesus in those waters and a new person emerged from those waters to live the life God has for us. A life, perhaps, not as we hope or think or want, but better. For it is His life, not ours. Not ours to do whatever we want, but to rejoice in our Father and Saviour, and follow where He leads. Because we know the end of the road where He leads is eternal life with Him.

So imagine . . . when we receive good news or when we receive bad news, when our life goes off the rails or is charging full steam ahead, when the unexpected or unplanned happens, when we are faced with challenges or when those challenges are overcome, when a curveball comes your way, when we are faced with a fork in the road and we don’t know which way to turn, whether things are going well or not so well, we said with Mary: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

If you think you don’t have that kind of faith, you’re wrong, dear Christians! You do. Because it’s not from you or of you, but what Jesus gave to you. We simply need to live it, and feed and strengthen it with our Lord’s words and promises.

Mary wasn’t the Mother of Our Lord because she was better than you or purer than you, but simply because God chose her, sola gratia, by grace alone. And that’s the same for you. He chose you sola gratia, and is using you for great things as well. Maybe not great in the eyes of the world, but great in His eyes.

So today we commemorate Mary. She’s important. What God used her for is important. We don’t ignore her or exalt her too much. We honor her, yes. But worship her, no. And we learn from her. Of our Lord and His faithfulness. And the best way we can commemorate her today is to come up here again to the altar and receive the Body and Blood of the son she bore, the God-man, the promised Messiah, and give thanks for Him and all that He has done for us. That we are the hungry He fills, the lowly He exalts, the sinners He forgives, the poor He helps, the weak He strengthens, the mourning He comforts, the sad He cheers, the doubting He assures, and the dead He raises to life. Because that’s the kind of God He is. From the beginning of time to the end of time. For Mary, and for you and me.

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

Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Come Feed on the Bread of Life”

Text: John 6:35-51

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

I am holding in my hand a check for ten million dollars. It’s true. I’ll show you after the service if you want. 

I don’t remember why I got it. I don’t remember what conversation I was having. But when I was at the seminary, a fellow student wrote me this check - for ten millions dollars. A real check, from a real bank, signed and everything. 

Of course, I didn’t try to cash it! You and I both know that seminarians are poor. They don’t give money, we give money to them, to support them. He could write me all the checks in the world, give me all the promises in the world, but he knew, and I knew, he couldn’t deliver on them. He knew, and I knew, this check for ten million dollars wasn’t even worth the paper it was written on.

Well that’s how the Jews heard Jesus. In the Gospel today they heard Jesus say, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. Yeah, right. There’s a lot of people in the world Jesus. And you’re saying whoever comes to me, which means all who come to me, even if it’s the whole world. You’ll feed them. You’ll care for them. You, one of the poorest people in this city. You just gonna write a check for ten million denarii and make it so?

And then Jesus says, I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Again, yeah right, Jesus! You’re not only going to give life now, but eternal life, too? Who do you think you are? Moses died, Abraham died, all the great prophets died - your own father died! But you, you came down from heaven, huh? Not from Nazareth, not from Joseph and Mary. And you say you can give the life of heaven. Really . . . Well to quote an old movie: Jesus, your ego’s writing checks your body can’t cash. 

Except He could. He had built an impressive resume. Not only having just fed the five thousand, but the healings, the exorcisms, the power over nature. He was consistently being challenged, and He consistently met every challenge. His teaching amazed all who heard Him and befuddled those who challenged Him. And now He was doing it again. Amazing and challenging words. Words the likes of which had never been uttered before. No wonder they had trouble understanding.

As do we. Let’s be honest. When what Jesus says challenges what we think, when His words challenge the status quo, when His truth is so different from what the world say is true, when He promises what seems impossible, when He says things like what we heard today, about being the living bread from heaven, about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, we can struggle with that, too. Our sinful nature pushes back, doubts, wonders. And some Christians flat out deny what He said here. It can’t be. It can’t be true.It just can’t be.

So Jesus got push back that day in Capernaum. And by the end of the day, all but the twelve, it seems, left shaking their heads and scratching their heads. It can’t be. It can’t be true. It just can’t be. They knew hunger. They knew thirst. They knew life and death. How could these NOT be? They knew Jesus. They knew His parents. How could He say He came down from heaven? How could He claim God as His Father? And then when they saw Him die on the cross, see? He can’t give life. He can’t even save His own life.

And then He did. And that impressive resume of His - the Jews were right, it would have meant nothing - had Jesus not risen to life from the dead. That empty tomb and the living body and blood of Jesus makes all the difference in the world. That what He promises - even life after death - He can deliver. And He will deliver. Whoever comes to Him will never hunger. Whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. The manna in the wilderness and the bread and fish that fed the five thousand sustained life until death. But the bread of Jesus, the bread from heaven, sustains life through death and to life again. 

So if you want life, don’t go to Moses or to anyone else. Don’t go to the Law or to anyone who says: here is the list of things you must do to have eternal life - even if that list is short. The life you need only Jesus can give. 

So come to Me, Jesus says. So we do. We come to Him in faith when we repent, when we read and hear His Word, when we bring our children to be baptized, when we come to His Table to eat His Body and drink His Blood. And that’s good.

What’s not is when we also turn away from Him. When in our weird, sinful, spiritual schizophrenia, we come to Him and turn to Him one moment, and then turn away from Him the next. When we do one thing Sunday mornings and then something else during the week. When we turn to other things that we think will give us life, or the kind of life we think we want or need. When we are swayed away from God’s truth by what the world says. And then this: not just when we’re NOT afraid to sin, but when we are afraid NOT to sin. Let me repeat that: not just when we’re NOT afraid to sin, and turn away from Jesus, but when we’re afraid NOT to sin. ’Cause that happens too. When we’re afraid that if I do not sin, if I do not do this thing, if I do not go along, I will lose friends, I will lose this pleaure, I will lose this thing I want, I will lose this life I have worked so hard to achieve. 

So you sin, because you’re afraid not to. So you sin, because you think your life is in your hands, and forget - or disbelieve - the promises of Jesus. So you sin, and what do you get? This kind of life is like the hurdles in the olympic track competition that maybe you’ve seen this week . . . except that there is no end to the race and always another hurdle to clear. So you kept your friends . . . until the next thing they want you to join them in. You received some pleasure, you got that thing you wanted . . . until the next one comes along. You cleared that hurdle and then you see there’s another. And another. And another. Always another, until you wear out, fall down, or die. That’s what sin is. That’s what sin does. It keeps moving the bar, setting up another hurdle, demanding more.

And so, too, with Moses and the Law that the Jews kept looking to to save them - there’s no end to that race. There’s always another sacrifice. Always more good works to do. Always more prayers to pray. Always striving to have a stronger faith, a greater faith. You’re always striving but never arriving. There’s no finish line. Because the finish line for eternal life is perfection. And you can’t reach that. You’ve already dropped that baton and been disqualified.

But that Easter morning, that was Jesus clearing the final hurdle - the hurdle of death and finishing the race. A race He didn’t need to run, but which He came and ran for us, to get us to the finish line, too. With Him. Therefore the life you need He has for you. So come to ME, Jesus says. Rely on ME. Believe in ME.

And even though sin will always remain part of the Chistian’s flesh and life, Jesus sees to it that it does not harm us. Though we stumble, He forgives. Though we turn away from Him, He does not turn away from us. Though we die, yet shall we live. That is His promise. That is His gift. He is that kind of bread - that can give that kind of life.

That’s why Jesus said: Whoever comes to me I will not cast out. It’s why He DIDN’T say: whoever doesn’t sin . . . He is greater than that. He came for sinners. And wants sinners to come to Him. The Jews wanted Him to cast out the sinners. They were offended when He hung out with them and ate with them. But He insisted. Because He would NOT cast out any who came to Him. This is why He came. For sinners. For you and me. He came to forgive and give life.

That’s His promise. The danger of sin is that turning to it we turn away from Christ. Little by little, turning to sin more and more, and turning to Christ less and less. Drifting away, being seduced, believing falsehood, until we have cast ourselves out of the kingdom, so firmly entrenched in sin we become. And that can even be good looking sin! Sin isn’t always the sin everyone knows is sin - sin can look good. Sin that brings the world’s accolades. That you’re good, brave, courageous, strong, successful, bold, and more, when really we’re broken, fearful sinners in need of life that our sin can’t give us.

Come to me, Jesus says. I will. I will give it to you. I will speak it in your ears. I will pour it on your heads. I will put it in your mouths. As often as you come. It will never run out. When you’re thirsty, I will give you drink. When you’re hungry, I will feed you. When you’re dying, I will give you life. 

These are spiritual truths, though they spill over into our earthly lives as well. You can’t divide the two. What you believe will also effect what you hunger and thirst for in this world and life, where you go, what you do, and where you look. To hear Jesus’ words and think only of this world and life - like the Jews who heard Jesus so often did; like so many today so often do, even us, at times - is trying to fit the square peg of Jesus into the round hole of this world. He’s concerned for us in this life, yes, but so much more.

So that day in the wilderness, He fed them. But He wanted to feed them so much more. He wanted to feed them with Himself. So He uses this miracle, John says, as a sign pointing to something even greater. So He catechizes them. On the true bread, on the true life, on their true Saviour. That we eat and not die. That we eat and live forever. That we find life and food and drink and forgiveness and hope in Him. For He came from heaven with all these gifts, and say: FOR YOU.

So come to me, Jesus said. And you did. You came. You came with your sins, with your fear, with your failures, with all the times you turned away and fell on your face this week, with your weakness, with your doubts, with your troubles, with your brokenness, with your troubled marriage, with your strained friendships, with your disobedience, with all the hurdles you knocked over this week, with your questions about the future, with your worries about your children, with your worries about yourself, with your dissatisfaction, with your confusion, and with everything else you carried in here with you today . . . hungering and thirsting for something more, something better, something you need that you just can’t get or do or achieve. 

And you’ve come to the right place. Here is the bread of life. The bread you need for the life you need. Feed on His forgiveness. Feed on His Word. Feed on His promises. Feed on His Body and Blood. And leave knowing that whatever you came in here with stays here and dies here. With Jesus. And you leave with His life and freedom. And that’s a check you can take to the bank! For whoever comes to me I will never cast out. And so it really is true, what Jesus said. And it really is true, what the psalmist said, and that we sang in the Introit: Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessèd is the man who takes refuge in him!

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

Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Come and Get . . . Him!”

Text: John 6:22-35 (Exodus 16:2-15; Ephesians 4:1-16)

After a difficult week and battling illness, an encore presentation (with a gentle reworking) of a sermon from yesteryear . . .

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

You think Jesus would have been happy. You think Jesus would have been happy that people were coming after Him. You think Jesus would have been happy that people were chasing Him down. When the people woke up the morning after Jesus had fed them, after feeding so many of them with five loaves of bread and two fish, and discovered He was no longer there, they went looking for Him, even sailing across the Sea of Galilee to find Him. That took some effort. And that’s a good thing . . . isn’t it? 

Well apparently not. For when they find Jesus, Jesus doesn’t seem particularly happy to see them. He doesn’t greet them, commend them for coming after Him, praise them for being sheep seeking their shepherd, or speak some other warm and happy words to them. He says (and I paraphrase now): You came just because you want more free food. Stop it. There’s something more important going on here. That food I gave yesterday was a sign. I’m not here just to fill your bellies, but to fill your souls. I’m not here just to provide bread for this life, but for eternal life. For I’m not just a Rabbi, as you call me, but the Son of Man. You came all the way across this Sea for food that perishes - would you have come so far and worked so hard if I hadn’t fed you? For just my teaching? You wouldn’t have, would you? Yet that’s more important. You should be working harder for that food than for food that perishes; food that just leaves you hungry the next day again. Stop it. Repent. 

Think about that . . .

That just chasing after Jesus isn’t necessarily a good thing, if you’re chasing after Him for the wrong reasons. Yes, Jesus gives good things for this world and life, and He’s happy to do it. For when the disciples were handing out the bread and fish, what do you think the look on Jesus’ face was? Happiness? Delight? Joy? Of course! He is the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep and loves to do so. He loves giving gifts. But if we love the gifts more than the giver, if we chase after the gifts more than the giver, if our focus is the gifts more than the giver, then those gifts aren’t good anymore. Then they’ve become idols, false gods, what we live for and from. And that’s not good at all.

Think about that . . . and take a look at your own life now . . . what are you willing to “cross the sea” for? And what are you not? If you think about it a bit, you may not like the answers you come up with. It’s funny how roads that seem too treacherous to drive to church are quickly braved to go do other things? Why is it that checks can look so big going into the offering and yet be so easily written for other things? How can it be so hard to find time for Scripture and prayer but so easy to find time for television, computer games, Facebook, Twitter, sports, music, and movies? Or how about with the Covid shutdowns last year - why did it take telling folks they couldn’t come to church to make them not only want to come to church but insist on coming to church!? 

Now, that’s not to say we can’t do those other things, and more - we can, and there’s nothing wrong with them. Our Lord gives us things in this world to enjoy. We don’t have to be and shouldn’t be monks.

And yet, it’s sobering isn’t it? And a bit convicting. Thinking about your life and how things are sometimes out of whack with us. When we’re willing to “cross the sea” for the gifts but not the giver of those gifts? Maybe those examples I mentioned didn’t hit home for you, but you have your own, don’t you? I do. And you know what they are for you. We do it too. Our sinful nature will always go after and cling to the things of this world - the gifts, rather than the giver. And when it does, as that day in Capernaum, we need to hear Jesus’ rebuke. We need to repent.

Now (to get back to the story) at this point, the people seem willing to do so; to repent. They didn’t turn around and go back after Jesus rebukes them - and apparently isn’t going to produce more bread - they stay and ask of Him. They want to learn more. So okay, Jesus. You told us not to work for food that perishes but for the food that endures to eternal life. How do we do that? What must we do, to be doing the works of God?

Perhaps the answer they expected, and that we might expect here, is: the Ten Commandments. What must we do? The Ten Commandments. Love God, love your neighbor. Pray, read your Bible, go to church, honor your father and mother, don’t murder, lead sexually pure and decent lives, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t covet what your neighbor has, to enrich yourself at his expense. But no, Jesus doesn’t say that. Because doing those things cannot get you eternal life. Doing those things are good and the way we should live, but they cannot atone for the sins you’ve already done and which have already produced the death you’re going to die. Even if we could somehow begin doing them perfectly now. When it comes to eternal life, they’re not the answer.

Rather, Jesus says, believe in him whom [the Father] has sent. Or in other words, put your faith not in yourselves and what you can do (we’ve already seen that!), but in the one who was sent - and not just across a Sea, but across time and space, from heaven to earth - to provide - to gift! - eternal life. Who was sent to do those things you cannot do. Who was sent to forgive sins and conquer death. Put all your chips on Him. If you’re going to “cross the sea,” cross it to receive these things, these promises, from Him, not for food that perishes. Not for food that’s here today and gone tomorrow.

Okay. Show us a sign then, they say. You can almost imagine the scene. We don’t know how many people were there, but it was a crowd and you know how crowds work - they were probably all shouting different things at different times. And so the guy over here shouts: Show us a sign! And then another guy yells: Yeah, what work do you perform? And then from somewhere further back: Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness - he gave them bread from heaven to eat. The implication being: your bread was pretty good, but you just gave us that earthly bread you’re talking about, food that perishes. That’s why we’re back for more. If you’re talking about greater bread, give us a greater sign.

Well Jesus really had just done such a sign. The same God who rained bread from heaven (as we heard in the Old Testament reading from Exodus) is the same God who had just fed the 5,000. A little different procedure, but the same gift, same God. But they were blind. They couldn’t see how great that was, or what it meant. They wanted to see something more spectacular in order to believe what Jesus was saying.

Which, again, is a trap so easy for us to fall into, too. This thinking that the more spectacular, the more true. The bigger the better. But it’s not always so. In the Epistle from Ephesians, Paul said that when Jesus ascended . . . he gave gifts to men. Great! We like gifts! So what were those gifts? And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers. Oh. Hmm. . . .

And he gave them, these people, Paul goes on to say, to equip the saints, to do the work of the ministry, to build up the body of Christ. And to do that how? Through preaching, and through giving the gifts of baptism and absolution and the Lord’s Supper, and through these giving the gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Oh. Hmm. . . .

And then Paul adds the goal: so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Or in other words, so that we stop “crossing the sea” for the things that really don’t matter. That we stop thinking and saying: Oh. Hmm, to His gifts and wishing for something more exciting, more spectacular. That we stop chasing so hard after the things that the world and maybe our sinful nature say are important and that we need, and realize there’s more our Lord has for us. That really, what He wants to give us is Himself.

And that’s what Jesus finally then says. I am the bread of life. I am the one sent from God. I am the one who crossed time and space. I am the one sent to give you eternal life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

That’s not just a statement; that’s a promise. Enjoy the things of this world, yes. But when you get them and still find there’s something missing, that there’s a hunger and thirst that all the things of this world are unable to satisfy or quench, you will find it in Him. And He comes to give Himself to you. To fill you with Himself. And for far longer than the 40 years Israel spent in the wilderness - for an eternity. And the sign He did for that was the sign of Jonah. He was swallowed up not by a fish but by death - your death and mine. And then on the third day rose from that death, spit out by a death that could not hold the perfect and innocent one, to live as the victor over sin, death, grave, and devil forever. What sign will you do that we may believe? That’s the sign. The one who descended from heaven and descended into death is now risen and ascended in life, and because He has, so will you; so will all who are joined to Him.

  

And so He comes for you again today, filling His Word with His forgiveness, filling this bread and wine with His Body and Blood. That you feed on Him and have the greater gift. That you feed on Him and have not just life, but eternal life.

And if Moses were here today, he would proclaim to us gathered here: this is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. And then St. Paul would add, that we may live and grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. 

That we grow. Grow in His mercy, grow in His grace, grow in His forgiveness, grow in His life. Grow in prayer, grow in His Word, grow in faith, grow in Him. And grow together - one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. Here is the Bread of Life that produces such a life. So if you’re going to “cross the sea,” cross the sea for this. Imperishable bread for an imperishable life. Come, Jesus says, and feast, on Him. Come, Jesus says, and live. Come, Jesus says. Come! To me. He’s the gift, given for you.

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