Sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Come, Lord Jesus!”

Text: John 17:20-26; Acts 1:12-26; Revelation 22:1-20

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

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

The church is a mess. She is fractured. The number of different denominations and independent churches is in the thousands. She has been rocked by scandal after scandal - financial, sexual, and others. Unbelievers look at the church and see division, turmoil, confusion. They see a church that has lost her way. A church that follows the culture instead of leading people to the truth. A church that has lost her voice and instead of faithful proclamation parrots the latest fads, flights, and fancies of men. Not all churches, of course. But those outside the church make no distinction. We’re all the same to them. A mess.

And we add to that mess. When we don’t act very Christian. When we court the favor of men instead of seek the blessing of God. When we who bear the name of a loving Saviour hold grudges and refuse to forgive, fail to love, and love what we shouldn’t. When we remain silent when we should speak, and speak when we should remain silent. When what we believe and how we live look as different as night and day. What’s a world to think?

And yet as great a mess as the church may be, the church is beautiful at the same time. With the beauty of holiness. Not because we’ve made her holy - clearly we haven’t, we can’t, and we never will! She is holy because Jesus has washed His Bride, cleansing her with His blood and making her spotless, without stain, wrinkle, or blemish (Ephesians 5). He welcomes His prodigal Bride home with His restoring forgiveness. Now clearly, this is an article of faith, not of sight. I believe in - not see - one, holy, Christian Church, we say in the Creed. 

If that is so - and it is - then you, too, are beautiful, in the eyes of your heavenly Bridegroom. When He looks at you, He sees not your great and many sins, your failures, your shortcomings, your weakness. He sees His beloved. He sees the one He traded His life for. He sees a righteous one, for you bear His righteousness. His gift to you. Even if you don’t feel holy and special, you are. Even if you don’t look spotless and perfect, you are. For Jesus has made you so. This, too, then, clearly, not of sight or sense, but of faith.

But now this beautiful Bride lives in a world once created good but now a mess, too. A world filled with war, hatred, death, selfishness, and greed. A world of lust, not love. A world which devours, uses, abuses, and has become a mere shadow of the perfection it once was. A world that doesn’t ask what is good but what is legal, and then shapes that according to its own desires. A world that doesn’t know beauty anymore, only its own ever-changing version of pretty and sexy. A world where technology may be advancing but morality is decaying. A world where technology meant to unite instead divides. A world not evolving and getting better and more united, but devolving into a chaotic confusion. And we add to this mess, too, though we should know better. 

No wonder Jesus prays for His Church, as we heard today! That we may be one. Not just united, but one. Not just co-existing, but one. Not just many parts stuffed together, but one. Not with a oneness of our own making, which is no oneness at all, even though we may call it that - but a oneness in Him. That united to Jesus we be united to one another. That what unites us be not what we happen to have in common now, for a time, but that we are united in His Body. People with nothing in common but sin, now united in forgiveness. Each of us united to Jesus in Baptism makes us far more than mere acquaintances, but family. Brothers and sisters in Christ. Perfectly one in Him. 

So in this world that seems more and more to be spinning apart and falling apart, in the midst of this division and mess, Jesus is gathering and uniting us through His Spirit. Bringing young and old, sinners of all shapes and sizes, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, people of all different ethnic groups, together, here, in His Church. And making us one. Not with a unity like after tragedy, which vanishes with the next controversy or news cycle. But truly one. A oneness for time and eternity. His prayer being answered. 

And He does that through His Word. The Word preached and given in water, words, and bread and wine. That Word makes one out of many, brings order out of chaos, speaks only the truth, and cleans our messed up lives and world with His forgiveness. All of us baptized into one Saviour. Many grains baked together in one loaf. Many grapes crushed together into one cup. Just as all our sins heaped together on one Saviour, on one cross, in one atonement. So that we can sit here today a speak with one voice, confessing not many truths but one truth, and praising one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And that is a gift. A gift we should not consider lightly. A gift Jesus laid down His life for, to provide that gift for the world. For you. And then a gift the apostles and martyrs laid down their lives for, because nothing in this world could compare to it. The oneness, the love, the forgiveness, the hope we have in Jesus.

That’s the gift Joseph - also called Barsabbas, also called Justus - and Matthias received, that enabled them to join the twelve. These two, as we heard, were not newcomers, but had accompanied the twelve through all the ministry of Jesus, beginning from His baptism by John until His ascension. They heard His teaching. They saw His miracles. They saw Him dead. They saw Him alive and resurrected. So they were and could be witnesses. For they were eye witnesses and ear witnesses.

But this was no competition. There was no campaigning. There would be no victory party. When the lot tumbled out of that jar with Matthias’ name on it, it was his death sentence. Matthias knew it. He had heard Jesus say that. That if the world hated Him it would hate them. That His persecution would be turned upon them. That those who killed them would think they were offering service to God! And it all happened. Matthias knew it, and still let his name be put into that jar! . . . Would you?

But what Matthias (and Joseph-Barsabbas-Justus for that matter, too) knew, that enabled him to do this, was that he had already died! Baptism joins us to the death and resurrection of Jesus, makes us one with Him. So His death is our death, His resurrection our resurrection. In baptism we already have a new life that death cannot end. So a life we can lay down for others.

If life in this world, for the few years we have it, is all we have . . . and the things of this world, whatever we can get and accumulate for ourselves, is all we have, or could hope to have, then yeah, we gotta hang onto these! Then this world is a competition for life, for the most, for the best. And that’s why it’s such a mess. People fighting for their lives. Billions all in competition with each other.

But what it we weren’t? What if it wasn’t about what we could get, but what we are given? About gifts? Gifts enough for all. Life enough for all. Would that change things? Of course it would. And it has changed you. Oh, don’t get me wrong - you’re still a mess! :-) As am I. And we still live in a messy church and a messy world. And yet in the midst of this messy chaos, there is also a oneness, a unity, that we have. In Jesus. A oneness that could only be a gift. A oneness given in love and forgiveness. A oneness that makes no earthly sense, and yet is true. A life not of competition, but to live together, with our Saviour and with one another. A life that even when we go our separate ways today, we’re still one. A life that even when our loved ones pass away, we’re still one. That’s remarkable. And it’s not only what Jesus prayed for, it’s what He did. He gave you that life, that oneness.

That life, that oneness, that hope, that gift, has been our joy this Easter season now coming to a close. Not just Jesus for me and my life, but Jesus for us and our life. Together. One. Baptized together. Living together. Confessing together. Feasting here together. Until the day we see what John saw, what we heard in the reading from Revelation today, the last chapter in the Bible: the water of life, the throne of God and the Lamb, the tree of life, the face of God. Quite a different reality than what we have and see today. 

And so until that day, we pray what Jesus prayed, that we may be one. That all may be one. And we pray Come, Lord Jesus! Come to those who do not know you and make them one with us. Come to those who have fallen away and make them one with us. Come to those who have erred or are straying and make them one with us. Come to us and keep us one with you and with one another. Come again in your glory and take us - as one - to that home; our eternal home. Where there is no mess, no sin, no evil - only life. Life eternal. Life as one. Come, Lord Jesus! Come. 

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

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

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Jesu Juva

“Our Promising, Prayer-Answering God”

Text: John 16:23-33; Acts 16:9-15; Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27

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.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a man of Macedonia all your own? A vision from God to tell you what to do! When you’re faced with a difficult decision and you don’t know what to do. Should I take this job or quit this job? What school should I go to? What am I going to do with my life? Should I marry this person? What if you had a man of Macedonia and a message from God to tell you what to do! Or if you were going in the wrong direction and doing the wrong things, to correct you, to turn you back. Wouldn’t that be great?

Maybe. But what makes you think you would listen anyway? Paul did, but . . . would you? I ask because God has already told us lots of things to do in His Word, and we don’t do them. Things like love your neighbor. All of them. Not just the ones you like. Forgive others. Even when it’s hard. Do good to those who hurt you. Not revenge. And lots more. What makes you think this would be any different? Oh, if God’s man of Macedonia agreed with you and what you want, then yes, of course, you’d follow! Gladly! But what if he didn’t? You really wanted this, but God told you that. Which way would you go? Really? Our track record on that is not good. That’s why we begin every Divine Service confessing our sin - we didn’t do what God told us to do . . . what He told us through His prophets and apostles and now in these last days through His Son.

Well one of those things God has told us to do is pray. The ancient name for this Sunday in the Church Year is rogate - pray. It is prayer Sunday. But not only has God commanded us to pray, Jesus added great and precious promises to our prayers, like the one we heard today: whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. That’s pretty sweet. And you’d think . . . you’d think that with a promise like that, we’d be praying constantly, asking for everything and then some! And I know you pray . . . but how much? How often? Enough? Or do you give up? Because, well, frankly, you’ve tried. But it seems that your prayers aren’t heard, aren’t answered, don’t matter. That this promise we heard today from Jesus is an empty one. Lots of things we ask God for we don’t get; they don’t happen. So why bother?

The key is to this promise is to know what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. As children of God, we sometimes think of that in a childish way. Parents teach their children to say please when they ask for something, and if they forget . . . What’s the magic word? Pleeease! And they get it. So as long as they say please, their request has to be granted. And if it’s not . . . But I said please! You have to do it! So as children of God, of our heavenly Father, do we think that way? That as long as I say in Jesus’ name at the end of my prayer, this promise is invoked and God has to do it! Lots of pop-religious fads and bad books say that, or something like it. Just pray the right prayer in the right way with enough faith and it will be yours.

But that makes prayer into a gimmick and something that you use to manipulate God. And think that you have to manipulate God in order for your prayer to be heard. But that’s not how it is with your heavenly Father. You are a baptized child of God in Jesus. You are dearly loved. You are washed clean of your sins. You have a Father in heaven who loves you more than anyone on earth and wants to do for you and give to you. You have a Saviour who died for you. You don’t have to manipulate Him into doing favors for you, or be good enough to have your wishes be granted. You can’t anyway. But you don’t need to. He’s forgiven your sins, so you are good. You have His fatherly love. You have His promise.

So to pray in Jesus’ name isn’t some magic formula - it is, rather, to pray as Jesus would pray; as He did pray. With faith in His sonship, and of your sonship in Him. 

Now God doesn’t want spoiled brats who get everything they want and love Him only because of what He gives. But He also doesn’t want children who doubt His love and care. He wants sons and daughters who know Him and trust Him. Who come to Him with any and every need, want, desire, and request, asking Him freely, boldly, and confidently! But also knowing that He will always and only do what is best and good for them. And so who don’t get upset when the answer is different than we thought is would be, should be. Who trust, even if we do not understand.

Our model for prayer like this, for prayer in Jesus name, to pray as He did, is the Garden of Gethsemane. As you probably remember, that night in the Garden Jesus was in great anguish, with sweat like great drops of blood, and He prayed three times that that cup He was about to drink, the cup of wrath and suffering and woe against the sin of the world, be taken from Him. Three times the answer was no. And then Jesus leaves the Garden bound and under arrest. But He leaves trusting, strengthened. Not because He got what He prayed for, but because He left it all in His Father’s good and gracious hands. Whatever happened would be good and for good. Even the cross.

So Jesus confidently asserts, as we heard today: I have overcome the world. It didn’t look that way when He bowed His head and died. Be He had. His resurrection proved it. He overcame sin and the world and death and the grave and satan and hell. All of it! He overcame it for you. And all because His Father said no to His prayer. It had to be this way. And what didn’t look good or feel good or seem good, God used for good. 

And so it is with your prayers, too. Jesus has overcome the world, but we are still living in it, in our own Gethsemanes, our own struggles, our own agonies. The disciples would be scattered, Jesus said. And they were. They would have tribulation, Jesus knew. And they did. They would endure the attacks and assaults of all who want nothing to do with Christ and His Word and truth. Enemies both seen and unseen. And not just the disciples then. But all since then. You, too. If not now then you have in the past or you will in the future. 

So we turn to our Father. As Jesus did. As Jesus told us to do. Not to saints or His mother or any who died and went before us. You don’t need to do that. Ask the Father, Jesus said. Our Father. So we do. We pray. For all kinds of things. In agony or joy. Scared or secure. For ourselves and for others. And your Father loves it. He never tires of hearing your prayer, for you are His baptized children! And when you do, even when He says no, like He did to Jesus in the Garden, you are strengthened, for you are trusting your Father to give and do what is best and right. You don’t need a man of Macedonia. You live by faith. And that is better. For that doesn’t depend on you and your faithfulness, but on your Father and Saviour and His faithfulness, on His words and promises, which will not let you down. For we know that if Jesus’ prayer and then cross led to the empty tomb, to resurrection and life, so will the prayers we pray and crosses we  bear in this world and life. They are not to hurt us, but to lead us to resurrection and life. The glorious life described in the reading from Revelation. When Gethsemane is no more, and there is only resurrection and life.

So how do we do it? How do we pray in Jesus’ name? How does His prayer become our prayer? First we breathe in Jesus’ Word, the Scriptures, and then we breathe them out in prayer. You breathe in the Word of Jesus and it works in you and forms you; it shapes your heart and desires and thinking. So we pray for the things we need and want in this world, yes. Nothing wrong with that. Give us this day our daily bread, Jesus taught us to pray. But we also know that this world and the things of this are passing away, so if we don’t get it, we live by faith. And who’s to say what God’s answer is anyway? We think we know. We think we know a lot of things. But perhaps our Father is working in ways we cannot see and do not know. And that one day we will be wonderfully surprised . . .

There is a great verse in Romans (8:27) that says that the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Because we don’t know what to pray for as we ought (8:26). So the Holy Spirit helps us. He intercedes for us, like a translator, according to the will of God. So maybe someone hurts you. And when that happens, maybe you pray for God to hurt them back! To hurt the one who hurt you! That’s what the old sinner-man in us wants. Pay back! Hurt for hurt. But the Spirit knows that’s not what the new saint-man in us wants. So He intercedes. God, help her forgive. Give her life. That’s what she meant. That’s what she needs. Help her forgive the one who hurt her. And turn that other person to You in repentance for forgiveness, too. 

So that night Jesus spoke these words, the disciples did indeed scatter and leave Him alone, as He said they would. But as Jesus said, He was not alone. The Father was with Him in the Spirit. Even in His agony. And you are not alone either. Whatever you are going through. You stand before the Father in the Spirit through the Son, baptized and holy. And you pray. Not to a God who is far, far away, but to your God, your Father, who is near to you and here for you. And your Father is pleased with you and your prayer. And you receive peace and joy. For even in this tough world, you are not alone, not forgotten, not on your own. 

But we do not only pray alone, we pray together, here. That’s important, too. Not only do we pray for one another we pray with one another. And as our Father has brought us together here, we receive His gifts together as He speaks to us, forgives us, and feeds us with the Body and Blood of His Son. And so we can boldly and confidently pray. Just like Jesus and in His name. And whatever the answer, we trust, we are strengthened, and we rejoice, for the Father will answer our prayer and give us what we really asked for but didn’t know how. And it will be good. 

So a man of Macedonia? To tell us what to do? Nah. The Lord has set you free to live. He’s given you His Spirit to lead and guide you, to intercede for you and pray for you, to care for you and be with you, to forgive you and keep you. Enjoy the gifts He gives, the opportunities He lays before you, and pray. He’ll answer. He’ll see to it. He already has, and He won’t stop now. 

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

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

SELC District Convention Meditation

I was privileged to preach the Friday morning meditation at our District Convention. The theme was Thy Strong Word, based on hymn #578.

Jesu Juva

“As It Was in the Beginning, It Will Be Again”

Genesis 1:1-2:2; LSB #578 v. 1

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

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Thy Strong Word did cleave the darkness.

And order was given to an earth without form and void. Light, water, land, and plants; sun, moon, stars, and galaxies; seasons, sea creatures, birds, beasts, and livestock; and finally, man and woman in the image of God. And it was good. And all together, it was very good. How could anything from God be otherwise? How could anything of God be otherwise?

 

At Thy speaking it was done.

For the Word of God is living and active. It is a Spirit-filled Word. What God speaks is truth. What He speaks happens. But not just in calling things into being. God speaks blessing, too. His first beatitudes, blessing the creatures He had made, blessing His man and woman, the crown of His creation, the ones bearing His image on earth. And it was so. They were blessèd. Saints. Holy ones. How could it be otherwise?

But it was soon otherwise. For soon, a new word, a new speaking. Not at THY speaking it was done, but at MY speaking it was done. The speaking of the one who does not create, but corrupts. Speaking that does not order, but twists. That is not true, but a lie. A word that is not strong, not filled with power and life, but a word that only pretends to bless and robs of life. The word of the one who is not a trinity of love and giving, but a singularity of self-obsession, self-idolatry, and hate. At MY speaking it is done, is his hissing boast. 

And sadly, it was. At his twisting, tempting, anti-Word word, what he wanted was done. Holy ones doing what is not holy. Saints being sinners. Ones already blessed, seeking blessing outside the Word of God. And it was not good. 

And it still isn’t. This word, this thought, this temptation planted into our minds still today: not THY Word but MY word. My thoughts, my opinion, my desire that at MY speaking it is done. My word at home, at work, in church, at the microphone at a District Convention. My word to get my way. My word to create my own reality, my own identity. My word the final word. Satan’s self-obsession, self-idolatry, living on in the sin which curves us in on ourselves. Like a black hole. Those mysterious holes in the universe which suck everything in on themselves. Which not even light can escape. So praise to me who darkness dost send?

A darkness, as you all well know, that is deep and getting deeper in our world today. Creation treated as god. Animals treated like people, and people acting like animals. Confusion regarding sexuality on so many levels and getting worse. The rejection of any notion of objective truth. Each person defining their own truth, which means each person being their own god. Add to that the darkness of my sin. The darkness of my death. Where is Thy Strong Word to cleave this darkness? To cleave the head off this satanic snake?

You know. Because you know that Strong Word was not just the beating of vocal cords and sounds waves flying through the air. Thy Strong Word is a person. First and foremost a person of the Trinity, but then also the Word made flesh. Jesus.

Where is Thy Strong Word to cleave this darkness that enshrouds our world today? You know. He is in the manger and on the cross. He is in the font and on the altar. He is in the pulpit. He is wherever the Gospel is spoken, poured, or eaten. And through these means, His life given for you and to you, His blood shed for you and given to you, cleaving the darkness of your sin and death with the light of His life, love, and forgiveness. Light greater than any darkness.

So For created light we thank Thee, yes. But even more, for the uncreated Light we thank Thee, the Light from Light, we say in the Creed, who came into His creation by the same Spirit who hovered over the waters in the beginning. To once again bring order to a world plunged into disorder. Into lives disordered and disoriented. Into your life. To once again speak not a truth, but the truth. A Word which does what it says. A Word which is and does only good. A word of life. A word of blessing. A word of forgiveness for me and my belief in my weak word not Thy Strong Word.

And it is so. Forgiveness. New life. Hope. Peace. Thy Strong Word, Jesus, still blessing and sustaining creation. Thy Strong Word, Jesus, still blessing and sustaining His Church. Thy Strong Word, Jesus, still cleaving the darkness. For a new day. A new day for a new creation. For a you made new. An Eighth Day. The eternal day. The day of resurrection. The day when all things are made new. The day when it will no longer be said, and there was evening and there was morning, no more while thine ordered seasons run. For as the last chapter in Scripture tells us, night will be no more. There will be no light or lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be our light (Revelation 22:5). As it was in the beginning, it will be again, in the end. Perfect. Holy. Blessèd. How could it be otherwise?

For Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] Alleluias without end!

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

No sermon to post this week as Pastor Douthwaite away at the SELC District Convention. Thanks to Chaplain Mark Nuckols for stepping in for me. Click here to watch the recording of that service.

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter / Good Shepherd Sunday

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Hear. Follow. Live”

Text: John 10:22-30; Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; Acts 20:17-35

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.

It was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. Today you know it as Hanukkah. It was not one of the feasts God established in the Old Testament. But that’s okay. It was a feast that began during that period of time between the testaments, a festival to celebrate the cleansing and rededication of the Temple after a time that it had been taken from the Jews and desecrated. They had triumphed over their enemies. So it was a festival of great joy. 

So at this festival they remembered that - the people’s thoughts were of victory and freedom. So when they saw Jesus this day, they tried to put two and two together. For they were now living under the political dominion of Rome. People were saying Jesus was the Christ. So was Jesus going to do for them now what had been done for them then? Was He going to be the Christ, the Messiah, to give them victory and freedom from Rome? How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. 

Well, Jesus said, I did. I told you, and you do not believe. 

Why not? Because He was not the kind of Christ they wanted. So what usually happens in a situation like that, when things aren’t exactly as we want or hope, is that we just hear what we want to hear. Or we re-interpret what we hear but don’t like; make it fit the way we want things to be. Or ignore what we don’t want to hear, what doesn’t fit the way we want things to be. 

So Jesus had told them that He was the Christ, that this is the reason He had come into the world, and that He was this kind of Christ - not a political Saviour, not to establish a kingdom in this world and life, but to give eternal life. To lay down His life for the forgiveness of sins. To rescue us from sin and death, not Caesar and Rome. But that’s not what they had in mind. Not really what they wanted. They heard what He said but didn’t want to follow that kind of Christ, to that kind of kingdom, in that kind of way.

And it is something that is still happening today. Today, too, lots of people hear the Word of God. Lots of people hear of Jesus and His Word. But . . . well . . . that’s not really how I want to live, what I want to do. So, as Jesus said, they hear but do not believe. They hear but do not follow. Or they hear only what they want to hear, re-intrepret what they don’t like, and ignore what they don’t want to hear. They make Jesus into the kind of Saviour they want Him to be instead of the Saviour He is. The tail wags the dog. They want Jesus to follow them where they lead, do what they want, rather than the other way around. 

We do it, too. Let’s not just point the finger at others. Aren’t there things in the Scriptures you don’t like? Things you wish were different? Commandments, teachings, instruction - let’s be honest - that you overlook? ignore? Because, well, things are different now. Maybe it’s whether or not women can be pastors. Or God’s design for sexual activity to be only between one biological man and one biological woman joined in marriage. Or maybe it’s to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. To forgive those who sin against you, and not just a couple of times. To honor your father and mother and the earthly authorities God placed over you. And that’s just a few examples, some of the hot button issues in our world today. Because I want to do this, or I don’t want to do that, and wouldn’t things be better if God did things our way? Modernized. Changed with the times. And so instead of conforming our lives to the Word of God, to conform the Word of God to our lives? That’s what we want, isn’t it? That’s what the sin in us wants. To make ourselves the authority. To make ourselves gods.

But where does that lead? Well, you can look around at our world today and see. The havoc in people’s lives, identity crises, family crises, ever-increasing polarization, power struggles, vilification, marginalization, isolation, hate - people being robbed of life. Because what we think is good may not be good at all. What we think we want may wind up being not what we wanted at all. 

We need a word to point out the dangers we can’t see, from someone who knows what they’re talking about. I think of the people who want to go swimming in the Potomac at Great Falls. The water looks so good - because you can’t see the current beneath the surface that will sweep you away. Or people who go skiing up in the mountains after a new snow fall, and it looks so perfect, all that pristine new snow - but they don’t realize that right above them is an avalanche ready to unleash on them. And the problems in our world today, and in our lives today, because we didn’t listen, or we listened to the wrong voices. And things didn’t work out, didn’t give us what we wanted; didn’t get us where we wanted to be. And so things are a mess.

So the Good Shepherd comes. He who knows the good pastures, the good waters. Follow Me, He says. And we say: Hey, that pasture looks good! That water looks clear! Let’s go there! Let’s do that! But He knows better. Follow Me, He says. There are predators there. There is poison there. There is danger there. To your soul. Oh, maybe you’ll survive for a while, maybe things will even seem to get better for a bit. But it won’t last. In the end is ruin and death. 

The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, Jesus said. They bear witness that what I do, what I say, where I lead, is good. The sight to the blind, the hearing to the deaf, the walking to the lame, cleansing to the lepers, life for the dead. Cleaning up the mess of this world. But that’s not what I came to do. That all is a witness; it bears witness about me, about what I did come to do. Because there’s a greater mess, a more deadly mess, that I have come to save you from. For I have come to give not just life here and now, to heal one disease only to have you succumb to another; to fix you one way only to have you break in another. What’s the good of that? I have come to give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. That’s the kind of Christ, the kind of Saviour, I am.

Now that’s a pretty bold claim! But the empty tomb that we celebrate this Easter season shows that it is not an empty claim. That there is one who conquered death. That there is one who really can give a life that is eternal. The one who came to clean up the mess in our souls with His atonement for our sins. To heal us from the inside out. The one who promises, as we sang earlier, that surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Which doesn’t mean that we will have no trouble and an easy life, but that as He said earlier in that psalm, that when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He will be with me. Not that there won’t be evil, but that when there is evil all around, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. In the presence of my enemies, even there is His table before me, to provide for me and strengthen me. And not that I won’t wander and sin, but that when I do, He restores my soul with His forgiveness. For the Lord is my shepherd. Not in a perfect world or a world that is progressing to perfection. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need a shepherd! He is a Good Shepherd for not good sheep. A Good Shepherd, my shepherd, in a sinful, imperfect, struggling, evil, and hurtling toward death world. God didn’t stay away in disgust for what we had done - but came, was born for us, was born as one of us, to save us.

And He has. The reading from Revelation giving us a glimpse of that victory. That great multitude in heaven, those who have passed through the valley of the shadow of death and come out alive. Because of their Shepherd. The one who blazed that path through death and takes us through it with Himself. The one who died with us that we might rise with Him. To that life that is not a mess,with no more hunger, no more thirst, no more heat of persecution or tribulation, no more tears. Only life. Life as it was meant to be. Life the Lord wants for you. For us to be with Him, in peace.

That is the kind of Christ He is, and He told us plainly. In His life, in His death, and with His empty tomb. To give us life for more than just 100 years or so. To give us hope greater than just what our small minds can think of. To give us what is truly good, not just what I think is good for me, for now. 

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them . . . And that word - know - is so much bigger than just what’s in your mind. It is that, but it’s more than that. It’s a husband and wife word, a bride and bridegroom word, a unity word. He knows you because He has united Himself to you, and you to Him. You were baptized into Him and He into you. So He’s going to care for you as He cares for Himself. Where you go, He goes, and where He goes, you go. They follow me. And I hold onto them. He’s not going to let you go, divorce you, or forsake you. No one will snatch them out of my hand. And if it seem that way at times, His Word, His life, His death, and His empty tomb teach us otherwise. That He really is a Good Shepherd. Our Good Shepherd. My Good Shepherd.

And He sets His Table here for you today, to come and eat. In the presence of our enemies. In the midst of a world that has less and less room or desire for this kind of Christ and His truth. In the midst of those fierce wolves Paul was talking about, and men speaking twisted things. Here Jesus feeds you. With His Word, with His forgiveness, with His Body and Blood. And He holds onto you. Because that’s the kind of Christ He is. Faithful. With you in life, with you in death. With you in good days, with you in bad days. With you in joys, with you in sorrows. With you in ease, with you in trials. With you. Because you’re going to have all of those things! But they is not greater than He. They did not overcome Him, so they will not overcome you. He and His Father are one, and He made Himself one with you.

So you can leave this place today and live in confidence, that whatever comes, however it comes, whenever it comes, your life is secure. You belong to Him. Hear His voice, follow where He leads, and rejoice! For Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!] You have a Good Shepherd.

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

Sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“You Don’t; He Does”

Text: John 21:1-19; Revelation 5:1-14; Acts 9:1-22

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.

Well, Thomas learned his lesson! He wasn’t going to miss again! He wasn’t there that first Easter night in the locked room with the others, but he wouldn’t make that mistake again. So when Peter says he going fishing, he’s there. In fact, he’s the first one mentioned after Peter. Maybe he was first in line. For as he learned, you never know when or where Jesus is going to show up . . .

But this story isn’t about Thomas, but Peter. Peter is the one Jesus would take aside and have a one-on-one with this day. By the Sea of Tiberius, which is another name for the Sea of Galilee. The same place where Jesus had first called Peter to be His disciple and told him he would now be catching men. But this day, after three years of following, after three years of learning, He has a question for Peter. Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? 

This is one of those questions that there is no right answer to. Like, have you stopped kicking the dog? Or, have you stopped cheating on your taxes? If you say yes, you admit that you had been doing that, but stopped. If you say no, you are saying you still are, that you haven’t stopped.

So what’s Peter supposed to say? Of course, he knows the answer is supposed to be yes. That teaching goes all the way back to Deuteronomy (6:5): You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. There is nothing we should love more than God. It’s the First Commandment: You shall have no other gods. Meaning, we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. So he knows he should say yes. He wants to say yes.

But he also knows that he kind of said that before, and well, you know what happened. It was not that many nights ago, in fact. Jesus said that the prophecy of Zechariah was now going to be fulfilled. That I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered (Zechariah 13:7). Peter boldly stated: Even though they all fall away, I will not! Jesus replied, Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. To which Peter said: No way! If I must die with you, I will not deny you (Mark 14:27-31). And then . . . well, you know.

They say the sense of smell is one of the deepest memory triggers. The morning of our story here, Peter is sitting with Jesus beside a charcoal fire - the same as the fire in the courtyard of the High Priest (John 18:18), when Peter was asked if he was with Jesus, if he knew Jesus. Certainly, his denying was a stain on his conscience, something he would not soon forget, but then add to that the smell of the charcoal fire, flashing him back to the courtyard, back to his shame, back to his horrific failure . . . And then to hear that question: Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? 

He wants to say yes! But how can he? But he can’t say no. Oh, what a jumbled, confused mess he is! So, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. But that’s as far as he will go. No more bold claims. Like Thomas, he had learned his lesson, too. So, more than these? The others? More than these? These things of his trade, that he had gone back to this night? Not gonna go there. After Jesus asks the third time, a grieving Peter says: Lord, you know everything. You know what’s in my heart. You know better than I do. 

He loved Jesus. He did. He wanted to be with Jesus. He did. He meant what he had said before. He did. He just couldn’t . . . 

What about you? How would you answer Jesus question?

Like Peter, you know what your answer is supposed to be. But is it? Is it, in your life? How you live? What you do? How you set your schedule, your priorities? How you spend your time, your money? Do you love Jesus more than your family or spouse? Jesus had said that before, remember that? Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me (Matthew 10:37). How about your work, your play, your sports? Your friends, your tech, your gadgets? Your sleep, your money, your plans, your goals? Name (fill in the blank), do you love me more than these?

Welcome to Peter’s world. 

Maybe, like Thomas and Peter, you’ve learned your lesson. Maybe there was a day you would have boldly said yes! And you meant it. But then, life happens. Conflicts arise. Problems. Difficulties. Fears. They get the best of you. And you find yourself like Peter, between a rock and a hard place. And you don’t do, you don’t say, you don’t follow through how you know you should. That’s true for me at least. And I don’t think I’m the only one . . .

Peter’s not worthy. Neither are we. And yet Jesus does not send him packing, or back to his fishing business. Doesn’t cut him off. He is still in Jesus’ plans. He is still an important part of Jesus’ plans. Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep, Jesus says to him. And do so not because you love me more than these. Because he didn’t. He couldn’t say that. Do so not because you are worthy. Because he wasn’t. He knew that. Do so because I forgive you. Do so, because my lambs and sheep will not be able to answer that question correctly either! And they will need forgiveness, too. Just like you, Peter. Feed them, tend them, this way. Just as I am you. Forgive them. 

For when it comes to worthy, there is only one. We heard of that in the reading from Revelation today, John’s vision of heaven. There is a scroll, with writing on both sides, but no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it; . . . no one found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And by the time John had this vision, Peter had already joined the company of heaven, had already been martyred. He was not worthy, even there, even then, even after being martyred for his faith. That did not make him worthy. There was nothing he could do to make himself worthy. There was only one, a lamb who had been slain but was alive again. A lamb whose His blood had ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and brought them into the kingdom of God, as His priests.

He was worthy, because He loved His Father from eternity. He loved the Lord His God with all His hearts and soul and might while here on earth, in the flesh. He feared, loved, and trusted God above all things, even when it meant Him dying on a cross. And He loved you, His neighbor as Himself. Perfectly. Taking your place in death and giving you His place in life. Taking all your sin, your shame, your horrific failure on Himself, to set you free. To ransom you. That you be forgiven. And you are. Just as Peter. And so you are worthy not because of anything you do; you are worthy because of everything Jesus did. For you.

Just like at the Sea of Galilee - both times. They didn’t get those large catches of fish because they were such good fishermen. Because they weren’t! Both times they fished all night and caught nothing. They got those large catches of fish because of what Jesus did. At His Word.

And at His Word He provides all you need. His Word with the water of baptism that washes you clean and gives you new birth. His Word which absolves you. The preaching of His Word, His Gospel. And His Word which makes mere bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lamb to feed you. His Word which makes sinners into saints, fishermen into disciples, even enemies into missionaries.

For like as with Peter, He still has plans for you. Even if you’ve been someone like Saul. Saul the great persecutor of the church. Saul, the enemy of Jesus. At His Word, Saul is changed, and Jesus will use him for great things. Just like Peter. And just like you. You may not think so. You may not think what you do, or what you will ever do, is so great. But Jesus judges great differently than the world. And while the world may think you quite ordinary, to Jesus you are not. To be great is His eyes is simply to be His child, to receive from Him and look to Him for all you need. And what you receive from Him, you’ll give. His love, His forgiveness. To those people He gives to you. 

That is what Peter would now do. That would be his confession. That is how he would tend and feed Jesus’ lambs and sheep. He would teach them of the Lamb who was slain, and give them that Lamb. Give them His Word, His forgiveness, His Body and Blood. He would tell them how Jesus did that for him, and for them, too. And He’ll use you to provide for others as well. Not the same as Peter, but in your own way. Where He puts you. For the people He gives to you. 

And if anyone asks you: Name (fill in the blank), do you love Jesus more than these? You can - not proudly, but truthfully - confess: no, I do not. I can not. But Jesus loves me more than these. And that’s what matters. That’s the answer. Not me, but Him. Not what I do, but what He has done, and is still doing, for me. What He did for me long before I ever came along. His death, His resurrection, His forgiveness, His life. He did it all, and gives it all to me. And you, too.

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.