Sermon for the Last Sunday of the Church Year

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Jesu Juva

“Always the Shepherd of His Sheep”

Text: Matthew 25:31-46; Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

 

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

A shepherd gathers his sheep. They have been out in the pasture all day, being fed and watered, and now it is time to gather them into the fold for the night. He will count them and make sure none are missing, and if any are missing, he will go and find them and bring them back. He will note those who have been peaceful during the day, and those who have been a bit rebellious, a bit unruly, and perhaps need a little extra watching and discipline. He will bind up wounds and check on past injuries to make sure they are healing well. He will clean those who have gotten dirty. He will pay special attention to the little ones, the little lambs, who might need a hand. And once in the fold, he will continue to watch over them. He will defend them against the wolf and other predators, putting his life on the line for them, and comfort them when they get spooked. They know as long as he is there, they are okay, they are safe. They look to him and he looks out for them. Their lives are intertwined. They are his sheep. He knows them, and they know him. They would not be were it not for him and his care and protection. 

And that is how it will be on the Last Day.

When Jesus comes again in glory, and all the angels with Him, and He is sitting on his glorious throne, what will He do? He will do as He has all along - care for His sheep. He will not stop being our Good Shepherd just because it’s the Last Day! He will be the Shepherd He has been and will continue to be. His sheep who have been out all day in the world He will gather into the fold of His kingdom. He knows who are His, and He separates them out - the sheep from the goats. He knows those He has fed and nourished. He knows those He has searched for and found. He knows those whose wounds He has healed with His forgiveness. He pays special attention to His little lambs, so dearly loved. He knows the satanic wolf wants to claim His sheep as his own, but He will not let him. They are His. For them He has prepared a kingdom, and on the Last Day, He will gather us in, joyously. And His joy will also be their joy. OUR joy. 

For He not only knows us; we know Him. The one we’ve been with here every week. The one who has cared for us, watered us; whose voice we know, who has fed us with His Body and Blood. He’ll gather us - calling some of us from our graves, and gathering together those still alive - and there will be one flock, one shepherd, in one kingdom, with no more wolf, forever.

That is how it will be on the Last Day!

The prophet Ezekiel promised us such a shepherd, and Jesus came. He fulfilled all those words, and still is. As I said, Jesus isn’t going to turn into a mean, harsh judge just because it’s the Last Day, the day of His return! He’s going to be who He was all along. The one who shepherded Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The one who shepherded His people out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. The one who shepherded them through kings like David and Solomon, and who spoke through prophets like Ezekiel. The Good Shepherd who came and put Himself between the satanic wolf and the flock, laid down His life for His sheep, and then rose from the dead and continued to shepherd His flock through the Apostles and His Church. 

And that is how it will still be on the Last Day!

And then he will also joyously point out how His sheep were just like Him, though they maybe didn’t know it. Like Shepherd, like sheep. But under Him and His care, they (you!) were conformed to His image. Jesus fed the 5,000, and His sheep fed the hungry. Jesus gave living water to a Samaritan woman, and His sheep gave drink to the thirsty. Jesus visited outcasts and foreigners, and His sheep welcomed strangers. Jesus provided for those in need, and His sheep clothed the naked. Jesus healed all manner of diseases and sicknesses, and His sheep visited and cared for the sick, too. Jesus set free those in the prison houses of sin and death, and His sheep visited those in prisons both physical and spiritual. Sheep follow their shepherd. Monkey see, monkey do isn’t only true for monkeys! We, too, follow the lead of our Shepherd. And He is delighted.

You don’t even realize it, though. Lord, when . . . ? they ask. But Jesus sees it and knows it. When you did it for them, you did it to me, He says. You don’t even realize it. But I see it. The care you show each other. The love and support and prayers. Giving your time; your generosity. You don’t let others know - you just do it. But word gets out. And it is wonderful to hear and see. Sheep doing sheepy things, shepherdy things. Because that’s who you are. Your Shepherd knows it, knows you. And on that day, He will gather you and welcome you. Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

That is how it will be on the Last Day!

Sadly, though, just as sheep do sheepy things, shepherdy things, so goats do goaty things. And this not so much what they did, but what they didn’t do. They weren’t sheep. They didn’t see and know what the Shepherd was doing, so neither did they do those things. They didn’t listen to Him and know His voice. And so not part of His flock in this life, they are not part of His flock in the next life. This is not what the Shepherd wants, what Jesus wants! He wants all to be in His flock and receive His care now and forever. But those who don’t want to be, they will get what they want. Not blessing, but curse. Not feasting, but fire. Not eternal life, but eternal death.

But what makes the difference is not what the sheep DO, but who the sheep ARE. What you do is because of who you are. You aren’t sheep because you do sheepy things, you do sheepy things because you are sheep of the Good Shepherd. Because you do what He does. 

And so you also have the promise that what He does, you will do . . . namely, what Paul wrote to the Corinthians: you will also rise from the dead to life, like your Shepherd. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Those who belong to the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the firstfruits - that is, the first of the harvest. The first of much more still to come. That on the Last Day, the Good Shepherd is going to gather His flock and present us to His Father. Every enemy will be destroyed, even death. And we will live in Jesus’ flock, in His Father’s kingdom. A kingdom without end.

That is how it will be on the Last Day!

Which is why Paul ended so many of his letters, his Epistles, by saying, Come, Lord Jesus! It is why the early church so often said, Come, Lord Jesus! They weren’t afraid of the Last Day, but eagerly looked forward to it. I think we’ve lost some of that in our world today. Our world where we often look to the future in fear, not confidence. In uncertainty, not faith. It is what happens when sheep take their eyes (or better to say, our ears!) off our Good Shepherd. Without Him, we should fear! Without Him, we do wander off from the flock. Without Him, we are open and susceptible to the wolf and his lies. 

So maybe we should get back into that habit! Of praying, Come, Lord Jesus! Good training for sheep. Our Shepherd doesn’t need us to pray that - we need it. To remember. To look forward with joy and anticipation. To remember that our Shepherd who is coming on the Last Day is our Shepherd who is coming even now to us, caring for us here - washing us, speaking to us, feeding us. Forgiving us, mercying us, lifing us. Protecting us and providing for us. So that when that Last Day comes - sooner or later - we’ll be ready. As ready as those five wise virgins. As ready as those servants who received their master’s gifts with joy and used them in joy. And as ready as sheep who are ready to go home to the fold after all day in the field. Ready for our eternal rest with our Shepherd.

That is how it will be on the Last Day!

So Come, Lord Jesus! 

The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want;

He makes me down to lie

In pastures green; He leadeth me

The quiet waters by.

Goodness and mercy all my life

Shall surely follow me;

And in God’s house forevermore

My dwelling place shall be (LSB #710 vs. 1, 5).

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

Sermon for Eve of National Thanksgiving

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Jesu Juva

“Thanksgiving in Changing Times”

Text: Deuteronomy 8:1-10; Luke 17:11-19; Philippians 4:6-20

 

Come, ye thankful people come; Raise the song of harvest home.

All be safely gathered in Ere the winter storms begin (LSB #892 v. 1).

Sing to the Lord of harvest (LSB #893 v. 1).

Singing those words sounds a bit quaint, doesn’t it? Old fashioned. Anachronistic. Thanksgiving isn’t really about the harvest anymore, though it may have started that way. But most of us don’t grow our own food anymore, or if we do, it’s just a hobby, a little garden in the backyard. Most of our food is grown either by big corporate farms, or shipped in from some far away country. The danger of drought is overcome by irrigation, of pests by insecticide, and of waste by refrigeration or preservatives. Our food supply - here in the United States at least - is so stable we take it for granted. The last time we couldn’t get what we wanted in the grocery store wasn’t a weather problem or a harvest problem, but a supply chain problem during covid. Harvesting is something we think very little about. And so the God who sends the rain and the sun and causes crops to grow and produce, often gets little thought or thanks as well.

Small farms that are still around know, though, how precarious things are. Too little rain or too much rain, or rain at the wrong time, or scorching sun or oppressive temperatures, or disease or an infestation of pests can wreak havoc and wipe out a year’s work. To them, a good harvest is still a big deal. And a cause to give thanks.

Five hundred years ago, Luther was concerned about this very thing - of what our world has become. During his day, society was beginning to change from a mostly agrarian society and economy to a more monied economy. Luther saw this as man becoming disconnected from the fertile soil and the small human community, and more connected to trade, sterile money, and what has become a global economy. Not that these things are bad in and of themselves, but he saw in them the potential or what we see has happened today - a distancing and increasing gap between God and man. Between the God who provides and man who receives.

Think about the vastly different images of God from a farmer who is dependent on rain and sun, in the right amounts and at the right time - something he can do nothing about but pray - and our virtual, internet, information age, where God is not the provider, Amazon is. God is not omniscient, Google is. God is not omnipotent, the social media provider who can take down your post is. Food is ordered and just shows up at your door, and earning a living is no longer by working the soil but by becoming a influencer. So, accordingly, Thanksgiving has changed. It has become turkey day, family day. Fortunately, the word thanks is still in the name of the holiday, so we haven’t lost it altogether! But times have changed, haven’t they?

We really shouldn’t need a day to remind us to give thanks. We should be thanking God every day, as the Catechism teaches us: that in response to all that God provides for us every day, it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. Though I will confess I do not do this. I do not thank God for all His gifts. I take them for granted. So it’s good to have a day we should not need, like this! To not only remind me to give thanks, but to repent of my failure to do so.

But this is a problem that far predates Luther and his concerns. We heard in Deuteronomy Moses reminding the people that when they get into the Promised Land not to forget the God who took care of them and provided for them the past 40 years. That when they eat and are full, they shall bless the Lord your God. That is, acknowledge Him as the Giver and give thanks to Him. We heard this also in the Holy Gospel. I’m quite sure all ten lepers were thankful for their healing, yet only one returned to Jesus to give Him thanks. Only one saw in Jesus God in the flesh - God providing for the salvation of His people here in this man, in human flesh and blood. 

Flesh and blood that are here for us, too, tonight, in the Supper that is sometimes called the Eucharist - which means, the giving thanks. On the night when He was betrayed, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks . . . Maybe we sometimes gloss over those words. Because, well, Body and Blood! Forgiveness, life, and salvation! But as Jesus received and gave thanks, so we, too, receive and give thanks. Thanks to our Father who not only provided bread and wine, but has preserved our lives for another year, has enabled us to be here - not all can, or will, and who here gives us far more than earthly food and drink, but - as the early church liked to call it - the medicine of immortality. Certainly, what we receive here is of primary importance! But it causes a response, too. Of thanksgiving.

And thanksgiving not only in words, but in deeds. Paul praises the Philippian Christians for this, for their care and generosity toward him. That in response to all that God had so generously given them, they did the same toward others. Bringing both them and Paul joy. And in a world where there seems to be very little joy, maybe this is what’s missing. That the joy we need we will find when we return to lives of thanksgiving, to the Giver of every good gift. Thanksgiving that leads not only to joy, but also to peace.

Maybe that’s a little harder in our world that’s becoming more and more virtual, scientific, and global, and less and less earthy and local. But not impossible. We just need to remember where everything comes from - really! - and know that if He didn’t give it, we wouldn’t have it. That truth seems a bit quaint, old fashioned, and anachronistic! For we’re used to getting and taking for ourselves. Of fully-stocked grocery store shelves and Amazon that has multiples of everything and now Artificial Intelligence that can figure out what even Google does not know! But take that away . . . have a drought or plague affect the internet . . . prevent the online harvest of everything that we’re used to . . . and see how God enters the picture again. I pray it not come to that, but maybe it would be a blessing. If people turned back, if there was repentance instead of pride, if we once again realized that were it not for Jesus and Him crucified, our sin would long ago have destroyed us and our world. It has not, because Jesus had it destroy Him instead. And then rose that there be life again. Life for us, and all that we need to support this life, both physical and spiritual. All from Him. From His gracious hand, His pierced side, and His powerful Word. 

So that we can, as we will sing at the end of the service, now thank we all our God, with hearts and hands and voices . . . for His countless gifts of love, which still are ours today (LSB #895 v. 1). And not just today, but everyday. Maybe a new habit. And with it, a little more joy and peace.

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

Sermon for the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Gifts from a Loving, Trusting Father”

Text: Matthew 25:14-30

 

(Many of the thoughts and phrases in this sermon adapted from Normal Nagel in Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel, (c) 2004 CPH, p. 251-55.)

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

Trusting is risky. It is much safer and shrewder to trust no one. Then you can’t be disappointed when you are let down or betrayed. Don’t open yourself up to heartache and hurt. But to close yourself off in such a way is not good. And to live in such fear and paranoia is, in fact, not living at all - but is, I would say, the very opposite: dying. So once bitten, twice shy, is not the way of it with a living God. 

So as we heard in the Holy Gospel today, God shares with us, and trusts. And He began by sharing His life with us, entrusting to us His creation. The perfect world He created He gives to His man and woman, for them to have dominion over it, to care for it as He does. He trusts them. And, well, you know how that turned out. But even then, God does not take this dominion away from them. It would not be as it once was. Sin has its consequences. But they still had His creation, and He still loved them, though some would call that foolish, indeed.

But then there’s more. In sharing His life with us, God also shared His creating with us, with a man who begets and a woman who conceives. They become a father and a mother, and we become a son or a daughter. The marvelous miracle of life. Except when men who father aren’t fathers at all, but abandon or turn against their children. Or women who sacrifice their children to career, freedom, or fear. But still this gift remains to us, of children and family. Though why God would entrust this to us still, only He knows. Trusting is risky.

But though we make a mess of things, all is not doom and gloom. Most parents love their children and try to raise them well. But as any parent will tell you, this is more art than science! Every child is different, and wonderfully so. How utterly boring it would be if we were all the same. And so parents do not treat their children who are not the same, all the same. That would be abuse, not love. To each is given according to their ability, their temperament, their maturity and growth. To some five, to some two, to some one. So they may grow. So they may learn. Perhaps there will be a mess. Trusting is risky. But there is also joy, and the possibility of great joy, when parents see their children using what has been given, and growing and abounding.

And so, as we heard, have we received from our heavenly Father. Gifts. Not all the same, nor in the same measure. For we are not all the same. So to some five, to some two, to some one. All we are and have from Him. He entrusts us with gifts and talents and abilities to use and enjoy, and to show Him what we’ve made of them. Not because He is demanding a certain return on His investment. God’s gifts are not a business transaction; He doesn’t need profits! They are given in love. To give joy to the receiver and joy to the Giver. Our heavenly Father pours out, and then pours out more.

But what happens? Instead of joy, why do God’s gifts, at times, breed discontent and grumbling in us? Why, if I receive five, am I pleased and proud, yet if I receive one I have gotten a raw deal? Why am I jealous of God’s bounty to others, or quick to find fault? I deserve more. God isn’t fair. He is a hard man. Then God is no longer Giver, but withholder. That’s the lie satan sold to Eve in the Garden, and the lie he’s been peddling ever since. His gifts are not good enough. Take what’s yours! Take what you need. Rebellious children, we are, by no fault of God. That’s what happens when we measure the Giver by the gifts, and not the gifts by the Giver. Then there is turning away from God, then turning against God, until finally the weeping and gnashing of teeth that we do now, is the weeping and gnashing of teeth we will do for eternity.

But that is not what God wants. So still He gives. In the beginning, in response to His children’s rebellion, what did He do? In response to their belief that He was withholding from them, that His gifts not good enough, what did He do? He gave them even more. He gave them the promise of a gift greater than they could imagine: not five, not two, but His one and only Son to save them from their rebellion, to save them from their unbelief, to save them from their turning away, to die for us on the tree of the cross. He would not stop loving them. And He will not stop loving you. Why? Only He knows. Such love is beyond our understanding. 

But this gift, too, was received by many not with joy, but with disappointment. Not what we had in mind. Not the gift we’re looking for. They wanted salvation from Rome, not sin. What is it for you? Earthly riches, not heavenly riches! An earthly kingdom, not a heavenly one! Career, not family. Ease, not work Glory now, not later. Five, not two or one! God’s not doing it right! Not giving me what I want! But when you look at what you have not, there is no joy in what you have been given. God, then, is a hard man. A withholder, not a giver. Not to be trusted. Or loved. 

But with that, it is not God who is hard, it is our hearts. He has given us the gift we need above all others. And this gift for all of us the same. For in this we are all the same. As Paul said: There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:22-23a). And so the gift of life - for all! - He gives in His Son. Resurrection from the dead. The forgiveness of our sins . . . and rebellion, and dissatisfaction, and accusations. A bloody and dead man on a cross may not look like much of a gift from much of a God, but a God who would do this for us - when that should be us! - that’s a gift of far greater value than we can know. 

And so it is also with the gifts we are given here. Can’t you do better than this, God? Better than a splash of water, some words, and a bit of bread and wine? Not much of a gift from not much of a God. We can get more and better somewhere else - anywhere else! But don’t judge the Giver from the gifts - judge the gifts from the Giver. That here is the life, the forgiveness, the water, the blood, that flows from the cross. That you have a new life and live a new life. A Christ life. Not that you will be Christ, or Jesus, a Saviour. God doesn’t want that. God doesn’t want a whole lot of Jesuses. He has one of those, and one is enough. What He wants is one of you. That’s why He made you. That’s why He redeemed you. That’s why He gives to you. That’s why He entrusts to you. 

Whether you receive five or two or one is not a measure of your worth. What you are worth is the life of the Father’s Son! That already gives you infinite value and worth. 

Our world today says we’re all the same, and even more than that, we’re interchangeable. It doesn’t matter who you are, a man or a woman, who you marry, or what you do. But that is a loveless world, an abusive world, a sinful world. Because we’re not all the same, and that’s good. And our heavenly Father doesn’t treat us all the same, and that’s good. He loves us as He made us, uniquely and different. So for some five, for some two, for some one, that we may grow and live in joy and peace. Children of a Father who loves us enough to not treat us all the same.

That’s what God has up His divine sleeve here, that we simply be who He created us to be. We don’t have to be anything more to please Him or delight Him. So whether you are a doctor or a laborer, a child or an adult, a man or a woman, delight in that and in the gifts your Father gives. Gifts that He won’t stop giving. To some more, to some less, but all uniquely right. For again, as the apostle Paul said, He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things (Romans 8:32)? 

Graciously . . . and trustingly. For still the gifts He gives we may abuse and misuse. And we do. Sexuality, marriage, possessions, power, life. We think them ours to do with as we will, not as He will. We think for our good, but how often this turns out not for good at all. For this we need to repent, but not just repent, but receive the gift of forgiveness. Which is to turn to our Father and Saviour, and in confessing, trust Him! Which is not risky at all! For, as always, He will not deal with us in wrath, but in love. And, as always, He will not withhold from us, but give us even more. That instead of there being weeping in sorrow we will cry tears of joy, and instead of teeth that gnash we will have teeth that feast. That feast now on the Body and Blood of our Saviour, and that will feast eternally when our Saviour comes again, to take us home. 

For that is what our heavenly Father wants. That is why He gives, and trusts. It’s not about whether you receive five or two or one, or return five or two or one, but that you have His joy now and enter into His joy forever. That you know Him as the good and perfect Giver, your good and perfect Father, who loves you unlike any other. 

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

Sermon for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Jesus “Top of Mind””

Text: Matthew 25:1-13; Amos 5:18-24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

 

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

Maybe you’ve had something like this happen to you: You finish eating your dinner and have some leftovers. So you pack them up and put them in your fridge, intending to eat them in a few days, or the next week. But you forget. They get pushed to the back, behind some other, newer, stuff, and by the time you remember them, it’s too late. What could once nourish your body and taste good doing it, is now a mushy, moldy, nose-assaulting mess.

Or how about this: You get a text or an email and you want or need to respond, but you’re right in the middle of something else. So, you think, I’ll reply later. But soon, out of sight becomes out of mind, and when you do see it again . . . argh! The time to reply has passed you by. It’s too late.

Or, one more: Sometimes it’s not our memory that is the problem, but time. You want to do something, you need to do something, but you just don’t have the time right now. Work, school, family responsibilities, outside pressures - so many people and things wanting, demanding, your time. And that thing you wanted or needed to do, goes undone. 

If I haven’t described you with any of those examples, first of all, I’m surprised! And second of all, I’m sure you could provide your own story, of a time something went undone, and by the time you got to it, it was too late.

This is what the parable Jesus tells us today would have us consider. And think about. And look at our own lives. Because with Jesus’ return and the coming kingdom of heaven, there is going to be a time when it is too late. And you don’t want to be on the wrong side of the door when time is up and the door is closed.

Sadly, some will be. Who were foolish. Those whose concern for their spiritual life got pushed to the back of the fridge, because there were just so many other things, newer things in life that got put in front. Those who wanted to repent, wanted to pray, wanted to respond to God’s gracious gifts and promises, but later never came; they never quite got around to it. And those who just didn’t have the time. Too much work, too much school, too much family, too many other responsibilities. And then, suddenly, it will be too late. 

What’s really sad is that these people - foolish virgins Jesus calls them - knew their Lord. These aren’t wicked tenants. These aren’t prodigal sons. These aren’t those who turn their nose up at their Lord. These are folks who know the bride, who would be honored guests and members of the bridal party, but they miss it. By the time they get to getting ready, it is too late. 

Do you think there are some today for whom this will be true? Some for whom it will be too late? Maybe not five out of ten - maybe not that many; but maybe more. If it were not going to be like that, there would be no need for this parable. But here it is. A warning for you and me. And not just for the end of time, when Jesus returns, but when it is end of time for you. When that drunk driver crosses the center line and is hurtling directly at you. Or when that crazed shooter is not in some other city, school, or crowd, but where you are. Or when a stroke overwhelms your brain, or a heart attack stops your heart. Or a Russia or an Iran decides to use that nuke. And it will be too late.

Not pleasant thoughts, I know! Maybe thoughts we’d rather shove to the back of our minds, or think about later. But that is not the way of the wise virgins. For wise virgins, Jesus is “top of mind,” as they say these days. Which doesn’t mean you have to be in church all the time and don’t get to do anything else! That’s not good and not what Jesus wants either. You have people to take care of and your vocations to fulfill as your loving service to others. And you should do those things. It’s when those things shove Jesus to the back of the fridge, or to the fringe of your time, or even off the radar . . . that’s foolish. But oh so easy . . .

So what does it mean to have Jesus “top of mind?” Well, for one, that when you see things happen in our world - wars or tragedies or disasters - Jesus “top of mind” makes those opportunities to pray for others, repent of ourselves, and thank the Lord for His mercy and love for you. That rather than stunned silence or shocked dismay, we use those times to confess the Lord who is able to deliver us from evil. Or, Jesus “top of mind” means each week, each day, includes first and foremost, Him. Time with Jesus, receiving His gifts, is not optional or shoved to the back or if I have time or can stay awake, but the first thing that goes on the calendar. So that if today is the day, I am ready. 

It’s hard though, isn’t it? Our sinful nature likes being foolish. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again today, I think one of satan’s most effective tools these days is not getting us to turn away from Jesus, but simply being too busy for Him. That little by little - not all at once - but little by little, He get less and less time in your life, He get pushed farther and farther back, until He is hard to find at all. 

If I haven’t described you with any of this . . . well, no, I know I have. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:22b-23). Pastors, people, all of us. 

So for all of us, here’s the good news: you are always “top of mind” for Jesus. Everything He’s doing is for you, that you be at the wedding feast. And if He is delayed or long in coming, it is to give us time to clean out our spiritual fridges, to cut the mold off our faith, and be ready. He wants everyone at the feast. No one left out. No one on the wrong side of the door when it is shut, only satan and his army of demons. That the Day of the Lord not be a day like Amos described, a day of darkness, fear, and trembling, but a day of joy.

So to that end, Jesus came and joined us on the wrong side of the door. When all people had sinned and the door to Eden was shut - forever! - it was a day of darkness, not light. A day of great sadness. The day the serpent bit, and when the bridegroom came, instead of joy and feasting, Adam and Eve fled and hid. And when the day was over, they found themselves on the wrong side of the door. 

But God promised that one day the door would be opened again. God’s people lived by faith in that promise, and then when Jesus came, He joined His Bride on the wrong side of the door. He came into the darkness of sin. He came into a world of fear and sadness. And He died in the darkness and with the poison of our sin. All of it. On the cross. Not fleeing from His Father, but forsaken by Him. But this led not to the door be forever closed, but open again. That by His blood on the door, the blood of the Lamb, the blood of the Bridegroom, the blood of the only-begotten Son of God, that door that was once shut be opened again. His blood the key.

The key that not only opens that door, but unlocks the door of your mind. Your mind shut tight by sin and fear, your mind captive to the things of this world and life, that too often shoves Jesus to the back, so that He is not “top of mind.” His blood of forgiveness changes that too. His blood in Baptism giving you a new heart and a new mind and a new spirit. His blood proclaimed here to restore Him to “top of mind” for you. His blood that in the Absolution takes away the stuff that has buried Him in the tomb of our sinful hearts. And His blood that that we drink in remembrance of Him - a remembering that is not only mental, but drives our lives and how we live them. Without these, our fridges are too full, our “to do” lists too long, and our time too short - we’ll be off somewhere else when the bridegroom comes and the door is open. But with these, Jesus is coming already to you now, so when that day comes, you will be ready, and enter the joy of the heavenly feast which will have no end. 

The Thessalonian Christians were worried about that day. Some were worried that they missed that day, that Jesus had already come. Others were worried that for those who died before Jesus’ return, the door was shut. Paul reassures them. Jesus had not yet come, and the grave was no barrier to Him! He had risen from the dead, and could and would raise those who had died. The Bridegroom will come and call the living and the dead to the feast! Therefore, he says, encourage one another with these words. Encourage one another. Help one another keep Jesus “top of mind.” And don’t be too proud to accept their help and encouragement. You need it, too. 

And with Jesus “top of mind,” that not only enables you to be ready when He comes again and the door is open, it helps you deal and cope with things in your life now. That the things of this world and life not overwhelm and overcrowd and push Jesus to the back, but everything stay in the proper place. That though you have sadness, you not despair. That though there be troubles, you not fear. And that neither the sins of your past nor the uncertainty of the future drag you down, but that you look to the future with joy, waiting for the bridegroom with confidence. Knowing His love, and knowing that He is coming for you.

Yes, there’s a lot of foolishness in our world today - foolish thinking, foolish living, foolish beliefs, foolish people. And it does not lead to a good place. So watch, Jesus says. Watch Him. Keep your eyes of faith focused on Him. Then you will be wise in a foolish world. You will have forgiveness in a world of sin. You will have life in a world of death. And you will be ready. And enter with your Bridegroom back into Paradise.

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