Sermon for the Resurrection of Our Lord

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Jesu Juva

“Death Is Dead!”

Text: Mark 16:1-8; Isaiah 25:6-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

 

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

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

The women went to the tomb. They expected death. Of course they did. Death is what they saw. Death is what we know. Death surrounds us. Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB #458). And behind the tomb’s large stone. Dead doesn’t go away. You don’t recover from dead like you do from the flu. Dead is dead. And so is hope.

So when they get to the tomb and the stone is rolled away and dead is not there, they are confused, they are alarmed, they are scared. They are seized with trembling and astonishment. What happened to death? They hope, they want to hope, that the message of the angel might be true. That there might be life . . . 

At first, they said nothing. They had nothing to say. You know how it is. When you go to a funeral, what do you say? The words don’t come. Or if they do, they’re clumsy and awkward. We might even flee, like the women did. Get out of there fast. It’s safer. Don’t stay too long. What’s the use? 

They took spices. We send flowers. Anything to cover up the aroma of death. Death stinks. And not just literally. God knew it. That’s why He told Adam and Eve not to eat from that tree that would bring death. But they had to find out for themselves. They ate, and tasted death. They ate, but they were the ones who got swallowed up.  And now there would be tombs and sadness and separation.

And so it is today. In the news just this past week . . .

The wars in Ukraine and Gaza rage on. They’re not the first and they’re not the last, just the latest. Thousands dead. 

Armed men shoot up a theatre. It’s not the first time and it’s surely not the last time, just the latest time. Hundreds dead.

A bridge collapses. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time, just the latest time. And men who went to work that night to support their families would not come home.

A police officer is murdered, shot and killed in cold blood. And a wife and small child are left behind. And surely it will happen again.

This is our reality. We’re stunned, but for how long? How long until we just move on. Death is just a part of life. Ever hear that? It’s dead wrong! But how some people move on. Who’s to blame? There must be someone to blame! That’s how some cope. But that’s little comfort. Because death keeps coming, keeps happening, to young and old, men and women, expected and unexpected . . .

Death is what we see. Death is what we know. Death surrounds us.

Until today!

Because today, suddenly, death was not the one who did the swallowing. As the prophet Isaiah said, death got swallowed up! Forever. And there’s only one big enough, strong enough, and now alive enough, to do that. The Son of God Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, He was crucified. Yes, He was dead. Yes, He was buried. But for this. To do this. To rise from death. And in rising from death, to swallow the swallower. To slay the slayer. To deal death a mortal blow. To break the seal of the tomb - and not just His own. Ours too. That though we, too, will die, yet shall we live (John 11:25). 

That in this world there we are surrounded by death, here, here we be surrounded by life. That in this world where death keeps coming, keeps happening, here life keeps coming, keeps happening. Life given in the waters of Holy Baptism. Life given in the forgiveness of our sins. Life given in the proclamation of the Gospel. Life given in the once-crucified but now risen Body and Blood of Jesus. Here dead does go away. Here we are raised from death. Here death is dead. In Jesus. 

In Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). 

In Jesus, who raised the daughter of a centurion from death to life (Mark 5:35-43). 

In Jesus, who raised the only son of the widow of Nain from death to life (Luke 7:11-17). 

In Jesus, who called His four-day-dead friend Lazarus from the tomb, alive (John 11:38-44). 

And in Jesus, who will call you out of your tomb on the Last Day to life (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). 

So we have hope. Of life. And not just a little life for a short time. But a full and abundant life. An eternal life. With no more war, no more mass shootings, no more bridge collapses, no more murder, no more sorrow. The Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces - from your face. That tears no more stain the face of you who are in Christ Jesus.

That is the day we are waiting for. The women had to wait until the third day; how long will our wait be? I do not know. Our Father knows, and that is enough. That day will come when He has determined. And just as with Jesus, it will be at just the right time. 

Until that day, we come to the feast our Lord has prepared for us on Mount Calvary, the feast of feasts. The feast we swallow that swallows death. The feast that gives us joy and salvation. The feast not just of rich food and well-aged wine, but the very Body and Blood of Jesus, the feast of life.

Until that day, because of Jesus’ resurrection, even though we live surrounded by death, we do not live without hope. And with hope, not a wishful hope, but the sure and certain hope of Jesus’ resurrection, we do have something to say when faced with death - the message of the angel: that

Christ is risen! And death is annihilated.

Christ is risen! And the evil ones are cast down.

Christ is risen! And life is liberated.

Christ is risen! And the tomb is broken.

Christ is risen! And we have hope.

Christ is risen! And there is for us a glorious future.

For what happened to death? 

Jesus happened!

And He is alive forevermore.

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

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

Homily for the Great Vigil of Easter

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Jesu Juva

“This Is the Day the Lord Has Made”

 

You have heard, O child of God, the story of your God this night.

You heard in the creation account, that He is the creator of life. 

You heard of the flood, where He is the cleanser of life.

You heard of His victory at the Red Sea, the He is the deliverer of life.

You heard of His gift of a new heart and a new spirit, that He is the restorer of life.

You heard the prophecy of Job, that He is the redeemer of life.

You heard the oracle of Zephaniah, that He rejoices in life.

And you heard the story of the fourth man in the flames, that He is the saviour of life.

But these are not just the story of your God. These are your stories. 

For God has created you, and cleansed you, and delivered you, and given you a new heart and a new spirit, and redeemed you, and rejoices in you, and saves you.If these stories are not your stories, then they are just that - stories. Tales of old. But if these stories are your stories - as they are - then they are more than stories. They are your history. They are who you are.

Which is why we remember and celebrate Baptism this night. For Baptism is what makes these stories your stories. For you are baptized into Christ. And baptized into Christ, you are baptized into His story, His history; you are baptized into His body, His church. And in the church we are one body. United to one another in Christ. So that as St. Paul would say, when one of us suffers, we all suffer. When one of rejoices, we all rejoice.

But not only that - this too: when one of us dies, we all die. And when one of us rises from the dead, we all rise. And that’s what Jesus has done for us these sacred days. He died and rose for us, and we die and rise in Him. The old sinful man in us dies and a new and righteous man rises to a new life.

This is the night! You heard that many times earlier. This is the night. Not this was the night. This is the night. Because this is the night that ushered in the new and eternal day - the day that will never end; the day that has ended night. The eighth day. In His resurrection, Jesus broke the old and inaugurated the new, the new and everlasting day. The day into which we are baptized. The day in which we now live. Christians do not live in the past; we live in the future. A future which is already present with us here and now. For where Christ is, there is His kingdom. Where Christ is, there is His life. Where Christ is, there is eternity. For He is the great I AM. Not the I was or the I will be. But the great I AM. The one who does not change. Who is the same yesterday today, and forever. The one who speaks reality. The one where past, present, and future find their source and fulfillment. This is the night in which all prior history culminated, and from which all time now flows forth.

This is the night. The night that changed everything. The night when bondage is broken, the enslaver is enslaved, and the captive set free. This is the night of our re-creation, our cleansing, our deliverance, our restoration, our redemption, our joy, and our salvation. For this is the night when the tomb is empty. The women will discover that in the morning. And their mourning will be turned into dancing, and their sorrow into joy, for death is overcome by life. 

They thought it too good to be true, until the one who is the way, the truth, and the life, showed them this is the way of life. His life. Our life. All life.

This is the night. So we gather here in vigil, in quiet joy, confident not only in the joy of tomorrow, but the joy of eternity.

For Christ is here. Christ is risen. And Christ lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN

Sermon for Good and Holy Friday

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Jesu Juva

“The Wisdom of God”

Text: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

 

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

I don’t know if you ever paid much attention to the first part of the first sentence of the Old Testament reading we heard tonight. We hear it every year, but like me, you maybe just skipped over it. Because what comes after it is so vivid, so striking. All that Jesus did. All that happened to Him. The beating, the marring, the man of sorrows. The one wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. The one who was made the sin offering. Oppressed, judged, and taken away. But it all starts with this verse, this phrase: Behold, that is, look! My servant shall act wisely . . .

Wisely. That’s a strange thing to say. Not the word many might have selected for that verse! Reckless, maybe. Or foolish. For was it wise for Jesus to provoke the religious authorities? Was it wise not to defend Himself before Pontius Pilate or King Herod? Was it wise to overturn the tables in the Temple? Was it wise to allow Himself to be arrested without a fight? No, perhaps we would say. You don’t stick your hand into the snake pit and expect to not get bitten. Or beaten. Or crucified.

But, of course, that’s exactly why Jesus did what He did. That the snake, the old evil foe, rise up against Him, and provoke sinful men to do the same. That He be hung up on a cursed tree, crucified. That’s exactly what He wanted. To bear the curse, the curse of sin and death, this curse that infected and causes the death of every man and woman and all of creation - to bear that all Himself. That it crush Him, not us. That it curse Him, not us. That it condemn Him, not us. To set us free from that dreadful past, present, and future. So if that was His goal - and it was - He did act wisely to get it done.

But that verse in Isaiah means more than that. For to act wisely there means to act in accordance with wisdom. And that wisdom is the wisdom of God. And that wisdom of God is the Holy Scriptures. So for Jesus to act wisely is for Jesus to act in accordance with all the Scriptures, which is to say, to fulfill all the Scriptures, from beginning to end. So all that was written, all that was promised, all that was prophesied, be fulfilled. Not one Word of God left empty, but all accomplished. That the promise made to Adam and Eve, and then to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then to David, foretold by prophets like Ezekiel and Micah, foreshadowed in the events told by Daniel, and finally the words of Jesus Himself, all be fulfilled. So that when Jesus utters the word tetelestai, it is finished, it truly was. 

So the wisdom of God is clearly not like our wisdom. For who would do this? What Father would offer up His Son, and what Son would offer up His life, for a world where, Isaiah says, all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way? Reckless, perhaps we would say. Or foolish. But maybe the truth is that we’re not as wise as we think . . . Science and the internet have given us more knowledge than ever before, but the more we know, the less wise and the more foolish we become. Because the more we know, the more we do and accomplish, the more advances we make, the more wonders we perform, the more we think we are gods. We’re the creators of our reality. We call the shots. We determine the truth. We do what we want. We know what is best. We know how to live! And what a mess we’ve made.

So into this once-perfect but now messed up world where men think they are god, came the true Son of God. And He died for all, the apostle Paul said to us tonight, that those who live might no longer live for themselves - might no longer live in our foolishness - but [live] for Him who for their sake died and was raised. That we might, like Jesus, act wisely. That is, act in accordance with wisdom, the wisdom of God, the Holy Scriptures. That we live by that truth, not our own. That we live by those words, not our own. That we live under the One who knows far more than we do, and that we ever will. The One who not only knows what is best, but does it. And does it for us. He dies.

Reckless? Foolish? No. Life-giving. For His death means our life. His captivity means our freedom. His sorrow means our joy. His condemnation means our forgiveness. 

So for our sake, the Father made the Son who knew no sin, to be sin, so that in the Son we might become the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God that is ours by grace through faith. The righteousness of God that is not achieved by us, but given to us. Given to us by the One who hung on the cross in our place. By the One who spoke from the cross, Father, forgive them (Luke 23:34). He does, and you are. Forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Accounted righteous, is how Isaiah put it. Which means that in the accounting of heaven, you are counted righteous, your account paid in full. Which is what the word tetelestai was used for in the days of Jesus. When a bill was paid in full, the word tetelestai would be written across the account - it is finished; paid in full. And since Jesus had nothing to pay, since the Son owes nothing, that was written across your account, in His blood. 

So now we hear the story again of Jesus acting wisely. He knew of His betrayal, foretold it, and it happened. He knew of Peter’s denials, foretold them, and it happened. He knew of His crucifixion, foretold it, and it happened. None of it a surprise. But you know what else He knew and foretold? That on the third day, the tomb would be empty. That on the third day He would rise. That satan would not have the final word, He would. That death would not have the final word, life would. He who is the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). He who is our creator, redeemer, and sanctifier. He who is our forgiveness, life, and salvation. Yes, He dies our death and lays in our tomb. They will look on Him whom they have pierced. But so will we! In the resurrection, we will see the nail marks, we will see the where the spear was thrust into His side, and we will rejoice to see those marks - those marks not of our sin, but of His love. 

Behold, my servant shall act wisely. Tonight is the night of the wisdom of God. Our Lord has been preparing for this night, for His death, all His life.  Tonight, we prepare for our own deaths by looking at His. And we’ll see that while death is terrible and does its worst, it will not win. It cannot win. For the Son of God, the suffering servant, our Lord Jesus Christ, saves us not just from our sins, but saves us for Himself. Or as we confess in the Catechism . . . He has redeemed me . . . that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.

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

Sermon for Holy Maundy Thursday

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Jesu Juva

“It’s All About the Lamb”

Text: Mark 14:12-26; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

 

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

At the Passover, it was all about the lamb.

Did you notice the disciples’ question to Jesus? Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover? Not: remember the Passover, not celebrate the Passover, but eat the Passover. The Passover that from the first was all about the lamb. The lamb that was slain, the lamb whose blood was poured out and painted on their doors to protect them from the angel of death that passed through the land of Egypt that very night, and the lamb that was then eaten. 

Every year after that, on that very day, God commanded the people of Israel to keep this feast. It was a Memorial Day for them. A day to remember all that God had done for them in rescuing them from their slavery in Egypt. But in all the succeeding years, when they would keep this feast, they would not smear the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their houses, as they had that night in Egypt. But they would eat the lamb. Passover was all about the lamb.

And so they did down through the generations, to Jesus’ day. And that night, the night when Jesus was betrayed, it was still all about the lamb. That wouldn’t change. But something would change. The lamb would change. It would still be all about the lamb, but a new lamb, for a new Passover, and a new deliverance.

So that night, they ate the last of the old Passover lambs. And after supper, Jesus gave them a new one. A new lamb to eat: take, this is MY body. This is MY blood of the covenant, or testament. A mere lamb’s flesh and blood would no longer do. And there would also be a new remembrance: do this in remembrance of ME, Jesus said. In remembrance of what He was about to now do. And what He was about to do was be the Lamb of God, who would be slain and pour out His blood on the wood of the cross, that it now be for us our door; the door that would rescue us from death - the door from death to everlasting life. 

And from that day forward, down through the generations, this new Passover would take the place of the old one. No longer would many lambs have to be sacrificed, for Jesus poured out His blood for many - in the place of the many; for His blood was greater than the blood of all the lambs in the world.  His blood now marks our door. His sacrifice would not have to be repeated. But what would still is the eating. Do this, keep doing this, Jesus said. This meal, this eating and drinking. That we become not just rememberers, but participants. That this night still be all about the lamb. The lamb that saves.

Because we need saving. Now, not all know that, and not all believe that. Some think they are good enough. Some think they can save themselves. Not the disciples. When Jesus spoke of one of them betraying Him, they all had a guilty conscience. Each of them wondered if it was going to be him. Because each one of them knew it could be him. Like when you see the flashing blue police lights coming up behind you in your rearview mirror, you think, Is it I? because it could be you; maybe should be you. Or when the boss says some of you need to do better, you think, Is it I? because it could be you; maybe should be you. But with Jesus, it is you. We have all fallen short in our Christian life. Our sins have been many and our good works few. Our words harsh and our prayers weak. Desires indulged and repentance neglected. It is I.

So to the disciples and to us Jesus says: take, this is MY body. This is MY blood of the testament. We eat the flesh of the Lamb, the Lamb of God, and we drink the blood that forgives, that saves, and we are participants in His salvation. For the cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Indeed it is. This communion joins us to Christ and Christ to us, so that what we have done He takes upon Himself as His own, and dies for it. And what He has done He gives to us and we live. The curse of sin is lifted from us; we are no longer its slaves. We belong to another; we are united to Christ. For as St. Paul went on to say, because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. The bread which is the Lamb. It’s all about the Lamb.

So tonight we take our place at Jesus’ Table. Where would Jesus have us go and eat the Passover? Here. A Table originally set for twelve, now set for a multitude no one can number. A Table originally set for Israel, now set for people of every nation, tribe, peoples, and language. A Table originally set in Egypt, now set in churches all around the world. To eat the Lamb. The Lamb of God who takes away your sin; and the sin of the world. And while many tables now, one day there will be only one Table again, a heavenly Table, and a feast that has no end. Just as the original Passover feast paved the way and pointed to this feast, so this feast paves the way and points to that feast, the great and final feast, with the Lamb not on the Table, but on His throne.

That night in Egypt was the seed that started it all. That night in Jerusalem, the fulfillment of the old and the start of the new. And this night here, our participation. In a new deliverance by a new Lamb for a new kingdom. And if you wonder, Is it I? Is it for me? Yes. For you who have been baptized in the sea of the Font. For you who have your death-dealing sins absolved by His blood. For you who have had the Gospel preached into your ears and hearts. For you, now, the Passover Lamb to eat and to drink. For you, now, the passover from death to life. For you, now, a new life to live.

Now Jesus goes, just as it is written of Him, to the cross, where He will die. And now you go, just as it is written of you, to this Table, this altar, where you will live.

It’s all about the Lamb. 

It always has been. 

So come, for all is now ready.

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