Sermon for Saint Michael and All Angels

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Fighting For Us”

Text: Revelation 12:7-12; Matthew 18:1-11; Daniel 10:10–14; 12:1–3

 

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

Thank God for the angels!

The angels like Michael who fight for us. The angelic army of the Lord God. Who cast satan and his angels out of heaven and down to the earth. Who filled the mountains around the people of Israel with horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:17). Who slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (2 Kings 19:35). Who are not cute cherubs or feminine in appearance, but mighty warriors. Thank God for them.

Thank God for angels like Gabriel, who brought the Word of God to us. Who spoke to Zechariah in the Temple and told him of the birth of his son John (Luke 1:19). Who spoke to a young virgin in Nazareth, named Mary, and told her she was to be the mother of the Saviour (Luke 1:26ff). And the angelic host who filled the Bethlehem sky with their praises when Jesus was born (Luke 2:13-14). Thank God for them. 

Thank God for the angels who surround His throne and sing a never-ending chorus of praise. Holy! Holy! Holy! (Isaiah 6:3) A chorus we join together with when we sing the Sanctus every week, to the Lord God of power and might. Angels and archangels. Cherubim and Seraphim. Thank God for them. 

And thank God for their service to us still today. What are they doing? How much are they doing? We cannot say. The Bible tells us a bit, but I tend to think what we are told there is just the tip of the iceberg; that there is so much more. And in our world today, and for Christians today, how do you speak about what doesn’t happen, what was prevented, because of the angels and their service? Surely there is much evil in our world today, but how much worse would it be were it not for the service of God’s angels for us? Thank God for them.

But angels aren’t enough. Because as we heard today, while the war in heaven is over, the war on earth rages on. Rejoice, O heavens! yes - But woe to you, O earth and sea! For the devil has come down to [us] in great wrath. And the truth is, we don’t just need protection, we need saving. We really do.

And I say that because I don’t think many people today think our world, our lives, our situation is as dire as it was in Jesus’ day, when we hear of people being possessed by demons and oppressed by unclean spirits. We heard a story like that just a couple of weeks ago, in fact. Of a boy with an unclean spirit which often threw him onto the ground, convulsed him, made him foam at the mouth, and cast him into fire and water, trying to destroy him (Mark 9). That doesn’t happen today! At least, we don’t see it. Not in America. Not in our society where we are advanced and intelligent, sophisticated, and know better. Leading some people (maybe many people) to think these stories are just that - stories, that didn’t really happen. Or if they did happen, there are other causes for these kinds of things. Because, you know, we’ve got it all figured out. We’re so much smarter than they were back then; than all that supernatural hocus pocus.

Now, I will grant you this: that maybe we don’t see the same evidences of demon possession as were seen in Jesus’ day. But just because the evidences aren’t there, or are different, does that mean the demon possession isn’t there? You can have cancer and not know you have cancer. So do you think there might be people whose hearts satan has wormed his way into and captured? Whose minds satan has possessed? Whose lives he is controlling? How are people being convulsed today? How is satan trying to destroy people today? Why is evil on the rise? Destruction, killing, fighting and division? How has satan so possessed people’s minds that what is evil is now called good and defended, and what is good is called evil and vilified? I could name some specific examples of that here, but I bet you already have some in your minds. It’s not hard to see. 

But I also want you to think not only about how satan has done this to others, but to you as well. How has he seduced you? What sinful desires has he planted in your hearts? What evil thoughts has he whispered into your ear and put into your mind? Truth is, the devil cannot make you do anything, but he can sure lure and tempt that old, sinful man in you to rise up and act in old, sinful ways. And he’s quite good at it. He knows what buttons to push in your life. One day poking at your fears, the next at your pride, the next at your self-confidence, or your desires and dreams. Making your mouth foam with gossip or hurtful words. Convulsing your heart with anger and bitterness. Casting you into the waters of pleasures or into the fire of sinful actions, seeking to destroy you and your faith and the church. Woe to us, indeed! Rather than that, Jesus said, it would be better for us to cut off our body parts, than to follow the devil into the fires of hell. But even cutting off body parts won’t help if satan has wormed his way into your heart.

God’s angels know how dangerous satan and his minions are. Thank God they are still fighting for us. That their faces always stand ready before the Father, ready to go and serve His children at a moment’s notice. 

But angels aren’t enough. Angels can only do so much. For we don’t just need saving without, from satan and his evil angels, we need saving in our hearts, from our sins. And so the commander of the angel armies has come to do what the angels could not: the Son of Man has come to save the lost, Jesus told us. He has come to save us.

And the words we heard from Revelation said this, too. That while yes, God’s angel army cast satan and his angels out of heaven and down to earth with their might, for us on earth, we are saved not with our might, but by Jesus, by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. For only the blood of the Lamb can de-worm our hearts and minds. Only His Word can counteract the lies and deceptions of satan. So that, John tells us, of those in heaven, they had a change of heart; they loved not their lives even unto death.

That’s an important verse, I think. One we shouldn’t let pass over unnoticed. For how much of what we do is to save our lives? To save face. To save my reputation. To save my position. To save my power. To get what I want. And to do these things, we use our power, our might. Or we try to. The power of words, the power of getting others on our side, the power of undermining another to get my way, to save my life, or to give me more life. And we become possessed by this desire. We become divided from others, and maybe wander from the flock . . . and get lost.

But there is a greater life than just this life that Jesus is concerned about and wants for you. Satan knows his time is short, but life is eternal for the children of God. And that is the life the blood of the Lamb and the Word of God give. The blood that washes us clean, the Word that absolves, and the food and drink from the altar. That not an unclean spirit but the Holy Spirit possess us and our hearts and minds. And with hearts and minds thus changed, that we repent of ourselves and what we have done and how we have fought in the past, and we fight, now, instead, with these different weapons. The weapons of God.

And what does that look like? To fight with the weapons of God - the blood of the Lamb and the Word of God? Well, frankly, it looks like defeat! It looks like a dying Jesus on the cross, where our sins crushed Him to death. But then we see the victory of His resurrection! That sin and death did not win - Jesus did! Life did. That love is greater than hate. That the truth is greater than lies. That forgiveness is more powerful than might. That serving is greater than being served. That a word of mercy is better than a word of threat. And when you do that - love and forgive and serve - you might get the Jesus treatment! You might get crucified! You might get trampled. But this life isn’t the life we love or are most concerned with. Or at least, shouldn’t be. 

For you are, rather, one of those who loved not their lives even unto death. Because you are a baptized child of God. Because Jesus and His Spirit live in you. Because the very Body and Blood of Jesus are given you. Because the blood of the Lamb and the Word of God have saved you. Because you have been changed. Yes, the angels fight for you at Jesus’ command. But even more, Jesus fought for you, and won. And one day just as satan was cast out of heaven and down to the earth, so he will be cast down from the earth and into the pit of hell. But the children of God shall be delivered - raised and exalted - everyone whose name [is] found written in the book - written in Jesus’ blood. Written when you were baptized. To shine like brightness of the sky above; and [for] those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

We have lots of stars here on earth: movie stars, athletic stars, political stars, and now internet stars. You may or may not be or ever be one of those. I don’t know. But you are a star as a child of God. Loved and cherished. Someone Jesus laid down His life for, and sends His angels to guard and defend. Thank God for the angels! But even more, thank God for His Son, for His salvation and life, for His Spirit and His forgiveness. 

And I thank God for you, whom God now sends, too. To others. To love and forgive and serve and help. And when you do those things, the world may laugh and take advantage of you. That’s okay. To do those things are your might. Those things are your greatness. Those things are your life. And while we may not see that all now, that’s alright. It’s true nonetheless. Which satan and his angels could tell you . . . they know how powerful Jesus and His angels and His forgiveness and His Word are. But while they could tell you that, they won’t! They don’t want you to know it. They want you to fear them and use your own strength. But Jesus has told us and showed us that power with His empty tomb! So better to repent. Better to forgive and be forgiven. Better to hear the Word of God and keep it. Better to come to the altar and receive the Word of God and eat and drink Him. And the Lord God Sabaoth, the Lord God of power and might, Himself, will not cast you down but lift you up and raise you up to life! A life that never ends.

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

Sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

We were privileged to have Rev. Mark Moss from the Lutheran Heritage Foundation as our guest preacher today. So no text to post this week. Click here to watch Rev. Moss' sermon on the livestream on our YouTube channel.

Sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“From Fear to Faith, from Death to Life”

Text: Mark 9:14-29

 

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

They were failures. They couldn’t do it. A father in distress brings his demon-possessed son to them, and they failed. They couldn’t cast it out. 

They had done so before. Not too long before this, Jesus had sent the disciples out two-by-two, and specifically with authority over unclean spirits (Mark 6:7). And they went out and they cast out many demons. Heady days, those. Days that must have filled the disciples with confidence. 

But how quickly things change. Now, they failed. They were failures. Had this authority, this power, left them? What were they doing wrong? They must have been uncertain, confused, and maybe a little scared. Scared of the demon. Scared of the crowd that was turning ugly. Especially since Jesus was not with them. Where was Jesus when you need Him?

You’ve know how that is. You’ve felt that way, too. There are times in your life when things are going well and you’re a success and filled with confidence and sure that Jesus is with you. And then there are times like this . . . when things have turned, they’re not going so well anymore, and you’re a failure - or feel like a failure. And fears creep in. And you wonder, what happened? What did I do wrong? And is Jesus not with me anymore? Where is Jesus when I need Him!?

Where was Jesus anyway, when this was going on? Well, He was with Peter, James, and John. He had taken just those three and gone away, up on a mountain, and showed them His glory when He was transfigured before them - remember that story? Jesus shone like the sun and was speaking with Moses and Elijah. It’s quite a contrast, isn't it? A glorious scene going on up there, and an ugly scene going on down here . . . with demons and fighting and confusion.

That’s the scene Jesus steps into. Regular Jesus, not glory Jesus. And after a few questions, He brings order out of chaos. Just as in the beginning, when God spoke and brought order out of the chaos in creation, so here the Word of God made flesh speaks, and brings order out of chaos. There is peace, not confusion. There is life, not death. A happy ending, we might say. But it wasn’t easy . . .

And not just for this poor boy who was being tormented by a demon, but for his father. It’s hard when suffering comes upon you; it’s even harder to watch someone you love suffer. And especially your child. You’re the parent, the protector, the provider, and you feel so helpless. And maybe guilty, or at least distressed, when you can’t do anything about it. So this father turns to Jesus. He’s desperate. Please, if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Notice: us. Not just my son. Us. This is tearing him up, too. 

If you can . . . Jesus responds to that. It’s a mild rebuke, really. For the father doesn’t really know who Jesus is, the almighty, creator God in human flesh. Somebody powerful? Yes. A miracle worker? Surely. A prophet? Probably. That’s why he brought his son to the disciples in the first place. So don’t be too hard on him. Jesus wasn’t. This father knows and he doesn’t know. He’s hopeful, but not sure. He really doesn’t know what’s going on! All he knows is that this is his son! And his son needs help! Rescue! Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! Don’t just save my son; save me, too.

And Jesus does. Both the boy and his father are set free and given life again. The boy set free from his demon, and the father set free from his confusion and fear. 

And then Jesus deals with His disciples. They, too, need help. The fighting and chaos were done, but their fear and failure remained. Why couldn’t we cast it out? And Jesus responds: This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. Which I don’t think means this was some kind of super demon! But more like Jesus asking them: Why didn’t you pray? Why didn’t you ask for help? And then right after this, as Jesus moves on with all twelve of His disciples, Jesus speaks about the cross. That the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise. But, Mark tell us, they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. They still don’t ask. They still have fear. They still are confused. They are, in a way, just like that father. They could each say, too: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

Which really is a perfect summary of our life as Christians, isn't it? We are saint and sinner, believer and unbeliever, confident and fearful, strong and weak, certain and doubting, all at the same time! At least I see that in me! I suspect you, too. And how often we feel that we’ve failed. That we are failures. As fathers and mothers, as children, as disciples and Christians. We’ve sinned. We’ve fallen short. We’ve made a mess of things, of life. And we try to do better. Maybe like the disciples, you did in the past. But now . . . And maybe you’ve wondered a time or two, Jesus, where are you? Where are you when I need you? And maybe you, too, have cried out: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! I can’t do this. I need help.

So where is Jesus? For you, when you need Him? Well, He’s not in His glory someplace far away, like on that mountaintop. He came down to us, just as He came down to that father. He came down to us in our chaos and fears and sins. And He went where He told us He would go - not to Nazareth or Galilee, but to the cross and the tomb. For there is where He would deal with our demons. There is where He would deal with our sin and death. And when He rose from death and the grave, that’s where He deals with our unbelief, too. For the one who rises from the dead has defeated not just death, but our sins and our demons, too. Jesus’ empty tomb means that the cross is not defeat, but the means to His victory. 

A victory that is given to you in Baptism. That’s why in Baptism, just as Jesus rebuked the demon in that son, so, too, here it is said: Depart unclean spirit, and make way for the Holy Spirit. And it is so. Another child, or even adult, is set free, by the water and the Word the God which brings order out of chaos, which brings freedom from bondage, which makes a saint out of a sinner, and raises to life from death. I think it’s interesting that with the son in our story, the father said that the demon often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But what the devil uses for destruction, God uses to save. Both Jesus’ death on a cross, and our being cast into fire and water - the fire of the Spirit and the water of Baptism. And so this story is our story, too. The son’s deliverance, our deliverance. But our’s, even greater. Not just for life here, for a while; but for life everlasting.

But think a little more about this thought for a moment . . . what the devil uses for destruction, God uses to save . . . Could that also be true of other things in your life? Other troubles and trials, other sufferings and challenges? The devil would like to use these things to destroy you, drive you away from Jesus, convince you that: See? He isn’t here for you! He isn’t here for you when you need Him! And the devil can be very persuasive. And we fear and we fight and we get all jumbled up inside and out. But if that, if those very things, cause us to cry out: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! And they make us pray, and we go back to the Word, and I remember that no matter what the devil says, I am a baptized child of God - not because I deserve it, but because Jesus did it! - and I come to the altar to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus and the forgiveness and strength and saving I need . . . then what the devil uses for destruction, God has used to save us. And if you think the disciples were frustrated that day, and the father was frustrated that day, think how frustrating this is for the devil! When your heavenly Father turns the devil’s works against him. 

And then your heavenly Father may lay crosses on you, too. Not to hurt or harm you, but to save you. That you not rely on yourself, but turn to Him. And find your hope and confidence and strength not in yourself, but in the empty tomb. Now it is true what the psalmist say: Weeping may [remain] for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5). And if you are in the night of weeping right now, that’s not an easy place to be! Just as it wasn’t for the father in our story. But Jesus is coming. And not just on the Last Day, but even now, here, for you. To forgive you, comfort you, provide for you, and save you.

So as we sang in the Introit earlier, Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! But the waiting can be the hardest part. So the Lord has given us a Church to help us, and fellow Christians to help us. Don’t try to do it on your own. Pray for your fellow Christians, and ask them to pray for you. When you look at this Font, remember here your Saviour came to you and bound Himself to you and said: You are mine! Hear the great stories of all that He has done, and His death and resurrection for you, His victory for you, and His promises for you. And when you come to this Altar, as saint and sinner, believer and unbeliever, confident and fearful, strong and weak, certain and doubting, all at the same time - pray those words of the father in our story: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! And then hear Jesus speak to you: take eat, this is My Body; take and drink, this is My Blood. Here is my strength, here is my forgiveness, for you. You are free. Go in peace.

And while, yes, weeping may [remain] for the night, the joy of the morning of the resurrection is coming. And that morning has already begun to dawn. Things may look dark now, but it’s always darkest before the dawn, isn't that what they say? I don’t know if that’s true in general, but it is for us as Christians. We live in a very dark world, but the Son rose, and is rising upon us, until the day the darkness is no more, and there is only light. And though the night be long and the darkness deep, 

we Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness! 

[We] praise the Word Incarnate,

Christ, who suffered in our place.

For Jesus died and rose victorious

That we may know God by grace.

[So we] sing for joy and gladness,

Seeing what our God has done;

[We] praise the true Redeemer,

. . . the One who makes us one (LSB #849 vs, 1, 3).

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

Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Opening Ears, Hearts, and Graves”

Text: Mark 7:31-37; James 2:1-10, 14-18; Isaiah 35:4-7a

 

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

Ephphatha! Be opened, Jesus said. And this man’s ears were opened.

Imagine what that must have been like. In my sermon a few weeks ago, I told the story of when my doctor removed two very large and hard plugs of wax from my ears and how I marveled at how much I could hear again. (I guess I should have saved that story for this week!) But for this man . . . imagine all that he heard . . . and maybe for the very first time! A bird chirping. Children laughing. Music playing. Jesus’ voice. Many sounds that we, perhaps, take for granted. No big deal. But a big deal for this man. Life changing. 

Just like the first things the man born blind saw after Jesus gave him his sight. Or the first time a man who couldn’t walk could go somewhere by himself and didn’t need to be carried by others. When a leper could return to his family. Or when someone possessed by demons was set free and was an outcast no more. Imagine what those days must have been like. The joy. These were big deals.

I don’t know if we think about them that way, though. Maybe because we hear these kinds of stories so much that we’re used to hearing them and take for granted all that Jesus can do. Or maybe because of all that medicine and technology are able to do for us today. We have eyeglasses and eye surgery for people who cannot see. We have cochlear implants for people who can’t hear. We have knee replacements for people who can’t walk. Medicines that heal sickness and disease. Now, what Jesus did was greater and more complete than anything we can do . . . but since we can do so much, maybe the wonder isn’t there for us anymore.

But these miracles of Jesus were truly life-changing. When you can’t see, when you can’t hear, when you can’t go where everyone else goes, when you’re sick, what also happens is that you get separated from others. You can’t join the group that has gathered to marvel at the eclipse. You’re not part of the group that takes delight in the sound of a giggling child. You miss weddings, graduations, and other important events. There’s an isolation that comes with these disabilities, try as we might to overcome it. Try as we might to be inclusive. Try as we might to make accommodation. Or to pretend that these disabilities don’t exist by saying that people are not disabled, they are just differently abled, and other such word-smithing.

Which on one level is fine. If people don’t want to be called disabled, we can certainly use different words. If that creates a stigma that could be avoided, we should. But on another level, a deeper level, this matters a great deal. Because if we normalize these things that sin has caused . . . and certainly, sin has caused sickness and disease and eyes and ears and legs to not work as they were created to work . . . If we normalize these things that sin has caused, then we are, in fact, normalizing sin. And where we see this is in how things that were almost universally considered sinful in the past, are so no longer. Everything is normal. Everyone is okay. But it is simply not so.

So what Jesus is doing is not just healing people, but overcoming sin and its disastrous effects. Healing people is great, just as medicine and technology today are great. But all those people Jesus healed, including the deaf man in the reading today, do you know what happened to them? The deaf man eventually lost his hearing again, and the blind man later lost his sight again, and the lame man could one day no longer get up and walk - not because Jesus didn’t really heal them, He did! But sooner or later, they died. The deafness, the blindness, the lameness, and the sickness and disease were the symptoms, the signs, of the greater problem: the sin and death that caught up to them, just as it will one day (unless Jesus comes again first!) catch up to all of us. 

And sin and death we cannot overcome. The death that separates us from our loved ones, and the sin that divides us from others. The separation of death is pretty obvious. But let’s think about sin a little more . . . Consider how sin has made us deaf to the cries of the hurting, blind to the needs of the downtrodden, or if we hear and see these things, then paralyzed when it comes to actually going and helping others. Sin truly has disabled us. And this sin that has disabled us and the death which separates and divides us from each other also has disabled us spiritually, and separated and divided us from God. And if left untreated, will do so for eternity.

That’s why stories like we heard today are so important. Not just because of the marvel of Jesus healing a deaf man, but because it is a sign of the more marvelous work He has come to do - to not just treat the symptoms or outward manifestations of the disease, but to overcome the disease itself. To not just say Ephphatha to closed ears, but to say Be opened! to sealed graves. 

So to do that, God came. In person. In a person. In Jesus. And He saw the separation, He saw the devastation, He saw all that sin had done, and He had compassion. Not that He didn’t know or see before, but He overcame the separation and division by being born a man - God and man in one person. And He took the disease, He took our sin and death, to conquer it. He allowed sin and death to swallow Him up on the cross, that He could swallow them up in His resurrection. And He did. And He promised that all baptized into Him would be baptized into that death and resurrection and be raised in those waters to a new life. 

And that new life in two ways. (1.) Ultimately and finally when Jesus comes again and says “Be opened!” to all of our graves, so that our bodies rise to a new and glorified life that will never end. (2.) But before that day, that we live a new life these days. For in baptism, Jesus opens our ears to hear His Word and to hear the cries of others. He opens our eyes all that He has done for us and to see the needs of others. And He opens our hearts to confess our sins and selfishness and to have compassion for others. But not only that, He also gives us legs that we not only hear and see and feel, but do. To put our faith into action. 

Which brings out the irony in the story we heard today. For after the deaf man was healed, Jesus commanded him to tell no one. But he was so filled with joy that he couldn’t help himself - he had to tell everyone! But we who have been raised and healed and given new life, and to whom Jesus has said speak and do and care and go . . . don’t.

Or not as we should, or as much as we should. And not just with strangers, or the panhandler in the middle of the street, but how often with our own families? With those closest to us? Turning away from spouses, children, brothers and sisters, our fellow Christians. How often do we fail to repent, fail to forgive, fail to help, and instead selfishly harbor anger, bitterness, and grudges? 

Today we heard from the apostle James, who said that we show our faith by our works. Well . . . what are your works showing about your faith? Is your life like the life of the deaf man who was healed, overflowing with joy in your Saviour and the life and forgiveness He has given you? And if not, why not? What sin is still disabling you? What sin is still separating you from others? What death is gnawing away at your life?

These are the very things Jesus has come to set you free from! First in baptism, but after that, too. To open your ears and hear Him say I forgive you all your sins! and to open your mouths to receive His Body and Blood that won that forgiveness for you and strengthen you to forgive others. And through these open your heart and fill it with His life and love. And this is for you because it is for all. Jesus died and rose for all people - no partiality. He loves you no less than anyone else, even if in this world you feel loved less than everyone else.

And when your life on this earth is ended and the next life begins, think about how you will be like that deaf man. What - and who - will you hear and see for the first time? For the first time hearing the song of the angels! Bodies glorified and without sin. It’s hard to imagine, but a day, a time, an eternity to look forward to.

But maybe we can get a glimpse of all that already here and now. And not just in church, but in all your life. When you serve, when you love, when you forgive, you are showing the love and new life of Christ to others. And showing that they matter. That they are important. That Jesus didn’t just die for some or love some, but all. Deaf people, blind people, lame people, sinner people, failure people, stubborn people. People like you. People like me. His ears and heart are not deaf to us but open to us, and He opens our ears and hearts toward others. And that’s a big deal. And while the healing of this deaf man might just seem like one miracle among many, and your life might just seem like one among many, he wasn’t, and you’re not. Jesus paid special attention to him, and Jesus pays special attention to you. Jesus healed him and Jesus heals you. Sin and death no longer rule you or determine your life - Jesus does. The Jesus who baptized you, the Jesus who said Father, forgive them, the Jesus who feeds you, and the Jesus who will one day say to your grave, Be opened! And it will be. And you will come forth to live before Him in righteousness and purity forever.

That will be a wonder-full day, a day full of wonder. But so is today. Satan will continue to try to blind you to that, deaf you to that, but Jesus opens eyes and ears, that we know the wonder of His love, even in this world filled with sin and death. And if you find yourself a little short in that department - and who doesn’t, right? . . . A little or a lot . . . If you are one with an anxious heart, as Isaiah said today, know this: your God has come. For you. And that man in this story is now you. You are healed. You are forgiven. You have hope. You have a future. Difficulties now are preparing you for a glorious future. 

Maybe that’s hard to imagine. Maybe it seems too far away, and you think you won’t be able to make it. And if you’re looking at the difficulties, or looking at yourself, or looking at the sins or the sinners that afflict you or oppress you, then yeah, it’s going to seem that way. So look somewhere else. Look at the cross. Look to Jesus. Hear His voice. His promises. For the joy and hope and love and life you need come from Him. And He will give it. Just as He did to a deaf man that day. A deaf man who received not only hearing, but life. And with life, joy. The joy we want. The joy we need. The joy of Jesus.

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