Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Come Feed on the Bread of Life”

Text: John 6:35-51

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Come and Get . . . Him!”

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

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

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

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

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

Think about that . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  

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

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

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

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

Sermon for the Commemoration of Saint James the Elder, Apostle

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Jesu Juva

“Glory Through the Lens of the Cross”

Text: Acts 11:27-12:5; Mark 10:35-45; Romans 8:28-39

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

Herod is at it again. Two weeks ago, we heard how his sword came down on the neck of John the Baptist. Today it is James who feels the cold steel. The first pleased his niece; the second the Jews. So he arrests Peter, too, and will deal with him after the festival is over. Give the Jews more of what they want. Herod was a people-pleaser.

But Herod’s sword is a two-edged sword. On one edge might be the blood of John and Jamesbut the on the other is his own. Beheading John pleased his niece, but deprived him of the one he heard gladly (Mark 6:20). And the church (as we heard) was actually sending famine relief to his people! Why kill the ones who were helping him? But so it is with sin. Sin isn’t rational. Sin isn’t logical. Sin can’t be satisfied. It always wants more. More of you, until it has all of you.

That’s why sin is so dangerous. You can’t say: I’ll just keep this little sin, this little vice. It’s not a big one! Just over here, in this little corner of my life. Way over here. No one will know. It won’t hurt anyone. It’s fun. It feels good. It satisfies. I can handle it. But sin is not so easily tamed. It won’t stay where you want it to stay. Even a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Cain’s jealousy grew into murder. David’s lust did the same. And so too with Herod. His lust for his niece, and his lust for power.

So when James and his brother John came up to Jesus that day, asking for, praying for, dare we say lusting for, those places of honor beside Jesus, at His right hand and at His left hand, this is not good. They don’t know what they are asking. They don’t know or see the sin at work in them, eating away at them, leading them down the wrong path. Greatness in the kingdom of God is not like worldly greatness. Power in the kingdom of God does not look like worldly power. It is, in fact, quite the opposite. Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. That is the Jesus way. The way of the cross.

And lest we exalt ourselves over James and John and exalt ourselves over the other ten apostles who got indignant at them, realize how we struggle with this, too. How we, too, struggle with the way of the cross.

Take, for example, the first verse we heard in the Epistle today: We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. We hear such a verse and what do we think? My life will be good, as a Christian. Which is true. 100%. That’s what it says. But what good? What kind of good? And whose good? Yours, or God’s? And make no mistake about it, those are often, maybe even mostly, quite different.

For what is good to you? A job that pays well. A life that maybe has some struggles, but not too many. Things mostly go according to your plan, how you think things should be. You get into the right schools, you have good friends, joys are many and tears are few. You might get sick but not too sick - at least, nothing that can’t be cured. Others think and speak well of you, your children don’t rebel too much, Jesus answers all your prayers with yes, right away!, and life, in general, is pretty enjoyable. How am I doing? Pretty close? 

But what is good for God? For God, good is how creation was before sin. Good is a world not with manageable sin, or not too much sin, but without sin. And so it is that good that God is working all things together for - for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose. 

So how does a God do that? How does He take a world completely and totally plunged into and infected by sin, and make it that kind of good again? How do you reform such a world? How do you wash such a world clean? You can’t. If so, you would expect that after the flood, things would have been good again, right? The whole world was washed! All those evildoers drowned and wiped out, and only righteous and believing Noah and his family left. And yet sin was still there and quickly showed its ugly face. It’s a good lesson for us. The problem in this world isn’t other people. It’s me. It’s my sin. Even if you were the only person left in the world, the world would still be filled with sinners.

There’s only one way to deal with sin: to die. Kill it and bury it. You must die and be born again. Not in a reincarnation sense of try and try again; try harder and keep climbing until you get it right, until you reach your goal. That’s not God working good but you working good. That’s you trying to conquer your sin. And a lot of people try that. Some really hard and really sincerely. But it doesn’t work. You need God’s way - the way of the cross. To die with Christ, to die in Christ, to be raised with Christ, raised in Christ, to a new and good life.

That’s why when James and John make their bold and bodacious request to Jesus, He answers them as He does. He gives them the cross. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? That’s cross talk. They say yes, we are able. And they will. Not as punishment, but for God to give them what they want! To glorify them with His glory. To work His good in them. To make them His kind of good. The cross, then, is God’s gift to us.

So not just Jesus’ cross is a gift - so are the crosses given to you. If we don’t see them as good, it is because of the sin in us that wants our own idea of what is good, not God’s good. When we think that these crosses aren’t giving us what we want, but, in fact, just the opposite! Saint Augustine once noticed that, too, and remarked that people want every good except to BE good (City of God)!

But that’s really the only good that matters to Jesus and what He wants for you. He wants to give you good things, yes! But even more, to give you good life. A new life. A new and good and eternal life. And so His cross has transformed the cross. It is no longer merely a Roman instrument of torture and death, but the way of Christ to that life He has for you and wants for you. So yes, James and John, the cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. You will have the cross in your lives, too. That you may live and be exalted and good.

And then Jesus gives them the punchline: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. That’s why Jesus is here. That is His glory. To lay down His life for the life of the world. You want to be on His right and left there, James and John? While Jesus is on the cross? Well . . . that’s not . . . what we meant . . . what we were talking about . . . ! But those places had been prepared for others. In fact, James and John would receive much more than that; much more than they asked for. 

As will you. For you will receive a far greater good and a far greater glory than just the good things and glory of this world and life, but the good and glory of a new life in the new creation. For you have been baptized with Jesus’ baptism, baptized into His death and resurrection, that the old sinner in you been drowned and die, and you rise to live a new and good life. The cup that Jesus drank He has now filled with His blood for you to drink, for the forgiveness of all your sins. That where you go, Jesus goes; and where Jesus goes, you go. For, as Paul said to us today, nothing is able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing. Not tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword. Not even Herod’s bloodthirsty sword. Not angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation. For you are in Christ and Christ is in you. 

So while James and his brother John did experience all that - tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger - and for James, the sword - through such things God builds His Church and brings His people to glory. Wait. What? It’s true. Through tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword God is working good, building His church. John the Baptist was arrested, jailed, and killed and the church grew. James was killed and the church grew. Ten of the other twelve apostles were persecuted and killed and the church grew. These things cannot destroy the church. If it was a church built by men, then yes, it would. Kill the men and kill the church. But if the church is not built by men at all, but by God, if it is His church and not ours, then He’ll take care of it. He’ll see to it. He’ll see to it that there are places of honor for His children; for you.

And so Jesus doesn’t chastise James and John, He teaches them - and us - to think differently. And to think through the lens of the cross. That glory and honor come in no other way than through the forgiveness of sins, through death and resurrection with Christ. And in this world, that don’t look like much! It might even get you hated and killed. Just ask Abel, Uriah, John, or James. But as Jesus said, Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12). That’s Jesus’ way to glory.

That’s the glory now here at the altar. We’ll sing of it in a moment. Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of sabaoth adored; Heaven and earth with full acclaim shout the . . . glory of Your name (Sanctus). Not just heaven is full of His glory, but the earth, too. Look around. Do you see it? James and John didn’t. Not yet. They were looking for something else. What are you looking for? What are you asking for? What are you expecting? Here in water and words and bread and wine is the glory of the God - is God Himself! The glory of a God who comes to serve you. The glory of a God who comes to die for you. Here is the glory of the God who loves sinners like you and me. Here is the glory of the forgiveness of sins. Here is the glory God’s goodness, making everything new and good again. Even you. That when Jesus comes again in glory, a new you live a new and eternal life in a new creation. 

The world will always have its Herods. Don’t worry about them. They’ll do what they do. But as a child of God, you will always have a Saviour greater than all the world’s kings and Herods combined. The King of kings, in fact. That’s who you have. And you have been baptized with His baptism. You drink from His cup. Your sins are forgiven. And so this too: You will be with Him . . . in Paradise.

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

Sermon for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Our Good and Gracious Shepherd”

Text: Mark 6:30-44; Jeremiah 23:1-6

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

Israel was again at the border of the Promised Land. They could see it. They could almost touch it. They would, soon. The last time they were here, 40 years before this, they didn’t. They didn’t trust the Lord, didn’t believe Him. That this gift, this land, He could actually give. So they didn’t receive the gift. Back to the desert, they had to turn.

But now they were back. Moses preaches to them about all that the Lord has said, all that the Lord has done, all that the Lord has promised, that they not make the same mistake again. That this time, they receive this gift from God.

But Moses had another concern as well. For he was about to die. He would not enter the Promised Land. But he was not concerned for Himself, but for the people. That they be led faithfully. And so he asked the Lord to appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd (Numbers 27:17).

The Lord did so, appointing Joshua. And Joshua led them in.

But Jeremiah’s day, however, as we heard, God’s people had become as Moses had feared. After Joshua, Israel’s leaders were a mixed bag. The faith of the people came and went, waxed and waned. Some were faithful shepherds, but many were not. They were shepherds who didn’t shepherd. They didn’t tend the flock, they scattered it. They didn’t feed the flock, they destroyed it. They didn’t lead the flock, they misled the people. 

So when Jesus came, God’s people were hungry. That’s why they ran around the Sea of Galilee to get to where Jesus was. That’s why they sat there all day, listening to Jesus teach. They were hungry for the Word of God. They had been fed on other food, other teaching. Food that did not nourish. Do this, do that. Be this, be that. And it never satisfied. It always fell short. They always fell short. 

But Jesus was different. As we’ve heard, He didn’t teach as their teachers did, He taught with authority. But even more than that, He taught with compassion. Not driving them, but caring for them. Not demanding from them, but binding them up. When they listened to Jesus, they never left hungry. They left like they had been to a lavish banquet. Their souls filled with good food. They left with the work of God and the promises of God ringing in their ears. Including the promise God made through the prophet Jeremiah, that one day He would raise up a righteous shepherd, a good shepherd, for His people.

So it was this day beside the Sea of Galilee. 

But when it grew late in the day, another need arose. People who are both body and soul need feeding of both body and soul. Maybe the children there were getting restless or starting to cry. Or maybe the disciples themselves were getting hungry. After all, Mark tells us, they went to where they were because they had had no leisure even to eat. So now Jesus had done His part. He has taught the people. Now send the people away to do their part - to get some food for themselves, the disciples said. They had gathered around Jesus . . . or had He gathered them? Was it now the disciples scattering them again?

So no. Jesus has a better idea. Why don’t you do it? Jesus says. You give them something to eat.

Now, the disciples had just come back from Jesus sending them out two by two into the towns and villages. They had taken nothing but had lacked nothing. And Jesus had given them authority. They preached. They cast out demons. They healed many who were sick. But this? Feed a crowd like this? That they could not possibly do. Five loaves of bread and two fish would make a lot of sandwiches, but not this many. What answer did Jesus expect from them? 

Jesus tells the people to sit down. That’s interesting. Why were they standing? Had the disciples already been telling them to go? No, that won’t do. Not for a good shepherd. Sit, Jesus says. Sit, my children, Sit, my sheep. I will shepherd you. I am your Good Shepherd. Things are not now like they were before. There is something new. SomeONE new. They called Him the Son of David, and so He was. And so He would be. The promised shepherd who will care for them, so that they fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall any be missing. 

The one promised to Adam and Eve, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to David and Solomon, to Jeremiah and the prophets, was now here. He would make them recline in green pastures and restore them. And for the one who created all that is out of nothing, including the wheat and the fish, and the rain and the water that gives them life, five loaves of bread and two fish is a bounty. Is more than enough. 

And did you ever wonder who was in that congregation that day? Who were those people there in that crowd, listening to Jesus and then being fed by Him? Probably the old and the young. Big families and little families. Fishermen and businessmen. Jews and Gentiles. Loyalists and Zealots. Tax collectors and sinners. It doesn’t matter to Jesus. It is His flock. They are all one. They came here for Him. He came here for them.

And for us.

Five thousand is a lot of people. If it were five thousand men with their families, how many more even than that. Imagine that many here, in our church. But even so, then or now, five thousand or more, not everyone was there. Many did not run around the lake. Many who were on that side of the lake didn’t care. Many thought Jesus a bad shepherd, not a good one. So they didn’t go. So they didn’t receive.

That’s not what Jesus wants. He wants all to receive His gifts. And they do, actually. For everything that is, is a gift from God. The rain that falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Divine blessings are given to believers and unbelievers. The Lord is good and generous to all. We pray the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, for our daily bread, not so that God will give it - He already does - but so that we will realize it all as gift from Him and receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. The eyes of all look to You, O Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time; You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145:15-16).

Sin, of course, effects these gifts of God. Creation is not as it once was. Greedy men horde while others go hungry. One life is destroyed so that another may prosper. Competition not compassion, lust not love, pride not humility, power not service, me not you, take these gifts of God for all and tries to make them mine. That if there are only five loaves of bread and two fish, then I make sure I’m close enough to the front of the line to get my sandwich . . . or, make sure my gas tank is topped off . . . or, make sure I have enough toilet paper to last for a while . . .

So when Jesus told His disciples to give this flock something to eat, He knew they couldn’t do it. But rather than send them away, He wanted His disciples to turn to Him, the Giver of gifts, to give what was needed. Today we call that repentance. To repent of ourselves, turn away from ourselves and relying on ourselves, and look to Him. The eyes of all look to You, O Lord . . . Or, at least, we should.

Because in this world so filled with problems and division and only getting worse, what can we do with our five fingers and two feet? We do what we can, but what is so little among so much?

And do we forget the one who can? Whose five fingers and two feet would save far more than five thousand, but every single person who ever lived and ever will live? For those same hands that took that bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it, would soon be nailed to a cross. Not to never again take, bless, thank, break, and give, but that risen from the dead, He do so forever. He do so today. Here. That that miracle of feeding the flock continue here as the divine and human, dead and now risen, Good Shepherd gives His Body to eat and His Blood to drink. And That His voice still sound forth in the faithful preaching of His Word. And that children of God still be brought into His fold and flock through the washing of Baptism. And that just the eyes of our bodies look to Him for the food we need, so the eyes of our souls look to Him for the forgiveness we need. That all these gifts of His be our daily bread, and that He lead us to realize this and receive these gifts with thanksgiving.

These gifts that are here for all, just as no one in that crowd by the Sea of Galilee that day left hungry. There was even plenty left over. The Lord is never stingy with His gifts, but lavish. 

But remember, there were people who did remain hungry - those who did not bother, who could not be bothered, to go and be with Jesus. Jesus was there for them, Jesus’ feeding was there for them, but they would not.

But that is not the end of the story, of course. Just as Jesus gave His disciples then the food to give to the flock, so He gives His Church these gifts to give and sends His Church to give these gifts. To all. But today, too, not all will come, not all will receive, not all will be bothered, though we pray they will. So each week we gather by the Sea of the Font, we receive the gift of His Absolution, we hear our Shepherd teach, and we eat His divine food. And we know: how blessed we are to be in this flock, the flock of the Good Shepherd. 

And thus blessed, we bless. Let us bless the Lord! Thanks be to God, we say. And we take this blessing out into the world, to others. Twelve baskets full left over. But what are these, what are we, among so many? More than enough. More than enough in the hands of Jesus. Merciful hands. Mighty hands. Compassionate hands. Blessing hands. Feeding hands. Tending hands. Gracious hands. Until they be raising hands, raising us on the Last Day, to enter our Promised Land. Sheep with our Shepherd. Gifts not deserved, but freely given. So let us bless the Lord! [Thanks be to God!]

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

Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Welcome Home!”

Text: Mark 6:14-29; Amos 7:7-15; Ephesians 1:3-14

Introit: Psalm 143:11; Gradual: Romans 11:33

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

It was dark when he woke up. It usually was. There were no windows, just bars and chains. Sometimes he tried to go back to sleep, but it was usually useless. The vermin were up, too, and would keep him awake. Was it day or night? He could hear some of the other prisoners - that usually meant it was day time. But who really knew.

It was a strange existence for him. How long had he been here? He lost track of time. The food wasn’t much, but neither was it in the days he ate locusts and wild honey! He longed for his days in the Jordan, baptizing. Those were good days. The crowds, the preaching, the baptizing, the joy of forgiveness. The day he baptized Jesus! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. It was a lifetime ago. But he knew: Jesus must increase, and he must decrease (John 3:30). But he never thought he’d decrease this much. To one of Herod’s dungeons. 

Some of his own disciples wondered why God was treating him like this, and whether Jesus really was the Messiah or not (Matthew 11:3). But he knew he wasn’t the first, and he wouldn’t be the last. God’s prophets were often mistreated. He remembered Jeremiah and all he went through. He’d been cast into a pit and feared for his life. Isaiah had been sawn in two. Moses - how did he put up with the Israelites all those years? All their complaining and rebellion. Even Amos. He was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took [him] from following the flock, and the Lord said to [him], ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ He did. And they rejected him, too. 

Prophets had a tough life. But not just prophets - any Christian who speaks the Word of God in truth can expect pushback . . . and maybe more.

But maybe he would be set free soon. And not to go back to the Jordan. Not that kind of free. But really free. Truly free. Free from this world and its sin. The freedom death would bring him, to go to eternal life. That would be the day! Maybe today?

He heard guards coming . . . he actually liked that. For often they would come for him and take him out to preach to King Herod. It always took his eyes a while to adjust to light again! But they did. And he always appreciated what he saw more than he had before. It had all been so common before - the flowers, trees, bees, and animals. The sun! Other people. Not anymore. He would never take them for granted again - if he ever got out of here. It was such a treat to see them again! So guards coming . . . that got up his hope . . .

For then he would get to preach again, too. That was his calling, his vocation, after all. To be the forerunner of the Messiah. To preach for Him. To preach Him. To call sinners to repentance and baptize them for the forgiveness of sins. Why had he been selected to do that? He didn’t know. But he knew it was by grace, as all your vocations are. He didn’t deserve such a high calling. Others could surely have done it better than him. And look at him now! In prison! But this, too, part of God’s plan. God’s mysterious, unfathomable plan. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! How true.

So when he heard the guards, he hoped he would get to preach again. To King Herod. It was strange how King Herod kept bringing him back. For he kept telling him how it was not right for him to have married Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Herod’s face always got kind of red when he said that - and he said it everytime he got to preach to him! And while Herod would never repent, he kept bringing him back. He heard him gladly. He thought he knew why. Because when you’re the king, everyone kisses your . . . well, your you know what. They all tell you what you want to hear. No one talks straight. No one will tell you what you really need to hear. That must get old pretty quick. Maybe you know a little of that.

But he wasn’t like that. True prophets aren’t like that. Men called to be preachers aren’t to be like that. He called a spade a spade. He called sinners sinners. And Herod was a sinner! A great one! And he wasn’t afraid to tell him so. And speaking of the prophet Amos and his plumb line - he liked that image; would use that line sometimes. Tell Herod how he was not straight at all, but way off! For what could Herod do to him, after all? Kill him? Then he would be free. Then he wouldn’t have to go back to the darkness - he would be in the light. The everlasting light. That would be the day. He longed for that day.

So Herod heard him gladly. And he liked preaching - not just calling Herod to repentance, but especially telling him of Jesus. That while yes, he was a great sinner, he also had a great Saviour! One who was now here! The one upon whom the Spirit had descended when he, John himself, baptized Him, when the voice came from heaven: This is my beloved son! (Matthew 3:17) Yes, God’s Son was here for sinners, for all sinners, for all people, for Herod. There was hope. 

Herod was always intrigued. He even said one time how he wished to see Jesus and see him perform some miracle (Luke 23:8) - maybe then he would believe. But that wasn’t John’s responsibility. He was just to preach - it was up to the Spirit to do the rest.

Then he heard the guards again - they shook him from his thoughts back to reality. Get up! they said to him. Then he felt the boot in his ribs, and the laugh. How they liked tormenting the prisoners. Like living in this hell hole wasn’t enough. He got up. They unlocked his chains and led him out. It was time to see Herod. It was time to preach. 

Except . . . it wasn’t. Everytime he went to see Herod they turned to the right out of his cell. Today they turned left. Strange. They went down a corridor; it didn’t take long. Before he knew it, he felt a shove in his back. It knocked him off balance, and as his knees hit the floor and he felt waves of pain bolt through his legs, he then felt his stomach - and then his chest - hit a block of stone. And then . . .

Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21). Welcome home!

He heard the words. He opened his eyes. It was light. And warm. There were the prophets he’d just been thinking about - Jeremiah, Isaiah, Moses, and Amos. The life he preached he was now in. What had happened?

He didn’t know. We know. Creepy Herod made a creepy oath to his creepy neice who he drunkenly lusted after when she danced for him at his party - and she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. He didn’t want to do it. But he couldn’t prefer John to his niece. He was afraid of what his guests would think. He didn’t have the hope of eternal life - this life was all he had. He didn’t have a Saviour, so this life he had to save. So he did. He gave the order, and it was carried out, swiftly and efficiently. John would never preach again.

Except he would. He still does. To us. Through the Word he is still speaking to us today, calling us to repentance, to the forgiveness of sins, and to the promise of everlasting life. He is preaching to us to fear no Herod - even if they don’t listen to us; even if they throw us in prison. And to repent if we do. For all any Herod can do is kill us - but they can’t take our life. All they can do is do us a favor, to send us from this world of sin and death to our eternal life. From the darkness to the light. From prison to freedom.

And then we’ll be with Jeremiah, Isaiah, Moses, Amos . . . and John. Because He who promised is faithful. Jesus is faithful. He promised us life and died to fulfill that promise. He promised us forgiveness and atoned for our sins through His death on the cross. He promised us sonship and makes us sons of God in baptism. John’s baptism was great, but His even greater. And so like John, though life may be tough - really tough, dungeon tough! - we are never hopeless. We are never hopeless with Christ.

And one day, just as John’s headless body will rise, so will yours. Whole, complete, perfect, and glorious. Because Jesus rose. And baptized into His death, you are also baptized into His resurrection (Romans 6).

So what Herods do you have in your life? What troubles? What problems? What people who will not listen? Who are against you? Who threaten you? Do not fear and do not despair. Your Lord is greater than all. As we sang in the Introit, He will bring your soul out of trouble and preserve your life. As Paul told us, in Him you have an inheritance in heaven, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of your inheritance. So you have confidence. In Him. In His blood. In His life.

So come and receive His blood, His body, and His life. Come receive the forgiveness of your sins. Come receive and know that - like John - there is nothing in all creation that can now separate you from His love (Romans 8:39). For John was great, but even the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (Matthew 11:11b). And you’re in that kingdom. His kingdom of grace, here, until you enter His kingdom of glory.

So whatever you are going through, whatever doubts and fears you have, whatever challenges, hardships, or troubles, whatever threatening kings or horrible dungeons, the Lord knows, and sees, and has you. Life in this sinful world is never going to be easy, but it is not hopeless either. Your Lord has come to save. Your Lord is here to save. And He is coming again to save. You. For in your baptism, the same words spoken to Him He says to you. And when you calls you home, like John, you’ll hear them again: You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter, with you I am well pleased. Well done, good and faithful servant. Welcome home!

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