Sermon for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Come and Get It!”

Text: Mark 10:17-22

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

Let’s assume for the moment that this man who came up to Jesus that day and asked about eternal life really did keep all the commandments from his youth, as he said. 

He really did not only not hurt or harm his neighbor in his body, but also helped and supported all his neighbors in every physical need.

He really did live a sexually pure and decent life in all he said and did.

He really did not only not take his neighbor’s money or possessions, but also always helped his neighbor improve and protect his possessions and income.

He really did not only not tell lies about his neighbor, did not ever betray or slander her or hurt her reputation, but also always defended her, always spoke well of her, and always explained everything in the kindest way. 

He really didn’t defraud anyone, but was honest in all his dealings.

He really did honor his father and mother, served and obeyed them, loved and cherished them, without fail.

Let’s assume he was this exemplary human being that he claimed to be. And that he really did all these things out of pure love for others and not for himself - for that would ruin his good works, doing them for himself, to get something for himself (like eternal life) and not really concerned for others. Jesus doesn’t deny it; doesn’t argue with him. So let’s assume he is so. Certainly a rare human being.

What does Jesus say to him then? Basically this: well, that’s a good start. But it’s only a start. And a small one at that. So perhaps you’re ready for the next step. If you really want to know what you must do to inherit eternal life, sell all that you have and give to the poor. If you are as good as you think, that shouldn’t be a problem. Using your wealth to help your neighbor is just an extension of what you’ve already been doing. Surely, you know that your treasure isn’t here on earth. Surely, you know of heavenly treasure. Surely you know that you’re going to die and that you can’t take it with you. So don’t wait until you die; do it now. And then come, follow me.

Oh. Um . . . Hmmm . . . [Sigh.] He couldn’t do that. Is that what it means to be good? Is that really what one must do to inherit eternal life? And he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

You see, the Law has two tables, or two parts. The second are those commandments Jesus listed today, dealing with your neighbor, loving your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). And maybe this man was a really good person, someone everyone admired and looked up. And maybe you know someone like that. Maybe you’re that way - someone people look at and say: There’s a good person. You don’t lie or cheat or steal. You don’t kick the dog. You’re faithful to your spouse and family and friends. You help others and don’t hurt others. And to the world, that’s not only good but enough to get you to heaven, to eternal life. 

But God’s Law, you see, has two parts, two tables. And it’s the first part that this man had a problem with. And it’s the first part that the world has a problem with. To fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Or, as it is also put: to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37). Or, to put it the way Jesus did today: that you are willing to give up anything and everything but God. Your riches, your honor . . . your life.

The world doesn’t really care about that. As long as you’re a good person it doesn’t matter what god you believe in and worship, even no god at all. Or as the atheist society billboards and advertisements that shows up at Christmas say: you don’t need god to be good.

Well . . . one problem with that is that the world’s definition of good is constantly changing! What was once good is no longer good, and what was once not good is now considered good. And so people the world once thought good . . . they find out something they did or find a writing or a recording of something they said 20, 30, 40, 100 years ago and suddenly they aren’t good anymore! Not according to the current definition of good. So they have to be fired, they have to be canceled, they have to be de-platformed. It could happen to you. Maybe it has. It’s hard to live up to standards that are constantly changing!

So this man who came up to Jesus that day . . . let’s assume he really was good. And what if Jesus said to him: By jove, keep it up. You’ve got it! But tomorrow, archaeologists dig up an artifact that shows something this man did then that is no longer considered good today. He owned slaves, or he used a racial slur when talking about the Gentiles or Samaritans, or he didn’t pay his fair share of taxes . . . so was he good then and not good today? So, he had eternal life then but he wouldn’t today? So does he or doesn’t he? Is he or isn’t he? Could someone live all their life thinking they are good and therefore have eternal life, when all along they weren’t? Surprise! 

Sadly that happens. But Jesus doesn’t want that to happen to this man - or to anyone - He loves him, it says. So Jesus exposes him, his heart, his idol, his false god, that thing he is not willing to let go of, that he cannot live without. For this man it was his great wealth. But what is it for you? That makes you go: Oh. Um . . . Hmmm . . . [Sigh.] Something you know God wants you to do, God wants you to be, but you just can’t. Maybe because you love it more than God, or trust it more than God, or fear it more than God. Maybe because you can’t imagine living without it. Maybe because that’s where you find your meaning or value, or it’s a hurt you can’t let go of, or a desire you just have to fulfill. And just when you think you overcome one, another comes along and takes its place.

So this man went away sorrowful, because he knows he cannot do what Jesus tells him; what he must do to inherit eternal life. And it’s how we must leave this place today if that’s all we hear.

But you didn’t come here today to kneel before Jesus and ask the question: Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? You came here today to kneel before Jesus and say: Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lord, I am not, can not be who you want me to be. Lord, I have not, can not do what you want me to do. As hard as I might try. As good as the world might think me to be (or not!), my heart is like this man’s. And so you do not leave sorrowful, because you hear something more. Begging for mercy, mercy is what you get. So Jesus tells you not more that you must do; you instead hear Jesus say this: I forgive you all your sin. 

For that is the one thing you need for eternal life. That is the good that does not change. Because it is the good that comes after all that is not good - in us and in the world - is nailed with Jesus to the cross and then laid in the tomb. And all that comes out of that tomb is life. Life that Jesus is, and has, and now gives to you. The good that Jesus is, and has, and now gives to you.

And that’s what Jesus wanted this man to see. So He didn’t just tell this man to sell all that [he] has and give to the poor . . . but then this: come, follow me. But follow Him where? To where Jesus came to go - to the cross. He wants this man to see that what he needs to do for eternal life - but can’t - Jesus can, and is doing for him. For Jesus is the one who kept all the commandments perfectly from His youth, and who did give all that He had - even His life on the cross - so that this man, and you, could have treasure in heaven. You see, follow me isn’t a command to obey, but an invitation to see and receive.

So you’ve come here today because here is where Jesus’ cross is for you. For you can’t follow Jesus to a cross that happened some two thousands years ago in a land far, far away from here. But you can follow Him to where He puts His cross today for you. 

His cross in the Font, for in baptism you die and rise with Jesus to a new life. And the first thing you hear in the Divine Service reminds you of that - that you are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And that new and good life you need, you have received. Gift.

But that new and good life you haven’t lived this week. So you have come to hear the words Jesus spoke from His cross: words of forgiveness. And you are not disappointed. He speaks them to you - I forgive you all your sins - and then that same Name put upon you in baptism is spoken on you again: in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And that new and good life you need, you again receive. Gift.

And you followed Jesus here to hear that love enacted. That love spoken of and promised in the prophets, that love lived in all that Jesus said and did, and that love attested by the apostles, the eyewitnesses of Jesus dead but now living. Those words through which the Spirit of Jesus works in your heart to uproot and cast out those idols that live there; to pry them from your cold, dead hearts and give you that new and good heart you need. Gift.

And now you will follow Jesus to His Supper. Follow, for it is not we who do this Supper, but Jesus who does it, who is here in it and invites you to it; to eat and drink His Body and Blood - the same Body and Blood that hung upon the cross, was laid in the tomb, and then rose to life again. And so it is not dead food like the food of this world, but living food. Food for life. Food that gives you life and sustains you in the life He accomplished for you and now gives to you. Gift.

Gifts. Forgiveness. That’s what Jesus is all about. So that you leave this place not sorrowful but joyful! For this man’s question - and yours - has been answered by the cross. What you must do Jesus did, and what you must have Jesus gives. What must you do to inherit eternal life? Just this: Come and get it!

And then leave this place and live it. Live like your life is more than just of this world, for it is. Live like you really do have treasure in heaven, for you do. Live like you’re going to live forever, for you are. For you have a good life, a good Lord, a good and gracious Saviour. Who doesn’t change.

So what must I do? Jesus answered that questions from the cross: It is finished (John 19:30). It is completed. I did it. For you. Follow Me. Come and see. Come and get it!

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

Sermons?

Nope! :-)  Pastor Douthwaite was away with family on September 26 and we were privileged to have Rev. Dr. William Weinrich of our Fort Wayne Seminary as our preacher this week, October 3. So no sermons to post here. You can listen to these sermons on our YouTube channel. Check back next week for a new sermon from Pastor Douthwaite. Thanks!

Sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“De-Worming”

Text: Mark 9:30-37; James 3:13-4:10; Psalm 37:4 (Introit)

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

Have you ever had an ear worm? You know what that is - a tune, or a jingle, or a song that worms its way into your ear and you can’t get rid of it. It just keeps playing over and over and over and drives you crazy. I think it’s happened to us all.

And this too - a mind worm. That’s not a song or a jingle but a thought that gets stuck in your head. Maybe it’s a worry in your life, a problem from work, or an assignment at school that you just keeping thinking about and can’t stop. Or it can be something good, too, like an upcoming vacation. When you have a mind worm, you do things like forget where you’re going when you’re driving and forget to make a turn. Mind worms keep you up at night.

Or how about this: I’m going to make another one up - a heart worm. That would be a desire that worms its way into your heart. Something you want so badly that it begins to take over your life. You order and schedule your life around this desire. You daydream about it, you obsess about it. Maybe it’s a thing, or a person, or an accomplishment. It begins to define you; what you become all about and pour all your energy into.

Ear worms, mind worms, heart worms. None of those things is necessarily bad. It’s not bad to have focus, to have goals and dreams, to try really hard for something. We admire people like that. But they can turn bad. Especially that third one: heart worms. Ear worms are annoying. Mind worms distracting. But when something becomes more than simply a wish or a desire or a goal, but something that controls you, like a heart worm, that’s idolatry. When it displaces God in your heart. When it becomes what you fear, love, and trust instead of God. Something that you fear not having or getting, that you love more than anything else, and that you trust will get you what you want, or where you want, or will make you worth something. 

This seems to be what happened to the disciples of Jesus. They wanted to be the greatest. They ask Jesus about it (Matthew 18:1), they argue about it, and they were even disputing about it on the night when Jesus was betrayed, right after He gave them His Supper (Luke 22:24)! That’s how dangerous heart worms can be. How they can take over your life and crowd everything else out.

That’s why, I think, or at least one of the reasons why, when Jesus told the disciples in the Holy Gospel we heard today that He 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, it kind of just bounces off them. It doesn’t sink in. Because all that’s on their minds and in their hearts is which of them was the greatest. Jesus was nice about it; asked them what they were discussing. Mark is more honest; says they were arguing. We do that, too, right? We’re not fighting! We’re discussing!

But you get it. You know what’s going on with the disciples, because it happens to you. Ear worms, mind worms, heart worms. Worms of sin and evil from the devil, worms from the world so that we think like them and desire what they desire and value what they value, and even some worms we - and our own sinful nature - come up with on our own. Worms that maybe start out innocently enough, but the longer they live, the deeper they go, the more control they exert, the harder they become to get out, and the more dangerous they become. 

We heard about this from James this morning, too, in the Epistle. He talks about the jealousy and selfish ambition in our hearts . . . passions are at war within you . . . and friendship with the world (or thinking like the world, desiring like the world, valuing like the world) that is enmity with (or contrary to the word and will and way of) God. How dangerous this can be.

So what do you do? How do get rid of them, these worms, in your life? Ironically, the harder you try the worse they seem to get! Because you keep thinking about them. What you need is a jolt. What you need is to be grabbed and shaken out of it. Maybe it’s someone yelling at you that gets the ear worm out. Maybe it’s that sudden realization that you just passed your exit on the highway and now need to drive way out of your way to get back - and so you start to focus on that. 

For Jesus, it was a child. And to those twelve who were arguing about worldly greatness, grown-up greatness, Jesus says: Look. This is greatness. If you want to be first, if you want to be great, be last. Serve. Serve children. Be a child. Or in other words, greatness to God looks a whole lot different than it does to the world. That was just the shock and jolt the disciples needed, though they would need boosters, too, when these worms made their way in again.

And it’s why we gather here each week. Because we live in a world of worms. Worms that take our ears away from hearing the Word of God, fill our minds with other words and so-called truths, and capture our hearts. And if left alone . . . well, can cost you your life. 

So we gather here each week. To be jolted and grabbed and shaken. To drive those worms out of our ears, minds, and hearts. And as we’re hearing, that’s what the liturgy is all about; was constructed to do. It’s not to make us feel good - it’s to deliver Jesus and His forgiveness and life. To fill our ears and minds and hearts with something else, something different. Something real and true. Something that will not make you great in the eyes of the world, but realize that you are great in the eyes of God. For Jesus is the greatest who became the least, the first who became last, to serve you.

So we gather here and confess our sins, our worms. We pray for mercy. We gather after another week of wrong listening, wrong thinking, wrong acting, wrong desiring. We gather as old and young, parents and children, workers and bosses, from here and there, because we’ve all failed this week. To love God and love our neighbor. We loved and served ourselves instead. We need that jolt, that grabbing, that confession . . . so that the words of Jesus don’t just bounce off and not sink in, but be the forgiveness we need, and give the life we need. That you hear once again all that Jesus has done for you; that what Jesus said was going to happen, did happen. He was delivered into the hands of men. He was killed. He was crucified. And after three days He did rise. For you. To raise you with Him. To raise you, dead with your worms, your trespasses and sins, to new life with Him.

So you may not be great in the eyes of the world . . . but does that matter so much when you know you are great in the eyes of God? The world may not think you worth very much . . . but your value comes not from the world, but from the fact that God thought you worth the life of His Son! And you may not get what you want, or think you want so badly . . . but maybe that wasn’t really worth having. As Jesus said (not too long before the words we heard today): what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul (Mark 8:36)? 

So we gather here each week, and you know what happens here? Jesus comes and baptizes children of all ages to be His own. Serves them. Makes them His. Applies His death and resurrection to them so that when they die, they will live. With Him. He makes them great. 

And Jesus comes and forgives us, His baptized children but who have been prodigal in the world this week, who have had worms worm their way into us again this week, who have failed to live as His children this week. He doesn’t reject you; He still loves you. Always will. You’re still great in His eyes, and He wants nothing more than to receive you and help you and raise you back to real life in Him. So He does.

Jesus comes and speaks to you, teaches you, words of eternal life. What you hear here aren’t the opinions of a man or the thoughts of the world, but the words of Jesus. Words of truth. Words of which Jesus said: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Mark 13:31). Words which are steadfast and reliable and will not change like the world changes thoughts and truths and opinions. Words that you can depend on.

And then Jesus comes and feeds you with Himself, His Body and Blood, the fruits of His cross. His Body and Blood that took away your sins and still does. And His forgiveness and words and Body and Blood de-worm you, to put your hearts and minds in the right place again. And again and again and again. As often as you do this, Jesus says. Because He knows we need it . . . often.

And then you may find something strange happening to you . . . as your mind and heart, your thinking and desires, change. We sang it in the Introit today: Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. You’ll get what you’ve been looking for, just looking in all the wrong places. 

So we prayed today for the Lord to grant us humility and childlike faith. Humility, to realize and recognize who we are, wormy sinners, and childlike faith to look to Him, our Father, for all we need. To look to the cross and see how much He loves you, how much He will do for you, and how much He values you. So that whatever comes your way, however your life goes, through all its ups and downs, even when death draws near, you’ll have that firm foundation that you can rely on.

That’s what Jesus wanted His disciples to know as they were arguing about who was the greatest. That what He wants you to know, and what He wants all the world to know. So that’s what we proclaim here. His words. His service. For you. Or as we sang:

Lord of glory, You have bought us With Your lifeblood as the price,

Never grudging for the lost ones That tremendous sacrifice.

Give us faith to trust You boldly, Hope, to stay our souls on You;

But, oh, best of all Your graces, With Your love our love renew (LSB #851 v. 4).

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

Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Broken Darkness”

Text: Mark 9:14-29

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

Where were you on 9-11? Twenty years ago yesterday. Some of you remember that day very well; will never forget where you were, what you were doing, the first images you saw, living through that day and the sad and difficult days following. For some of you, those events took place in cities far away from where you lived; distant. For others, it was close; in your backyard. Some of you can’t answer that question because you weren’t born yet! No matter. You’ve been effected, too. 9-11 effected us all. From the wars fought since then, the lives lost then and since, the extra security we’ve had to live with since that day. 9-11 was a dark day.

But we sang today: Praise the One who breaks the darkness (LSB #849)! That darkness. Your darkness. All darkness. Praise, that is confess, that is tell everyone what Jesus did to the darkness and all the powers of darkness. He broke them. They seek to break you; Jesus broke them. They seek to subdue you; Jesus subdued them. They seek to rob you of all hope; Jesus came to give you all hope. And He did so by coming and entering our darkness. Jesus didn’t just shout advice from afar, from heaven. A divine pep talk. A spiritual rooting section. No, He came down. Into this darkness. And He conquered it. He conquered the darkness by allowing the darkness to engulf Him. He dies. He dies in the darkness. For the sun would not shine on God on the cross. And yet in such deep darkness the light of His love and mercy never shone so brightly. That our God would do this for us. For you. And then when Jesus rose from the dead, the praise of the One who broke the darkness - the darkness of sin, the darkness of death, the darkness of hell - went out into all the world, shining the light of His forgiveness, life, and salvation for all.

Jesus gave a foretaste of this victory in the story we heard in the Gospel today. For the father in this story, this was just the latest in a long string of dark days. For his son had a spirit, an evil spirit, a demon, and apparently for quite some time. It convulsed him. It threw him into fire and water. It disabled him. And the father had to watch his son suffer like this. Fathers are supposed to help their children, protect them, provide for them! Yet what could he do? He was helpless. No mention is made of a mother, his wife - perhaps she had already been taken from him, making this darkness even deeper. His wife taken. His son taken. He would gladly have traded places, suffered the affliction himself to set his son free. The very thing, actually, Jesus had come to do for us.

But this, too: what about the boy’s darkness? What was he forced to go through each day? Did he have good days and bad days? Was he aware of what was going on? Did the good days make the bad days that much worse, dreading when they would come? Did he live in fear? Did he beg his father for help? Did he wish to die so he could be free from this torment? This was deep darkness for the son as well.

And what about the crowd? Were not they, too, in the darkness? Surely, they feared the darkness; the power of what they witnessed. And the fear that it could happen to them, or to one of their loved ones. And the scribes just made it worse, sowing the seeds of doubt and confusion, and instead of bringing the clarity of God’s Word, they argued with the disciples and the crowd. 

Into this darkness Jesus stepped that day. He had just been transfigured, that moment of him shining like the sun, and speaking with Moses and Elijah. And while that was happening up there, this was happening down here. Was this the devil flexing his muscles while Jesus was pre-occupied in His glory? 

Well, yes and no. The devil may have been flexing his muscles, but Jesus was not pre-occupied - this is exactly what He had been talking to Moses and Elijah about in His Transfiguration! How He was going to break the darkness - this darkness! - with His exodus; with His death and resurrection. How He would be the Son destroyed to set us free. Free to be sons of God. How He had been cast into the waters of baptism to be cast into the fire of God’s wrath, to have compassion on us, to help us. This darkness saddened Him more than the father, the son, or the crowd. So He came to break it. He came down from heaven. He came down from the Transfiguration. He went down all the way to the darkness of death and the grave.

The disciples couldn’t do it. They had cast out demons before in the name of Jesus and with His authority, but this one they could not. We’re not told why. Was this some kind of super demon? Did they forget how to do it? Or was this, too, to teach us, that ultimately, there is only one who could break the darkness. Only one who could die and rise. Only one who could crush the serpent’s head. 

The father turns to Him. That’s good. That’s faith. But he’s not sure. Would Jesus have compassion? Would Jesus help? Could Jesus?

Those are your questions, too, aren’t they? In your darkness. For you’re in it, too. What is it for you? What is your darkness? Is it some sin comitted against you that has plunged you into the darkness? Is it some sin that possesses you, that you cannot seem to shake? Is it a broken home, a broken marriage, a broken friendship? Is it doubt? Is it uncertainty? Is it sickness that has burdened you for a long time? Is it persecution? Is it fear? Fear born from a tragedy? Some other kind of fear? Fear maybe not for yourself, but like this father, for your children? These days with what they are learning in school? What is their future? What’s going to happen next in our culture and society? Who they will marry? Will they remain faithful? What is it for you? What is your darkness? Even if others think it nothing, it is something for you. And more than something. And those questions . . . Will Jesus have compassion? Will Jesus help? Could Jesus? Deep darkness. 

Or go back to 9-11 . . . how about the darkness of that day that endures? The darkness of the anger, bitterness, and hurt of those who lost loved ones that day. The darkness that holds fast to their hearts. Can they forgive? Or will these demons continue to make them foam at the mouth in rage, drown them in hurt and despair, and burn them up with the fire of anger and resentment? Can they forgive? Can you forgive? Is there healing from the darkness?

It may not seem possible. The darkness seems so powerful, so deep, so wide, so high, so overwhelming. The father didn’t know. So, Jesus, if you can . . .

If you can? This is the very reason Jesus was standing before him! This is the very reason why God came in the flesh! To have compassion and to help. To break the darkness with the light of His love, forgiveness, and mercy. All things are possible for one who believes. Because one who believes has Jesus. 

I believe; help my unbelief! the father cried out. And we cry out. We who believe, who confess, who trust, yet we struggle, too. And those questions . . . Will He? Can He? For me?

Well, what did Jesus do? He spoke and set the boy free. Which is what Jesus does here as well. For you! He speaks and sets you free. He speaks forgiveness to free you from your past, from ALL your sins. He speaks promises to free you from your doubt. He speaks comfort to free you from your despair. He speaks truth to free you from your confusion. He speaks encouragement, He speaks faithfulness, to strengthen you in your weakness. He speaks - and His Spirit comes through those words to work in your hearts the faith and hope you need. 

Because as long as you live in this world, you will both believe and not believe - not what you probably wanted to hear! But you will not be free from your sinful, fallen, unbelieving flesh until you die and join Jesus in His resurrection. And then there will be no more unbelief, no more sin, no more darkness - only joy, peace, light, and life. 

But until that day, Jesus does in fact have compassion and is here to help. To break the unrelenting darkness, to comfort your accusing and terrified mind and conscience, and to raise you to life now and forever through His Word. His Word made flesh and His Word proclaimed. The two always go together. The mistake some people make today is that they want Jesus without His Word because, well, they like Jesus but they don’t really like what’s in the Word, the Scriptures. But it doesn’t work that way. The Word made flesh and the Word proclaimed go together. And it is that Word that broke, and is still breaking the darkness.

Interestingly, after Jesus spoke and set the boy free from this unclean spirit, the boy looked dead. He wasn’t though. And maybe where the Word is spoken today it seems dead - that the church is dying, that the Word isn’t working. But it is not so. The boy was alive and the church is alive, and the Word is working. Don’t be deceived. Believe the words and promises of God and rely on them. The words of your Baptism which say you are a child of God. And you are! The words of Absolution which say you are forgiven. And they are! The words of the Supper which feed you with the Bread of Life Himself. Words that are solid and sure, steadfast and reliable. Don’t argue like the scribes about what you think or what seems true to you. That only brings more darkness. The Word alone brings light, and clarity, and peace. 

And this, too: pray. Isn’t that an interesting addition Jesus adds at the end of this story? That this kind, this kind of darkness, is driven out by prayer. So as we live in this darkness, pray. Pray for those stuck in their own darkness. Pray for those who have trouble forgiving. Pray for those who are doubting and struggling. Pray for those stuck in the darkness of habitual sin. Pray for our world, our culture, our society. Pray for our leaders - in both the church and the state. Pray for Jesus to come and shatter the darkness once and for all. Like the disciples, you can’t do it. But Jesus can. And did. And does. And will. 

So where were you on 9-11? I don’t know the answer for all of you, but this I know: Jesus was on His throne. We may not understand why this happened, why the darkness was so deep that day, why evil continues still today - even in us and to us and from us. But the death and resurrection of Jesus means that the darkness cannot win and that the day of resurrection is coming; that your sin is forgiven and you have a life that death cannot end. And as deep as they darkness may get here - whatever it is for you - it cannot change that. 

So Praise the one who breaks the darkness. Praise, that is confess, that is, proclaim His death, rejoice in His forgiveness, and live in hope as you come and receive His victorious Body and Blood. As He comes here, down here, into your darkness, and gives you His victory. The darkness did it’s worst, and lost. The victory belongs to Jesus. Then. Now. And forever.

What is your darkness? Lord, I believe . . . I do! I do. I really do . . . help my unbelief! 

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

Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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Adult Confirmation in today's Divine Servcie

Jesu Juva

“The Word that Gives Us Jesus”

Text: Mark 7:1-13; Ephesians 5:22-33

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

The Pharisees were one of the groups that formed in Judaism during what is called the Intertestamental Period - the approximately 400 years between the end of the prophetic career of Malachi at the end of the Old Testament, and the arrival of John the Baptist at the beginning of the New. And with the rise of these groups, Judaism changed. The Judaism of Jesus’ day was quite different than what we read of in the  Scriptures - in the time of Moses, the Judges, and the Kings. Many of their teachings, rules, laws - their traditions - are not found in the pages of Scripture. They evolved and grew during this Intertestamental time, along with and under the tutelage of these groups like the Pharisees. 

Now, to be charitable, most were, I’m sure, well-intentioned . . . though a few could be considered questionable. But this is why Jesus sparred so often with the Pharisees, like what we heard in the Holy Gospel today. They were insisting their traditions be regarded and followed as the Law of God. What they said was it. But Jesus knew better. These were not in God’s Law; not in the Scriptures. And while some may have been good and helpful, others were not. Others, in fact, contradicted and went against the clear Word of God. And anything that goes against the Word of God - however well-intentioned, however wise-sounding, however impressive, however seemingly-enlightened - has got to go.

But it didn’t just happen in Jesus’ day. The same thing happened in the time leading up to the Reformation. Groups were forming within the church and from them changes in teachings, in traditions, and in the liturgy had crept in. Things were evolving. Most, I’m sure, well-intentioned, and some, I’m sure, helpful. But others were not. Others went against the Word of God. And anything that went against the Word of God had to go.

And you could say the same thing has been happening in the church in our day and age. Though today with our technology the changes happen at a much faster pace! But it is not hard to see how some churches have changed their teachings on a whole host of issues - things that were spoken against in the past are now considered okay; and in some cases not just okay, but good, right, and salutary. But we should not just accept these changes uncritically. Some may be good, but some may not. Some may be against the Word of God. And for those, however well-intentioned, however wise-sounding, however impressive, however seemingly-enlightened - anything that is against the Word of God has got to go. Sadly, though, some churches have held onto such teachings and insisted that not these new teachings but the Word of God has to go.

In the Holy Gospel we heard today, the issue Jesus faced was two-fold: first, it was the Pharisees insisting on their tradition of washings - which, really, isn’t bad. Washing is good, right? During the pandemic we were told repeatedly to wash our hands. The problem was the Pharisees were teaching that these washings were commands and doctrines given by God when they weren’t. So they were speaking where God had not spoken, misrepresenting the Word of God. Which, if you can do with something not so vital, like washing, you can do with things much more important - like the commandments. Which, in fact, is what Jesus points to next. For the Pharisees also had a tradition - called Corban - which prohibited them from doing anything for their father or mother. A clear violation, as Jesus points out, of the Fourth Commandment, which commands us to honor, serve, obey, love, and cherish our parents. A commandment, by the way, you never outgrow. So as Jesus pointed out, their tradition was actually not just contradicting but trumping the Word of God.

In our day and age, one of the new teachings or traditions that has overtaken the Word of God - not just in the world but also in some churches - is with regard to what we heard about today in the Epistle - marriage. Now, I’m not going to pick on any one group today - you all know what has happened to marriage in recent years. And to preach just against them would just make all of you smug and self-righteous. And that’s no good either. Because the reality is that the problems in our world, society, and church go back much farther than just recent history and recent changes and re-definitions and is a reason of US to repent. Yeah, us. That we have not taught about nor upheld marriage as we should. 

That the God-given roles of husbands and wives are good and something we should strive to live by. 

That sexuality is reserved for the marriage of one man and one woman and was designed for the procreation of children. 

But do we wink at those who violate this? And at sexuality run rampant in our world today and infecting just about everything? Have we even bought into it? Do we turn a blind eye to the pandemic of folks choosing to “live together” without being married? Have we thrown up our hands at divorce and said: Oh well! Do we choose not to address the issue of pornography because, well, boys will be boys? Do we encourage our children to marry and have children - in that order? And that that’s good to do so? Do we regard children as a gift and blessing from the Lord? Or has medical technology made procreation so clinical that we think the where, when, why, what, who, and how of children is in our control? And I could go on and on . . .

The problem with all this - whether it is what happened with the Pharisees, or at the time of the Reformation, or today - isn’t just a matter of rules and laws and morals. It is far more important than that. It is that Jesus gets lost. The Commandments were given NOT to make us good, because they can’t do that. The Commandments were given to enable us to see that we’re NOT good, and that we need Jesus. We need His forgiveness and His life and His salvation. We need Him to bear our sin for us on the cross. If we think we’re not so bad and that those things God calls sins really aren’t sins at all, then there’s no need to repent, no need for forgiveness, no need for Jesus. And that’s NOT a good place to be! Because on the Last Day, without Jesus, you’re facing a dismal future. And that’s putting it lightly.

So the pure Word of God is important because Jesus is important. As you’ve heard me say, the Bible is not a rule book, it’s a Jesus book. From beginning to end, it’s all about Him. 

Even these verses about marriage we heard from Paul today - for did you hear what He said there? Right in the middle of all this talk about husbands and wives he says, This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. He was really talking first and foremost about Jesus! Christ as the perfect, loving Bridegroom, and the Church as His Bride. This is the way Christ cares for His Bride. This is the way church submits to Christ’s headship. And God wants to bless our marriages in the same way. This isn’t a rule to follow to make God like you! It’s a reality for God to bless you!

And so to change or ignore or disregard the Word of God - in this or any other way - is not just a matter of rules, and who’s good and who’s not. It is to miss out on the blessing God has for us in Christ Jesus. A blessing we want, and as the church want all people to have.

So the call to repentance is a call not to condemn, but to receive - to receive the forgiveness, life, blessing, and salvation of Jesus that He won for you on the cross. Because that is what we need. And that is what Jesus wants to give. To all people. Whoever they are, however they live.

That’s why catechesis is so important for the church. To know the Word of God that gives us life. To know that Word made flesh and all that He has done for us. To know what God has said, so that when the world or even the church says something different, we’ll know something’s not right. That with this false teaching, Jesus is being taken away from us.

So we have catechesis for the sake of Jesus; to give us Jesus. And in catechesis, we actually read the Word of God and discuss it. And then see how that word is reflected in the Catechism. And then see how that Word is lived in the liturgy. And then see how we take the gifts given to us by Jesus in the liturgy out with us into the world to live them and give them to others. It’s all about the Word of God and Jesus.

And that Word of God tells us not only about who Jesus is and all that He has done for us, but also who we are. And that’s something SO important today. To know who you are. Your identity has become a BIG issue in the world. People claim certain identities. Certain identites are considered good and others bad. People try to steal your identity. But what the Word of God tells us is that your identity is a gift. It is something given to you. By the one who created you, the one who redeemed you, and the one who wants you as His own. And that your identity is not what the world says it is or what you say it is, but what God says it is. And He says: you are a baptized child of God, you are mine, your sins are forgiven, and you are an heir of heaven. And that identity trumps all others. Because that identity is eternal. 

But that’s something we have to learn. So we catechize. We read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Word of God. And we rejoice in this gift and in being a child of God. That’s why today is a day of joy as Audra, Barbara, and Joe come up here and confess the Word of God and say that even if threatened with death, THIS is who they ARE. That the life and forgiveness Jesus gives no on can take away. Those are big words. Too big, if they were ours. But not too big for Jesus. Who backed them up with His resurrection from the dead. Who promised to be with us and strengthen us and provide for us and come back again for us, to take us home. And He will. So we can be confident and sure.

And confident and sure in this too: that today is just a beginning. Confirmation is not an ending. Satan is going to step up his attacks and assaults against Audra, Barbara, and Joe, and will continue to hound and harass us. The world isn’t going to stop its opposition to the Word of God, and even our own sinful flesh is going to try to pull us away and drag us down into sin. The Word of God tells us all that, too. Life isn’t going to be easy.

So today is a beginning. The beginning of Audra, Barbara, and Joe receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus with us, continuing to receive the forgiveness of their sins, and being strengthened with this food. They’ll need it as badly as the rest of us. The Bridegroom here caring for His Bride and giving us all we need. And directing our eyes not just to the cross and what Jesus provided for us there, but also through the cross and empty tomb to the life that never ends.

And if you think about it, that means we’re really in a kind of in-between time as well. Not an Intertestamental time, but the time between Jesus’ ascension and His coming again in glory. And in this time, this in-between time, traditions have come and gone, there have been plenty of false teachings and there will be plenty more. But what doesn’t change in the Word of God. So to that we cling. In that we rejoice. And we rejoice most of all that even when we fail and fall, that Jesus clings to His Bride, to us, with His forgiveness. And He will not stop. He will not let you go. He loves you too much. 

So Audra, Barbara, and Joe, we rejoice in the Word you have received, the forgiveness you have received, and the life you have received, and that you will continue to receive here with us. We rejoice that God has brought you here. You are a blessing to us, as we will strive to be a blessing to you. Call us to repentance when we need, and we’ll do the same. Forgive us, pray for us, and expect the same from us. And rejoice with us in the faithfulness of God as He builds His Church and leads us, His Bride, home.

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

Sermon for the Commemoration of Mary, Mother of Our Lord

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“The Joy of Faith”

Text: Luke 1:39-55; Isaiah 61:7-11; Galatians 4:4-7

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

You’ve heard me say before that saints days are usually celebrated on the day of their death, not the day of their birth, because that is the day of their birthday into heaven. So today is the day the Church set aside to remember Mary’s death. 

We don’t hear of Mary’s death in the Scriptures though. No verses to read about that today. It could have been included somewhere, it seems, since the average lifespan of people back then was much shorter than it is today. Some traditions have her living just 10-20 years after Jesus’ death and many Biblical books were written after that.

So today, instead of reading about Mary’s death or speculating on it, we heard of what made Mary special and significant - the birth of her son. Or, what she did and said right after she was told she was going to have a son. Which, I want to propose to you today, is the day of her death. The day she died to the life she thought she was going to have, and realized God had another plan for her life. A better one.

We all make plans for our lives. What we want to be when we grow up. Where we want to live. Sometimes those plans include getting married and having children. What our spouse will be like. How successful we will be. Live happily ever after. And more. Sometimes those plans work out and sometimes they don’t.

But now imagine that God comes along and says, nope! What you think, what you’re imagining, dreaming, that’s not how it’s going to be for you at all. I have another plan. A completely different plan . . . 

Well, you’re a Christian, so okay, perhaps you would say, I’ll go along. You’re God, after all . . .

Good! God replies. Now, about my plan . . . That big fancy marriage you were hoping for, no. You’re actually going to get pregnant before you’re married. These days, no one bats an eye at that. But in those days, that was still a big deal. Joseph would not be pleased. Oh, and the son you are going to have, He’ll be spoken against and opposed. Many will hate Him. In fact, He’s going to be crucified, and you’ll be there. You’re going to see Him agonize and then take His final breath. And it’s going to feel as if a sword is piercing your soul also. That’s my plan for you.

Uh . . . I thought this was going to be a better plan . . .

Now, you know, of course, that it was. But better doesn’t mean easier. And life, from this day forth, was certainly not easier for Mary.

Luther marvelled at Mary’s faith, that she was able to assent to the Word of the Lord that the angel Gabriel spoke to her. Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word (Luke 1:38). And that is remarkable. But I think what made Mary remarkable was not just her faith, but her joy. My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, we heard her say today. And remember, she spoke those words - we’re not told exactly when - but not many days after being told that her life was going to be far different than the way she thought. That her plans were not going to come about. That her life was going to be a lot more difficult than she imagined . . .

And her response? Yes! My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! Mary’s voice was not one of grudging resignation or resentment, but a voice of joy. The joy born from a faith that was born from the words and promises of God. A faith that rejoices even when things don’t look or seem or feel good at all. And that’s remarkable.

This week in our Vacation Bible School, one of the stories we heard was the story of Joseph. He was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, thrown into prison because someone lied about him, but then rose to be second in command of all Egypt (the vice president of Egypt, we called him!). When he finally reunited with his brothers, he forgave them and then said that what they meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20), and he rejoiced in the plan of God. But that was some 13 years later, after he saw how God’s plan all worked out. Do you think he was rejoicing as he was being hauled down to Egypt to be a slave? 

Two years ago this past week is when my father died and was called home to his eternal rest. And while we rejoiced in the promises of God given to him and in knowing that though old age and sickness had taken his life, he wasn’t really dead, but now with his Lord, still, we were sad. We’d have liked to have him with us longer. . . . But then, a couple of months after he died, the news started being taken over by this thing called the Coronavirus - maybe you heard of it? And then things got locked down and had my father lived, we would not have been able to see him or visit him for who knows how long! With his memory problems he would not have understood and we would have been worried and frustrated . . . and we realized - later! - how the plan of God was good after all; how God had taken him at just the right time; had spared him of having to live - or not - through that. And then we could rejoice.

And those are just two examples . . . we could go through the Bible and examples from history all day and note other examples of this, how people rejoiced in the plan of God after going though a time - sometimes very long - of hardship, trouble, doubt, and fear. 

So I think that’s what makes what Mary says here so remarkable, and such an example for us: she says it before she sees how it all works out. Faith rejoices not because it sees or knows, but because of the words and promises of God. Which, it turns out, are more sure that what we see or feel or think we know.

So Mary uses some words from the prophet Isaiah that we heard today to express her trust. She uses some words from Hannah, the mother of Samuel, to express her joy. She mentions Abraham, and how God had fulfilled and was - even now - fulfilling His words and promises to him. You see, it wasn’t her, but the Scriptures and God’s history of faithfulness that gave her the faith to rejoice even before she knew how it would all turn out.

And that’s true for you and me as well. And if we don’t, why is that? Is that a sign we don’t know our Scriptures well enough? Is that an indication that we are trusting in ourselves too much? Is that because we want our own way and not God’s way? Is that because our thinking is too much like the world’s and not enough like God’s? Perhaps it is all of the above. And a reason for us to repent.

To repent of ourselves and turn to the Lord for the joy and faith and confidence we need. To read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Scriptures so they become a part of who we are and how we think. To remember our baptism each day and all the promises God gave to us there. To come and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus - the same Body and Blood born to Mary - and receive the forgiveness and life we need. To turn to the Lord in all these ways, and rejoice in our good and faithful Father, whose words and promises are the most sure and true thing on this earth.

Imagine if we did that! Turned to the Lord and rejoiced like Mary no matter what. Think that would make a difference in your life? And maybe the lives of others, too?

This is something we also leaned in our Vacation Bible School this week. Our theme was Jesus Is Our Brother, which also means that God is our Father. For joined to Jesus in baptism and receiving His Spirit, His Father becomes our Father (which is also what He teaches us to pray, right? In the Lord’s Prayer . . . how does that start? Our Father . . .). So as the verses from Galatians that we heard today said, In the fullness of time (or at just the right time), God sent His Son into the world to be our flesh and blood brother, to redeem us and so that we might receive adoption as sons (in baptism). And so now we have God as our Father and can cry out Abba! Father! as sons (and daughters) of God and heirs - inheritors - of His promises. That all that He said and promised is not just for others, but for ME.

This is what enabled those early Christian martyrs to be joyful even in the face of beast and flame. All the modern day martyrs, too. For if (as I proposed at the beginning of this sermon) Mary died to the hopes and plans she had for her life when she received the words and promises of God from the angel Gabriel, she also rose that day to live in the life God had for her, and she rejoiced in it - in Him. 

And so, too, the day we received the words and promises of God in baptism. Our old selves died with Jesus in those waters and a new person emerged from those waters to live the life God has for us. A life, perhaps, not as we hope or think or want, but better. For it is His life, not ours. Not ours to do whatever we want, but to rejoice in our Father and Saviour, and follow where He leads. Because we know the end of the road where He leads is eternal life with Him.

So imagine . . . when we receive good news or when we receive bad news, when our life goes off the rails or is charging full steam ahead, when the unexpected or unplanned happens, when we are faced with challenges or when those challenges are overcome, when a curveball comes your way, when we are faced with a fork in the road and we don’t know which way to turn, whether things are going well or not so well, we said with Mary: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

If you think you don’t have that kind of faith, you’re wrong, dear Christians! You do. Because it’s not from you or of you, but what Jesus gave to you. We simply need to live it, and feed and strengthen it with our Lord’s words and promises.

Mary wasn’t the Mother of Our Lord because she was better than you or purer than you, but simply because God chose her, sola gratia, by grace alone. And that’s the same for you. He chose you sola gratia, and is using you for great things as well. Maybe not great in the eyes of the world, but great in His eyes.

So today we commemorate Mary. She’s important. What God used her for is important. We don’t ignore her or exalt her too much. We honor her, yes. But worship her, no. And we learn from her. Of our Lord and His faithfulness. And the best way we can commemorate her today is to come up here again to the altar and receive the Body and Blood of the son she bore, the God-man, the promised Messiah, and give thanks for Him and all that He has done for us. That we are the hungry He fills, the lowly He exalts, the sinners He forgives, the poor He helps, the weak He strengthens, the mourning He comforts, the sad He cheers, the doubting He assures, and the dead He raises to life. Because that’s the kind of God He is. From the beginning of time to the end of time. For Mary, and for you and me.

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