Sermon for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Thinking Like Children of God”

Text: Mark 10:2-16; Genesis 2:18-25; Hebrews 2:1-18

 

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

I’m going to start at the end. With the children in the Holy Gospel we heard today. The children who were being brought to Jesus. Whose parents the disciples were rebuking, to chase the children away. 

Why would they do that?

Well, children sometimes cry and fuss. Children get grumpy when they’re tired and hungry. Children get fidgety and curious and do things adults wouldn’t do. They crawl between people’s legs, they awkwardly point things out, they want to be lifted up so they can see, they ask lots of questions. Things aren’t nice and neat and tidy when children are around. So maybe the disciples didn’t want anything distracting from Jesus’ teaching. Maybe they thought Jesus too important for children. Maybe the disciples were tired and hungry and grumpy themselves! 

But Jesus wouldn’t have it. He was indignant, we heard. Which might be too soft a word for it. He was angry. Angry at His disciples. He loved the children! As loud or disruptive as they might have been. The children are exactly who He wanted there! Children who make husbands and wives into fathers and mothers. For to such belongs the kingdom of God. And the King has a special place in His heart for children.

For like Jesus, children see things differently. They have a different perspective on the world than adults. They’re closer to the ground; to creation. They see things we adults miss. To a child, so much is new. New sights, new smells, new sounds. To a child, there is so much to discover. What does a worm taste like? Mud puddles are made for stomping through. There’s what is, and there’s what could be. Hopes and dreams are alive and well.

For adults, though, it’s a little different, I think. There’s reality. There’s what is, and often, not what could be, like for a child . . . but what was; the good ol’ days. There are regrets, dreams not followed, hopes unfulfilled. Or to use the words of the Holy Gospel we heard today, there is the time when the marriage was fresh and new, and now, when it is a bit more mundane, if not challenging. When the love doesn’t quite burn so hot. And maybe even to the point of wondering and asking the question: Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?

I could answer that question directly, but I think better would be to follow the path Jesus took, and instead to ask: How did we get to this point? In how we think? In how we see things? When did we stop being children, and thinking and seeing like children, and become adults? Which seems good . . . but is it? Is it, if (as Jesus said): whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

Now I said just a bit ago, that Jesus sees things differently, just as children see things differently. So when asked this question about divorce, Jesus doesn’t point to Moses and stop there, He goes back farther than that. All the way back to the beginning of creation. Which is not just looking back to what once was, to the good ol’ days. It is looking back in order to look forward. It is looking at what once was to see what will be again. 

For that’s what Jesus came to do. Jesus looks at our world - at His creation - and sees not what could be, but what will be again. Jesus has come to make all things new. New husbands and wives. New families. New children. A new creation. To take us who maybe have grown up and away from our heavenly Father a bit and asserted our independence and tried to do things ourselves, and make us children again. Children of God. Children who look to our Father for every good. Children filled with wonder, who see what is, and what will be again. Children who are not wishfully optimistic, but firmly believing. That is, children of faith. Faith in the words and promises of God.

And those are words and promises that will not let you down. All other words and promises in our world seem 50-50 at best. Maybe even less than that these days. Promises are made to be broken, after all, and no where is that perhaps more evident than with marriage vows. Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? People don’t even ask that question anymore. They just assume it. And lawful? Maybe. Moses allowed it. But that doesn’t make it good.

Good is what Jesus sees. So good is what Jesus does. For good is what Jesus is. And therefore good is what creation will be again, when Jesus is done with it. Adam did not divorce Eve when she listened to satan, but sin did divide what God had joined together. And had God not stepped in, who knows where that marriage would have ended up? But God did step in. A good God could do no less. And the devastation caused in that first marriage by sin was healed by the words and promises of God. 

And that is our hope today as well. Not just for marriage, but for all the other brokenness in our world today as well. For ultimately, where God stepped in to help was not at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, where sin broke apart the first husband and wife, but at the tree of the cross, where that sin - and all others! - were borne by Jesus and overcome with His death and resurrection. For the cross is where Jesus is faithful to His marriage vow, laying down His life for His Bride, the Church. We may be unfaithful to Him, but He remains ever faithful to us. That what sin separates, Jesus brings back together with His forgiveness. Not looking back to what once was, but looking forward to what will be again. 

And to what now is. For already the forgiveness that makes us whole is here. The food we need - not to grow up and away from God, but to grow into Jesus - is here. And with all our sins and all our failures and all our regrets and all our unfaithfulness we come here, after another devastating week, month, or years, with our eyes focused on what was - and Jesus focuses us on what now is, and what will be. To see as He sees and to know as He knows. That no matter what we have done, there is hope. For by faith we are children of God, and the brokenness we now inflict on others and endure from others is swallowed up by the cross. 

That is what we heard in the reading from Hebrews today. That Jesus has come to destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the power of division, dividing us from each other and dividing us from the source of our life. Jesus has come to destroy the destroyer. For Jesus didn’t become an angel to save angels, but a man to save men, that we might be sons of God in Him. And because He did and because He was tempted, He is able to help us as we are being tempted. Tempted to see and think and dwell on what was instead of what can be or will be again. Tempted to be hopeless instead of hopeful. Tempted to rely on the Law instead of the Gospel. Jesus withstood the assaults and temptations of the evil one by clinging to the words and promises of God alone, and so now helps us the same.

And children are again, I think, a good example of that. When Mom or Dad makes a promise, children remember that and call them on it! A day or two, or weeks or months, or even years later, but you promised! is repeated, and what was promised, is expected. We adults can learn a thing or two from that, and to even more call on our heavenly Father like that! For unlike our promises, His promises never fail. 

And with our eyes focused again not on what was but what can be and will be, forgiveness will be the means to that future. Forgiveness for hurting and broken marriages and families. Forgiveness for hurting and broken friendships. Forgiveness for hurting and broken churches. Not that forgiveness is a magic wand that suddenly makes everything better. It may not. Forgiveness can be rejected, and the assaults of sin rage on - in us, to us, and in our world. 

But when we don’t forgive, we are being like the disciples, chasing away the children. We don’t want that person here with us. But to forgive them is to welcome them. And yes, the people we forgive might be acting like children! They might be grumpy and angry, interrupting and disrupting what we want, with lives that aren’t nice and neat and tidy. But isn’t that why they need forgiveness! It’s why we need forgiveness! And it’s why Jesus came. For us. For His children. For what we can and will be again, with His love and forgiveness. And thus welcomed by Jesus, we can welcome others the same. And as He forgave, so can we. Not looking back at what was, but forward, in hope, to what will be. Holding fast to our Bridegroom, who is holding fast to us. And yes, His word and promises are that powerful!

A couple of years ago I pointed this out, but I think it’s worth mentioning again today. Notice how what we do here in church is exactly what we do for our children. Children get dirty and need washing, so we bathe them. And we who are filthy with sin are bathed by Jesus in the water of Baptism and washed again and again with His Absolution. We teach our children by reading to them. And we are taught here by being read to, and not just any words, but the truth above all truth, the very Word of God. And when our children get hungry we feed them - and not just any food, but good food, nutritious food, healthy food. And here we, too, are fed with the good food of our Saviour’s Body and Blood. And all these things we never outgrow, for gathered here we are - and always will be - children of God.

And as we heard today, Jesus loves children! And He wants you here! Crying, hurt, grumpy, angry, bitter, confused, unsure, afraid, disappointed, frustrated . . . however you are! For the King and His kingdom are here for you. And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

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

Meditation - Montreal MIssion Forum

The Gift of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

New things are so nice, aren't they? Laurie and I just decided it was time to get a new car to replace our old van. It still worked. It worked well in some ways. But more and more little things were breaking and starting not to work. And bigger repairs were on the horizon. So while a new car wasn’t cheap, it sure is nice. 

I try to imagine, like Luther once did, what a brand new creation must have been like! Man and woman, plants and animals, without sin and death. Everything working perfectly and living together in peace. It sure would be nice. No war in the Middle East or in Ukraine. No divorce, broken homes, or suicides. No mean tweets, nasty emails, scams, spams, or threats. It sure would be nice.

But all this old brokenness is the result of another one: our brokenness with God. We can try to make our world a better place, and many have tried. But the old brokenness keeps coming back. My new car is going to get old and break. Old enemies may live at peace for a while, but hard-boiled hostilities come roaring back. Repairs help for a while, but we need something more. Patching up the old only works for so long. Treating the symptoms isn’t enough. We need a cure. We need a cure for the brokenness from which all other brokenness comes. We need to be reconciled to God. 

All religions know this and try to do this. Do something to get on God’s good side. Even the atheist knows something is wrong, but not how to fix it. And we need something to fix us, too. The struggle inside between the mind and the body, what I am and what I should be, what I want to do and do do. I can blame you, and often do! But that doesn’t fix me. We need something else. 

The Corinthians needed it, too. Our struggles within and without are not new and unique to our day and age, though we think we are so much different and advanced, both in our knowledge and in our problems. Not so much. So Paul tells them (and us!) the good news: the root of our problems, our brokenness with God, has been overcome by Christ Jesus. What we could not do, God Himself came and did. In the flesh and blood of Jesus. When we try to bury our problems and strife, sooner or later they pop back up, like weeds you can’t get rid of. But when Jesus buried our sins, they didn’t pop back up - He did! Without them. The one who had no sin and was made sin, and crucified, dead, and buried with our sin, rose from the dead perfect and new. As new as it was in the beginning. And will one day be again.

But it is also a newness that we can begin to live already here and now. For not just did Christ Jesus rise new, so did all who are baptized into his death and resurrection. That’s why Paul said, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Anyone, which includes everyone! This gift of reconciliation is for all people: Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. Canadian, American, or immigrant. Rich or poor. Even French-speaking or not! A cure for all, that reconciled to God, we can begin to live reconciled with one another. Not just treating the symptoms, but giving the cure.

Which is what happens here. That’s why this is “the Good News place.” This is the message heard here that is heard no place else. That here is the newness we need. That here is the forgiveness of our sins, not just the burying of them. That here we die and rise with Jesus to a new life. That here is the food that nourishes and sustains us. And it is for you - no matter who “you” are. If you hear this word, it is for you. For anyone, which means everyone.

One day, we will see that newness. But even now, we can live it. Regarding no one according to the flesh. But seeing them as Jesus does, as those He died for and has life for. Never giving up - as tempting as that sometimes may be! - but imploring all people to receive this gift of reconciliation. Holding it out to them. And when those who care implore us, to be humble enough to repent ourselves. To die and rise with Christ again to newness of life.

Imagine a world like that! Always new, never old. Always whole, never broken. Always at peace, never at war. One day! Come, Lord Jesus.

Sermon for Saint Michael and All Angels

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Fighting For Us”

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

 

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

Thank God for the angels!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

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

Sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“From Fear to Faith, from Death to Life”

Text: Mark 9:14-29

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

we Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness! 

[We] praise the Word Incarnate,

Christ, who suffered in our place.

For Jesus died and rose victorious

That we may know God by grace.

[So we] sing for joy and gladness,

Seeing what our God has done;

[We] praise the true Redeemer,

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

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