Committal Meditation - Nancy Nelson

6 August 2024

Delphos Cemetery, Delphos, KS

Jesu Juva

“A New Day”

Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; John 11:17-27

 

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Martha’s lament might very well be our lament today. Lord, if you had been here, my wife, my sister, my grandmother, my friend, would not have died. And we make such a lament not against Jesus, but in love for Nancy. We want her back. 

But as much as we love Nancy, her heavenly Father loves her even more. And it was time for her to go home and be with Him. With the Father who created her, the Son who redeemed her on the cross, and the Spirit who sanctified her. 

And because of that, we do not grieve, as St. Paul said, as others do who have no hope. For Nancy’s is not a life now ended, but now begun anew. Begun anew beyond the realities of sin and suffering, which made her life the past few years such a struggle at times. Begun now in the rest of eternity and the arms of her Saviour. So yes, we grieve, but we grieve with hope, and we cry with joy.

It has become fashionable these days not to have funerals, but celebrations of life. There is a place for that, I suppose. But not as a replacement for a funeral. Not for a Christian. For a celebration of life looks backwards, to the past, to a life (hopefully) well-lived. But as Christians we are always looking forward, to the future, to a glorious life that awaits. A future promised us by Jesus.

Jesus promised that future to Nancy when He baptized her and made her His little lamb (LSB #740); that she would rise just as surely as He did. He then repeated that promise to her with the forgiveness of her sins. And as He fed and strengthened her with the Supper of His Body and Blood, He pledged that life to her, that this food she was eating was no mere food, but bread of life; food that gives eternal life. And that filled Nancy with joy. Joy in, as we sang, her Beautiful Savior (LSB #537).

And Jesus gave us a preview of that in the story we heard today, of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Lazarus has been in the tomb four days. The family was still grieving, and no doubt talking about lots of good memories, like all of you. But instead of looking back, Jesus directs them to the future. To the resurrection. A resurrection that will not happen by chance or by nature, but because of Him. Because Jesus has come to defeat death and the grave with His own resurrection from it. So He tells Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

Never die. That sounds nice, doesn't it? If we didn’t have to be here. If we never had to be here. If there were no cemeteries. But there are. But God helps us here, redefining death for us. He calls it sleep. Just sleep. Like when you’re exhausted after a full day and you lay down and aaahh! Nancy was exhausted. From the hospitalizations, the tests, the treatments. And two weeks ago she laid down and went to sleep. Not on a bed, but in the arms of Jesus.

And one day Jesus is going to return, and raise her body that we are here laying to rest today. Raise this body to life. Because He is the resurrection and the life. And that’s a promise for us, too. For all people. In Jesus. Which Martha confessed with her words, that she believed this. And that we confess with our words, too, that I believe this.

So we mourn today and we cry today and we look forward to the day we will see Nancy again. I told Ken what my father told me when my mother died: It’s hard being the one left behind. And it is. No doubt. But we take comfort in the fact that just like Lazarus, Jesus leaves no one behind. He is coming for us. And as He once told that thief hanging on the cross next to Him, and as He said to Nancy two weeks ago, and as He will one day say to us all by grace through faith: Today, you will be with me, in Paradise (Luke 23:43).

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

Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

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Jesu Juva

“Spiritually Hangry”

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

 

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

Are you familiar with the word “hangry?” I’m guessing you are. That you’ve probably all heard it. You’ve probably all been it. You probably know what it means. It is the combination of two words: hungry and angry. And the official definition is to be bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger. And it doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you’re a one-year old or ninety years old. Everyone gets hangry. 

And when you do, when you get hangry, how do you act? Maybe you snap at a loved one, taking your hanger out on them, even though they did nothing to cause it. Or maybe you grumble and complain, and find fault with everything. Nothing is good, nothing is right. Grrr! You’re not yourself. That’s how important food is to us.

Which God knew. That’s why in the beginning, when He created Adam and Eve, He put them in a Garden full of food. Everywhere they looked, everywhere they turned, food. Food that was good and nourishing . . . especially that one special tree in the middle, the Tree of Life. But of course, as you know, there was that other tree as well, that God said not to eat from. The tree that would not nourish, but kill. The tree that would not satisfy their hunger, but make them hangry. And when they ate it anyway, isn’t that what they became? Bad-tempered and irritable. Blaming each other, blaming God, no longer who God had created them to be.

And hangry is what the people of Israel became in the wilderness. We heard about that in the Old Testament reading. They were only two and a half months out of Egypt. Two and a half months after the ten plagues and the dividing of the Red Sea. You think they would remember all that and know that if their heavenly Father did that for them, took care of them and rescued them like that, then He wasn’t going to let them die of hunger in the wilderness! But they got hangry. They got irritable and bad-tempered. They grumbled and complained. 

But God didn’t snap back at them. When you hear this account, from the Old Testament, as we did today, you get the impression - or at least I get the impression! - that God tells Moses that He is now going to do what He was going to do all along, even before the people began to grumble and complain. Feed them. Yes, He heard their grumbling, but would He have not fed them anyway? Surely, He would have. He gave them meat to eat, and sent bread from heaven. 

Now that’s a great story, and 40 years of manna in the wilderness, God giving them their daily bread faithfully and reliably, is remarkable. But Jesus raises the bar on that story today. The Holy Gospel we heard today takes place after Jesus had fed the 5,000 men, plus women and children, out in that desolate place - kind of like the people of Israel in the wilderness. And the people want more. So they went looking for Jesus. But Jesus tells them not to seek this kind of food. Do not labor for the food that perishes, He said, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. Which the Son of Man has come to give to you; the plan all along.

Now, they seem a little hangry . . . not grumbling (yet!). But they do question Jesus about this a bit, maybe a little impatient with Him since He’s not providing another free lunch! And here’s where Jesus raises the bar. He didn’t come to provide that kind of food, He says. There’s another kind of food, another kind of bread, He has come to give them. Yesterday’s lunch was just a sign of that; a pointer to this greater bread. The bread He has come to give them is bread which doesn’t just satisfy hunger and take away the hangries, but is bread of life. Bread which gives life. Life, like that one special tree in the Garden gave so long ago. Bread that is physical, but also spiritual. To feed them spiritually.

Because just as we can get hangry physically, did you ever consider . . . we can also get hangry spiritually. Just as we need nourishment in the body, so we need nourishment in the soul as well. And when we don’t get it, we’re not ourselves; we’re not who God created us to be. We get spiritually hangry. 

Now, when do you get hangry? You get hangry in the body when you don’t eat, or when you don’t eat right. Not all food is created equal. Eating a green jellybean is not the same as eating a green pea, even though both are little, green, and round! And even though donuts are my hands-down, all-time favorite kind of bread, that doesn’t mean a diet of donuts is as good for me as eating whole grain breads. Eating poorly can be just as bad for you as not eating at all, and just as easily cause you to be hangry. 

So what is the spiritual diet of our world today? Well, many do not eat at all. Never reading or hearing God’s Word, never going to church. And then there are some who are just consuming spiritual junk food - a spirituality that tastes good and feels good, but doesn’t satisfy our hunger; it only makes us hangry. And there’s a lot of that out there. Books, videos, podcasts, churches, music . . . and people think that if it talks about Jesus, then it must be good. It’s all the same. 

But it’s not. It’s green jellybeans and donuts. And we can fall prey to it, too. And become spiritually hangry, too. Think about it. What does spiritual hanger look like in your life? And how did you get there? Not eating, or not eating enough, spiritually. Or not eating the right spiritual food. And so you’re not really being the Christian you ought to be, that you were baptized and born from above to be? What does that look like in your life? Maybe you’re doing a lot of grumbling against God, like the people of Israel. Maybe a lot of passing the buck and blaming, like Adam and Eve. Maybe it’s you holding a grudge and not being willing to forgive. Not repenting, but digging your heels in on your sin. Not believing God’s Word, but following your own desires and opinions, and maybe even what the world says is good and right. Not willing to help and serve others. Not trusting God and His Word and His ways. Struggling with your prayers. And you know . . . things aren’t right. Something’s off.

Now, when that happens, what do you do? You can try to fix yourself - resolve to do better, try harder! But if you’re like me . . . been there, done that. Maybe I can do better a little, and for a time, but it doesn’t last; I fall back again, into bad habits, bad behaviours. Sometimes worse than before. So that’s not the answer. Better is to eat regularly and nutritiously and a well-balanced diet, so your body has what it needs. So that you have what you need spiritually.

God provided that for the people of Israel with the Tabernacle, which He gave them just a few chapters after the story of the manna we heard today. That was to be the place where they would eat spiritually. The place of His words and promises, His forgiveness and life. So He took care of them body and soul. And God has provided for you, too. Not only giving you your daily bread, but also giving you a new Tabernacle - His Son. The body of Jesus being the new tent, or dwelling place, of God with us. So that Jesus could say (and I’m paraphrasing here!): I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not [be hangry], and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. Which is to say, that by feeding on Jesus, a regular diet of His Word, His forgiveness, and His Body and Blood, we have all we need. For a Christ-like life now, a life of repenting, forgiving, serving, caring, praying, and loving; and a Christ-like life for eternity, a life of rest and glory.

This is the life of which Paul was speaking to the Ephesians today. An unhangry life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And to achieve that, he says, God not only gave you the spiritual food you need, but men to give you that food as well. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints (to feed you), for the work of ministry (to serve you), for building up the body of Christ (to nourish and strengthen you). So that we . . . grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. That we grow into His likeness, into His image. The image of the one who even laid down His life for us! Who went to the cross for us! To provide us with good food. The food and forgiveness we need. And growing into Christ can’t happen with jellybeans and donuts! Or with the thoughts and opinions and advice of the world. Only with the pure Word and Sacraments of God.

So the question for today is: how’s your diet been? Your spiritual diet, that is. Maybe not as regular and healthy as it should be? Maybe you’re seeing the spiritual hangries pop-up in your life? Things not quite right? A little off? If so, come to the feast! Come and eat! Repent and feast on Jesus’ forgiveness for all of your sins. Read and hear and feast of His Word, His good and healthful Word. Eat and drink and feast on the Body and Blood of Jesus. And not just once in a while, and not just once a week, but regularly, daily. For here’s the good news: what you do when you’re hangry Jesus died for, and what Jesus died for is to take away your hangries. Which is to say, Jesus died for your forgiveness, and His forgiveness gives you new life. That’s what you need, and what Jesus is here to give. Or as the crowd said to Jesus that day, Sir, give us this bread always! This bread of life! Music to Jesus’ ears! It’s the very thing Jesus wants to do. For them. And for you.

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

Sermon for the Funeral of Nancy Nelson

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Jesu Juva

“A Birthday Into Heaven”

Text: Job 19:23-27a; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57;

Romans 6:1-5; Matthew 28:1-10

 

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Ken, Donna and Read, Rhonda and Louie, Erika, Tatiana, Luke, Jazzmynne, and Artie, family and friends,

78 years ago today a little girl named Nancy was born into this world in Wichita, Kansas, much to the delight, I’m sure, of her parents Marcus and Velma. Of course, Nancy didn’t quite make it to her 78th birthday - she fell one week short. And instead of celebrating her 78th birthday here with us, she instead got to celebrate another birthday, a new birthday, her birthday into heaven last Tuesday. It wasn’t what we expected. It wasn’t what we hoped. We hoped to have Nancy here with us a lot longer! To enjoy her laugh and her unique sense of humor. To appreciate all she did for others. To watch the races with Ken. To receive her text messages which she always seemed to send in threes! But God had other plans. And as delighted as her earthly father and mother were at her birth her, even more delighted is her heavenly Father, to have her, with Him, in Paradise. So while June 23 was a sad day for us, it was a joyful day in heaven.

People often wonder what heaven will be like. The Bible tells us a little about that, but not much. I suspect because we wouldn’t understand anyhow. For us trying to understand what heaven will be like is like trying to get a baby in the womb to understand what this world will be like! Before you’re born into it, all you know is where you are. But for a little, newborn baby, a whole, big, beautiful, exciting world awaits. And for us, too, as Christians. There is a whole, big, glorious eternity waiting for us, when we, like Nancy receive our birthdays into heaven. And while I don’t know what that will be like, Nancy now does. With her Father and her Saviour. With no more cancer, doctors, treatments, tests, therapy, oxygen, or hospitals. 

And this is true for Nancy not because she was a good person. She was . . . at times. She did many wonderful things. But she had her moments, too! She could be as ornery as the next guy, and she confessed every Sunday that she was a poor, miserable sinner. She knew it. 

But she knew something else, too. She knew, as Job knew, that she had a Redeemer, and that her Redeemer lives! And that after [her] skin has been destroyed, after death and disease has done its worst and robbed her of life, yet in [her] flesh she [would] see God; that [her] own eyes [would] behold Him. And now, what she for almost 78 years knew and saw by faith, she will see with her own eyes. Those eyes are now at rest, for a time. She closed them for the last time last Tuesday. A few hours after that, Ken and Rhonda and I sang, The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB #464). And it was. She was set free from her trials and troubles, her labors and struggles, to rest in the arms of her Saviour. The arms of her Saviour Jesus, which He once stretched out on the cross for her, to bear all her sins. Yes, He bore them, every single one. To redeem Nancy - and us all. To pay the price for our sins. All of them. He took Nancy’s sins and failures and shortcomings and orneryness upon Himself so none of that would be on Nancy; so none of that could be held against her. And then He died with all of that, for her. He paid for them with His life, He redeemed her, so she could live. And not just now, for a while, as we all do. But with Him, forever. A life that death cannot not end.

Which is a pretty bold claim to make! Here in this world where death is all around us; where death ends everything, try as we might to conquer it. You and I will one day die - maybe sooner than we think, and unexpectedly, like Nancy last Tuesday. No, we can’t conquer death, but there is one who can. And did. We heard that account today, when Jesus, who died with and for all of Nancy’s sins - and all of your sins and my sins, too - rose from the dead. That first Easter morning, the women went to the tomb of Jesus expecting to find His body. His dead body. But they instead saw something quite unexpected - a glimpse of heaven itself! An angel, with an appearance like lightning and clothing white as snow, who told them: He is not here; He is risen! 

Now, normally, when you go to see someone, to be told he or she is not here is bad news. Like the news we received last Tuesday, that Nancy was no longer here with us. But in this case, it was not only good news, but the greatest news ever and of all time! That the Jesus who died on the cross beat death! He is alive. And then they saw Him, and even took hold of His [very real] feet. And now Nancy, too. She is not here, and she also is not dead. Her body is, and we will commit it to the ground next Tuesday. But she is alive and at rest with her Saviour.

Which she was very much looking forward to. These past few weeks, even months, had been tough for her. And she was ready for rest. She was ready to be set free. For she knew the promises her Saviour made to her in her baptism - that her sins were covered with His righteousness, and that her death was conquered by His life. That, as we said at the beginning of the service today, buried with Jesus by baptism into death, she knew that just as Jesus was raised from dead, so would she be, too. So she would sing, as we did earlier: Death, you cannot end my gladness: I am baptized into Christ! When I die, I leave all sadness to inherit paradise (LSB #594 v, 4)! And last Tuesday, Jesus fulfilled that promise.

She also looked forward to this day every Sunday in receiving the Lord’s Supper. The Body and Blood of her Saviour which not only fed and forgave and strengthened her here and now, but also was, she knew, a foretaste of the feast to come; the heavenly feast, waiting for her. But the last few times she received the Lord’s Supper were not at our church, but in the hospital. But whether at church, at her dining room table, or in the hospital, didn’t matter. Jesus was there. For her. Feeding her, His little girl. Forgiving her. And she received Him and all His gifts given there, from her loving Jesus. Embracing Him, as the women did that first Easter morning. As the women did to their victorious Saviour.

Because those women knew, as the angel told them, and as Saint Paul told us today, Death is [now] swallowed up in victory! On Good Friday, it looked like death had won. Last Tuesday, it looked like death had won. Today, it looks like death has won. And next Tuesday, it will look as if death has won. But it has not, will not, and can not! For as Saint Paul goes on to say, mocking death: O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? You are like a fighter who has been knocked out. You are like a empty bottle of poison. You are a race car without any gas. (Nancy would like that one!) You are a toothless predator. Because the death that swallows us has itself been swallowed up. The grave which swallows us up has itself been swallowed up. The enemy of my enemy is my friend! Or even better, my Saviour! Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Which is why even in the midst of tears and sadness today, there is joy. Because our hope is not built on how good we are or what we are able to do - My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less than Jesus Blood and Righteousness (LSB #575). We’re going to sing that hymn at the end of the service today. It was one Nancy liked very much. I didn’t always pick hymns that she liked. I think she got frustrated with me at times for that. But I’d sneak one in for her every now and then. Like this one. Now, she gets to sing the song of heaven. 

These next few days, weeks, and months are going to be tough ones for you all. Nancy’s absence will bring tears, and her memories will bring smiles, but let this be true as well: let her faith and confidence inspire you. Inspire you to lean on your Saviour, as she did. To repent that you have not been who you should be, and receive the forgiveness of Him who always is. That when the day comes when you are called from this world and life, maybe suddenly and unexpectedly, you have the confidence Nancy had - that in Jesus, and in Him alone, we live, even when we die. That Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won! Jesus lives! Death’s reign is done! Jesus lives! This shall be my confidence (LSB #490)!

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

Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Business as Usual”

Text: Mark 6:45-56; Ephesians 3:14-21

 

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

Today’s Gospel seems like déjà vu all over again, doesn’t it?

Just a few weeks ago, we heard of the disciples out on the Sea of Galilee. They were freaking out, Jesus calms the storm for them, and they are astounded.

We’ve also heard stories about the crowds of people that followed Jesus around. Just last week we heard one of those stories, in fact. And as usual, when they find out where Jesus is, they not only come out to Him, but they bring everybody! Everybody who needs healing - the sick, the lame, the blind, the deaf, the diseased - and Jesus heals them. 

But there are a few things in the reading today that are different . . . and probably the chief thing is Jesus walking on the water. But not just that. That’s amazing, certainly, in and of itself. But maybe some of its amazingness is tempered a little because of what we heard a few weeks ago - that Jesus was able to command the winds and waves to be quiet and still, and they obeyed Him. So if He can do that . . . then walking on water isn’t that far of a stretch. 

Different also today is that the disciples weren’t afraid of the storm they were in. What freaked them out today is that when they saw Jesus, they thought they saw a ghost. That’s what terrified them! But whether or not they believed in ghosts and things like that (and I don’t know what they believed), it kind of makes sense to me. People don’t walk on water. People sink in water. At least I do! So when they saw Jesus walking on the water . . . I get their thinking!

As far as the people who came for healing . . . perhaps different for them is that they weren’t begging Jesus to touch their loved ones or heal them - they just wanted to touch the fringe of His garment! But this, too, is understandable, as we recently heard the story of the woman who bled for twelve years and was healed when she reached out and did just that - touched the hem of His garment and was made well. Pretty amazing! And it seems that word had gotten around.

But there is one thing is the reading we heard today that is very different, and honestly, quite odd. And it is this: that when Jesus came to them, walking on the water, about the fourth watch of the night, He meant to pass them by.

Now, I’ve heard a lot of explanations about that - maybe you have, too - about what that means; why Jesus was going to do that. And there are many! And some make sense to me, and some don’t. And it’s really all conjecture, because Mark doesn’t tell us why. Does He not care? Was He testing their faith? Was He hoping they wouldn’t see Him? But the impression I get - not just of this detail, but of this entire story, and this entire story in the context of Mark’s whole Gospel - is that this is just business as usual for Jesus. He's just crossing to the other side of the Sea. Nothing to see here. For Him, nothing really extraordinary going on here. He’s just doing as He has done, and will continue to do. Steadfastly, consistently, faithfully going to the cross for the life of the world. And the life He gives as He goes - the healings, the feedings, the forgiveness, the rescues - are all signs, pointers, to the great, new life He has come to provide for us.

So that day, right after the feeding of the 5,000, the disciples get into the boat to go to the other side. Business as usual. Jesus goes off by Himself to pray. Business as usual. The storm is calmed by Jesus. Business as usual. The crowds follow Jesus and He heals them. Business as usual. And even Jesus walking on the water, intending to pass by His disciples and meet them on the other side, business as usual . . . for Jesus.

Now, often, business as usual for us is freaking out like the disciples. When life throws you a curveball, when the storm clouds gather on the horizon, or when the storms of life hit - you lose your job, the stock market crashes, there is a death, or the doctor comes into the room with that look on his face - you know, the one that tells you this isn’t going to be good news, the wrong party gets elected, causing widespread weeping and gnashing of teeth, a pandemic shuts down the world . . . or even smaller whirlwinds, like a break-up, a promise not kept, a failing grade, being passed over for a promotion, your plans for the future not quite working out as you imagined or hoped . . . and it’s déjà vu all over again, when we, like the disciples, wonder: Lord, don’t you care? Lord, are you intending to pass us by? Lord, why is this happening? Lord, where’s the fringe of Your garment when I need it? Lord, where are you?

And in the midst of our uncertain world and our uncertain lives, in the midst of our fear and doubt, in the midst of our troubles and trials, there is the Lord. Steadfast, consistent, faithful. The crowds are fed, the storms are stilled, the sick are healed. In the midst of this world and it’s business as usual of things falling apart and things going wrong and chaos, is Jesus and His business as usual of calming, rescuing, and saving. Even when faced with the biggest chaos of all - going to the cross.

How calm Jesus is through all of it. He knows what’s about to unfold and take place, and there He is washing His disciples’ feet and teaching them. He goes off to pray, and then lets Himself be arrested. He doesn’t try to defend Himself or protest, but as Isaiah says (53:7), He is like a lamb led to slaughter and opens not His mouth. He doesn’t ask His Father to send twelve legions of angels to fight for Him, He prays for those who are persecuting Him. He bows His head and hands over the Spirit, and despite the forsakenness of the cross, entrusts His Spirit to His Father. 

And while that’s all going on, the disciples are, well, being the disciples! They’re freaking out, drawing the sword, running away, denying, mourning, dazed and confused, unbelieving, in chaos.

But then Sunday morning. Easter morning. A resurrection. And . . . a good chaos? Soldiers who have abandoned their post, the disciples running not away but to an empty tomb, disbelieving, dazed and confused with joy? But for Jesus, business as usual. He talks to Mary in the garden as is nothing unusual has happened. He walks and talks with those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, matter-of-factly opening the Scriptures to them. He greets His disciples in the locked room like it was any other day: Peace be with you. Showing, as He did all along, that He cared. That He doesn’t pass us by. That everything that happened was according to plan. And that even when He seemed farthest away from us with no chance of His coming back to us - when He lay dead in the grave! - here He is, with us, as He was all along. With us in all the storms and chaos and uncertainty of this world. That no matter what is going on in the world or in your life, there is one thing - always one thing - you can count on: Him. 

I said last week that the disciples were still disciples and still learning. They were still learning about Jesus and what He came to do and all He came to do. And still learning about Jesus, that day on the Sea they thought they saw a ghost. Jesus’ ghost. Passing them by.

Don’t mock them. We do it, too. When the storms and chaos and uncertainty hit, it’s easy to think Jesus is ghosting us, too. You know what ghosting is, right? It’s the term used when you’re on a video call like Zoom or WebEx and a person logs on and is supposed to be there, but their video isn’t on and really they’re off doing something else, or at least, not paying attention. They’re there, but they’re not there. 

And we can think that, too. Because is Jesus with us? Well, yes you might say, because Jesus is God and so He is everywhere. True enough. But not very comforting when I need Him here. With me. Like a crying child in the middle of the night - it’s not good enough just to know Mom and Dad are in the house. I need them here, now, with me! So yeah, Jesus is everywhere, but is He really ghosting me? Off helping someone else?

But as good Lutherans, you know that Jesus is more than just present everywhere, that He is present for us where He has promised to be, which is in His Word and Sacraments. But I read His Word and don’t feel Him with me. I take communion and the storms and chaos are still there. And my baptism was so long ago . . . Is Jesus really there for me, or ghosting me?

The devil whispers in your ear: He’s ghosting you! He’s not really there. And sometimes, like those disciples in the boat, we believe it. We think it’s only a ghost.

But Jesus was not a ghost that day. That was really Him. There for His disciples as He always was. And really here for you. Don’t rely on what you feel or what the devil is trying to trick you into thinking; rely on the witness of His Word. And rely on the empty tomb. And that if the storm and chaos of death couldn’t keep Jesus from us, no other storm can either.

That’s what the apostle Paul came to know - and He had more than his fair share of storms and chaos in his life! So he prays that the Ephesian Christians know this, too. That they be strengthened with power through the Spirit in their inner being. That Christ dwell in their hearts through faith. That they may comprehend breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ for them. And to believe that He is able to do far more abundantly that all we ask or think. Which is to say, that they know the steadfastness, reliability, consistency, and faithfulness of Jesus for them. 

And that you know it, too. That you know that, as we sang, you can Entrust Your Days and Burdens to God’s Most Loving Hands (LSB #754). That you know that when you are baptized, that really was Jesus taking you into His death and resurrection, so that you have already begun to live a life that’s never going to end. Death can’t have you! You’ve already been raised with Him, in Him. And that you know that when you read or hear His Word, that really is Jesus speaking to you - words of life, word of peace, words of forgiveness. And that you know that here at this altar, this eating and drinking is really and truly His Body and Blood, feeding you with the Bread of Life. Ghosting is what we do! It is NOT what Jesus does. Where His Name is, there is He.

And these stories we heard today teach us that. The storms and chaos and uncertainties of life may cause us to freak out in fear, and disbelieve a bit, and wonder . . . But for Jesus, it is business as usual. The business of rescuing and saving. The business of forgiveness, life, and salvation. The business of a Saviour here for you. 

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