The Feast of Pentecost

(Audio)

John 14:23-31; Acts 2:1-21; Genesis 11:1-9

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Feast of Pentecost is the restoration of the right and proper order of things: God gives. Man receives and returns thanks and praise to God.

After the flood, Noah’s descendants did not disperse and fill the world as God had commanded, but they settled together in one area, they all spoke one language, and they were unified as one people. It was not long until they conspired to build a tower rising into the heavens that they might make a name for themselves, as gods unto themselves, a transgression akin to the pride and envy of Lucifer’s primordial power-grab and the sin of our First Parents Adam and Eve. Theirs was a transgression of the First and Greatest Commandment, “You shall have no other gods,” and “You shall fear, love, and trust in God above all things” – even, and especially, above yourself.

Men are indeed capable of doing great and mighty things, from harnessing the energy of the atom to the construction of stations in space, from the mapping of the human genome, to the cloning of animal and human cells. On this Graduate Recognition Sunday we are right to celebrate and to give thanks to God for the accomplishments of our young high school and college graduates. We are rightly excited, and we anticipate what great things they will do! And yet, what is man’s greatness compared with the greatness of man’s Creator? How much greater would man’s works be if they were conceived, consummated, and accomplished in accord with God’s holy will and to His glory?

Do not think that your God and Creator is opposed to man’s achieving greatness, for He is not. Indeed, He, Himself, crowned man King and Queen of all that He had made. But man’s dominion is an authority given and vested by God; man is not great by his own accord, but He has been made to be great like his Creator – great in mercy, great in compassion, great in love for all that God has made, as His stewards and managers, that all the world might know its God and Maker. Thus, God is not opposed to or against man’s achievements in science and technology, his attempts to make the world better, however, when these are ends in themselves, or when they serve the elevation of man apart from God’s will, Law, wisdom, and guidance, they cannot achieve the good they were intended to achieve, for they are a good pursued in the wrong way.

Thus, the LORD confused the language of man and dispersed them over the face of the earth so that they left off building their great city and tower. This was much less an act of judgment than it was an act of mercy and love akin to God’s banishing of our First Parents from the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life. If man were left to pursue his own wicked ends, it would result in his destruction and eternal separation from the source of his life and the reason for his being, communion with his Creator and God.

But God does indeed love the good works of men when they flow from His Holy Spirit. And thus, He would not leave His children in this confused state, but He would gather them together again as one people, one body, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wing. In many types and figures, in prophets and judges and kings, God called His people to repentance, and He gave them one spiritual language. But, still, His children regularly strayed and sought power and glory, strength and might in ways and in things contrary to God’s Holy Law and will and Spirit. Until, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His only-begotten Son into our human flesh, that He would be obedient to God’s holy will and Law, and walk in perfect communion with Him all the days of His earthly life. Then, in one final act of obedience, Jesus submitted to the misdirected “good” deeds of men as they tried and convicted Him, mocked, and scourged Him, and crucified Him on the cursed tree of the cross, and He died for the wickedness, guilt, and sin of the creatures who, as God, He had Himself created. As the prophet Isaiah has prophesied, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

In His timeless apologetic for the Christian faith, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote of man’s wickedness saying, “Wickedness, when you examine it, turns out to be the pursuit of some good in the wrong way.” Indeed, man, created in the image of God, has the desire and the capacity to do good. Men desire to love and to be loved. Men desire both to control and to be controlled. Men desire to create life and to nurture and grow living things, be they plants, animals, or children. And men desire to build houses and cities, roads and bridges, telescopes, and rocket ships. And these are all good desires and pursuits in and of themselves. There is nothing wicked about them. Indeed, God Himself does good, loves, controls, builds, and gives life. But, for men, these good desires and pursuits become wicked when they are divorced from God’s holy Law and will and Spirit.

Before His death, Jesus comforted His disciples saying to them, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my Word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. […] …the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Jesus kept this promise when the Father sent the Holy Spirit upon His disciples on the Day of Pentecost. We rightly celebrate this day as the birthday of the Church. For, on that day, the confusion of Babel was undone once and for all, as the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and gave them the ability to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all the languages of the world so that men, dispersed to the four corners of the earth, could hear the Good News of God’s salvation in their own language and tongue. For, the Gospel is a message and a language that transcends all languages. It doesn’t matter if it is spoken in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. It doesn’t matter if it is spoken in German or English (in the KJV, ESV, RSV, NIV, NLT, ASV, NAS, or whatever!), Chinese, or Swahili. For, there is one Gospel, just as there is one LORD, one God, one Christ, and one Holy Spirit. And there is one holy catholic and apostolic Church, one Baptism, one Communion, one body having one head, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Pentecost is the reversal of Babel. Only, this time, it is the LORD who has called, enlightened, sanctified, and kept in faith His people by His Holy Spirit. And, though there are still many languages, there is one Gospel which transcends them all and is spoken in all by the guidance and inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit. Though the Church does not celebrate Pentecost anew, or receive the Holy Spirit anew, She prays, nonetheless for the continual sending of the Spirit of Christ, that Her works and deeds may be conceived, consummated, and accomplished in accord with God’s holy will and to His glory. For, like every other human desire and endeavor, apart from the guidance, counsel, and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, even the Church’s works and deeds can lead to wickedness, destruction, and eternal separation from the source of Her life and the reason for Her being, Her own communion with, and Her bringing others into communion with, Her one Creator and God.

For, in the end, the Holy Spirit is not a spirit of numerical growth, although He can cause that. Nor is He a spirit of worldly glory, although He sometimes blesses the Church with glory in the eyes of men that they may see God’s blessing in ways they recognize. Nor is He a spirit of monetary wealth, although He invites you to test how He will measure back to you so much more if you will but give to others in faith. But the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, which is to say that He is the Spirit of compassion and mercy and love; and He is the Spirit of bold confession and unwavering faith. For, the chief work of the Holy Spirit is to draw men to Jesus that they may receive what He has accomplished.

In your lives you are tempted to fret and to strive to build your own towers into the heavens that you might control all the seemingly out of control things in your life and world. You think that by electing the right candidate, by passing the right law, by spending money the right way, and by defending the right ideology you will make the world a better place, a safer place, a place that values what you value and condemns what you condemn. But whatever you desire and love, if it is not in accord with God’s holy Law, will, and Spirit, and is not conceived, consummated, and accomplished by the Holy Spirit, it is wickedness and mindless babel. And so, let us pray today, and every day, “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your love.” And the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ will give you His peace – peace, not as the world gives, that your hearts need not be troubled or afraid.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Exaudi - The Seventh Sunday of Easter (Easter 7)

(Audio)

John 15:26 – 16:4; 1 Peter 4:7-14; Ezekiel 36:22-28

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Because of their idolatry, apostasy, and unbelief, the LORD delivered the children of Israel into exile in Babylon. Yet, more than their idolatry, apostasy, and unbelief, what incensed the LORD against His people was that they profaned His Name among the nations. Rather than being the holy people they were called to be, set apart from the nations by their obedience to God’s Law, instead they adopted the culture, the religion, and the practices of the nations around them, and they blended in with them, and did not glorify the LORD. Thus, when the LORD disciplined them by delivering them into the hands of their enemies, the Babylonians chided the Israelites and derided their God saying that He was unable to help them, or that He couldn’t be bothered to – they profaned and blasphemed the Name of the LORD. Therefore the LORD commanded the Prophet Ezekiel, “Say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the LORD God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of My holy Name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great Name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the LORD God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.”

The past several weeks we have heard Gospel readings from Jesus’ Farewell Discourse from St. John’s Gospel, chapters fourteen to seventeen. Making up nearly twenty percent of John’s Gospel, our Lord delivered these words on Holy Thursday during the course of the Last Supper and in the Garden of Gethsemane before His betrayal by Judas and arrest by the Temple Guards under authority of the Sanhedrin. This may seem somewhat out of place in the weeks following the Church’s celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, but they serve a crucial purpose in our life together in this world after Jesus’ Ascension until His Parousia and return on the Last Day. In this discourse, Jesus was preparing His disciples then, and now, for what we would face after His Ascension: “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.”

For, our Lord knew that we would be tempted by, and that we would succumb and capitulate to, our world and our culture, that the temptations would be strong and severe, and that our fear would be great. Indeed, like the children of Israel, we too have profaned the Name of the LORD in idolatry, apostasy, and unbelief. We too have adopted the culture, the religion, and the practices of the world, and have acquiesced and blended in with them. Not only is divorce accepted among us, for example, but no one bats an eye when a couple cohabitates and fornicates outside of marriage. Many of us turn a blind eye towards abortion and justify it as mercy and compassion for an unwed mother, for a mother lacking the financial means to raise a child, for a child who is expected to suffer severe abnormalities or a short and painful life, or for victims of rape and incest. We support our children to participate in sports, the performing arts, to study, or to simply to sleep in and get some rest on the Lord’s Day, and then we wonder why they don’t believe that church attendance is important, and why they adopt the language, the culture, and the practices of their peers. But, we do all these things with good intentions, right? Yes, yes, truly our Lord Jesus was right – in doing these things, we think we are offering service to God. Would we be more merciful than God Himself and, in so doing, set aside His clear Law and commands? No, but God’s Word must be the only rule and guide of our faith and life, the only lamp for our feet and light for our path.

“But when the Helper comes,” says Jesus, “whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.” Because we have profaned the LORD’s Name among the nations, we have been poor witnesses. We have not been a light shining in the darkness or a city sitting on a hill, but we have assimilated the culture and values of the world and have blended in with the darkness. Nevertheless, we will be the LORD’s witnesses, not for our sake, but for the sake of His Name, Jesus. Jesus has said all these things to us to keep us from falling away. Truly, the temptation to compromise and to acquiesce, to bend the truth of God’s Word, to, in the best intentions of course, bless what the LORD does not bless and speak peace where there is, and can be, no peace, is intense. Indeed, to stand firm in the Word and commands of our LORD is uncomfortable and, at times, perilous, inviting ridicule and mocking, hatred and derision, and defaming and reputation-staining accusations of bigotry, racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, and more. “Indeed,” Jesus says, “the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.”

According to Open Doors International, an organization that tracks worldwide Christian persecution, one in five Christians are persecuted in Africa, two in five in Asia, and one in seven worldwide. In the past year 5,621 Christians have been murdered, 2110 churches have been attacked, and 4542 Christians have been detained. We must not only pray for these brothers and sisters in Christ, but we must rise to their defense in any godly way possible and not ignore their plight, casually going about our comfortable lives. To paraphrase the words of the Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller following the Holocaust in World War II, “First they came for the Jews, and I remained silent because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Syrian Christians, and I remained silent because I was not a Syrian. Then they came for the Coptic Christians, and I remained silent because I was not an Egyptian. Then they came for me, and there was no one to speak for or defend me.” Now, in no way do I mean to suggest that the trials, tribulations, and persecutions we now face, or are likely to face in the foreseeable future, are to be compared to the religicide our Syrian and Egyptian brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering, but only that we must stand with them against a common enemy and not make their martyrdoms seem inconsequential or insignificant. Yet, we do precisely that when we fail to stand firm upon God’s Word and commands and acquiesce and capitulate to our pagan culture. We trivialize our faith, we trivialize their martyrdoms, and we trivialize our God, and so we profane His Name among the nations.

“It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act,” says the LORD, “but for the sake of My holy Name, which you have profaned among the nations.” “Through you I will vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our LORD and God has done this for you and to you in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. You have each received this work of the LORD personally in your Holy Baptisms. The LORD has washed you clean of your sin, guilt, idolatry, and apostasy, and He has removed your heart of stony unbelief and replaced it with a heart of flesh. He has breathed into you His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth to guide you into all the Truth. Yes, you stray, often daily, and you will sin much in thought, word, and deed. Yes, you will succumb to temptation and are weak to stand before those who mock, ridicule, hate, and persecute you because they mock, ridicule, hate, and blaspheme your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, return to the LORD in humility and repentance and be restored, daily, to holiness and righteousness in Christ our Lord. And, gather here with the body of Christ, the Church, around His Words and His Holy Wounds, that you may be forgiven, renewed, strengthened, equipped, and sent to be His witnesses, His martyrs, before the nations to the glory of His Great and Holy Name.

Jesus Christ has ascended to the right hand of His Father in heaven where He reigns and rules over heaven and earth and fills all things. He has sent His Holy Spirit upon His Church, upon you. The Holy Spirit bears witness about Jesus, and He causes you to bear witness about Jesus too in your words, in your deeds, in your lives, and in your deaths. Jesus has given you the Holy Spirit that you might not fall away, for, as St. Peter warns, “the end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” And, “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.”

The LORD has vindicated you, not for your sake, but for the sake of His Holy Name, for the sake of Jesus. But, this is good news for you! The LORD has vindicated you, not because of your faulting prayers, not because of your imperfect works, not because of your grudging obedience to His commands, not even because of your weak and little faith, but because of His Holy Name, because of Jesus’ faith, prayers, works, and obedience unto death for the sake of His Holy Name. You will be His witnesses for the sake of His Holy Name. When the fiery trial comes upon you, remember that the Lord has said this to you in advance, and that they do these things because they do not know the Father, nor Jesus. In your witnessing, in your martyrdom, in your selfless love and sacrificial service to all, let them see Jesus that His Name may be glorified. In this way you die every day and are raised to new life in Christ. For, to live must be Christ, and, therefore, to die is gain.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord (Observed)

(Audio)

Mark 16:14-20; Acts 1:1-11; 2 Kings 2:5-15

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ is a Feast of the Incarnation. It is a celebration that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, became Man. He took up our flesh by means of our distant kinswoman, that royal peasant of David's line, from Nazareth, the Virgin Mary. His Holy Spirit overshadowed her. He was conceived in her without the aid of a man, with only God as His Father, His only begotten from eternity, and His only begotten of a woman in time. All this that He might raise up for Himself, in Himself, a worthy sacrifice to atone for all the sinners who ever sinned. God has provided the Lamb for the offering. The cords that bound us to Hell's altar were severed. By being Man, God has fulfilled the Law in His dying, rising, and in His ascending.

By becoming one of us, a Man, God elevated our position. One of the Holy Three is one of us. God is Our Brother. By virtue of that holy Incarnation, His Father is Our Father. Likewise, by that holy Incarnation, the Spirit processes to us and is Our Guide. In this way, we enjoy greater honor and privilege than did Adam and Eve before the fall. Heaven is better than Eden.

To there, to heaven, the Body, mocked, beaten, and nailed to the cruel tree, but raised again to life, has gone. From there, He sends His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, who lives in us and leads us into all Truth, who bears witness of Him and what He has done. From there, He mediates and intercedes. He advocates. At the right hand of the Father, He pleads our case in the scars of His holy Office. But His Body in heaven is exalted, glorified, for this Man, flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone, ransom for our sin, is also God, has always been God, and will never cease to be God. There is no division between His natures. There is only one Christ. He is capable of being everywhere, for He is omnipresent. He has no limitations save those He sets for Himself. So it is that He, who ascends into heaven, promises to His disciples, and also to us, "Lo, I am with you always." And He is.

His Body ascended. But He, His Body borne of Mary, is not gone. He is present for us in Word and Sacrament. He is present for us in His Body in the Holy Communion. He who died, lives. He who went away, is here. For in His last testament, His dying promise, He said, "This IS my BODY given for you. Do it. Eat it." It was given on the cross, a sacrifice for guilt, and it is given now as the benefit of that sacrifice, the removal of that guilt, by being eaten. It is the Body crucified, risen, and ascended for you. It joins you to Him by His entrance into you. It is a Holy Communion, a uniting of the God-Man to your sinful flesh, sinful no more, but pure and immaculate, as He is pure and immaculate. This Body is Jacob's ladder. In the Holy Communion, the Feast of His Body, we join with angels and archangels; they descend by this living Bread, and join us. Christ ascended into heaven, but Christ is here. He joins us to heaven, to angels, and to the saints before us. We are in heaven, though we are on earth, for we are with Christ and the holy angels. Our sins are removed, forgiven by Divine declaration and Grace! We feast on the foretaste of the feast that will not end.

This is what the Ascension is about. Not about Christ leaving us, for He has not left. It is about Christ preceding us. He goes to prepare a place for us, even as He is still with us, still for us, still in us. He who broke down the gates of Hell that locked us in has also broken down the gates of Heaven that kept us out. His holy, precious Blood, and His innocent suffering and death, has paved the way, broken the trail. He is Our Captain. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is no one to accuse you. There is no more guilt, shame, or regret. Your sins are forgotten. Death is dead. Life lives. Heaven is open. For Christ, Our Brother, and our Savior, has ascended, has gone up with a shout. Let the shout be: "Hallelujah!”

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Rogate - The Sixth Sunday of Easter (Easter 6)

(Audio)

John 16:23-33; James 1:22-27; Numbers 21:4-9

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday in the Church Year has the Latin name Rogate, which means “to ask,” or, “to pray.” Traditionally, the Church has observed four Rogation Days, the Major Rogation on April 25, and three Minor Rogation Days, the three days before the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, this coming Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension on Thursday. Rogation Days are set apart as days of fasting and prayer, thus the Sunday before the Minor Rogation Days, that is today, came to be known as Rogate Sunday. However, while, traditionally, the theme of Rogate Sunday is prayer, I suggest to you that, if this day is about prayer, then it begs that you begin to think differently about what prayer is and about how you pray. For, when your Lord says to you “Whatever you ask of the Father in my Name, He will give it to you,” it begs the question, “Why?” Why will the Father give you what you ask in Jesus’ Name? What does it mean to ask in Jesus’ Name?

In this regard, it is no coincidence that the Minor Rogation Days precede the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. The implication is that there is something about Jesus’ Ascension that moves the Father to grant what you pray for, that is, what you ask in Jesus’ Name. And, to understand the significance of this final event of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry, His Ascension, it is necessary that you first understand the significance of the first event in His earthly life and ministry, His Incarnation. What happened in the Incarnation that changed how God the Father relates to you His creatures? What changed? I say to you, everything! Absolutely everything!

When the Word became flesh and made His dwelling amongst us, God entered His creation as one of His creatures. This is remarkable and astounding! When our First Parents sinned, they rebelled against God. They made themselves unclean, unholy. They could no longer stand in the presence of the Holy LORD. Their sinful corruption affected a break, a separation from God. And they knew it; they felt it in the very essence of their being. They hid themselves in the bushes and they covered their nakedness for shame in their guilt. They could sense God’s holiness all about them and they knew that there were not within it, that they were outcasts by their own doing, that they were wholly other. Holy God required, He demanded, that His creation be holy as He is holy. It was not meanness or bad will that cast them out, but it was the holiness and righteousness of God; it was light and darkness, the sacred and the profane. “What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? What fellowship has light with darkness?”

And yet, the LORD did the unthinkable, the impossible; He penetrated His fallen creation and became a man. The Creator became a creature “born from the substance of His mother,” “perfect God and perfect man.” The LORD plunged Himself, His holiness and righteousness, into the muck and mire of man’s flesh and blood, sin, and death. And that has changed everything! No longer is there a separation between God and man, for God has become a man. No longer is flesh and blood barred from the holy presence of God, for God’s holy presence has tabernacled in the flesh and blood of a man, born of a woman, with men and women for brothers and sisters and neighbors. Thus, Jesus routinely taught both His disciples and His adversaries that the kingdom of heaven had come upon them and was in their midst, for wherever Jesus was, there was the kingdom of heaven and heaven’s King.

So, how does the Incarnation affect your prayer? There is no need for your prayer to ascend to heaven, for heaven has descended to earth. Heaven is present, God is present in the person of His Son Jesus. This is why the leper approached Jesus saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean,” and Jesus replied, “I will; be clean.” This is why the centurion approached Jesus saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly,” “only say the word, and my servant will be healed,” and Jesus replied, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” To ask Jesus is to ask God; to pray to Jesus is to pray to God; Jesus is God, in the flesh, His kingdom of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness come down to earth to re-create, restore, renew, and to reign.

God had always been present with His people. He walked with our First Parents in the Garden before their rebellion. Afterward, He made covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to send one from woman’s seed who would fill our greatest need. In the Exodus, God tabernacled in the midst of His people, traveling with them in their pilgrimage, and making them holy through the sacrificial system of the tabernacle and then the temple. And yet, all this pointed to the greater tabernacle and temple made without human hands, Jesus. In Jesus are fulfilled the covenants, the tabernacle, the temple, the sacrificial system, and the priesthood, for Jesus is our Great High Priest and the holy and innocent sacrifice of God’s self-offering.

And yet, still there is more. In the Incarnation of Jesus, God had visited His people to redeem them. Mankind’s redemption was accomplished in Jesus’ death upon the cross. Then, the fruit of Jesus’ victory was borne; God raised Him from death to life. But God did not raise His Son Jesus merely to live a holy life on earth; He raised Him that He might seat Him, in flesh and blood, as a man, at His right hand in heaven. Thus, in the Ascension of Jesus, God the Father elevated all humanity to a status higher than that of Adam and Eve, higher even than the angels of heaven: A man now sits and reigns at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. And, where He is, He has promised you shall also be.

Thus, once again, let us turn to prayer and ask, “What affect does Jesus’ Ascension have upon our prayer?” Well, what does Jesus teach? “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my Name, He will give it to you.” And then, Jesus explains why the Father will give you what you ask in His Name saying, “In that day you will ask in my Name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” Jesus is referring to His Incarnation. Because you have believed that He is God in the flesh, God will grant you whatever you ask in and through Jesus’ Name. However, Jesus’ Name is not merely a word, a phrase, or a sentence or statement of any kind, but Jesus’ Name is the holiness and righteousness of God. To pray in Jesus’ Name is to pray in accordance with who and what you believe and confess Jesus to be. To pray in Jesus’ Name is to pray in accordance with God’s Holy and perfect will manifest and revealed in Jesus. So, don’t pray for Cadillacs and winning lottery tickets, but pray for anything and everything that is in accord with God’s perfect and holy will manifest and revealed in Jesus.

“I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father,” Jesus taught. In sinful rebellion, man separated himself from God. But, in the Incarnation, God became a man and restored flesh and blood to Himself through the death, resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus. In God’s plan of salvation, we see that it’s all about koinonia, communion fellowship, and the one-flesh union. Communion fellowship (koinonia) is akin to marriage, the one-flesh union. Sin breaks that fellowship. It creates a barrier, like a force field, separating us from God. But God, in Jesus, has penetrated the barrier we have created in our sin like a hole in the ozone layer and has plunged Himself into our humanity, taking upon Himself our sin and dying our death. But, because He was sinless, innocent, righteous, and holy, God raised Jesus from the dead and He has ascended out of this world to the right hand of His Father in heaven taking us with Him. He has promised that He will come again to raise us from the dead and take us to Himself in eternal communion fellowship with Him in heaven.

And, this is why God the Father gives you whatever you ask in Jesus’ Name – not because you pray so very eloquently nor because you are so very sincere, nor because you are so very pious, good, righteous, or holy – but, God the Father gives you whatever you ask in Jesus’ Name because Jesus is you, and through faith in Jesus’ Incarnation, death, resurrection, and Ascension, you are Him. God hears and answers you because He hears and He answers Jesus, your Bridegroom and the head of His body the Church. You are one flesh with Him now and for eternity. Believe His Word and live, for Jesus’ sake.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Quid Est Veritas? (What is truth?)

QUID EST VERITAS?

 

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

 

Rev. Jon M. Ellingworth

St. John Lutheran Church – Waverly, IA

 

It’s graduation season once again! What a festive, celebratory, and joyful time! Even if you don’t have a family member or close friend who is graduating, the hopefulness, potential, and possibility set before our young graduates is both exhilarating and contagious. It’s natural to get caught up in the jubilation. I personally know several high school graduates from W-SR and college graduates from Wartburg, Hawkeye, UNI, and ISU. No, I’m not intentionally leaving out IOWA, I simply do not know any graduates of that venerable institution personally this year. I am excited for all of them even as I recall my own graduations past and reflect upon the great adventure set before them.

 

Along with the excitement of adventure, however, there is always a little anxiety, concern, and even fear, for with adventure there is necessarily risk and even danger. This was true when I graduated many years ago, and the world is, arguably, fraught with more risk and danger today. There is so much division, anger, hatred, and violence in America today. It is no longer possible to simply mind one’s business, live and let live, and hope to not be impacted by the chaos surrounding us. Today silence is considered violence and a person is labeled either privileged or oppressed based upon the color of their skin. Not long ago that was the very definition of racism.

 

Why is this? Surely there are many reasons, but the expansive growth of technology, particularly in communications, has to be at the top of the list. Thanks to the internet and social media we can know what happened moments ago in another state or nation, and peoples’ views on the matter will also be known almost instantaneously. It wasn’t that long ago that, here in Iowa, we wouldn’t know about a subway death in New York, or about a school shooting in Texas. That would have been local news. However, today we know about these happenings instantaneously, and just as quickly they are politicized and cause us to become even more polarized.

 

Generally speaking, I believe that knowledge is good and to be desired, however not all knowledge is useful, and without wisdom, knowledge can even be bad. It’s no coincidence that the original sin of Eden involved knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil. God declared the world so newly made and everything in it, including humankind, to be – not only good – but VERY GOOD. Evil was not a part of God’s good creation, but a rebellion against it.

 

That rebellion continues to this day, and it continues to grow progressively worse. Harvard University’s motto “Veritas” means “truth.” Sadly, much of what passes for education today is a close-minded ideology, not an open search for truth. Only consider the debate on global warming, Neo-Darwinist evolutionary theory, novel untested gene therapies masking as vaccines, gender orientation, critical race theory, and identity politics. To be on the wrong side of these ideological dogmas is to be labeled anti-science, anti-intellectual, bigoted, sexist, and racist. But true education requires critical thinking and intellectual honesty, the ability to admit that, when the findings disprove your hypothesis, then what you had believed, no matter how strongly held a viewpoint, is wrong. Those who truly want to support education should defend the right of free discourse, including dissent. Those who stigmatize dissent do not protect education from its enemies. Instead, they subvert the very education, discovery, and knowledge they claim to revere.

 

This is why my excitement for our graduates is mixed with some trepidation: Our graduates are emerging from institutions that have largely ceased the search for truth and instead promulgate ideological lies in its place. As the serpent directly contradicted God’s Word and lied saying, “You will not surely die,” so the truth is directly contradicted and lies are substituted. The truth remains, however, death is real and we all die. Likewise, all lies will be exposed for what they are in time. In the meantime, please pray for our graduates, guide them, support them, and encourage them. It’s not their fault that they’ve been lied to, but it will be our fault if those who know the truth remain silent.

 

Rev. Jon M. Ellingworth

Pastor, St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church – Waverly, IA

 

Cantate - The Fifth Sunday after Easter (Easter 5)

(Audio)

John 16:5-15; James 1:16-24; Isaiah 12:1-6

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Our Lord’s talk of leaving them and of going to His Father filled the hearts and the minds of His disciples with such great sorrow and fear that they could not be comforted by the good news of where He was going and why, but they were overcome by sorrow and fear of what might happen to them once He was gone. And you are no different. Indeed, just like Jesus’ disciples, you are prone to fear, sorrow, hopelessness, and despair because, though you hear the LORD’s Words and Promises, you do not believe them, wholly, and you do not trust in them, but you believe that you are on your own and have to fend for yourselves. Therefore, Jesus’ Words to His disciples are also His Words to you this day: “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.” This Word is meant to direct you away from your fallen reason, wisdom, and deceptive emotions to His sure and certain Word and promise. Jesus has not left you alone. There is no reason for fear and sorrow and despair. Jesus has sent you a Helper, His Holy Spirit, who “will guide you into all the truth.”

In today’s Gospel, your Lord Jesus provides you the clearest, most direct and forthright description of the Holy Spirit’s work in all of Scripture: The Holy Spirit “will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” That word convict, in this usage, means to expose, to prove, or to convince of the Truth. Hence Jesus proclaims, “When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, [….] He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.” However, men do not often like to hear the Truth. Indeed, today people are want to believe that there is no such thing as Truth, but only human constructs, opinions, identities, and beliefs. Therefore, the work of the Holy Spirit is a much resisted and rejected work. What the Holy Spirit exposes and proves and convinces of is denied and rejected and covered up by people who prefer the darkness to the Light of Truth.

The Spirit of Truth will convict the world concerning sin. He will expose, convince, and prove to us that we are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God. Now, no one likes to have their imperfections and failings exposed, how much less to be shown that they have sinned and are sinners throughout. We often react in anger and self-defense when someone tells us that we are wrong. However, the conviction of the Holy Spirit is much more serious than the conviction of men. Those who accuse us and expose our failings eventually go away. Not so the Spirit of Truth, but He is always with us, always convicting, always, exposing, always proving to us that we have sinned and that we are sinners. We experience this work of the Holy Spirit as conscience, and it makes us feel guilty, because we are guilty and are stained by sin. Surely this is an uncomfortable and unpleasant feeling. We do not like it, and, generally, there are two likely reactions: Deny the accusation, justify ourselves and insist that we are correct and not wrong, and convict, judge, and condemn those who convict us. However, when the one who convicts us is the Holy Spirit, to convict, judge, and condemn Him is to call good evil and evil good – which is nothing less than the unforgiveable sin against the Holy Spirit and unbelief. And, ultimately, that is precisely what the Spirit of Truth has been sent to expose. The proper response, of course, is to accept the conviction, to repent and humble oneself before the mercy of the LORD. For, the purpose of the Spirit’s conviction is not to drive you into unbelief, but to drive you to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ that you may receive forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Needless to say, this is an extremely important and necessary work of the Holy Spirit, for, as we confess in the Catechism, in the Explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” We need the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin, that we may repent and be forgiven and live. This work of the Holy Spirit is a precious and vital gift of the LORD for which we must be thankful and praise His grace and mercy, and glorify Him in repentance and humility, faith, and love.

The Spirit of Truth will also convict the world concerning righteousness. He will expose, convince, and prove to us that there is no one who is righteous except the LORD. Once again, this is not something that our sinful nature likes to hear or wants to believe. We like to think that we are good people, at least better than most. After all, we go to church, we are generally kind to others, we give to charity if sometimes grudgingly, we often let someone merging into traffic pass in front of us, but two is enough, after that no one’s getting in, etc. Ha! Do you see how absurd our justifications and self-reassurances of our goodness and righteousness are? Even the things we boast of doing that are good have extremely low limits and thresholds before we consider that we are right in withholding from others. Our self-righteousness is a lie perpetuated by the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh, a lie that can keep us from repenting and seeking forgiveness in Jesus. After all, if you are alright on your own, then what do you need Jesus for? That’s what Satan wants for you. He doesn’t need to terrify you and tempt you to worship him. No, he doesn’t need to do anything that obvious and flamboyant. All he needs to do is to get you to believe that you are alright, just the way you are. And he accomplishes this by tempting you to have an eagle eye for the sins and failings of others, but to be virtually blind to those of your own. Indeed, Jesus teaches us not to judge others, not because judging itself is bad, but because when you judge others for their sins and failings you are unable to see those of your own. “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Jesus has gone to His Father and is no longer with us to teach us about the dangers of self-righteousness, therefore He has sent the Spirit of Truth to expose, prove, and convince you of your own unrighteousness that you might place your fear, love, and trust in the righteousness of God revealed in His Son Jesus Christ and receive His righteousness as your own, even as your brother and sister in Christ, your neighbor, the stranger, and even your enemy must receive their righteousness. Once again, this work of the Holy Spirit is a precious and vital gift of the LORD for which we should be thankful and praise and glorify Him.

Lastly, the Spirit of Truth will convict the world concerning judgment. He will expose, convince, and prove to us that the ruler of this world, Satan, is judged. If the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to get us to believe that he doesn’t exist, a similar trick is to get us to believe that he has won, and therefore we should simply go along with the ways of the world as if nothing truly matters. St. Paul puts it this way: If Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile and we are still in our sins. We are of all people the most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. “When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth, for He will not Speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak [….] He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore, I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.” In His death and resurrection, Jesus won the victory over sin, death, and the devil. When Satan sunk his venomous fangs into Jesus’ heal, the Son of Man crushed that serpent’s head and destroyed his power. Therefore, the last enemy, death, has been defeated and has lost its sting. Death and the grave could not hold Jesus, and they cannot hold you. Therefore, if even death and the grave cannot hold you, why do you live as though this mortal life is all there is? Why do you live each day in fearful selfishness, greed, and hatred, fearful of what you don’t have or of what you might lose? These are the chains of hell and Satan from which you have been freed. If you give yourself over to fear, selfishness, greed, and hatred, you willfully bind yourself with chains that Jesus died to set you free from.

Yes, the Spirit of Truth will make you uncomfortable. That’s a good thing! That discomfort is a gift from the LORD to remind you that this world and this flesh are not your home. You were created for full communion with your Holy, Righteous, and Just God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That communion has been damaged and destroyed by sin, the original sin of our First Parents, and your own personal and actual sins that you have committed and continue to commit daily in thought, word, and in deed. If Jesus had not sent you His Spirit, you could not know Him, come to Him, or believe in Him. But the Spirit has come, and He is with you as a Helper, a Counselor, and a Guide that you may receive, believe, and trust in Jesus, and share in His Holiness, Righteousness, Justice, Life, and Sonship with His Father. And the Spirit of Truth comes to you through the Word of the LORD, and though the Sacraments, which are the Word of the LORD made flesh, visible, hearable, touchable, and tasteable. Therefore, do not be deceived. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights who never changes. Therefore, be quick to listen to His Word, and slow to speak in judgment and anger. And put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness as you receive the implanted Word of the Spirit of Truth, which is able to save your souls. This is the Holy Spirit’s work: To convict you, to expose to you, to prove to you, and to convince you concerning your sin, the righteousness of God revealed in Jesus, and the judgment of Satan.

Blessed Cantate! Sing to the LORD a new song. That is, sing a song of freedom in Christ to the praise and glory of God! Sing of His grace, mercy, and love shown to you in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Sing of His Spirit who testifies of Christ and His victory over sin, death, and Satan. Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. Alleluia!

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Jubilate - The Fourth Sunday of Easter (Easter 4)

(Audio)

John 16:16-22; 1 Peter 2:11-20; Isaiah 40:25-31

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Last Sunday we sang, “The earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.” This is most certainly true! However, as good as this earth and life may be, for the LORD has truly blessed us richly in many and various ways, this earth is not our home. Therefore, we must not become too comfortable and complacent in it, nor complicit with it, but we must live our lives as pilgrims and sojourners, as though in a strange land. Thus, on the night in which He was betrayed, in midst of His Last Supper with His disciples before His suffering and death upon the cross, our Lord Jesus shared these words with them and with us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”

How could our Lord Jesus speak of joy in the full knowledge of what He was about to suffer at the hands of sinful men, knowing that even His closest disciples and friends would betray and abandon Him? In a word: faith. Jesus had faith, which is trust, in His Father. Jesus’ faith was, as the Preacher to the Hebrews defines it, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Because He had faith and trust in His Father’s goodness, righteousness, and love, Jesus did not despair of what He was about to suffer but, “for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame.” What joy was that? It was the joy of returning to His Father in the full knowledge that He would fulfill His Father’s will to redeem and restore us to a right relationship with Him once again. In His ministry, Jesus taught that there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. Our justification, repentance, and restoration to the Father causes Jesus, and all the heavenly host, inexpressible joy, and for this reason He laid down His life for us, in love for His Father, and in love for us.

Out of love for His Father and for us, Jesus became the Prodigal Son and left His Father’s home in heaven to squander His love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness upon us. Though He was the Son of God, He did not consider His Father’s will to be a slight against Him, but He emptied himself, becoming a servant, born in the likeness of men. As a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And He counted it all joy. Jesus became the Prodigal, but you and I, we are the prodigal. All we sons and daughters of Adam are one, huge, rebellious, prodigal son. We have squandered our Father’s love and kindness on the idols of fleshly passions, desires, and lusts, material possessions, and the praise of our fellow men. In sinful rebellion, we disrespected our Father and treated Him as if He were dead or did not exist, and we lived for ourselves and for our own selfish pursuits. But all the things we thought we wanted failed to satisfy. Their joy was fast, ephemeral, and fleeting. When spent, it was gone, and we had nothing. When we came to our senses, we found we had no father, no family, no way to satisfy our hunger, our thirst, and our desire to be fulfilled. There was no joy, but only loneliness, emptiness, and the gnawing suspicion that we were meant for something better, but no longer remembered what that is.

Jesus compares the sorrows and sufferings of our lives to a woman in the throes of childbirth. When the pains of labor are upon her, they are all consuming, her only thought and concern. But, when they have passed and the child is born, she knows only joy – joy unlike anything one can imagine who has not suffered and labored through childbirth. “She no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.” “So also, you have sorrow now,” says our Lord, “but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” Our Lord Jesus bids us to take up the crosses that have been appointed for each of us, and to follow Him in His cruciform way. The only way to life is through suffering and, ultimately, death. We cannot live forever in this flesh and this world – this is not our home! – anymore than the infant can live forever in his mother’s womb. The womb is not the infant’s home, though it is certainly comfortable; similarly, this world is not our home, though creature comforts and pleasures tempt us to settle for slavery and for the food of pigs.

That is why we must be born again of water and spirit in Holy Baptism. We must die to this life and world, and we must die to this flesh with its fallen passions, lusts, and desires, and live to God in Jesus Christ. And so, our Father uses the crosses He gives us to chasten and to discipline us, to slough off the dross and burn off the chaff that keeps us impure. Though we cannot always see it, and often we do not feel it, our sorrows and sufferings are both necessary and good for us, just as the pains of labor are both necessary and good in bringing forth the joy of new life. Thus, St. James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” And so, we have sorrow now, but we will see our Savior Jesus again, and our hearts will rejoice, and no one will take our joy from us!

St. Peter urges us, as sojourners and exiles, to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against our souls. Such things are food for swine; they may stave off hunger and thirst for a time, but they can sustain life neither temporally nor eternally. Rather, let us eat of the Bread of Life of which a man may eat and live, and let us drink deeply of the Spring of Living Water that, even though we die, we will live and never die. We will weep and lament while the world rejoices, but our sorrow will be turned into joy when the birth pangs have passed and we see our Lord again.

The world hates us because we are in Jesus and Jesus is in us. Therefore, how we live in this world matters. Let us not be gloomy and despairing, for our hope is in the Lord of Heaven and Earth who has conquered death, who reigns now at the right hand of God the Father, who is returning to raise us up from death to life that cannot die. Let us heed the exhortation of St. Peter: “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.” “This is a gracious thing in the sight of God.”

It is but a little while until we see Him again, until the sons of God are revealed in the sight of all the world. Already we are sons, adopted in Jesus Christ, but our glory has not yet been revealed. But it is there, hidden in humility and lowliness, just as Jesus’ divinity was hidden in the humility of His human nature, just as the infant is hidden in his mother’s womb, just as Jesus is really and truly present with us now in His Word, Water, and Supper. But, when He comes, then every eye will see Him, and every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and confess Him as Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Then, our glory, too, will be revealed, and our hearts will rejoice, and no one will take that joy from us.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Misericordias Domini - The Third Sunday of Easter (Easter 3)

(Audio)

John 10:11-16; 1 Peter 2:21-25; Ezekiel 34:11-16

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

If you are a sheep, you are meant either for the sacrificial altar, or for the dinner table. That’s what it means to be a sheep. To be sure, while you are alive, your wool is valuable and will be shorn from your body to make clothing and blankets, and your milk is valuable for men to drink and to make cheese, but still, you are a sheep, and you are meant to die. And, when you have been killed, you will become food for men, or for animals, or you may become a sacrificial victim on the altar of God, or gods.

Throughout your sheepy life, your trust is in your shepherd. You trust in your shepherd to lead you to food and to water. You trust in your shepherd to protect you from thieves and from wild animals. You know your shepherd’s voice and his call, and you listen to and follow your shepherd wherever he leads you. However, even the best of shepherds – those who feed you well and who give you clean, clear water to drink, even those who fend off the wolves and seek you when you go astray – even the best of shepherds still shepherd you to your death – either to sacrificial death at the altar or to the dinner table.

A shepherd knows this. A shepherd knows this ironic truth that he will, ultimately, lead the sheep he has so devotedly cared for, nourished, and protected, to slaughter, to death. A hireling shepherd will gladly do this – it’s his job, it’s what he’s paid for, it’s what puts bread on his table, clothing on his back, and a roof over his head. It’s not that he hates the sheep, or that he despises the sheep, but the sheep are a means to an end, and he cares nothing for their welfare beyond that end. Thus, he will not sacrifice his own welfare for the sheep. Certainly, he will defend them, if he can, but, not because he cares for them, but because he cares for himself – it is not in his own best interest to let the sheep die before their time. Therefore, when the wolf comes, he will not put himself in the beast’s jaws in order that a few sheep might live, but he runs and flees.

That’s the way it goes with hireling shepherds. They may not be bad people, bad shepherds, but they’re working for a wage and they’re not going to risk more than they expect to reap in reward. They’re not fools, and they’re not shepherding for charity. However, there are bad shepherds. Such scoundrels not only care nothing for the sheep, but they care nothing for their master for whom they work. A bad shepherd will exploit and fleece the sheep for his own benefit. He will take a sheep and shear it for himself and then slaughter it to feed his belly. He will abuse the weaker sheep and pit sheep against sheep for his pleasure. A bad shepherd will not lead the sheep to pure water and good pasture but will allow them to eat and drink what is not good for them. He will not seek them when they go astray, and he will not defend them from the wolves and thieves.

Not so the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd actually lays down His life for His sheep – for one or two sheep, and for all the sheep. He places Himself between you and the wolf. He lays Himself, willingly, into the beast’s jaws for you. The Good Shepherd does this because you are His Father’s sheep, you are His sheep. You belong to Him, and He loves you, and He loves His Father who has given you to Him.

The bad shepherds are the ruthless King’s of Israel described in Ezekiel’s prophecies, they are the scribes and the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, and they are the pastors, religious leaders, and false teachers today who fleece the sheep, the people they are called to shepherd and to care for, by promising them blessings for money, by embezzling their charitable gifts, and by squandering their donations on wicked, fleshly indulgence and depravity. They are those shepherds who keep the sheep in bondage and abuse them by teaching righteousness by works according to the Law, while ever raising the bar of what they must do. They are those shepherds who will not defend the sheep from false teaching predators who would lead them into apostasy or complacency, so that they no longer repent of their sins and, therefore, do not receive absolution. They are those shepherds who kill and devour the sheep themselves by teaching them lies and deceptions and by withholding the Gospel grace and mercy of God revealed in the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. They are those shepherds who care nothing for the sheep and do not serve the sheep but desire only to be served by, and make a feast of, the sheep. And often they are not shepherds at all, but they are wolves who infiltrate the flock by coming in the guise of sheep’s clothing, deceiving the sheep in order to lead them astray or to devour them.

Not so the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd, Himself, seeks out the sheep that the wolf has scattered, and He rescues them. The Good Shepherd brings them together into the fold from all the places they have been scattered and have wandered, and He feeds them and gives them drink in good pasture, in their own land, in their own country. The Good Shepherd leads them to rest from their laboring to provide for themselves righteousness by works according to the Law, and He binds up the injured and He strengthens the weak. The Good Shepherd is not a hireling motivated by self-interest, but He is the Father’s seeking love incarnate. He is not a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but He is the Good Shepherd in sheep’s clothing. He is God in human flesh, become what you are that you may become what He is.

The Good Shepherd seeks you and lays down His life for you precisely because He is the Good Shepherd, and you are His sheep. He does it because He is good. And He is not good because men judge Him to be so, but He is good, and He is the measure and judge of all goodness. Through the mouth of His prophet Ezekiel He says, “It is not for your sake, O Israel, that I am about to do this, but for the sake of my holy Name" (Ezek 34:36). You belong to Him, and so, He takes back what is His. This He does for the sake of His Name and because of the kind of God and Shepherd He is.

The Enemy, the predatory wolf, Satan, has sought to scatter and devour God’s people since their creation. He was successful with our First Parents in the Garden. He was successful as the children of Israel were enslaved in Egypt. He was successful as the kings of Israel served as wolves in sheep’s clothing to lead the people into apostasy, idolatry, and unbelief. He was successful as the Babylonians and the Assyrians scattered the people in exile. And he was successful as the scribes and the Pharisees, the shepherds of Israel, lead the people astray into complacency or despair by withholding from them the Good News of God’s salvation in His Shepherd Messiah who was coming into the world.

On a day of clouds and thick darkness, on a Friday that we now call Good, it appeared to us that the Enemy had finally won once and for all. The Good Shepherd gave Himself into the jaws of the wolf and died. But, in His death, Jesus broke Satan’s jaw and crushed his teeth, and on the third day He rose again having defeated death and having removed the stone of sin and guilt that kept you in your graves. The Good Shepherd takes back what is His for the sake of His Name. To God, you are His precious sheep. You are worth sacrificing for. You are worth dying for. To lose you or to give you up to a usurper is to be something other than who God is; it is to not be God at all. God is love, and the greatest possible expression of love is self-sacrifice, laying down one’s life for another.

And “to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

On a day of clouds and thick darkness, our Good Shepherd, Jesus, was raised up in death that He might draw all men to Himself and to life. He has sent forth His Spirit to call, gather, and enlighten all His sheep whom the false shepherds have scattered all over the face of the earth so that there is one flock and one Shepherd.

But still, you are a sheep, and death is part of what it means to be a sheep. Therefore, your Good Shepherd Jesus came as a sheep that He might lure and be attacked by the satanic wolf and so defeat him by His sinless and guiltless substitutionary death. Now you follow your Shepherd through death into His eternal life in His Father’s House. Death has lost its sting. It can no longer hold you. But it has become an open door into life that cannot die. Because He has blazed the trail before you and has been raised the firstfruits of those who die in faith in the Lord, He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.

Even now, as you pass through the valley of the shadow of death, your Good Shepherd leads you and guides you, cares for you, and protects you. He has prepared a meal for you in this life and world, in the presence of your enemies, that you might persevere. And He leads you through death and the grave into His Father’s pastures where sheep may safely graze.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Christian Funeral for Eugene Louis Matthias

(Audio)

John 14:1-6; 1 John 3:1-2; Isaiah 43:1-3a, 25

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” These words from Psalm 116 are at once mysterious and comforting. They are mysterious because there is truly nothing precious about death. Despite what the world may feign, there is nothing natural about death either. Our Lord did not create us to die, but to live with Him in His gracious presence forever. No, death is not natural, but it is the most unnatural thing there can be. Death is tragic and it is sad, but death has been defeated by our God who died, who lives, and who is coming again to raise us from death to life that cannot die. Thus, the words of Psalm 116 are also comforting. They are comforting because, though we cannot fully understand them, and though we grieve and our hearts are heavy this day, and our eyes are filled with tears, they are true words, and we know them to be true. Eugene knew those words to be true as well. And because of that, Eugene did not fear death, for he knew where he was going, that he would be with the Lord.

In that respect Eugene had prepared some handwritten notes some time ago in preparation for his future death, an obituary of sorts. You can do that thoughtfully, intentionally, and happily when you know that death is not the end of your life, but a new beginning of a sort. With faith and hope in Christ who died, but who is risen, for a Christian, preparing for death is like packing for a trip you are looking forward to. You know where you’re going, and you know that it is good, and you know that, ultimately, you’ll get to enjoy it with all those you love, and that joy will never end. Eugene listed the basics in his notes: Birth, baptism, confirmation, education, military service, marriage, children, community service, hobbies, retirement. And, at the end of the list Eugene wrote these words: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” – Psalm 23:1. It was his confirmation verse.

“The Lord is my shepherd” – I am not alone. My Lord Jesus is with me. Moreover, He has passed this way before, and so His guidance is expert and invaluable. Jesus traveled through the valley of the shadow of death that is our human life on this earth, and He knocked down the gates of hell that would have kept us in our graves. Indeed, the gates of hell fell before Him, death was defeated, and it has been transformed into an open passage to His Father’s house where He has prepared a place for all who will believe and trust in Him. Eugene knew where he was going. He believed in God, and he believed also in God’s Son Jesus Christ His Good Shepherd, Savior, and Redeemer. “Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won! Death no longer can appall me; Jesus lives! Death’s reign is done! From the grave will Christ recall me.” “Jesus lives! And now is death but the gate of life immortal; This shall calm my trembling breath when I pass its gloomy portal.” Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” I shall not want. Think about that! To have no want, no need, of anything at all. How freeing and liberating that would be! The thing is, Jesus offers you that freedom, contentment, and peace right now, not only at the end of your earthly life. From what I’ve come to know about Eugene, I think there’s little doubt that he knew that also. When Jesus is your shepherd, what is there to worry about or to fear? If God is for you, who can be against you? That’s right, no one. Therefore, Eugene could focus on the things that he enjoyed, the things that he loved: Family, farming, hunting and fishing, community, faith and church. For 87 years Eugene was blessed by the Lord; he was blessed to be a blessing. And he was a blessing.

Eugene grew up on a farm outside of Readlyn that was homesteaded by his Great-Great Grandfather in the 1800’s. It was designated a century farm and Eugene was immensely proud of it. Though he achieved a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wartburg College, the farm called Eugene and became his career until he retired in 2020. But it was perfect. He was at home with his family in a tight-knit community where he could serve as a trustee for the Maxfield Township, a director for the Readlyn Savings Bank, and in numerous positions here at his beloved Immanuel Lutheran Church of Klinger. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Eugene loved the outdoors. He was so very happy to be tending to the livestock, tilling, planting, and harvesting the corn and beans, trapping fur game, hunting pheasant, deer, and moose, and caring for his watermelons in the garden. He also enjoyed making his famous caramels and attending his children’s and grand-children’s 4-H and sporting events. All of this flowed from Eugene’s fear, love, and trust in his Good Shepherd Jesus who freed him and blessed him to serve in so many vocations. After his retirement, Eugene took advantage of his free time to watch other farmers bringing in the harvest and weighing their crops. Eugene was blessed by the Lord with numerous vocations, holy callings, and he served them all in love, peace, contentment, and joy in fear, love, and trust in His Lord and Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.

Eugene met Jan at Wartburg and they were married on August 27, 1961. They were blessed with four children and seven grandchildren, a beautiful and loving family. Eugene saw that his children were baptized and confirmed and instructed in the Christian faith and confession. Eugene and Jan prayed devotions together daily and attended services here at Immanuel weekly. The family prayed together, offering thanks to the Lordat meals and celebrated the milestones of a life lived in Christ. We’ll be saying a table blessing giving thanks to the Lord for His gifts at the end of this service so that no one eats today without giving thanks to the Lord. Eugene would not approve of that. “Jesus lives! For me He died, hence will I, to Jesus living, pure in heart and act abide, praise to Him and glory giving. All I need God will dispense; this shall be my confidence.”

Jan, Laurie, Michael, Gina, Mindy, grandchildren, friends, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Baptized into Christ 87 years ago, Eugene followed his Good Shepherd Jesus all the days of his long and blessed life, through this valley of the shadow death, to his Father’s house where Jesus has prepared a place for him. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Jesus who has gone to prepare a place for you in His Father’s house as well. You know the way, just as Eugene knew the way, for Jesus is the way. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” “For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” “Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on.” “Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is they faithfulness, Lord, unto me!” “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.