Sermon for Pentecost 4: "Peace and Division"

(Click here, to watch the Divine Service for the Second Sunday after Pentecost)

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

This morning’s Gospel lesson, like last week’s Gospel lesson, is a tough one. Today’s Gospel lesson a hard pill to swallow for all of us, since Jesus who unites the human race – through His incarnation, when God became man – also divides many, including those we love, though Christ’s words and teachings.

Jesus says to us: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).

When Robert Short, the author of The Gospel According to Peanuts and Parables of Peanuts, spoke at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, some years ago, he disclosed that as a high school student, he became an agnostic, although he had been raised in a Methodist home.

He remembered sitting across the table from his mother as she spoke to him. Tears were running down her cheeks as she said, “I thought we raised you right. I never thought it would come to this: our son an agnostic.”[1]

Many of us have been there. Your son or daughter, cousin, other family member or friend denying Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

[Household Divided]

In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).

Whatever happened to “Peace on earth and goodwill to all”? Well, that is still here, but wherever Christ and His gospel of forgiveness have been brought to humanity, conflict, or a sword, has resulted.

You see, Jesus cuts us down to the core. We have to all decide – and I know as Lutherans – making a decision when it comes to faith is a hard pill to swallow. For we don’t decide, we receive. Yes, we receive the ability to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what happens at our baptism! But, as we grow in the faith, we do come to a decision: Are we with Christ or not?

Jesus Himself will cause division between people. And, this division is so severe that Jesus uses the brutal image of a sword.

Some will hear Christ’s call to faith and discipleship, and by God’s gracious action through the Gospel they hear, and they will repent and believe. Others will hear the same call, but due to their own ingrained sin and stubbornness, they will reject the Christ who summons them to salvation.

Back when Jesus preached the Gospel in the First Century, the chief priests and Pharisees sought to kill Him. Why did they want Jesus dead?

They wanted Jesus dead not from a political point of view. Instead, they wanted Jesus dead because He told the truth. In fact, Jesus is the Truth, as He says in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.”

The chief priests and Pharisees of yesteryear are still with us today, since sin is still with us.

Yes, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. But in this sinful world that we live in, the culture doesn’t like being told – even by the one true God – on how to live peaceably with all. Our sinful nature desires to be in control. Our sinful nature desires to be a god.

Jesus tells us, “For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:35-36).

This cuts us right to the core. How many of us have seen this division? It’s more common that what you may think.

In these divided families, the believer will sooner or later face this challenge from unbelieving loved ones: “Choose me and my ways rather than Jesus and His ways.”

Just look around today. You may hear: “If you don’t agree with me, you must hate me.” “If you don’t like me for who I am, you hate me.”

God’s truth hurts. It really hurts. Each time you confess your sins to God the Father, we should all feel demoralized. We should all feel awful. We have all sinned against God in thought, word and deed, and we all deserve eternal punishment for doing so.

But, for those who are outside the one true Christian faith – the nones (N.O.N.E.S.), otherwise known as unbelievers – they want us to choose them and their ways rather than Jesus Christ, who is the Way (John 14:6).

To be sure, Christians will be more loving, more patient, more accepting of non-Christian family members and friends than the unbeliever would be, since the love a Christian receives is from Christ. This love enables the Christian to display Christlike love to all.

Other times, however, the non-believing spouse or parents or children will demand allegiance and conformity in ways that a Christian simply must not agree. At this time, the Christian must love Jesus more than father or mother or son or daughter.

§  Many of us may become pressured from within our own families and close friends to stray from Christ due to social pressures.
§  Many of us may be pressured by your teacher or professor to stray from Christ’s teachings in order to receive a good grade.
§  Many of us may be pressured by your employer to stray from Christ’s teachings in order to remain employed or to even get employed.

What are you going to do? Who are you going to choose?

Again, it is not you or me who are hated. It is actually Jesus Christ.

In short, where Christ comes, there two hostile camps will be locked in battle. And the division and the warfare must go on without truce or armistice until Judgment Day. So Christ wills it, in order that not all may be lost, but many may be rescued to eternal peace in His presence.

[Christ’s Words are a Sword]

As Jesus told His disciples what His words meant – peace and division – His disciples knew what they were in for.

The apostles had to know, as we must know, that such a hostile division would cut through all of the society around them and even through the units of society closest to them, their families.

Christ tells us: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37-38).

The apostles knew that they represented Jesus. Therefore all who received them were receiving Jesus. Jesus, in turn, represented the Father. The Father had sent and commissioned Jesus, even as Jesus was commissioning them.

So, to receive the message of Jesus means that you receive the Father in heaven. This means that by receiving, those people receive eternal life.

For as Christ says: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

So, as Christians, we must be prepared to lose our lives. Now, this may be a shock to us. But, Jesus never said we are living our best life now. No, He promises eternal life! He promises everlasting peace!

So, we must be prepared to take up our cross and follow Him! In the ancient world, crucifixion was considered the most-vile death. So, being nailed to the cross was the epitome of suffering and shame.

This may seem so radical to us here, but this is actually taking place in the Middle East, in Africa and in Asia. They take up the cross of Jesus and follow Him even to a cruel death.

For us, in all honesty, we often fail to put Jesus first in our lives. Instead, we let the culture around us lead our lives instead of Jesus.

Instead of proclaiming Christ in the gentlest way to our family and friends, we just keep quiet – as to not offend them. We don’t see the urgent task of evangelism and mission to the lost to those who do not have faith in Christ. We don’t see the urgency of sending workers into the harvest field. And, we do need more pastors who will preach God’s Word in season and out of season!

Yes, it is tough reaching out to the unbeliever. For by their nature, they do not want the salvation accomplished on their behalf through Christ’s death and resurrection. This salvation that pastors, missionaries, and the whole church offer in the stead of Christ. But, remember, it’s not about you and me. It’s all about Jesus. So, if you are hated, you are not hated for your own sake. You are hated solely on the account of Christ.

[There is Good News!]

Today’s gospel reading is tough. It cuts us all to the core: believer and unbeliever.

As Jesus began today saying, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34), we may have thought this is really the “un-Gospel” rather than Gospel. This is bad news, rather than Good News. Yes, Christians will often experience the sword, rather than peace. But, that is the now. We have so much to look forward to.

So, our commitment to the one true Christian faith will cause divisions in our own families. Like Jesus, we may find ourselves bearing the cross.

Thanks be to God that what we fail to do, Jesus did for us – you and me! He took up His cross and paid the penalty for the sins of the world. So, that through His suffering, death and resurrection, all who trust in Him by grace through faith in Him alone have peace!

The Gospel is here! There is Good News! Jesus tells us, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

By thus losing our life, we find it. Eternal life with God in heaven is far better than any temporary suffering on earth. Inner peace here on earth far surpasses its material blessings.

So, remember our author Robert Short who became an agnostic? Well, he didn’t remain an agnostic forever.

During his college years, through contacts with a campus pastor, he came to a new relationship with Jesus Christ and he eventually became a pastor. When he converted to Christianity again, he told his mother. Again, tears rolled down her cheeks as she said, “I never thought it would come to this: my son a religious fanatic.”

To God be all the glory! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

---

[1] Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1988), 168.

Behind the Hymn: A Look at Ambrose of Milan

Episode Nine of "Behind the Hymn: Ambrose of Milan." Today's episode featured two hymns by Ambrose: "Savior of the Nations, Come" (LSB 332) and "O Splendor of God's Glory Bright" (LSB 874). _______________ "Savior of the Nation's Come" is known as the Advent hymn par excellence. This hymn is the traditional Lutheran Hymn of the Day for the First Sunday in Advent. Stanza one is a call for the Virgin's Son to come and make His home among us and for all creation, heaven and earth, to marvel that the Lord of all "chose such a birth"; that is, He took on human flesh and became one of us except without sin. Stanza two proclaims that the Word of God, Christ the Lord, who was "in the beginning" (John 1:1), became flesh like us not through any human agency but "by the Spirit of our God." Stanza three continues the thought that while "here a maid was found with child," she remained a virgin and that the child in the mother's womb was the God who was "there upon His throne." Stanzas four and five reflect creedal statements of God sending HIs Son from His "kingly hall" into the world, and that this child was both "Lord of all" and "God of God," yet fully man. Sent from the Father, He will return to the Father, back to His "throne and crown" after He "in flesh the victory won," the victory over sin, death, and the devil, which the glorified Christ proclaimed to those in hell. Stanza seven uses the image of light, the light that now shines from the manger into the night, the light of Christ, which shatters the darkness, and the light in which "faith now abides." The concluding stanza is doxological praise to the Father, who, in the context of this hymn, sent His Son into the world; to the Son, who fulfilled the Father's will in taking on our human flesh to rescue the world from sin, death, and the devil; and to the Spirit, by whose action became "the Word of God made flesh, woman's offspring, pure and fresh." _______________ The first stanza of "O Splendor of God's Glory Bright" could be seen as something of a meditation on the familiar phrase from the Nicene Creed, "Light of Light." Christ is the "exact imprint" of God the Father, the face in which we see the splendor of the Father, the true light who, when coming into the world, gives light to everyone (John 1:9). The second stanza moves from description to petition as Ambrose appeals to this divine Sun to shed His light on all aspects of our lives. Stanza three turns to the Father for divine aid over temptation. Stanza five is an exhortation to turn for nourishment and support to Christ, who is described now in eucharistic terms, and to the Holy Spirit. Christ is the bread of life and "drink indeed," both of which sustain the believer's faith. The "plenteousness" of the Holy Spirit that Christians "taste with joyfulness" is an allusion to the pouring out of the Spirit on the first Christians at Pentecost. (Credit: Lutheran Service Book - Companion to the Hymns)

Behind the Hymn: A Look at Catherine Winkworth

Episode Eight of "Behind the Hymn: Stories of the Hymns that We Love to Sing: Catherine Winkworth."

Today's episode was different. Instead of focusing upon a hymn writer, this episode focuses upon a hymn translator. 

Catherine Winkworth is credited with keeping the German Lutheran hymns alive into the English language. Learn more about her in today's episode!

(Credit: Lutheran Service Book - Companion to the Hymns)

Sermon for Pentecost 2: "Peace and Reconciliation through Christ Alone!"

(Click here, to watch the Divine Service for the Second Sunday after Pentecost)

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

These past weeks, we have all seen and heard the turmoil happening throughout our country that all began in our own backyard of Minneapolis.

We have all felt sadness and anger at the death of George Floyd. We have all heard the calls for justice. Many of us here today have called for justice to be served. But, unlike the justice system in television and movies, the real justice system moves slow in order to protect our rights as citizens.

At the same time, some people want justice served now. They see the video footage and they believe that is enough for a conviction in the court of public opinion. Then, we have the agitators who are taking advantage of the situation by rioting, looting and setting fires.

Where do we go from here? Is there any hope for humanity?

On Tuesday, June 2, I witnessed the Glencoe protest along with Pastor Welch and Tori, alongside with us was Pastor Jon Niebuhr and Ted Stroming of Good Shepherd.

I heard much anger as many told of their past encounters with police. I also could tell that they were searching for something. There was a void that was not being filled. In the words of Christ, they were “like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

I saw them kneel and lay on the ground. I heard them chant George Floyd’s name. I had compassion for them. But, there was something missing. I can tell they were searching. And, there I was in full sight of the protesters holding my Bible.

The Apostle Paul tells us: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).

[We are All Afflicted with Sin]

We are all afflicted with the same illness. For the past months, we have focused upon the COVID-19 Pandemic. We have kept ourselves socially distant from one another. We have been wearing masks out of respect and care for our neighbor. But, there is another illness that is much worse than COVID-19. I’m not talking about cancer or heart disease. This illness is sin.

Within the past decades, the culture has tried its hardest to eliminate the idea of sin from our collective conscience. We are told that love is love and that we must tolerate and accept each other. We are told that broken families are normal families. We are told that a celebrity’s word is more important than God’s Word.

But, here we are again. As the culture has attempted to sweep sin under the rug, we see a mountain of sin emerging under that rug.

Our sinful nature has taken over our television sets, our computers, and our tablets. At one click, we see riots here and there. Some of us may actually enjoy seeing destruction. Afterall, that is why the news media continuously airs bad news. This is what is taught in journalism schools. I know since I went to a journalism school and I was a journalist. Bad news sells papers. Bad news brings ratings. Bad news gets clicks.

Apart from Christ, our sinful nature just takes over. This is what Paul is saying. Paul is depicting humanity in starkly negative terms:

• He describes us as “weak” and “ungodly.” 
• He describes us as “sinners” and “enemies.”

We are hostile toward God, since in our sinful nature, we believe we are gods. We believe we know more than what the one true God has revealed to us.

Our whole culture and us here need to repent of our sins against God the Father and repent of our sins against our neighbor. 

Yes, just minutes ago, we confessed our sins to God the Father and we received His forgiveness, but did you confess all of your sins to God the Father? 

• Do you actually fear God’s wrath and avoid every sin? 
• Have you been angry, stubborn, or disrespectful toward those in authority over you? 
• Do you have hate in your heart? 
• Do you have a grudge against someone? 
• Have you been respecting your neighbor’s property and possessions?

And, if you have been able to watch the endless hours of riots, protests, upheld fists, and the confrontation on both sides — without an inch of hatred in your heart, you are only lying to yourself, because that sin exists in all of our hearts.

From catechism class, we should all remember the Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother, which means we are to honor all authorities. This speaks of the authority of family and the authority of the State. But, what happens when this commandment is abused?

Remember, just because the government has the authority to wage war, this doesn’t mean that the government is doing the right thing. So, just because you have authority, this doesn’t mean that you are free from sin. 

You see, the sin of authority can and does do lasting damage. So, if we are abused by a stranger, that is one thing. But, if we are abused by someone in authority, that is an entirely different thing. This could be the same physical damage, but when it comes from a person in authority, this does have a deep and profound wounding experience. This does deep damage.

So, oftentimes, in response to abused authority, we often want to take vengeance against that authority. Now, are Christians to take vengeance?

No! As God says: “Vengeance is mine” (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30). So, if we do not leave room for God’s wrath, we are stepping into His authority and into His office. We are placing ourselves in the place of the one true God.

Instead, we are to love our neighbor and to pray for all. The culture says that prayer is a retreat, but in reality prayer is taking the offensive.

God always responds to our prayers! In fact, God tells us “I hear the cries” of my people (Exodus 3:7). These cries are prayer. God delivered the Hebrews from Pharaoh, and He continues to deliver us each time we cry to Him in prayer.

You see, if we take vengeance, instead of prayer to God, Satan works with anger in the conscience. He hardens our conscience against a person or if the sin comes from a person in authority, Satan hardens our conscience against that institution. This feels like righteousness and a good work. But, this is dangerous and Satan knows that. This sin is disguised as righteous indignation. We think that this sin is excused. But, this sin is truly a sin. And, all sin separates us from God.

We all deserve the wrath of God. But God the Father freely gives everyone who trusts in Jesus as Lord His grace! 

God gives us a free solution to every sin against Him — hatred, murder, lust, racism. God the Father’s solution for every sin is Jesus Christ alone!

In His incarnation, Jesus took upon Himself our one human nature. He didn’t pick a certain race, but the human race. By His death on the cross, He redeemed all of mankind. He did not just redeem various colors of mankind, but all of mankind. He paid the price for all of our sins and He is the only thing that unites the human race. 

We cannot unite around slogans, politics, or anything else. Everything else in an effort to unite us, will also divide us — and set us against each other.

The only One who can truly unite us is Jesus Christ, united in His flesh, in His death, in His resurrection, in His ascension, and in the sacrifice He made for us all upon the cross.

[God Reconciles Us to Him]

Look what God does: “For while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11).

This metaphor of reconciliation comes from the world of relationships. The earthly context may be between nations, armies, spouses, enemies, or friends. Reconciliation often results in meeting in the middle and compromising by both parties.

With this in mind, we need to be reconciled to God.

But, this isn’t the case with the Triune God. Instead, He came to us! He does all the reconciling, not us! We do nothing! We just receive His grace! For while we were still His enemies, God the Father reconciled us to Himself through His Son Jesus Christ!

You see, God the Father is personal, seeking, caring and forgiving. He reaches out and takes the initiative to restore a relationship that was broken through no fault of His own.

Before the incarnation of Christ, reconciliation in the Old Testament times occurred through a mediator like Moses, who foreshadowed the fulfillment of Christ.

Today, we – who were enemies of God – are reconciled to God “through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10).

Since, we have been bought, redeemed and purchased by God the Father through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, we are now a child of the Heavenly Father!

We no longer have to fear the wrath of God, for by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, we have the hope and assurance of eternal life. We hear and receive this hope and assurance through God’s Word and in receiving Christ’s true Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper for the forgiveness of our sins that He won for us upon the cross.

[In Christ Alone We Have Peace and Reconciliation]

So, as I asked earlier: Where do we go from here? Is there any hope for humanity?

Yes, we go to Jesus for He is the only hope for humanity! The only thing that unites humanity is Jesus Christ alone!

In response, we pray to God for our neighbor. We pray thanksgivings to God for our forgiveness. We look to God’s Word for examples on how we can have peace and reconciliation with one another.

As Christians, we live in God’s grace. Now, we don’t sin all the more because we have been given grace. Instead, we live peaceably with all, as we thank and praise God for all of His benefits that He bestows upon us. Yes, we continually do fall into the trap of sin, but we repent of our sin and know that we have been reconciled through the blood of Christ. We are to flee to Christ for the forgiveness of all of our sins.

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned … For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many” (Romans 5:12, 15).

We have all received the grace of God and the undeserved gift in grace through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

As sin and death originated with Adam, forgiveness and life abound for all His children through the one man Jesus Christ in what He has done for us. In Christ alone, we have peace and reconciliation! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

God Loved the World So That He Gave

The Hymn of the Day for the Second Sunday after Pentecost is “God Loved the World So that He Gave" (LSB 571).

Stanza one is an almost literal versification of John 3:16, that God "gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should ... have eternal life." Stanza two says that Jesus, who was made flesh and suffered death on our behalf, is the only ground of our faith, and that all who believe in Him have built on this chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Stanza three reflects the trinitarian character of our faith: that God the Father gives us His Son, Jesus Christ, who is near with His saving grace, and that Holy Spirit declares through the Word how we are heirs of heaven through Christ Jesus.

The fourth stanza offers encouragement to be of good cheer because God's Son forgives us all our sins. Thus justified by Jesus' blood, we, in our Baptism, are given the highest good: forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Stanza five is a reminder that Jesus is the "firmest ground of faith," especially in sickness and at the hour of death. The hymn concludes with a resounding trinitarian doxology to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

571 God Loved the World So That He Gave

1 God loved the world so that He gave
His only Son the lost to save,
That all who would in Him believe
Should everlasting life receive.

2 Christ Jesus is the ground of faith,
Who was made flesh and suffered death;
All then who trust in Him alone
Are built on this chief cornerstone.

3 God would not have the sinner die;
His Son with saving grace is nigh;
His Spirit in the Word declares
How we in Christ are heaven’s heirs.

4 Be of good cheer, for God’s own Son
Forgives all sins which you have done;
And, justified by Jesus’ blood,
Your Baptism grants the highest good.

5 If you are sick, if death is near,
This truth your troubled heart can cheer:
Christ Jesus saves your soul from death;
That is the firmest ground of faith.

D 6 Glory to God the Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One!
To You, O blessèd Trinity,
Be praise now and eternally!

Text: Public domain

(Credit: Lutheran Service Book - Companion to the Hymns)

Funeral Sermon: There is a Time for Everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, John 5:24-30)

 

Rich, Vera, Harris, family and friends of Marcella:

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

[Intro]

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

For God, there is a time for everything. Everything is in God’s hands, as Solomon tells us.

On Tuesday, March 17, the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – said it was time for Marcella Cohrs to be called to her eternal home. She entered heaven and is continuing her eternal life that she has received by grace through faith in her Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.

Marcella’s earthly life is of two pandemic bookends. She was born during the Spanish Flu pandemic on May 2, 1918. And, as you know, at the age of 101, she died during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But, during her life God gave Marcella the gift of dance. She loved polka dancing. You may have also noticed the sound of polkas as you entered church this morning.

In fact, Pastor Welch and I were fortunate to see Marcella dance a few of her 12 polkas on her 100^th birthday at Grand Meadows.

And, on my visits with Marcella, dancing always came up in the conversation. During her seasons on earth, God certainly gave her “a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

For us, here today, God continues to give us seasons. Many of us are weeping. Many of us are mourning. But, always remember, as followers of Christ, we do grieve, but we grieve in hope knowing that we will see our loved ones again. And during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are having “to refrain from embracing” (Ecclesiastes 3:5b).

But for Marcella, she is also receiving seasons as she is in the care of her Lord Jesus Christ. She is no longer in pain. She is no longer hungry. She is no longer thirsty. She is in the midst of the Lamb of God as she is singing and dancing in the presence of her Lord with the Church Triumphant – the fellow believers who have died in the faith – and the angels in heaven! (Revelation 7:9-17)

 [Hearing and Believing]

In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us this good news: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

But did you know that everyone who hears the words of Jesus and believes in Him already is living eternal life? A lot of the time, we only think of going to heaven. Yes, heaven is wonderful! But it is much more than that, because everyone in Christ receives eternal life!

So what exactly is eternal life and when does eternal life begin?

Well, to put it simply, eternal life means we never fully die. Yes, we see death very visible this morning. Death is our enemy. Death is very real. But, although Marcella’s body is here, her soul is living in heaven.

For Marcella, the prospect of eternal life began on May 26, 1918 when the Triune God chose her at her baptism. At the moment Marcella heard God’s name pronounced over her in the waters of Holy Baptism, she received the ability to believe in Jesus as her Lord and Savior. This is the same for you and me.

Did you catch that? For everyone baptized into Christ, we come to faith by first hearing God’s Triune Name – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He first calls us through the waters of Holy Baptism. It is here, where the Holy Spirit calls us and enlightens us. It is here, where we receive the ability to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Then on March 29, 1931, the Holy Spirit called Marcella to confess her faith in Jesus on her confirmation day. She also recited these words from Jesus as her confirmation verse: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

So, the prospect of eternal life begins at our baptism. As we grow in the one true faith, the Holy Spirit teaches us more about Jesus.

But how do we know when eternal life actually begins?

Well, eternal life begins when we hear the words of Jesus saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life” and you believe it.

Here, Jesus is not speaking of a future giving of life, because of past believing. Here, Jesus is speaking of the present. So, the very moment you truly believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have eternal life.

[In Christ Alone]

Now, what about those who deny Jesus by refusing to listen to His voice? Well, not to hear is to remain in death: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). To hear is to have life: “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b). Christ’s words define the person who belongs to the new Israel. So, he or she who belongs to the new Israel is who “hears my word and believes him who sent me.”

For how else are we to not come into judgement and pass from death to life? Jesus is the true Paschal Lamb whose blood caused the angel of death to pass over the houses of Israel. He is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, through whom one is created anew by water and the Spirit. He is the Crucified who in his exaltation is the very place of eternal life. It is only through Christ alone that we receive eternal life by grace through faith in Him.

We receive this free gift through Christ’s sacrificial death upon the cross and His resurrection from the dead on behalf of all sinners, you and me, for which He accomplished when the season reached the proper time. You see, although He knew no sin, He took on our sin, so we would be forgiven of all our sins against God in thought, word and deed. Being forgiven and inheritors of eternal life, we follow Christ’s example as we forgive one another as He has forgiven us.

[Now, But Not Yet]

Through Christ alone, we are forgiven and we have eternal life here and now! This eternal life is under God’s grace and favor and continues right through physical death.

Now, what about the unbeliever? Well, for them, death is to be feared. But for believers in Christ, we know that “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Today, for all believers in Christ, we are living in the now, but not yet. So, what does that mean? In Christ, all who trust in Him are saints. This includes all believers here today and Marcella and the others in the Church Triumphant in heaven who are awaiting Christ’s return on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead. That is the now. The not yet is that although we are saints, we are also sinners. This includes only us – not Marcella and not the others in the Church Triumphant.

You see, for everyone in heaven, they have passed through the great affliction – our life now: with sin, sorrow, pain, doubt and worry – to eternal bliss: with no more hunger, no more thirst, no more pain, no more sorrow.

Our reading from Ecclesiastes ends with these words: “A time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8). Today, Marcella has received true peace. True peace cannot be found in this sinful world. True peace is found only in the Lord, our peacemaker. As the Apostle Paul tells us: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Today, by first hearing and then believing in Jesus, Marcella and all the saints in the Church Triumphant have reached the season of peace as they are cared for by the Good Shepherd, who is the very Prince of Peace! Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Marcella Cohrs' Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/marcella-artis-cohrs/

Behind the Hymn: A Look at Charles Wesley

Episode Seven of "Behind the Hymn: Stories of the Hymns that We Love to Sing: Charles Wesley." 

Today's episode featured two hymns by Isaac Watts: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (LSB 380) and "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending" (LSB 336).
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It can be said that the only thing that unifies the Church of England (Anglican Church, or Episcopal Church in USA) is the Book of Common Prayer. As a denomination, the Church of England agrees to disagree on matters of Christian doctrine and church practice. This was the case during the life of Charles (1707-1788) and John Wesley and this remains the case to today.

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" first appeared in John and Charles Wesley's "Hymns and Sacred Poems" (London, 1739) under the heading "Hymn for Christmas Day." In the original text, Charles Wesley's hymn had 10 stanzas. George Whitfield (1714-1770) changed the hymn to its current form and deleted the stanzas that dealt with the doctrine of the Fall. Whitefield was a leader of the Calvinistic (Presbyterian) branch of British Methodism. So, Wesley's original unabridged text would be quite appropriate in a Lutheran hymnal.

This beloved Christmas hymn sparkles not only with the news of Christ's birth, but also with the Gospel message: Christ was born to die, and in that death, He reconciled God and sinners. Jesus came as the Second Adam to restore all of humankind. Our Christ-centered, cross-focused theology is proclaimed clearly in this hymn. In this hymn, as seen in many of Wesley's hymns, each stanza is tied to the next.

1 Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the_angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!” Refrain

ref Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

2 Christ, by highest heav’n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the_incarnate Deity!
Pleased as Man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel! Refrain

3 Hail, the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth. Refrain
Text: Public domain
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"Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending" is one of the most popular hymns in the English language and has been used broadly in English-speaking countries across Christian traditions. It has also been translated into numerous other languages.

The theme of this hymn is the final return of Christ according to the post-resurrection promise Jesus made to His disciples, a promise reiterated by the angels at His ascension. As such, this hymn is fitting for the First Sunday in Advent in the three-year lectionary, and for the Second Sunday in Advent in the one-year lectionary.

The hymn concerns the final return of Christ, bringing both judgment and redemption.

1 Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for ev’ry sinner slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of His train:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.

2 Ev’ry eye shall now behold Him
Robed in glorious majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall their true Messiah see.

3 Those dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshipers.
With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!

4 Yea, amen, let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow’r and glory,
Claim the kingdom as Thine own.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and Thou alone!
Text: Public domain
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The following hymns in the Lutheran Service Book were written by Charles Wesley:
336 - Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending
338 - Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus
380 - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
457 - Jesus Christ is Risen Today
469 - "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" Saints on Earth
528 - Oh, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
700 - Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
854 - Forth in Thy Name, O Lord, I Go
873 - Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies