Sermon for Pentecost 5: "Only Believe" (Mark 5:21-43)

 

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]

• All medical help had failed. The child was sinking away in death.
• All medical help had failed. “If I could only touch His garments, I will be made well.”

In a moment of desperation, could the rumors be true? Could this Jesus heal my daughter from death? Could this Jesus heal me of my flow of blood?

These were the questions of the people we meet in today’s Gospel text. Are the rumors true? In a moment of desperation, a father and another woman seek Jesus to find out. On this Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, we meet two people who have come to faith in Jesus through trials and tribulations.

[At the Point of Desperation]

“When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about Him, and He was beside the sea” (Mark 5:21). Immediately, one of the rulers of the local synagogue, Jairus by name, sought Jesus and fell at His feet and began pleading, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live” (Mark 5:23). Jesus then began to follow Jairus to his home.

Jairus was at the point of desperation. You see, although he was among the leaders of the local synagogue, which would be similar to our Board of Deacons. He was a Pharisee, but he was not completely opposed to Jesus, like most other Pharisees. In a time of desperation, he was willing to do anything. He was putting his complete trust in that this man Jesus – that he has heard much about – could heal his daughter from certain death.

But Jesus and Jairus were not alone. Jesus and Jairus were joined by hundreds – if not thousands – of people, as the inconsiderate crowd kept pressing against Jesus and Jairus on all sides. This immense crowd wanted to see if Jesus could indeed heal this young girl from death. As the crowd encircled Jesus and Jairus, a speedbump arrived.

Among the hundreds, if not thousands, pressing against Jesus, He stops His march to Jairus’ home. Immediately, Jesus says, “Who touched my garments?” (Mark 5:30) His disciples then reacted as we would, saying: “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” (Mark 5:31)

Jesus looks around the crowd as He knew exactly where to look without causing this woman any shame.

In a moment of desperation, this woman believed that if she only touched a piece of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed of her flow of blood. But she wanted to be unnoticed. She thought that Jesus would never notice her. Now, her motivation was not to steal a healing, but to keep her ailment hidden. You see, according to Levitical Law as stated in Leviticus 15:25-33, due to her menstrual impurity, she was considered ritually unclean. In this state, she wasn’t even allowed to be in this crowd. In order to keep the people of Israel clean, she was to be separated from the people, due to her uncleanness. This is why she wanted to remain anonymous.

But the odd thing happens, Jesus says, “Who touched my garments?” (Mark 5:30) As many people touched His garments that day, no one else received a healing, except this one woman. The reason is that the others had no desire or purpose in touching Him, but this woman came purposely and touched Him with her faith. To that touch, Jesus responded by letting His Divine power go out to heal her.

As Jesus was on His way to the bed of a young girl, He stopped everything. You see, Jesus wants to be bothered. He wants us to call to Him at all times and at all places. Even when we think Jesus is too busy for us, He is never too busy. He drops everything to comfort each and every one of us. He hears all of our prayers. Now, He may not answer each prayer the way we want, but we know that each prayer is answered with a “Yes,” or a “No,” or a “Not yet.”

Here, Jesus stopped everything as He wished that this miracle would be revealed to the crowd. This woman had attempted to touch Jesus secretly. But Jesus does not want her ever to feel that she had done anything improper in securing her healing. She had nothing to be ashamed of or to hide, since her flow of blood was miraculously healed, and all by faith in Jesus.

Jesus then says to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mark 5:34). Here, Jesus speaks no word of blame, but only words to cheer and to lift her spirits up. By calling her “daughter,” she is no longer ostracized in the eyes of her Lord.

As Jesus was still speaking to her, there came some from Jairus’ house who said to Jairus, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” (Mark 5:35)

Jairus had started for Jesus too late. Death outran him and won the race. Now, what about this speedbump? Could this delay have made much difference? From the text, it appears that this delay took only mere minutes.

Jairus was heartbroken. His faith had been shattered. He likely thought, since his child was dead, Jesus could do nothing. Jesus was only a last resort. He believed that Jesus could restore his daughter, but only if He could only reach her before she had died. Now, it seems to have been all to no use. Jairus and the family never thought for a moment that Jesus could restore his daughter back to life after she had died.

As all of this was swimming through Jairus’ mind, Jesus says to him, “Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36).

Before Jairus is able to say a word, Jesus takes command of the situation. Jesus attends to Jairus first. Jesus does the same for us.

You see, Jesus knew that he had come to faith in His power while his daughter was still alive although she was near death. Now, this news would devastate that faith that Jairus had. Jesus proceeds to keep his faith alive as He pays no attention to what was being said by Jairus’ messengers.

“Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36).

Jesus is the compassionate Savior who is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15) under sin and death. When Jesus says, “Do not fear, only believe,” to the suffering and the bereaved, He is not speaking an empty promise. Jesus not only has the desire, but also the power to “save completely” (Hebrews 7:25) those who call to Him in prayer. This truth was demonstrated by the act of power that followed.

Tucked away in this miraculous healing – from death to life – Jesus reveals to us something about our resurrection. He says: “The child is not dead, but sleeping” (Mark 5:39). You see, when Christ returns on the Last Day, with the sound of the trumpet of God, we will all awake as if we were only sleeping. But unlike Jairus’ daughter, we will awake with our resurrected and immortal body. (1 Corinthians 15:50-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

[Jesus Comes Today with the Healing Medicine in Word and Sacrament]

Until that glorious day, for us sinful human beings, we often think that we can save ourselves. This is what our evil foes – Satan, the world, and our own sinful nature – want us to believe. Through our evil foes, we think that we have the power to fix our own ailments, whatever they may be: physical or mental. But it is only God who has the power to heal and save. Oftentimes, we fail to remember this fact. And, oftentimes, we fail to look past today and focus on the eternal.

C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity wrote: “Most of us find it very difficult to want ‘Heaven’ at all – except in so far as ‘Heaven’ means meeting again our friends who have died. One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained, since our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world.”[1]

Yes, the triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – by His will heals many and various temporal ailments. He is still performing miracles today as He works through doctors, nurses, and therapists. We may forget sometimes that God is still working miracles here in the church. You see, each baptism is a miracle as that child is taken from Satan’s kingdom and into God’s eternal heavenly kingdom. Now, each baptized child of God can still fall away, but through repentance and faith in Christ, that son or daughter who once fell away is brought back and without any spot or blemish.

God’s miracles do not end there! Each and every Divine Service, we all receive God’s healing medicine as we hear His Word as revealed in Scripture and partake of Christ’s very Body and Blood under the bread and the wine that forgives our sins, which in turn strengthens our faith and gives us eternal life and salvation.

But do we continue in sin so that grace may abound? (Romans 6:1) No, we repent, that is, turn away from of our sins and receive the healing medicine that Christ can only give! For if we receive the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner by not confessing our sins and confessing our faith, we “will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27). A guilty manner would be abusing the Sacrament by making it an occasion for sin and thus this person eats and drinks judgment upon himself or herself. God’s Word teaches us that “we are [to be] disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32).

Luther put it this way in his Large Catechism, “When we come to Sacrament of the Altar, we must ask these three questions: “What is it? What are its benefits? And Who is to receive it? And all these points are established through the words by which Christ has instituted this Sacrament. Everyone who desires to be a Christian and go to this Sacrament should know them. For it is not our intention to let people come to the Sacrament and administer it to them if they do not know what they seek or why they come” (LC V 1-2).

Here in the Divine Service, we hear the same voice of Jesus as He said to Jairus’ daughter, “‘Talitha cumi,’ which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise’” (Mark 5:41).

As the world may scoff and ridicule Jesus like those people who were weeping and wailing loudly laughed at Jesus for Him saying about the little girl, “The child is not dead but sleeping” (Mark 5:39), He comes to us with the same power to heal us from our sin and worry.

Just as Jesus said, “Little girl, arise,” immediately she stood up and began walking. Life, health, and full strength returned to this lifeless body, and no trace of the disease that caused her death remained. With just a word, Jesus robbed death of its prey. With a word, He put life where death had been.

Through the very Word of Christ, He gives us this same healing medicine through His Word and Sacrament that He accomplished for us through His suffering, death, and bodily resurrection, so that by grace through faith in Him, we would be saved from the power of sin, eternal death, and Satan.

All we have to do is believe. Believing can be tough when life is going well. But, believing often becomes much easier when life is going rough. For anyone who has taken ill for any reason, we soon realize that we can’t do what we normally could do. Many times, we become helpless. We realize that we can’t accomplish what we would normally find easy.

Thanks be to God that when times get rough, we can always depend on You. “For by grace [we] have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Christ comes to us today with healing – just as He did for this woman and Jairus’ daughter. All we have to do is believe and trust in Christ alone. For in Him:

• We have found consolation
• Comfort in tribulation
• Balm to heal the troubled soul
• We have Jesus who is our shield from every terror
• Christ cleanses us from sin and error
• And He makes my wounded spirit whole.

So, “Do not fear, only believe.” 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] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 1996), 135.

The Christian Response to Critical Race Theory

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

As the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to say, our identity is in Christ: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20), and “in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28). In other words, Christians do not speak of fellow human beings based on their specific cultural, racial, sexual, or national identity, but upon their redeemed identity in Christ as a precious and beloved Child of God – one who has been justified and sanctified by the shed blood of Christ and His Holy Spirit. So, historic Biblical Christianity does not create theology and ethics based on the racial, ethnic, national, or pigmented identity of human beings.

In the last year or so, words and phrases like “equity,” “woke,” “antiracist,” “social justice,” “systemic racism,” “white privilege,” and “Critical Race Theory” have become a part of the mainstream. As Lutheran Christians, we may ask, “What does this mean?” Before I get too far, I would like to remind us all that all injustice and oppression can be traced back to Satan, the world, and our own sinful nature and that all humankind is depraved as a result of the fall into sin. However, it is true that human depravity explains the existence of racist oppression and injustice, it by no means excuses it. Rather, Christ has given His Church the commission to proclaim both repentance and remission of sins in His name. So, it is our duty to call each and every sinner to confess all sins of thought, word, and deed and find full and free remission in Jesus Christ for the sake of His bitter suffering, death, and bodily resurrection. Therein, this new life in Christ will also bring a change in behavior and care for our neighbor.

Recently, Rev. Dr. Lucas Woodford, the district president of the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, published a paper titled What Does This Mean? Responding to Social Justice & Critical Race Theory. In this well-developed paper, Woodford goes into the details on how Lutheran Christians are to respond when confronted with social justice and the Critical Race Theory.

In Chapter 2 of his paper, Woodford lays out definitions of what those many words or phrases above actually mean. First off, Social Justice and Critical Race Theory have become dogmas. This means that these ideas have become a doctrine, like that as proclaimed by the Church. So, for people who adhere to Social Justice and Critical Race Theory, they believe they are correct in their understanding and so they find it difficult to be swayed to believing otherwise. These ideas have become their religion.

So, what is it that they believe? According to Woodford:

Antiracist: A person must be an “antiracist.” Now, an antiracist is different than being “not racist.” According to their dogma, one can never be neutral. They must either be a racist or actively working against racism.

Equity: The equality of outcome is the demand that regardless of individual effort the outcome must be the same for all. The historical definition of equality which means an equal opportunity to achieve success is considered undesirable.

Woke: The perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice. To be “woke” is to awaken from the sleep of ignorance or from outdated beliefs into the enlightenment of new cultural awareness about social and racial justice. According to Woodford, “woke” finds its roots in the Marxist Revolution. The Marxist Revolution needed the images of Christ to be removed, speech codes enforced against pastors, and icons of Biblical truth destroyed in order to clear the path toward socialism and communism. The social justice movement carries similar Marxian themes as it seeks to remake the whole of culture. To do this, new words must be added to our vocabulary and old definitions must be altered or reinvented and then repeatedly mainstreamed into social consciousness to modify thought and behavior.

Social Justice: The idea that true justice must be equality of outcome, rather than only equality of opportunity, upon all of society.

Systemic Racism: The belief that social structures have assumptions that systemically oppress minorities. This has nothing to do with the historical definition of racism, which is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to physical appearance and should be distinguished based on the alleged superiority of one race over another. (As God teaches through His written Word in the Scriptures, racism is a sin and must be treated as the sin that it is. Those who have committed racist acts or carry a racially prejudiced mindset need to repent and rest on the full forgiveness of Jesus Christ.)

White Privilege: The belief that white people are born with an unearned advantage based upon the color of skin (their whiteness).

Critical Race Theory: The theory that holds that race is a social construct that was created to maintain white privilege and white supremacy. This theory is rooted in “critical theory,” which was originated by German philosopher Karl Marx and was formally presented in the pamphlet, The Communist Manifesto. Critical Theory is about the struggle between the bourgeoisie (capitalists) and the proletariat (poor workers). Critical Race Theory expresses the desire to fundamentally alter the control of power in favor of the morals that they assert are essential. The goal is to deconstruct and upend power structures in favor of who they believe are the oppressed.

Critical Race Theory and Social Justice ideologies seek to reduce character to collectivist identities using their own definitions that constantly change. Christianity, on the other hand, does not change: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). In Christ, through repentance, there is forgiveness for every sin. However, according to Social Justice and Critical Race Theory, there is never any possibility for forgiveness.

As followers of Christ, we believe, teach, and confess that our identity and character is found in our baptism. Our baptismal identity as child and heir of God unites us to Christ and provides a spiritual way of life, which is also an ethical way of life. So, when the Christian is led to sin, we are called to repentance and prayer. Whatever the sinful thought, behavior, and vice, the sinner pleads for mercy and forgiveness and that sinner receives forgiveness. As baptized believers, we are delivered from the hands of Satan by Christ’s cross, as our Lord Jesus through baptism equips Christians to live with a divine identity, with moral integrity, and with the eternal destiny of a heavenly kingdom.

The only remedy for all sin, hurt, injustice, and oppression is the hope and healing that comes through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of the Church who breaks down dividing walls of hostility, reconciles the distressed, forgives sin, removes shame, and gives holy identity and moral character. There is only one body and one Spirit, just as we were called to the one hope that belongs to us all by God’s grace: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:5-6).

For even more on responding to social justice and Critical Race Theory, I strongly recommend reading District President Woodford’s paper, which can be found here: https://www.doxology.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/dox_2021_woodford_crt_final2.pdf?fbclid=IwAR00Yyc9sRgV-wSA19tiDMApGIbAX1GRSiZ0wLOgIXS-2Og-mcLijDfpIsw

Woodford also discussed his paper on Issues, Etc. (a Lutheran radio talk show): https://issuesetc.org/2021/06/11/1622-christianity-critical-theory-and-the-social-justice-movement-dr-lucas-woodford-6-11-21/

In Christ,
Pastor Adelsen

Sermon for Pentecost 4: "Calming the Storms" (Mark 4:35-41)

 

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]

As a ship is nearing a coast, or just entering a harbor, oftentimes a maritime pilot is ready if that ship’s captain is in need of assistance. Although ship captains have a lot of sea experience, they don’t always know the local hazards just off a coast or in a harbor when a sudden storm emerges.

In the event of a sudden storm, a maritime pilot comes on board via a small boat or is lowered from a helicopter and takes over the ship with the captain’s permission. What makes these pilots so skilled is that they know the immense details of the local waterways, such as the depth, the currents, the hazards, as well as the expertise in handling ships of all types and sizes.

They know what to do to get the ship to safe harbor when the weather suddenly changes.

Today on this Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Jesus and His disciples find themselves aboard a boat during a great windstorm with waves breaking into the boat as it begins to fill with water. But by His powerful Word, Jesus calms not just the storm brought on by the sea, but also the storm in the disciples’ hearts.

[God Rested]

“On that day, when evening had come, [Jesus] said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side’ (of the Sea of Galilee). And leaving the crowd (as He continued to teach), (the disciples) took Him with them in the boat” (Mark 4:35).

Now, this day was a long day for Jesus. Jesus was exhausted. Earlier in the day, He healed a leper, He healed a centurion’s servant, He healed Peter’s mother-in-law, He cured demon-possessed people, and He healed many from various diseases and illnesses (Matthew 8:1-22).  Although Jesus is fully God, He is still fully human, and He needed His rest.

This tired condition is what caused Jesus to say: “Let us go across to the other side (of the sea)” (Mark 4:35). In time, Jesus began to rest and He soon fell asleep on a cushion.

Now, Jesus was familiar to rest. You see, even before He took upon Himself our human flesh, He rested. He rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3) after He – with the Father and the Holy Spirit – had created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them: the waters, the dry land, the plants, the stars, the angels, the water creatures, the land creatures (Genesis 1:1-31).

In fact, in our Old Testament reading, this is what the triune God spoke to Job about. You see, when Job was experiencing his personal storm – his doubts – as he questioned the Creator of the heavens and the earth, God comforted him and said to Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who determined its measurements – surely you know! Who laid its cornerstone? Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment? Who prescribed limits for it and said, ‘Thus far you come, and no farther’?” (Job 38:1-11)

Like Job, we fail to understand the known and unknown, the seen and unseen, but God is always there to comfort us in our good times and bad times as we turn to His Word as revealed in the Scriptures and in the Sacrament.

[The Storm]

For the disciples, this boat trip upon the Sea of Galilee was about to go from calm to stormy.

Suddenly, “a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling” (Mark 4:37).

Now, storms are entirely in keeping with the topography. Since the Sea of Galilee is about 700 feet below sea level and lies between high hills, so sudden squalls would often come roaring through and would churn up waves to a height like those in much larger bodies of water. But some may wonder, could there be something more going on here? After all, Jesus is resting from a long day of healings. So, this might indicate that the storm and the raging seas constitute an attack by spiritual forces opposed to God. We don’t know this for a fact, but it may cause us to wonder: is there something more going on here?

As the storm was raging, Jesus was fast asleep. So, in this hour of danger the disciples woke Him saying, “Save us, Lord!” (Matthew 8:25b) “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38c)

Some questions may arise: Weren’t some of these disciples expert fishermen who must have gone through similar furious storms on the lake? And: wasn’t Jesus inexperienced in handling a boat? Why, then, did they come to Jesus?

Though their faith was not perfect, they did reveal faith in this hour. They do seem to think that Jesus is special and that He can help. Although at this time, they do not fully understand who He is, what He is truly like, and what He is all about, but they turn to Jesus and rely on His power to help.

Immediately, Jesus arose from His cushion and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). Just as it was in this morning’s Introit from Psalm 107, as those men were crying to the Lord, Jesus delivered them by calming the storm and the waves. As was declared by the Psalmist and as He spoke to Job, it is only God who is able to control nature, including the wind and the sea. It is the Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, who has the power to command the wind and calm the waves.

You see, God’s spoken Word is performative, that is, when God speaks, things happen. Just as it was in the beginning, when God spoke, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), there was light. It was through the power of His voice that God created the heavens and the earth. And, when Christ said, “Follow Me” to His future apostles, they never thought about it, they each immediately dropped everything and followed Him. So, when God speaks, things happen.

Now, some people these days have the idea that they have the power to control the wind and the sea. They say, “If we only change this or that” in our lives, the climate would improve. The thing is, only God has this power. By saying they have power to control the future of climate, they are really claiming God’s authority. Now, we should care for our environment, as God said to our first parents, “Subdue (the earth), and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28), but we only have the authority to preserve the earth. We don’t have the authority to save the earth. We don’t have the authority to control the weather. Only God has this power. This is why the disciples asked, “Who is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41)

After Jesus calmed the sea, He spoke to His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40) Now, they had enough faith to wake up Jesus, but their faith was far from perfect. Yes, they woke Him up, but they do not have a faith that rests confidently in Jesus. You see, the disciples still worry very much about their welfare as they said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38), even though their Lord is present with them.

Now, what if Jesus did not wake up? Or, what if Jesus had not been in the boat with them when the windstorm arrived? Would the disciples have had a right to be terrified? Remember, Jesus had taught them – as He teaches us the same – “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). So, no matter what, Jesus teaches us that by grace through faith in Him alone, we always stand in the Father’s constant, loving care, so that we have no need to fear or to worry.

Yet, we do fear and worry. We worry as Job worried. We worry as the disciples worried. We worry about the unknown. We worry about the unseen. It seems like we are catechized and trained to worry. Causing worry is big business for some. Turn on the evening news. Read the headlines in today’s newspaper. We are catechized each and every day to worry.

But even if the disciples had drowned in that stormy water, they still would have had no cause to fear. So even in the hour of death, God the Father would not forsake them. So, with that promise comes the assurance that there is no cause for fear since we have eternal life. In Christ, we all have this same promise and assurance!

[The Calm]

As the sinful world around us tosses us all around, God the Father comes to us to brings us back to safety. This is what He accomplished for us by sending His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to bear our sins and be our Savior as He willingly suffered and died for our sins upon the cross. He did this to save us from the power of sin, eternal death, and Satan. He did this so we would receive – by grace through faith in Christ alone – forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation!

This is the meaning of Christ calming the storm. He calmed to storm to establish Himself as the ruler of the wind and sea. He is truly the only divine Savior, who has unlimited grace and power to save lost sinners.

By Jesus calming the storm that day may have another meaning. We may think of the church as a boat, the disciples as believers as they are navigating the sea of life, the wind and the waves as the storms of life, the pleas of the disciples as the prayers of believers for help, and Jesus as the Lord of both the church and the world. The meaning being that the Lord of the Church, though seemingly to be asleep and uncaring about what His people are enduring, will arise in due time to bring them salvation.

This is what happens here in the Divine Service! He comes to us to calm our hearts as He speaks to us His sure and certain Word and gives us forgiveness and strength for our weak faith through His Means of Grace – in Word and Sacrament.

Christ speaks to us today with the same power He spoke creation into being. He speaks to us today with the same power He calmed the stormy sea. He speaks to us today saying, “Your sins are forgiven.” He speaks to us today saying, “Take, eat. This is My body, which is given for you. Take, drink. This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” This is Christ speaking. He is speaking to us as He calms our personal storms.

It has been said that Jesus calmed two storms that day: the one in the disciples’ hearts and the other raging in nature. Jesus reproved the winds and the waves saying, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39b) Here we see Jesus exercising the same power with which He created the world and the same power with which He also saved the world. 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

Funeral Sermon: "The Lord Provides" (Psalm 23, John 10: 7-16)

 

Michelle, family and friends of Rosalie:

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

[Intro]

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15).

Rosalie was a caregiver. As a nurse, she cared for many people at Litchfield Hospital and at Glencoe Hospital. In her later years, she continued her care as she worked in the housekeeping department at Glencoe Hospital. And, most importantly, she was a caregiver to her parents.

All that while, Rosalie was being cared for by the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and He continues to care for her to this day. In fact, he cares for each one of us today and every day of our life, in this life and in the heavenly life to come!

A couple of the most recognizable portions of God’s Word are Psalm 23 and John 10. These words from our Lord are known by both Christians and non-Christians alike. Another portion of God’s Word that is as recognizable as our texts this morning is the Gospel in a nutshell, John 3:16.

So, why is this?

Well, Psalm 23 and John 10 are full of comfort and assurance. In a world that is full of distress and doubt, these words from our Lord give us hope in that He leads us, in that He is always present, and that He provides forever.

[The Lord Leads]

“The Lord is my shepherd;
   I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
   He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
   He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3).

In the first three verses of Psalm 23, we hear how the Good Shepherd leads us. The Good Shepherd cares for all the needs of His flock. In doing so, He cares for every human need: physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Under the care of the Good Shepherd, we shall not want. Now, this doesn’t mean that we will never have any desires. Rather, all of our needs are met. The Good Shepherd supplies the basics through His daily bread: food, drink, and protection.

Each day of our life and in the life to come God provides for us abundantly. He leads us to “lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2a). These green pastures are His Means of Grace – Word and Sacrament – where He provides us pasture and sustenance, so that we may be refreshed and strengthened so that we get stronger and stronger in the one true Christian faith.

The Good Shepherd also “restores [our] soul” (Psalm 23:3a). Christ tells us: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). You see, He restores our soul as He sacrifices His life for His sheep – you and me.

The Good Shepherd also leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. This path of righteousness is “the right path.” You see, Jesus will never lead us to a place of slaughter. He leads us to eternal life and salvation. Along the way, He leads us along safe paths to heaven through His Word. He leads us to heaven, for the Good Shepherd is the only Way (John 14:6) to travel the righteous path.

[The Lord is Present]

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
   Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

Even in the most frightening situation in our life, the Good Shepherd is present. So, we can always be confident of God’s guiding presence.

Even in “the valley of the shadow of death,” the Good Shepherd is with us. He is always present with us. The Good Shepherd never sends His sheep into places He will not go. He is always with us in our lives today and in the life to come!

For Rosalie, the Good Shepherd first came to her in the waters of Holy Baptism on January 9, 1944. As soon as she heard the words of her pastor, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” the Holy Spirit gave her the ability to believe in Jesus as her Lord and Savior and Good Shepherd.

Although, the Good Shepherd was always present with her, it was here that the Good Shepherd announced His presence to her.

[The Lord Provides Forever]

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
   Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
   and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:5-6).

These verses tell how the Good Shepherd always provides for His sheep.

He prepares a table before us. This shows how the Good Shepherd is hospitable to His sheep. The Good Shepherd not only gives us our daily bread – all the needs of our body, such as food, clothing and shelter – but He also gives us the gift of His very Body and very Blood in the Lord’s Supper for the forgiveness of our sins and to strengthen our weak faith.

The “cup runneth over” is the grace that we have received by faith in Jesus Christ. For although we were dead in sin, He took on the death we deserve upon the cross, so that we would be made righteous by grace through faith in Him. For although we sin much in thought, word and deed, God’s grace is the cup that is always runneth over. So, when we repent and confess our sins, we are forgiven.

The Good Shepherd gives all who believe in Him this goodness and mercy all their lives.

[Dwelling in the House of the Lord Forever]

For everyone who dies in Christ, they experience the ending of Psalm 23: “And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6b).

As soon as those who know the Good Shepherd enter heaven, they are no longer sinners, but only saints. So, while they are in the presence of the Good Shepherd, they “hunger no more, neither thirst anymore” (Revelation 7:16a). While in heaven, the Good Shepherd continues to provide.

Yes, for us here this morning, we are experiencing sorrow. We grieve because death is not our friend. Death is in fact our enemy! But, we don’t grieve like others do who have no hope, because Jesus has conquered the power of death on our behalf!

As the Apostle Paul says, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

“For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is always with us! He leads us and He provides forever! 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

Rosalie Hemerick's obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/rosalie-jean-hemerick/

Sermon for Trinity 2: "Supper is Ready!" (Luke 14:15-24)

 

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]

As the title figure in the movie Father of the Bride, Steve Martin does everything he can do to cut the cost of his daughter’s upcoming wedding. He tries on his old tuxedo that he has outgrown. He offers to be the backyard chef at the outdoor reception. He even slashes the guest list down to a minimum.

But, when the man in today’s parable sends out his invitations to a great banquet, he doesn’t even think of cutting the cost. Instead, he invites everyone! He says no expense will be spared! He says no guests will be crossed off His list! This is a great banquet that no one would want to miss, and this certain man says, “Come, for all things are now ready” The question for us is this: are we ready? Are we ready to come to the great banquet?

[The Parable of the Great Banquet]

Today on this Second Sunday after Trinity, we see Jesus dining at a Pharisee’s house. Then came an interruption that must have surprised everyone when one of those at the table said to Jesus: “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” (Luke 14:15, NKJV).

Jesus took this man’s words seriously. As Jesus knows everything, He knew what this man and the other like-minded guests needed to hear. So, Jesus taught them – as He continues to teach us the same – the Parable of the Great Banquet.

Through His parable, Jesus brings this truth to His hearers: God wants all people to share in His great banquet prepared here on earth. If they become guests at His table here, they will dine with all the saints in heaven.

This morning, Jesus teaches us the Parable of the Great Banquet that has been prepared and we are all invited to come and partake of this gracious feast. He teaches us saying, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready’” (Luke 14:16-17).

Now, this banquet has been prepared for a long time. In fact, way back through the times of the Old Testament, God was making ready this feast. The focus of this parable is on the time when the banquet was ready and the guests were invited.

This banquet prepared by the man in the parable is in fact God the Father, who is offering the full and free salvation that He has prepared for all people. The rich foods served at this supper are all the blessings of Christ’s salvation. In fact, Jesus Christ, is the servant whom God the Father sent into the world to bring His gracious invitation to sinners. So, every time Jesus preached and taught, He was inviting the Jews, saying: “Come, for all things are now ready! For the blessings of salvation are yours for the taking, and all by faith.”

In today’s world, we send out “Save the Date” notices. This is what this certain man has done by sending his servant to call those who were invited to the Great Banquet. Here, the man is alerting his guests that this big event is ready!

The date is set! The hall is ready! The supper of rich food and well-aged wine has been prepared! (Isaiah 25:6) This supper will be lavish! Everything is ready!

“But they all with one accord began to make excuses” (Luke 14:18a).

Where are the invited guests? All that hard work and not a single person shows up! This is plain rude. I’m sure we can all sense this man’s frustration. He felt much like modern parents do when sending out wedding invitations and the guests don’t show courtesy to at least RSVP!

The supper is ready, and no one wants to come. Instead, they make excuses:

• The first pleaded necessity by saying, “I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused” (Luke 14:18b).
• The second pleaded inconvenience by saying, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused” (Luke 14:19).
• The third was not even polite enough to ask to be excused. Instead, he pleaded, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come” (Luke 14:20). This man wanted to taste the pleasures of marriage, rather than attend the banquet.

“So that servant came and reported these things to his master” (Luke 14:21a).

Instead of rejoicing at being invited to the great banquet, the guests just find excuses not to go.

I’m sure none of you have ever made excuses about missing the Divine Service on Sunday mornings. But, in fact, from time to time, we all make excuses on why we can’t be at church each Sunday morning.

As sinful human beings, we are experts at coming up with excuses for anything. “It’s too cold. It’s too hot. It’s raining. It’s snowing.”

We make excuses all the time, just like those who refused to come to the Great Banquet. We plead necessity. We plead inconvenience. We plead pleasure. We too, would rather be excused to test out a new vehicle or machinery, watch Sunday television shows, play video games, attend a sporting event, or frankly, just sleep. We can think of thousands of other things to do besides being here in the Divine Service this morning.

How often do we fail at keeping the Sabbath day holy? Do we always fear and love God above all things so that we do not despise preaching and His Word by keeping it sacred by gladly hearing and learning it?

We all must repent of our sin of not trusting God and instead placing our trust in false idols.

But the point of the excuses in our parable is that each excuse was dishonest. The real reason they declined the invitation was that in their hearts they had a low opinion of the inviting host. Their excuses were a cover-up for their contrary minds. They simply refused the invitation because they were determined not to show honor to the host inviting them. These first guests were the Jews who willfully rejected the gospel invitation Jesus had issued those many, many times as He walked among them.

They had no good excuse, no valid reason for not coming. They were poor sinners who needed the rich, nourishing foods on God’s banquet table: forgiveness of sins, blessedness as God’s sons and daughters now, and eternal joy and bliss in heaven hereafter. Any excuse is actually their refusal to dine at God’s Great Banquet of grace and their real reason was that they “were not willing” (Luke 13:34).

Rightfully so, the inviting master becomes angry. Remember, the master is God the Father, and so this anger represents the wrath of God against all those who spurn His grace, the salvation He offers freely and unconditionally. So, when anyone rejects the crucified, risen, and ascended Christ, they reject the salvation that He has won. They are really saying, “Who cares? Who really needs a Savior?”

But what does God the Father do when millions despise His offer of free salvation through Christ? Does He just give up and say, “It is of no use”? No!      He invites others! So, just as Paul and Barnabas did at Antioch when the Jews opposed Paul, Paul and Barnabas said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46).

Despite the excuses, and his own anger, the man shows his patience as he continues to say: “Come, for all things are now ready!”

This time, this man invites even more people. He says to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind” (Luke 14:21b).

And guess what? These invited guests actually do come! After they come, the servant says to his master, “Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room” (Luke 14:22).

This parable portrays Jesus as having gone out into the world of Gentiles through His apostles and all the gospel messengers who followed them, including you and me. Many have been won to faith in the Savior. But this puts no strain on the capacity of God’s kingdom to receive them. God’s banquet hall is big enough for all sinners.

This master then says to his servant, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23).

Now, the word “compel” of which Christ speaks is purely the compelling power of God’s grace. This word has nothing to do with high-pressure tactics. This word has everything to do with the gospel.

Although many will reject the invitation, God’s grace continues to work unceasingly to bring many more to taste and enjoy all the blessings Jesus won upon the cross for all sinful people – including you and me.

But for those who reject the invitation, the master says: “For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper” (Luke 14:24). By saying, “I tell you,” Jesus puts the seal of divine authority on this truth that those who spurned the invitation in unbelief will not have a share in the salvation Christ has won for them and of which God the Father with all His heart wanted them to have.

[Are We Ready for the Great Banquet?]

The question for us this morning is this: how do we know we are ready for the great banquet?

Well, we cannot become ready on our own. We cannot become ready by going about our lives alone. We can only become ready through the merit and work of Jesus Christ alone! He keeps us ready by strengthening our weak faith and forgiving our sins through hearing His Word and partaking of His Sacrament here in the Divine Service.

Whenever we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we receive a glimpse of this heavenly feast to come! With these very words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” this shows us that in this Sacrament, we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation!

With these words, Jesus invites and urges everyone who is united with Him in doctrine and faith to partake of the Sacrament frequently.  For if we are guests at His table here, we will dine with all the saints in heaven! We all need the comfort and strength of Christ’s forgiveness for living our new life – our justified and sanctified life – while we are assaulted by the devil and struggle with our sinful nature. You see, in the Lord’s Supper, we receive Christ’s very body and blood that forgives our sins and strengthens our weak faith.

However, the opposite is true for those who choose to remain far from the Lord’s Supper as their faith is weakened. Picture it this way, if you are hungry, you eat. If you do not eat when you are hungry, you will eventually die from starvation.

Or, if you are ill or physically injured, you seek medical help. If you don’t seek help, your illness or injury will get worse. The same goes with faith. If we are not receiving strength for our faith, our faith becomes weaker. So, do not starve yourself of the Sacrament of the very body and blood of Christ! Because of this, the Lord says, “Come!” He urges us to come and be nourished in the foretaste of this heavenly feast!

You see, through the very suffering and death of Jesus upon the cross, He has invited you and all people to the great supper in the kingdom of heaven!

Now, some will ignore this invitation. They will find excuses. But in His grace and mercy, God the Father continues to extend the invitation, saying: “Come, supper is ready!” 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

Preached at St. John's Lutheran Church, Plato, Minnesota.