Sermon for the Resurrection of Our Lord - Easter Day: "Salvation Comes in the Morning" (Mark 16:1-8)

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

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:

 

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint [Jesus]. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb” (Mark 16:1-2).

 

When Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome arose on that Easter morning, it was dark, it was very dark. It was not just the darkness of night, but the darkness of their hearts. They did not come to the tomb, because they believed Jesus was alive. They came to the tomb, because they believed Jesus was dead. They did not believe Jesus was going to rise from the dead.

 

One week ago, they saw Jesus enter Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna.” Jesus was adored by the crowds as they laid palm branches before Him. Jesus had a king’s welcome. But now just mere days later, those shouts changed from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him!” Jesus went from adoration to hate as He was arrested, mocked, spit upon, flogged, crucified, and killed. 

 

All was dim and dark for the Marys and Salome. They hoped that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but now His body lays dead, sealed in a tomb.

 

It was even darker for the Apostles. They are not just sad, but they are hiding and afraid inside a sealed upper room. They are full of fear thinking that they could have the same fate as Jesus.

 

But as the Marys and Salome were preparing the spices to anoint Jesus’ body and the Apostles were in hiding behind locked doors, God was working salvation amid all this suffering and fear. Even for you and me, when you think that all is lost and God isn’t working when you are suffering, believe me, He is.

 

Throughout the Old Testament times, there are numerous instances of God’s work of salvation being completed in the night and made visible in the morning.

 

In 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, and they brought it to the people of Ashdod. The Ark was brought into the house of their false god Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early in the morning, they found that their false god Dagon had fallen down onto the ground before the Ark of the Covenant. So, naturally, they picked up Dagon and put him back in his place. That next morning, when they rose from sleep, Dagon was once again on the ground before the Ark, but this time the head of Dagon and both his hands were cut off.

 

In Isaiah 37, while at night, Hezekiah is rescued from the Assyrians after the Angel of the Lord strikes down 185,000 soldiers in their camp. The evidence of this is noticed when the people of God arose early in the morning to see those 185,000 dead soldiers (Isaiah 37:36).

 

In Daniel 6, for not giving up his faith in Yahweh, Daniel is sealed into the lions’ den overnight for certain death. “Then, at break of day, [King Darius] arose and went in haste to the den of lions” (Daniel 6:19). To his relief, Daniel is alive.

 

In Judges 6, at night and at God’s command, Gideon pulls down the altar of Baal and the altar of Asherah. The evidence is revealed “when the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down” (Judges 6:28).

 

God is working salvation even when we don’t notice it. In these cases, He was working salvation while everyone is sleeping. He does this so, “[we] will sing of Your strength; [so we] will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning” (Psalm 59:16).

 

While at night, sealed in that tomb, Christ the Crucified rose from the dead and declared His victory over the power of sin, eternal death, and hell. He, in fact, put on a victory parade as He descended into hell as “He went and proclaimed [His victory] to the spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:19). Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

A lot was happening when nobody noticed. God has a way on giving us His steadfast love, even when we don’t even ask for it. We never asked to be saved, even though we needed to be saved. Our sinful nature believes that all is well without God. Our sinful nature believes that you have earned what you have. In fact, all that we have is God’s daily bread given to you – your food, clothing, shelter, good government, and the like.

But God doesn’t stop there, yes, He gives us all we need for our temporal life now, but He created us to live forever in His love.

 

Through deceit, Satan, in the form of a serpent, convinced Adam and Eve to question God’s love for them and instead follow Satan’s lies. Satan’s lies are still being listened to as they are the wisdom of the world: “Did God really say?” “If God really loved you, He would let you do whatever you want!”

 

Satan led humanity into loving vice – pride, envy, gluttony, lust, greed, wrath, laziness – and abhorring virtue – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:19-24). 

 

But God the Father loves us. He loves us so much that He sent His only-begotten Son to suffer the death we all deserve – death by crucifixion – in order to save us from His wrath and from the powers of sin, eternal death, and the devil.

 

So, while we were all unaware of all that was happening between the body of Jesus being laid in the tomb through that glorious Easter morning, our salvation was being procured. Then when those Marys and Salome came with their spices, even if they did not understand, their joy came in the morning. Salvation was visible that morning, even if they didn’t notice it – at first.

 

“And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him’” (Mark 16:5-6).

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Salvation is revealed with the morning! But there is something worth noting here with these words from the angel. The angel’s words are really conveying that Jesus remains the Crucified One – for it is only through the crucifixion that salvation comes. So, this should really be rendered as “Jesus who is – and remains – crucified.”

 

However, on this Resurrection of Our Lord Day, you may still have another question lingering. Mark’s Gospel suggests that Jesus did not arise at sunrise, but likely in the darkness of night, before the dawn. This should raise the question: What about Jesus saying He would rise on the third day?

 

Well, in those days, days were counted inclusively. So, according to the Jewish reckoning of time, the events before sundown on Good Friday were still on the day that had begun at sundown Thursday. So, sundown Friday through sundown Saturday was the Sabbath. Then the first day of the week began at sundown Saturday. These constituted the “three days.”

 

But our text from Mark 16, suggests that Jesus did arise at night, either on the Sabbath or after the start of the day after the Sabbath, but no matter what, the evidence of His victory over death is still the same: “very early on the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2). The evidence is still the same, and this is why we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord on Sundays, which is the first day of the week, the eighth day of creation, the day of our justification.

 

But there is still something rather odd about Mark’s resurrection account. Yes, we have Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. We have the empty tomb. We have the angel giving the women the duty of telling this good news to Peter and the other apostles. Who is missing? Jesus. There is no sighting of Jesus. But through the words of that angel, we have the gospel: “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified One. He has risen; He is not here” (Mark 16:6). This angel, this messenger of God, is the messenger of Good News. Our sinful minds try to reason things out and to see if Jesus is truly risen from the dead. But it is only faith in the crucified and risen Jesus that calms our doubts and fears. The Resurrection is a matter of faith. It’s a matter of trusting God and His Word. So, we must repent of our unbelief. 

 

Jesus knows that we need His physical presence as well. And He will make His resurrection appearance next week to the apostles in the locked upper room. But we want Him too! And He does come to us. His grace, mercy, and forgiveness come to us where He said He would be present: in His Word and Sacraments.

 

The very work of the crucifixion, the payment for sins, comes to us through His holy Supper. Here, He appears to you in this Easter celebration, in His Word, and in His very body and blood. Through faith, that is, trust in His Word, we receive Him into our presence and enjoy the forgiveness of sins. There, in lowly bread and wine, you see Jesus and you hold Jesus, just as He told you! Salvation comes in the morning! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed, alleluia! Amen.

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for the Resurrection of Our Lord: Easter Sunrise - "Easter Living" (1 Corinthians 5:6b-8)

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

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:

 

Had Christ not been raised, our preaching and your faith would be in vain, you would still be in your sins, but in fact, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia!

 

Since you have received forgiveness of your sins, through the Crucified and Risen Christ, the Apostle Paul calls Christians to be Easter people. He is calling us to Easter living. Paul is calling us to celebrate the Easter festival not in celebrating our sins, but as forgiven people in Christ.

 

Through the Holy Spirit, Paul writes, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5b-7).

 

The Apostle Paul fathered the church in Corinth, but this church caused the most headaches for its father. In so many ways, Corinth most closely resembles the western Christian church today. 

 

For the most part, the western Church has deluded itself into believing that the caring thing is to be infinitely nonjudgmental and inclusive. But this is simply a demonic lie. This lie causes the church to allow cancerous abuses to continue unchecked to the point when that cancer takes over the whole body and the body dies.

 

So, what was going on in Corinth? Well, they should have all been ashamed of an incestuous relationship in their midst, but instead, for the most part, the church was fine with it as Corinth took pride in their openness and tolerance. They were complacent about sin. In fact, they encouraged all sorts of sexual immorality, saying, “Love is love.” They were boasting that the forgiveness won for them by Christ Crucified gives them outright permission to do every sin imaginable.

 

To all this pride in sin, St. Paul admonishes them. Paul says to them, “You have the Gospel and you have become Christians, but you are also to live according to the Gospel by fleeing and avoiding everything that is not in conformity with faith and Christian conduct.”

 

In a culture where bread was the staple food, the Holy Spirit inspires St. Paul to offer this wayward church an object lesson: “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened” (1 Corinthians 5:6b-7a).

 

You see, everyone knew how a little leaven would permeate a batch of flour, causing it to swell and rise, ready for baking. At the same time, this powerful ingredient, so useful for baking, also came to symbolize evils which had the power to spread.

 

One of those evils was false doctrine. As it is with leaven, false doctrine works the same way. It may appear like a good thing at first, but quickly, false doctrine takes over and Christianity is lost. As it was for Corinth, they wanted to preach the Gospel of Christ, but mixed with the fallen world. This is the case with the mainline western church today. As the mainline denominations reasoned away Biblical authority, the sinful flesh and the fallen world took over. Truth was lost. 

 

You see, when one begins to give way to the flesh and to abuse freedom, even under the name of the Gospel, then that yeast is mixed into the right Christian conduct and quickly corrupts faith and conscience, it sweeps on until Christ and the Gospel are completely forgotten.

 

If it wasn’t for Paul admonishing the church in Corinth, Christianity would have been lost there. With love, Paul admonished and urged them to seep out this yeast, since the church has already begun to practice all kinds of sinful acts. 

 

With only one drop of poison, sweet wine and medicine are made harmful. Likewise, if only a drop of impurity is added to God’s Word, it is corrupted and it is good for nothing. The worst thing about leaven is that it spreads and adheres so strongly that it cannot be gotten out. It’s like cancer. It needs to be completely removed.

 

So, Christianity cannot tolerate false teachings. If it is mixed with human additions, then it will be obscured and damaged, and souls are led astray. To this, Christ says in Matthew 9:16, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.”

As Easter Christians, faith cannot coexist with living according to the depravity of the flesh in sins and vice against the conscience. In one chapter later, Paul writes, “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, no adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

 

So, as Easter Christians, we must sweep away the old yeast of sin – whatever sins they may be – and we are to teach those in our midst to sweep away the old yeast, those who have given into the devil’s lies. We must teach them and tell them that their old yeast must be swept away and that they are not Christians if they consistently give in to their sinful flesh and purposely remain and persist in sins against conscience. For it is so much worse when sin is done under the Name and cover of the Gospel, for in that way the Name of Christ is slandered and despised.

 

For, if we are Easter Christians, we are “a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We must sweep away the old yeast. Being a new dough and letting the old yeast remain is not fitting for celebrating Easter, for if it is not swept out, the new dough will be completely leavened and corrupted, so the previous sinful life would gain the upper hand and overthrow faith.

 

Through the Crucified and Risen Christ, we have become unleavened. Christ says to us, “You are clean because of My Word” (John 15:3), but Christ also says, “Every branch that does not produce fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2).

 

It is Christ alone who makes us clean. He makes us clean through the Word and faith. But this isn’t immediate. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ works in us daily to cleanse us until we become purer and purer. He makes us purer through the office of the Holy Ministry with admonition, rebuking, improvement, and strengthening, just as Christ did through St. Paul at Corinth.

 

So, how do we live as Easter people? Well, through the work of the Holy Spirit, He leads us to appropriate and transpose our lives and behavior. Just as was done in Corinth, He does for us! The purity of the Corinthian church was at risk, but the triune God didn’t leave them in their sins. It was the work of God who led them to repentance, faith in the forgiveness of sins, and the new life in Christ. And it is the work of God who leads us to repentance, faith in the forgiveness of sins, and the new life in Christ, too!

 

We must trust in “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2) as He has made Corinth and us a community of repentant sinners who live under the cross of Christ. We have “washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb” (Revelation 7:14). Fellow purified and redeemed, it is un-Christian to tolerate a fellow brother or sister in Christ who shows open contempt for the Gospel by their unwillingness to repent and look for forgiveness to Christ crucified for we are only made holy, redeemed, and clean through the crucified Christ. 

 

So just as Paul exhorted Corinth, he also exhorts us to properly celebrate the fulfilled Passover inaugurated by Christ’s crucifixion and His bodily resurrection! For Christians, Easter is not just today. It’s not just Sundays and Mondays with the mini-Easters of the Divine Service. No! For us, Easter is every day! We are forgiven in Christ, so let us live forgiven in Christ!

 

As we celebrate the new life in Christ, we should no longer be infected by “the old leaven” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8) of sin and arrogance. Nor should this new life feature “malice and wickedness” (1 Corinthians 5:8). Rather, we live the new life in Christ with fresh, unleavened bread “of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8).

 

In just mere minutes, Christ will give us forgiveness of sins through the Easter Lamb of unleavened bread in the Sacrament of the Altar. We add nothing, except that we receive Christ’s body and it eat it through faith, which Christ bestows to us and gives to us through that eating and drinking.

 

May we always celebrate the Easter festival in sincerity and truth for Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for the Resurrection of Our Lord: Easter Vigil - "Dust of Our Dust" (Genesis 3:15)

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:

“The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, … I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel’” (Genesis 3:14a, 15).

 

We should all speak well of the dead. It is obvious that we rejoice with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are with Christ in the Church Triumphant. But what about even the most vile of mankind, you know, those of the likes of Hitler, Lenin and Stalin, Pol Pot, and Chairman Mao? Well, as Christians, we should strive to speak well of them, too.

 

You see, there is no joy in their deaths – or any death, for we belong to Jesus Christ, and He takes no pleasure in the death of sinners. So, no matter how badly we have been mistreated or abused, no matter what vile people have done to us or to those we love, we ought to recognize that they are just as human as you and me. For those who die apart from Christ, they go where there is no joy and where punishment is both just and eternal. 

 

So, how could we joy in that? How could we be glad when we know it is unnecessary, when we know that Jesus loved them and gave His life for them, that He longed to gather them to Himself in perfect grace?

 

Our Lord has not called us to vengeance. He has not called us to enact retribution. No, our Lord has called us to compassion and mercy. We are to love our enemies. So whether a “good person” dies or a “bad person” dies, that person is still a person. And even when evil people meet their end, we should respond in humility and in fear and speak well of them, too. For barring the return of our Lord Jesus Christ first, we shall all die the common death of mankind.

 

In any case, the sorrow and demise of our enemies cannot bring us joy or even gladness. Only repentance and faith in Christ can do that. As fellow redeemed in Christ, our desire is never that anyone be damned. Rather, it is the same desire of our Lord, that all mankind would turn and receive His forgiveness and be saved from the power of sin, death, and the devil.

But… But there is one exception. There is one for whom we hold no respect. Who could this be? Take a second and think. It’s Satan; aka: the devil, Lucifer, “the Father of Lies.” We renounce him, his works, and his ways. 

 

Yesterday, the Lamb was slain. But we do not mourn for Him. He is not dead. He is risen! Jesus lives! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

The doorposts of our hearts have been sprinkled with His blood, which Christ poured down our throats, and the destroying angel with his sacrificial knife, fearful and terrifying, has passed over us. We are safe. We are protected by the holy, precious blood of our living Savior Jesus Christ, who gave His life for us.

 

So, tonight on this evening of Easter Vigil, hell mourns while we dance on the devil’s grave.

 

Our piety has no sympathy, no compassion for the worst of all tyrants who held us for so long in bondage, who deceived Eve, who has tormented us through the years with lies and temptations, who is responsible for all the evil known to mankind. We have no respect, no humility, no fear, no sorrow at his destruction. We rejoice that Satan’s power over those in Christ is no more.

 

So, let us hoist the crushed head of the serpent upon a stick and place it at the city gate! Let all of Satan’s demons know that they have lost. They are done. They have no power. Our Redeemer lives, and we are now marked with His blood. The power of hell cannot harm us. Jesus has routed the last enemy and absorbed death’s sting. He has stolen the grave’s victory. He has overcome. He has won the day. He has restored creation. Jesus trounced Satan. 

 

For us in Christ, Satan’s accusations against you have been silenced. You are clean. You are free. You are innocent. Your sins are forgiven. It was God the Father’s will to save you, and now it is done. The powers of sin, death, and Satan have met their end, because Jesus lives! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

The serpent has met his end. His skull is crushed. He can’t get up. He is as dead as death. We are free. We are alive. And our joy is before us, for Jesus, our Redeemer lives. His tomb is empty. His soul returned to the dust of Eve. He rose from the dead and has paved our way to life everlasting with His bodily ascension into heaven.

 

This is the very purpose for which Jesus joined Himself to our dust, to our death, to our demise, in the Virgin’s womb. He came to be our substitute, to take our place, to do what Adam should have done but did not.

 

By the death of Jesus, “ashes to ashes and dust to dust” now means only that we follow Jesus. For He is dust of our dust, bone of our bones, ash of our ashes. When we return to dust and rest in the womb of the earth, this is simply passing through death to Jesus for us who trust in Him. 

 

God joins us to Himself when the good work He has begun is complete through yours and my death. By His death and bodily resurrection, Christ has paved your way to paradise. He has ascended to His Father to bring you heaven.

 

The power of sin, death, and the devil are no more. Our evil foes have been banished. All wickedness is put to flight. God and man is reconciled in Christ! 

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Good Friday: "Experiencing Death - For You!" (Isaiah 52:12-53:12)

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:

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

 

On Good Friday, we deal with death up close. We stand not beside a casket of a parent, grandparent, child, or another family member; we stand at the foot of the cross of Christ. Tonight, we experience the reality of death, His death. We realize that death does come close. Death comes close to each of us. Death is our enemy. 

 

Death would be cold and dark and empty, except that Jesus has come close to us and has faced death for us. His death changes our experience of death. Now, we stand before His cross and feel the impact of His love for us as He experienced death up close.

 

We are not immune to death. To live in this fallen world, we must face death. Death can be frightening. Sometimes death invades our lives with blazing speed. Sometimes death is slow and relentless as it stalks its target.

 

Death comes in many ways, but death still comes. It doesn’t always seem fair. Death can surprise and shock. Death can pierce like a knife. To be human after the Fall is to live a life that is fragile. Death comes close to us. And death would indeed leave us terrorized and empty, except for what took place today nearly 2,000 years ago. We call today Good Friday, because it was this day that Jesus experienced death – for us.

 

In this evening’s Old Testament lesson from Isaiah, the prophet paints a poetic picture of what Good Friday would be. Isaiah describes the Savior – the Suffering Servant – who would stand in our place and experience death up close. For fallen humanity, death is justice. Death is the verdict that fits the crime. We have disobeyed God’s commands through our thoughts, our speech, and our actions, and thus, we deserve the punishment that fits the crime: death. But for us and for our salvation, the Suffering Servant comes near. 

 

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief … surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows … He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities … the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all … He was cut off out of the land of the living … and made His grave with the wicked” (Isaiah 53:3-9).

 

What a comfort it is that when we face danger, we have the Savior who seeks to come near! 

 

The greatest miracle of Jesus was His Incarnation. It was when God became man – Emmanuel. On Christmas, we rejoice at how much God the Father loves His creation, as God was born in human flesh. But the power of the Incarnation is not just that God became man to join us in this fallen world. No, the power of the Incarnation was so He would also join us in death. Jesus is no distant God, viewing our world from a heavenly palace. No, Jesus comes to be close to the pain. He comes to walk with us in our sorrow. He comes to carry us in our infirmities. He comes to be near to us in all that causes us heartache. He comes to be rejected by His own people as He suffers as an outcast. He comes to face it all with us.

 

The Suffering Servant knows death up close. He felt the bite of death. He winced at the piercing of the nails through His flesh and bones. He endured the taunting of the crowd and the unjust accusations. He didn’t simply view death from a casual distance. He was no simple spectator. He joined Himself to us and absorbed the blows of the hammer that should have been ours. In His death, He carried our sorrows. He came to the scene of our guilt. He stretched out His hands to receive our sin. He looked death in the eye. He left nothing undone. He said, “Tetelestai”: “It is finished” (John 19:30a). He tasted death. He “bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30b). He died.

 

At the moment of His death, all was accomplished: The obligation paid. He closed the book on our failure. The debt was settled.

 

Tonight, we stand at the foot of the cross to view Christ the Crucified, our Savior. We experience death up close – the death of our Suffering Servant. But something has changed. In fact, because of Jesus, everything has changed. By grace through faith in Jesus, we can now look into the eyes of death and no longer see a conquering Satan but an enemy who is conquered. We can now see through the eyes of faith. Tonight is a sad day, but tonight is also a great day. Today is Good Friday. Today is the day of salvation! Salvation was won for you on Good Friday! 

 

Through Christ’s death, we can now find hope in sorrow. We have the Suffering Servant who experienced death – for you! 

 

As we experience death, it is great knowing that for those in Christ, you and me, death is not the end, but only serves as the portal to eternal life. Even in our pain and suffering, Jesus is near. In those moments, Jesus is bringing that peace that passes all human understanding. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Maundy Thursday: "Examine Yourself" (1 Corinthians 11:23-32)

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:

“On the night when He was betrayed [Jesus] took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me’” (1 Corinthians 11:23b-25).

 

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul writes, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:27-28).

 

Before my time, I have heard that Lutherans would announce for Holy Communion. This would be done by visiting their pastor at the parsonage or at his study. The pastor would then ask his parishioner a question or two, likely from Luther’s Small Catechism on the fifth and sixth chief parts: Confession and the Sacrament of the Altar. Maybe the pastor would just ask general questions to get to know his parishioner better, things like how work was going and how’s the family?

 

The intention behind this practice of personally announcing your intention to commune was to assist us in what our text this evening from 1 Corinthians 11 calls for, which is examining yourselves.

 

From what I have heard, this old practice was a good one. The pastor could meet one-on-one with every member. But this old practice did fall out into disuse for many reasons. The primary reason was our personal schedules became too busy for both the pastor and his parishioners. But the registration for Holy Communion has continued. Instead of personally meeting with your pastor, we now write our names on cards or sheets of paper. We register now for more practical purposes, so that the church secretary may record who communed on that particular day.

 

Today is Maundy Thursday. It’s called Maundy Thursday, because of these words of Jesus that He said on this day nearly 2,000 years ago: “A new commandment I give to you” (John 13:34) and “Do this” (1 Corinthians 11:24).

The word we know as “mandate” comes from the Latin word “mandatum,” which means “command.” In that upper room this night, Jesus gave the command to love one another. This wasn’t a new command. He had said this previously. In fact, this has been said all throughout Scripture. This summarizes the Two Tables of the Law: first, love God; and second, love your neighbor as yourself.

 

What’s new about this command is what Jesus did on that night: He washed His disciples’ feet, serving as a further reminder that Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve. Also, that night, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it saying, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). After supper, Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25).

 

The Sacrament of the Altar, which is also known as the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist meaning “thanksgiving,” is also included in Christ’s mandate as He says, “Do this.” Do this in remembrance of Me.

 

The Sacrament of the Altar is Jesus’ gift to His bride, the church. He wants us to open our mouths to receive His goods, which are wrapped in His love: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

 

But what is St. Paul meaning when he says, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup”? (1 Corinthians 11:28).

 

First, we all ought to know what the Sacrament of the Altar is and what it is not. The Sacrament of the Altar is not just ordinary eating and drinking. It is the “Lord’s Supper.” It is “Holy Communion.” So, we aren’t having snack time at the communion rail. The communion rail isn’t the church’s concession stand. The meal that we receive is not merely a memorial meal, a symbolic remembrance of yesteryear. What is happening in the Lord’s Supper is an action that we can see, a meal we can taste, and a miracle that we experience. That miracle is that through that bread and wine, Jesus gives us His very body and blood. Jesus is present, in, with, and under, that bread and wine. He is just as present as He was as He gave the command in that upper room on that first Maundy Thursday.

 

Second, examining ourselves means searching our hearts. So, what does this mean? It means that we should examine ourselves to see whether we are truly sorry for our sins and whether we truly believe that we have forgiveness when we eat and drink the body and blood of Christ in the Sacrament. 

So, firstly, examine yourselves asking these two questions:

·      First: Have I confessed and repented of my sins?

·      Second: Will I, with the Lord’s help, amend my sinful life?

Because if you don’t repent of your sinful life and continue to approach the Lord’s Table with impenitence or unbelief, you are only receiving judgment upon yourself, and not forgiveness of your sins.

 

Now, none of us are blameless. We are all indeed, poor, miserable sinners. Christ isn’t saying you must be perfect in order to receive His forgiveness. That makes no sense. In order to be forgiven, we must be in need of forgiveness. What is needed is that we realize our guilt and our desperate need for Jesus. So, as we commune, the triune God wants us to be aware of our sin and actually be sorry for it, but also confident that because of Jesus, our sin is forgiven as we partake in the Lord’s Supper.

 

One other question that should be examined before coming up to the communion rail is this:

·      Do I share the confession and unity of this congregation?

 

As the Evangelical Lutheran Church, “we believe, teach, and confess that the only rule and guiding principle according to which all teachings and teachers are to be evaluated and judged are the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments alone” (FC Epitome Summary). As Evangelical Lutherans, we believe that God’s Word as written in the Bible is completely true from cover to cover. We believe that we have not lived up to how God has called us to live in the Ten Commandments. We believe that we have redemption in Jesus Christ alone. We believe that we only come to faith in Jesus through the indwelling and work of the Holy Spirit as He strengthens our faith through Word and Sacrament.

 

So, as Evangelical Lutherans, the Sacrament of the Altar is the most visible public confession of our faith. So, we don’t treat the Lord’s Supper casually or carelessly as it is the most public confession of our unity in Christ. For this reason, the historic practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church is that of close communion, or sometimes called closed communion. Holy Communion is not just between you and God; Holy Communion is between you, God, and your fellowship with the Church, your brothers and sisters in Christ. So, everyone who communes together is part of the one Body, united. In other words, when we partake of Communion, we are in communion.

 

Now, what to do with St. Paul’s admonition: “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself”? (1 Corinthians 11:29). This eating and drinking “judgment” on oneself is not necessarily eternal damnation – at first. First will come weakness and illness and physical death. Those are examples of such judgment on those who do not examine themselves. But if one continually refuses to examine oneself and continues to approach the Lord’s Table with impenitence and unbelief, that judgment will indeed become eternal damnation.

 

Third, you must believe to be true these words of Jesus: “This is My body, which is for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24). “For you” means that in the Sacrament of the Altar, you, yes you, are receiving from Christ Himself forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation through those words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. Those words “for you,” were given to us by Christ for weak and struggling sinners like you and me, in order to draw us to Himself and to strengthen our faith in Him.

 

The Sacrament of the Altar’s worthiness does not depend on us. If it did, we’d get nothing out of eating Christ’s body and drinking Christ’s blood, because we are poor, miserable sinners. So, we go to the Lord’s Supper, because we are in need of Christ’s forgiveness. The only reason we would refrain from the Lord’s Supper is if we desire no grace and no Absolution and have no intention to change our sinful ways.

 

By coming to the Lord’s Table, we give testimony not only that we repent and believe in Jesus, but we also proclaim that Jesus’ death was for the good of all people. Through partaking of Christ’s body and blood, our faith is strengthened, and we are eager to live by God’s will.

 

Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed, so we are gathered here to do what Christians have done for nearly 2,000 years. We come at Jesus’ mandate: “Do this.” What we do is come to eat and drink and so, by a miracle, receive Jesus anew in our hearts and lives. Through repentance and faith in Christ, we are worthy because of Jesus. Amen. 

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +