"Crèche" (Advent Midweek 3)

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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:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18).

 

People throughout the world decorate this Advent season – and even last month – with Christmas trees, evergreens, and electric lights. Even non-Christians decorate. But there is a decoration that is distinctively Christian. There is a decoration that captures the true story and true message of Christmas. Tonight, we will look at how the creche, a model of the nativity scene, helps us prepare for the coming of Christ.

 

The creche is an explicitly Christian symbol because it presents the people involved in the birth of Christ, such as Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the Magi, and even the angels and some farm animals. Prince of Peace is blessed to have so many nativity scenes. In fact, we use the creche as a witness to define the real reason for the season. 

 

The word “creche” derives from Latin and means “nursery.” In fact, even today, it is the French word for nursery or childhood center. And in many other European countries, “creche” refers to a nursery school where infants and other young children are cared for during the day while their parents are at work.

 

This word “creche” has been transferred from this context of baby care to the scene which the greatest Baby in history was attended by His mother and guardian as well as the shepherds and in most cases, the Magi. But, here in America, the creche is most associated with the Biblical nativity scene in which figures are arranged to depict the event of Jesus’ birth.

 

The creche has been a decoration for Advent and Christmas for centuries. It has been depicted in frescos, paintings and reliefs. It has been reenacted with living people and animals since at least the 1300s. 

 

But it is most common to see plaster statues or wooden figures of the Holy Family and their guests.

 

By the 1800s, many Christian churches, including Lutherans, began embracing the use of creches in their churches. Eventually, Christians began using them at their homes.

 

The creche is a visible representation of the people who attended the birth of Jesus as depicted in the accounts of Matthew 2 and Luke 2. The creche provides us with a visible and tangible representation of the setting and event of Christ’s birth. It enables us to see with our eyes and touch with our hands the scenario in which Christ’s first advent occurred. Since God has created us with multiple senses, the creche engages our abilities to see and touch to support the hearing of His Word, the events of the birth of the Messiah.

 

You see, the advent of our Lord didn’t happen in a spiritual fantasy land but in real time among real people in this very real creation. St. John affirms the reality of the incarnate Christ, writing: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life … that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1, 3).

 

But I will admit that I have an issue with the creche, or nativity scene. Many of you may know what I am going to say. Take a look at our creche under the Christmas tree. Who is missing? The Magi. But I am kind enough to have the Magi on the outskirts of the sanctuary. Why do you think the Magi are over there and not with the rest of the scene?

 

Well, it’s because the Magi did not arrive in Bethlehem at the birth of the Christ Child. They actually arrived some months later. So, that’s why I have them make their arrival on the day of Epiphany. And when they did finally arrive, they didn’t see Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12), but saw Jesus being held in Mary’s arms inside a house (Matthew 2:11). 

 

However, the creche reveals that the very Son of God was born in a very earthly setting, laid in a manger, with livestock surrounding and hay abounding. He was laid in a feeding trough. God entered this world as a small and helpless infant, dependent upon His mother for food and protection. The creche attests to the reality that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This humble setting displays the One “who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7).

 

The creche points us to the ongoing humiliation of Jesus for our salvation that He being fully God became man in order to die for us. “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross” (Philippians 2:8). 

 

Remember, Jesus did not remain in the manger. He would grow up to be “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. … 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 53:3, 5).

 

Jesus came in humble circumstances to share our humanity and become the Savior for sinners. The creche reminds us of His humble beginnings on earth.

 

The creche attests to what Christmas is all about. It presents in visible and tangible form the people and events of Jesus’ birth described in Matthew and Luke. This decoration of the nativity scene prepares us to celebrate the advent of the Baby who was born to save His people from their sins.

 

Amen. Come Lord Jesus.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"The Source of Eternal Salvation" (Hebrews 5:7-9)

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In Jesus’ Name. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9).

 

What is it that we are gathered here tonight to celebrate – the death of an innocent man? Is that truly a cause for celebration? Is it that the Lord knows what we go through because He has tasted the bitterness of extreme suffering and death? Why are we here tonight?

 

The reading of the Passion tells us the facts of tonight, but it is tonight’s epistle that opens our eyes to see what these facts mean. These are the facts: Jesus of Nazareth is nailed to a wooden cross. He suffers. He lacks breath. He speaks, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He dies. What makes Good Friday, good? What is there to celebrate? Why should there be any joy in the death of Jesus?

 

To this question, the Book of Hebrews gives us the answer: “[Jesus] was heard because of His reverence. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:7-9).

 

If we want to truly understand what Good Friday meant to Jesus, it is “reverent submission.” Jesus is clear that the events of Good Friday came to Him from His Father. He received the gifts His Father gave, even the gift of suffering and the gift of death. As He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will”(Matthew 26:39). 

 

Now, Jesus is fully and completely God, but even as God, He learned as He became fully man. He learned obedience from what He suffered. And what does God require of all of us? He requires obedience. He requires the obedience that we refuse to render.

 

God loves you. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son so that you could have eternal life by faith in Him. Jesus came in human flesh so that He would be the Man who would be man enough to be obedient to God the Father.

 

The eternal Son of God took on our human flesh knowing that He would suffer and die for all of humanity. He took on our human flesh knowing that the only way for mankind to be reconciled to God was through the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins. So, Jesus said to His Father: “Your will be done.”

 

Tonight is a day of celebration, because God provided us Jesus as our substitute, who was perfectly obedient to God the Father, even through extreme agony. So, all of the obedience we have failed to render to God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ goes forth to render on behalf of all – for you, for me.

 

As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the darkness of the world’s sin wrapped around Him and the horror of the world’s damnation washed over Him, but He remained completely attuned and perfectly submissive to His Father’s holy will for us. Jesus learned the full cost of that obedience, carrying it beyond anyone else has ever taken. “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). And “being made perfect” through the cross and tomb, He “became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9). The high priests of old had to offer sacrifices year after year, but Jesus, the Great High Priest, His blood “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

 

But is there a caveat here? Salvation is only for those who obey Jesus? Yes. But you and I are poor, miserable sinners. How do we obey Jesus? Well, we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him and “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 3:23). Faith is obedience to God and is worked in us by God’s grace through His Means of Grace – Word and Sacrament. Just as our faith is not our doing, but God’s. So is how we obey. We learn to obey as God’s gift through the Holy Spirit so that we can live with God and for God through faith’s obedience.

 

This is the joy of Good Friday. God has given us the source of salvation – the only source of salvation – and that is faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s gift of salvation for you! Through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in you, you know that your sins have been completely paid for on the cross of Jesus, that your death has been destroyed in His dying, and that you will pass with your Lord through the gate of death to a joyful resurrection. 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 Lent Midweek 5: "Prayer: Our Greatest Weapon - Part 2"

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:

Last week, we heard the first three petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. 

§  First, God’s Name is holy in itself, but we pray that it may be hallowed in us and in the whole world and that the Word and the honor of God may be kept holy against blasphemers of His Name. This is done when His Name and His honor is in our teaching and life.

§  Second, His kingdom comes when His Word increases and is powerful among us. We have His kingdom through His Word and Sacraments now and when His kingdom comes when we die, or Christ returns first.

§  Third, that all those be restrained who oppose His Name and the kingdom of God, for the will of God is that “everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).

 

Each of these petitions, or requests, also serve us as our weapons against Satan’s spiritual warfare. Tonight, we will conclude our look at the Lord’s Prayer with the fourth through the seventh petitions.

 

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Now, what is meant by daily bread? Well, consider a breadbasket, which contains the necessities of our body and of the temporal life. So, “daily bread” is everything that we need to survive. It’s literal bread from the baker’s oven. It’s drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, temporal peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors. “Daily bread” is not an accidental thing. “Daily bread” is the gift of God. 

 

Now, this “daily bread” God gives to even the wicked and the godless. But nevertheless, we know and acknowledge that every “daily bread” comes from God.

 

So, in this petition, we pray against everything that hinders daily bread. This petition is against tempest, war, and those who loot and steal that which belongs to their neighbor. But nonetheless, the Lord wants us to pray in order that we acknowledge daily bread as His gift.

Now, on to the next request: “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

 

No one does as he or she should do. But at the same time, we get stuck in the mire of being proud and think that we are thoroughly holy.

 

So, all of us must say, “Forgive us our trespasses.” We must pray to God to give us a conscience unafraid, which is assured that your sins are forgiven. This petition serves those who are conscious of their sins. For one who falsely thinks that they are righteous by their own doing are only liars. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

 

In this petition, may everyone acknowledge the need for which you feel. We must all admit and confess that we do not do enough for our neighbor. Therefore, we must daily pray for forgiveness of sins.

 

God promises the forgiveness of sins, but we must also forgive our neighbor. To this, Luther writes, “If you have someone whom you do not forgive, you pray in vain. Therefore let each one look to his neighbor, if he has been offended by him, and forgive him from the heart; then he will be certain that his sin too has been forgiven … if you forgive, you too will be forgiven.”

 

The life of the Christian is a life of repentance and forgiveness, and thus we pray to God our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

 

Now we can pray, “And lead us not into temptation,” which means “not into evil enticement.” What exactly is temptation? Temptation is sin that cling to us. There are three temptations: the flesh, the fallen world, and the devil.

 

First, let’s look at the temptation that is of the flesh. Our flesh says, “Pornography isn’t hurting anyone. Go ahead and click that link.” Or, “If you’re not feeling loved by your spouse, go ahead and find love elsewhere.” Or, if you are a salesman, “I know the product is only worth this much, but I’m going to charge double, because what the customers don’t know won’t hurt them.” 

 

The flesh seeks to satisfy its lust in glutting, guzzling, and loafing.

 

Second is the temptation of the fallen world, which tempts us with envy, hatred, and pride. Say your neighbor irritates you to anger when you are making a bargain and all of a sudden you become impatient, the fallen world comes upon you and up you go – you blow your top. 

 

Or you could want to conform to this fallen world. These are the worldly temptations. You live your life for the Facebook likes. You live your life following the winds and ways of this fallen world to eventually find yourself believing that a man can be a woman and a woman can be a man and a child can become a cat. Yet, five minutes ago, you thought that to be crazy, but now you are one with the world, so you are fine with wrong being right. To this we ought to pray: “O Lord, bring it to pass that the flesh and the world shall not seduce me!”

 

Third is the temptation by the devil. He tempts us by causing us to disregard God’s Word. “Sunday is fun day. It’s been a tiring week; I have to sleep in on Sunday, because I was out late on Saturday, so I just can’t get to church Sunday morning – or even Monday evening.” Or, even if you do come to church to hear the sermon, you don’t take it in, you have no delight, no love, no reverence for the Word of God.

 

St. Peter reminds us, our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But rarely does he make a frontal attack that we can prepare for as we defend ourselves. Instead, temptation most commonly sneaks up and attacks from behind. Temptation ambushes us in ways that we never see coming.

 

Consider this: You are new to the area. You find a new doctor, new dentist, new friends, and a new church. You attend church a few weeks, then you miss a few weeks. You attend one week, then miss five weeks. Before you know it, you are no longer attending the Divine Service at all. God has become distant and drifted off the radar screen. In other words, a Christian doesn’t just wake up one morning and decide to renounce the faith. Instead, you drift away without ever realizing it. Temptation most commonly sneaks up and attacks from behind. In this petition, we pray to be preserved from this.

 

Satan attacks us with unbelief and indifference. But we have the promise that God will deliver us from these temptations of the flesh, the fallen world, and the devil. Our whole life is nothing but temptation by these three. Therefore, we must pray: “Dear Father, let not our flesh seduce us, let not the world deceive us, and let not the devil cast us down.” 

And so we conclude the Lord’s Prayer saying: “But deliver us from evil.” What is this evil that we pray against? We are praying against the evil one, the devil, Satan himself. So, we can sum it up this way: “Deliver us from the wicked devil, who hinders our prayers. O Lord, deliver us!”

 

Satan is evil himself, but the “evil” in this petition is everything on earth that is evil, such as sickness, poverty, death – whatever evil there is in this fallen dominion of Satan, of which there is very much here on earth.

 

In short, O Lord, deliver us from the devil.

 

Then as we conclude the Lord’s Prayer, God’s name will be hallowed, His kingdom come, and His will be done, and we are delivered from all things.

 

We pray these words of the Lord’s Prayer so that God tramples the devil under foot. We pray these words for there is a great need for daily bread. 

 

In these seven petitions are found all our anxieties, all our needs, and all our perils, which we ought to bring to God. These are great petitions, but God, who wills to do great things is greater. Therefore, let us learn to pray well since God wants us to do this. Through prayer, we experience the power of God, through which He is able to give us great things, to make us good, to keep the Word, to give us a holy life, to give us a weapon against Satan. In our prayers, we enlist the aid, the support, and the power of our heavenly Father. 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 Last Sunday of the Church Year: "Your Judgment Day" (Matthew 25:31-46)

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:

Jesus said: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on His left” (Matthew 25:31-33).

 

How often do you think about the glorious return of Christ? How often do you think of the Final Judgment?

 

Jesus speaks of wars and rumors of wars. He speaks that many will fall away from the Christian faith only to betray one another and to hate one another. He speaks of an increase in natural disasters.

 

With the war between Israel and Hamas, and the war between Russia and Ukraine, one may think, are we close to Christ’s return? With an ever increase in Christians falling away from the one true faith, are we close to Christ’s return? With the news media and politicians lecturing us about the climate, is this a sign of Christ’s return?

 

Instead of pondering these questions, what does Jesus say? “Concerning that day and hour no one knows” (Matthew 24:36). So, life will be considered normal. Christ says that it will be like the days of Noah, since the general population was unaware until the flood came and swept them away. Christ says over and over again: “Be ready.”

 

But even with the call for us to “be ready,” the natural question is “when?” Now, we don’t know the day and the hour of Christ’s return. So, if someone tells you that he knows when, he is lying. So, you must dismiss him. And, if you forget about this, then some false prophet will make a fool of himself by claiming he knows what he cannot know and he might make a fool of you as well.

 

But Jesus does give us a question from today’s Gospel lesson that we can answer. At least this is one that the Lord tells us the answer. When will all this get decided? When does the judgment happen? When does the Lord make up His mind about who goes where? The big answer to when is this Final Judgment is: right now.

After warning us through the Parable of the Ten Virgins and the Parable of the Tenants, this morning, everything comes to its climax. So, on this Last Sunday of the Church Year, Jesus again is warning His church – you and me – to be ready for the Final Judgment. As I said last week, on the one hand, we pray for Christ’s return, and on the other hand, we pray for His delay. Just the other day, I was waiting in line at Kwik Trip, and I thought: “How many of these people around me will be numbered with the goats?” It is a scary thought!

 

We have this conflict, because the Day of Judgment, which is magnificent, is also scary. It’s scary, since we have family and friends who are lapsed Christians. It’s scary, since we have family and friends who are being fed lies by false prophets wearing albs and stoles saying good is evil and evil is good. It’s scary, since we have family and friends who have never once stepped inside a Bible-believing church. It’s scary, because we all see so many people heading for judgment. It’s scary, because we see how urgent it is to tell everyone that their salvation has been won in Christ alone and that He is coming again to judge the living and the dead.

 

Again, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, … He will separate people from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31a, 32b).

 

So, on that great and magnificent day, Jesus will divide all mankind into two groups: sheep and goats. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus likens this to the customary practice of the shepherds in Israel. You see, during the daytime, the shepherd would let his sheep and goats graze together in the same pasture, but at night, the shepherd would separate the sheep and the goats. As it is with a shepherd, this separation is easy, since a shepherd can easily tell the difference between a sheep and a goat. So, on the Last Day, this will be a simple matter for Jesus. “He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left” (Matthew 25:33).

 

The sheep are those who God made righteous through Holy Baptism, so they live as sheep. They gladly hear and learn God’s Word. They share the good news of salvation. They care for God’s creation. They take care for those around them.

 

The goats are those who ignored the call of God. They chose to do other things instead of gladly hearing and learning God’s Word. They chose to reject God’s grace. They chose to ignore the cry of their fellow creatures. They chose eternal death. So, in return, God gives them what they chose. They chose to share in the same fate as Satan and his demons – eternal punishment apart from God in hell.

Now, what to make of “right” and “left”? Well, “right” signifies complete approval by the One who has all power and authority. By contrast, “left” means rejection, or sinister.

 

During the French Revolution, the French National Assembly was divided as “right” and “left.” In fact, our Congress has adopted this framework. But do you know the origins on this seating arrangement? You see, those who supported the Church sat on the “right” and those who supported the revolution sat on the “left.” It may be unknown to them, but the French Assembly and even our Congress is attempting to divide in a similar way as that of Christ on the Last Day.

 

But then we come to a problem. I thought true believers were not judged. Remember Christ saying, “Whoever believes is not condemned” (John 3:18a)? What about: “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 then we come to: “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Romans 14:10) and “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10). 

 

Hmm. What is going on here? On one hand, those who trust in Jesus are not judged and on the other hand, everyone is judged. How do we resolve this?

 

Well, let’s look in what manner Jesus speaks of the sheep and the goats. To the sheep, Jesus does not mention a single sin of theirs. He only speaks in glowing praise. But to the goats, Jesus makes a specific mention of their sins, which have brought them into everlasting condemnation.

 

To the sheep, the Last Judgment is a witness of exactly what they by faith expected. At the sight of Jesus, the sheep are filled with great joy, since Jesus is their Brother and Friend. To the sheep, He calls them “blessed by My Father” (Matthew 25:34).

 

To the goats, the Last Judgment is a witness of exactly how they lived apart from faith. For them, at the sight of Jesus, the goats are filled with fear, since Jesus who they denied, is actually real and present before them. To them, Jesus says, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

 

The goats may have known Jesus, but they chose to deny their faith before man. Remember, even Satan and his demons believe in Jesus. So, by denying their faith and living no different than an unbeliever, Jesus casts these goats into hell. 

 

I mentioned earlier about the big answer to when is the Final Judgment. I said that this Final Judgment is right now. But what about that separation of the sheep and the goats? Well, right now everyone’s fate is being decided. As for the Last Day, that is when everyone’s fate will be publicly announced, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is vindicated as the truth before all people: the sheep and the goats. So, for the sheep, the same Jesus you believe and trust in today and throughout your life is the One in whose righteousness you shall stand on Judgment Day.

 

But what about right now? Each Sunday, we publicly confess that Christ will “come to judge the living and the dead.” We confess that this day is not a day that we – as sheep – dread, for we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. We have the forgiveness of sins that covers all our sin. For us sheep, Judgment Day marks the public and eternal announcement of God’s judgment in Christ: “Your sins are forgiven, so you are righteous for Jesus’ sake!”

 

Each Sunday, we too, confess that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) and “cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them” (Galatians 3:10b). According to God’s Law, the sinner deserves God’s “present and eternal punishment.” This is the judgment of the Law.

 

But this judgment, which we all deserved, fell upon Christ in His death on the cross. Because He took our sin into His flesh, God the Father punished His Son. Christ bore the suffering and death that we deserved. “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” (Psalm 53:5).

 

The judgment of the Gospel is that the death of Jesus and the shedding of His blood covers the sin of the world (1 John 1:7). The judgment of the Gospel is that the sinner is declared righteous for the sake of Jesus who has paid the price for his sin. And this word of forgiveness is received by faith. The righteousness of Christ clothes the baptized believer. It covers his sin with forgiveness, so that on Judgment Day, the Christian stands before God righteous and holy for Jesus’ sake as His sheep. 

 

You are His sheep! In Holy Baptism, He claimed you as His own as He gave you His name! As His sheep, we believe the judgment of the absolution which declares you forgiven!

 

So, today, you are judged. Through Christ’s death and bodily resurrection, you who believe in Him are now declared innocent. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15: “In fact Christ has been raised from the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:20a). When Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He declared that His death paid the price for all sin, and our salvation was accomplished. When He rose from the dead, He proclaimed the forgiveness of sins to His disciples when He said, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19, 21). Then He sent them out to proclaim the judgment of the Law and Gospel on His behalf, in order that sinners might be brought to repentance and faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

 

So, our Judgement Day is today when a sinner is either “bound” or “loosed” from his sins through the preaching of the Law and Gospel in sermons, in catechesis, and in confession and absolution. This takes place daily in the life of the Christian as he is brought again and again to repentance and faith in Christ. This is the life of the Christian. We hear the preaching of the Law that exposes our sins, which flow from a mistrust of God. God’s Law cuts us to the heart (Acts 2:37) as we feel the judgment of the Law that Jesus felt on the cross. But then you hear the preaching of the Gospel, which declares your sins forgiven for Jesus’ sake. The word of the Gospel covers your sins, creates faith in Christ, comforts the heart, and gives the penitent and forgiven sinner the joy of salvation and the sure and certain hope of eternal life.

 

So, when you hear, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” you are hearing the judgment of God. It is as if you are hearing, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Amen. Come Lord Jesus!

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for All Saints' Sunday: "And So We Are" (1 John 3:1-3)

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:

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1).

 

And so we are. On this All Saints’ Sunday, we are reminded that the Church is not limited to one place and time, but that the Church – the City of God – is the communion of all the saints – all with faith and trust in Jesus, whether they are here now or have gone before us to be with the Lord, or are still to come.

 

We are all God’s children! But this was not always the case. 

 

You see, when we first entered this fallen world, it was not as God’s child, but as God’s enemy. God had so many other adjectives to describe our original status: foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved. The Apostle Paul describes our status this way: we were all sinful rebels of God “passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another” (Titus 3:3).

 

It was bad. Really bad. Stuck in our fallen sinful nature without a Savior, we all have one final destination: eternal separation from God in hell where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Now, God created us to live under His rule as His children. But we are no longer by nature children of God, because of our sin. Both the inherited sin from Adam common to all human beings, and our own sinful acts. By nature, we are not children of God, but rather spiritually blind, spiritually dead, and enemies of God. God’s Word convicts us of enmity toward Him and our own observation bears out that terrifying verdict.

 

Yet, by the grace of God, the love of God, we are God’s children now. And so we are.

 

To become God’s child is only possible because of the love of God. Oh, and never doubt His love toward you!

 

Despite being God’s enemies, He still loved us. He desired you to be His child. He desires not the eternal death of anyone. So, He choose to adopt you into His family, making you and me the brothers and sisters of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3:26 that we are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus, for all who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. In Christ, we have become naturalized citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

Sit back and notice the astonishment: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1). We, who are poor, miserable sinners. We, who are foolish and disobedient. We have been declared children of God. God the Father’s love for His children is far beyond anyone’s expectations.

 

And so we are. By God’s grace, through the water and the Word in Holy Baptism, we are made naturalized citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. But what would this citizen certificate look like? Well, it might look a lot like the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. This certificate would identify you as being poor in spirit, one who mourns, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, persecuted. 

 

Some things on that list may seem more attractive than others, and that is the point. Those who follow Jesus are out of step with the mass of sinful humanity. Their attitudes and values and longings have been reoriented by Christ. They desire the kingdom of God.

 

You may notice, when seeing the crowds Jesus sat down on the mountain, then His disciples came up to hear Him. With these words, Jesus invites them and us to sit. Because you follow Me, this is who you are. Because they heard His call, believed in Him and trusted in Him, He speaks the word “blessed” to them for their desire of God’s kingdom. 

 

Through faith in Him, they will know, see, and live what they have desired. “Blessed” is the word Jesus uses for His followers. And so we are. 

 

With blessing, He has invited all the saints who have gone before us to listen to His voice. With blessing, He invites us to His teaching. Because of God’s love for you in Christ, because you have died and risen with Christ in Holy Baptism, you are blessed.

 

Jesus has called you, and you now sit in front of Him as He Himself teaches you everything necessary for life in the kingdom.

 

Notice what Jesus teaches immediately following the Beatitudes: you will be persecuted. More and more in society, Christians are somehow abnormal and out of step with the times. Some view Christians as dangerous. But what does Jesus say as our response when persecution comes, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12).

 

If, and when, you are persecuted for your faith, you will find yourselves in good company. You are one with the prophets and the apostles and all the rest who have confessed the name of Jesus Christ. You find yourself in the City of God with all the Saints, both living and departed. And so we are.

 

For those who have gone before us, such as our brother in Christ Ed Schmidt in the past year, they are all looking at Jesus. For they see Him as He is. They cannot take their eyes off Him. No longer do they see Him dimly, but they now see Him face-to-face. They are children of God who are now home with the Father. They are basking forever in the warmth of the Father’s great love for them and for us. They are there. They know they are there before the Lord solely because their robes have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus. They are blessed. Every one of Jesus’ Beatitudes is fulfilled for them, for “theirs is the kingdom” (Matthew 5:3, 10). They are comforted. They are satisfied. They see God. They are called sons of God. They are pure in heart.

 

But what about us? We, like those in the Church Triumphant in heaven, are also looking in one direction. Some days, our sinful nature may lead us to glance a different direction, but Saints in the now and not yet, are all looking at Jesus. 

 

Now, we do not see Jesus as He is, for we are still living here in the fallen world. But we do hear His Voice in His Word. We are washed by Him in Holy Baptism. We hear Him pronounce absolution of our sins. And we feed on Him in His body and blood under bread and wine, which gives us forgiveness, life, and salvation.

 

Like the saints before us, we know we live and love only by grace. Every day we come before the Lord, confessing our many sins and doubts and failures. We take comfort in the promise, “Everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies Himself as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).

We become pure only by Jesus’ blood and by His atoning death for us. He alone washes us clean, since it is only “the blood of Jesus His Son [that] cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

 

It is the blood of Jesus that washes us clean. Through Holy Baptism, we were adopted as a child of God. In the Sacrament of the Altar, the blood of Jesus is poured out for us to restore our life by forgiving our sins.

 

Now, God the Father looks at us as He sees His Son Jesus, forgiven, washed, covered, made alive with His life, and wearing the white robe of righteousness that covers all of our sin and death.

 

We, like the Saints in heaven, hear Jesus’ Beatitudes also for us. We are still “poor in spirit,” as we mourn and hunger and thirst for righteousness. We are called to be peacemakers, to be pure in heart. We are often persecuted for righteousness’ sake. But in Jesus, we hear the promise too. We can take to heart the promise of the kingdom, that the meek “shall inherit the earth.” We look for mercy and trust the promise that with hearts purified in Christ, we “shall see God.”

 

We know that we are not to seek the praise of this fallen world but seek only to be faithful to the Word of God and, through the Holy Spirit, we grow in His grace.

 

As fellow redeemed in Christ, we know that we will never achieve moral perfection and total purity in this fallen world. God’s Word says: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). So, obedience to God’s will is always less than perfect. Jesus came to declare war on sin, which in every case is rebellious lawlessness against the holy will of God. Sin is evil. So, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we hate sin too. As Christians, we refuse to get comfortable with sin, as we declare war on sin, too. 

 

As God purifies us as He is pure in His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments, we are reminded that true believers may fall into sin, but they never surrender. True believers may fall into sin, but they repent, welcome Christ’s forgiveness, and affirm their desire to change in the hope to be like Him. 

 

4    Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
    Alleluia! Alleluia!

For All the Saints (LSB 677, stanza 4) Text: Public domain

And so we are – children of God knowing that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. Amen.

 

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +