"Delivered, Transferred and Redeemed" (Colossians 1:14-20)

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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:

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

 

Last Sunday during the children’s message, we were reminded that it is getting darker these days. There is less light these days. And until December 21, the light grows more dim each day. Darkness is powerful. Darkness has an undeniable authority. Darkness forces you to do certain things and darkness prevents you from doing other things.

 

In today’s age, we can live out our lives without ever actually experiencing total, complete darkness. We can do this through artificial light, through things such as light bulbs and flashlights. So, it is easy for us to lose sight of darkness’ authority. But darkness does have real power. Darkness forces us to drive slower at night. Darkness causes us to put on the brights in hopes that a deer will still not jump out in your way. 

 

In complete darkness, you will get lost and never know where to go. Darkness certainly forces us to be cautious and sometimes that darkness causes fear, because darkness can hurt you.

 

Darkness can actually kill, because all living things need light to stay alive. In parts of the world where darkness lingers, people have to take steps to fight off depression and other maladies. In total darkness, people can become insane and become sick and die. And all because of darkness. That is authority. That is power.

 

Spiritual darkness has power too. This “domain of darkness” is a place where darkness has its way. This “domain of darkness” is dark because people cannot see their way to the truth; they cannot perceive what they should perceive about the Lord and about themselves. They grope, they stumble, they are the “blind leading the blind” to destruction because they do not have better advice or example to offer than their own impaired stumbling. Sin is dark because we live in it thoughtlessly, carelessly, recklessly, stumbling and tumbling to our own and others’ destruction.

 

This “domain of darkness” is also dark because it is precisely where Satan holds sway. He relies on darkness, both the darkness of night, when sin crouches at our door so close to us, and the darkness of the heart, where we do not even understand the things we say and do as wrong. Satan likes darkness because it affords him room to work. He can work when you don’t confess your sin. He can work when you spend your time and energy hiding your sin. He can work when you have no one else with you and you assume that no one else sees or cares what you are doing. Darkness is a favorite place for Satan. Darkness is where Satan works his hardest on you and me. 

 

In today’s epistle reading, many of the Colossians were choosing to live in spiritual darkness and because of this darkness, the Colossian church was in serious jeopardy. It was so bad that Epaphras made a 1,300-mile trip to Rome to visit St. Paul while he was in prison. 

 

So, what was the issue? Well, the city of Colossae included a mixture of both Greeks and Jews and among them were elements of Gnosticism. This Gnostic heresy taught that Jesus alone was not adequate for salvation. They taught of a secret knowledge that threatened the salvation of these Colossians. This heresy centered on the Person of Christ as they denied Christ’s humanity as they viewed Jesus as a mere spirit being who came from God. They taught a form of philosophical dualism where the spirit is good, and matter was evil. So, they said that Christ could never be man, because flesh was evil.

 

But by far, the most serious aspect of this Colossian heresy was its rejection of Christ’s deity. This is why St. Paul wrote this letter to the Colossian church. He wrote this letter because their salvation was at stake.

 

The Bible is supremely a book about the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament records the preparation for His coming. The Gospels present Him as God in human flesh, come into the world to save sinners. The Epistles detail the theology of Christ’s work and personification of Christ in His Body, the Church. And Revelation presents Christ on the throne, reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords.

 

Every part of Scripture testifies about Jesus Christ. In Luke 24, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to [the Emmaus disciples] in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). In John 5, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me” (John 5:39). And Philip, too, preached Christ to the Ethiopian eunuch by using only the book of Isaiah (Acts 8:35).

But of all the Bible’s teachings about Jesus Christ, our text today may be the most significant. Today’s text is dramatic and powerful and removes any doubt or confusion over who Jesus truly is.

 

So, who is Jesus? “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of creation” (Colossians 1:15). Jesus is the absolute image of God. Now, He did not become the image of God at the incarnation, but He has been the image of God from all eternity. Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature. He is the exact likeness of God. He is in His very form God. This is why Jesus could say: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). In Christ, the invisible God became visible, “and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

 

Jesus is the full and final and complete revelation of God. He is God taken upon Himself human flesh. 

 

Not only is Jesus the image of the invisible God for “by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). Jesus is the Creator. He is not a creation of God. Jesus created all things. “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing that was made”(John 1:3).

 

The entire universe exists and continues to operate only through the power and will of Jesus Christ. For, if He would for a moment cease to sustain creation, then the stars, the planets, and atoms would all spin out of control until they would disappear into oblivion. It’s Jesus who holds all things together. Jesus is God.

 

This, “in Him all things hold together” also teaches us something else. You see, on Judgment Day, everyone must pass through Him. So, those who in life knew Him in name only, or only knew Him as an inconvenience, or those who did not know Him at all, will now face Him entirely unprepared, dressed in the dirtiness of their sins and will hear Him say: “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you”(Matthew 25:12).

 

Jesus does not know those who live in darkness. For everyone who does not live by faith in Christ is among Satan’s fallen world. Without faith in Christ, the sinner stands before God guilty and condemned; the sinner stands before God as a debtor, an enemy, a stranger.

 

But we, who have been delivered from the domain of darkness by faith in Jesus will see Jesus standing before us as a familiar friend and brother. In Him, “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14).

 

Despite our sins, Jesus has reconciled us back to Himself. He undertook the Great Exchange. He willingly suffered all things for you. He willingly faced mockery for you. He willingly died for you. In Christ, the sinner now stands before God as righteous. In Christ, the sinner is granted freedom. In Christ, the sinner’s debt is paid. In Christ, the sinner stands before God as friend. In Christ, the sinner stands before God as His son or daughter.

 

In Christ alone, we are at peace with God. In Christ alone, we are reconciled to God. In Christ alone, we are restored to a right relationship between God and man.

 

We are at peace with God because Jesus shed His blood on the cross and by rising again the third day from the dead to make sure that you are His.

 

In Christ, we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and have been transferred to His kingdom!

 

You were created by Christ and He has redeemed you to be His forever. Christ is the Head of the body, the Church. And since you are in Christ, you are no longer captive to sin, you are no longer of the domain of darkness. You are redeemed. You are delivered. You are forgiven. You are set free. You are cleansed. You are healed. This was accomplished because of the power of His shed blood. His blood brings peace. His shed blood brings peace between you and God. His blood cancels your sin, your idolatry, your rebellion you once owed Him.

 

Jesus has won for you peace by His blood and by His cross and by His resurrected life. Christ is all in all. By faith, Christ, your Creator and Redeemer has delivered you out of the domain of darkness by giving you redemption, the forgiveness of your sin. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

"From Unbelief to Faith" (John 20:19-31)

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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:

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” … and “He showed them His hands and His side” (John 20:19, 20). Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

On that first Easter morning, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene outside the empty tomb. At first, she didn’t recognize Him, but at once she heard her name, she desired to cling to Him. (John 20:11-18)

 

Later that Easter day, Jesus appeared to two unnamed disciples on the road to Emmaus. They, too, didn’t recognize Him at first, but at once He opened the Scriptures to them and made Himself known through the breaking of the bread, they did not want Him to leave. (Luke 24:13-35)

 

But now it is the evening of that day. The rumors have been circulating all day. Word has gone out to the apostles that their Lord had risen from the dead. If they believed the word of Christ’s resurrection, they certainly aren’t showing it. 

 

But the apostles are showing something. They are showing fear and unbelief.

 

For the apostles, they are sitting behind locked doors in great fear of the Jewish authorities. Except for Thomas, they will not go out. Now, they are not behind a simple padlock – the doors are barred. And not just one door is barred. It is assumed that the outer door of the building itself and the inner door to the room are barred shut. Nobody was getting in, and nobody was getting out without everyone knowing about it. All they see is death before them. 

 

Now, the apostles have good reason for their fear. You see, long before Christ died on the cross, the Sanhedrin had decreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah was to be expelled from the synagogues (John 9:22). And since that time, the Sanhedrin’s hatred for Jesus also spilled over to them. So, they figure they’re next.

 

So, here they are, hunkered down, huddled together, letting fear control their lives.

But in reality, nobody at that present time was attempting to kill them. It is likely that the Sanhedrin believed that since “the Jesus problem” has been dealt with that His disciples would then scatter. Yet, for the apostles, they think they are next. Their hearts tremble. They are letting fear control their actions. Fear: the unpleasant emotion caused by the thought that they were in danger; likely to be threatened; maybe be inflicted with the pain and agony of the cross themselves.

 

Fear remains a major experience for us. We live in a fallen world that can threaten us with violence. Fear can disrupt your life. We live in an age where things can go disastrously wrong. We live in a very imperfect and cruel world, where bad things happen, and we think of the most frightful possibilities of harm. I’m sure you can make your own list of the things you fear the most.

 

In this moment of fear for the apostles, Jesus appears. He never knocked on the door and asked permission to come in. He never found a sneaky way in. Now in His risen and glorified state, time, space, the rock of the tomb, the walls and doors of buildings no longer hamper the body of Jesus. He simply appears where He desires to appear. At this moment, Jesus simply desired to appear and stand among His apostles and say to them, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).

 

It is in this fear and anxiety that Jesus comes. It is in this fear and anxiety that Jesus comes to move them from unbelief to faith. Again, He greets them saying, “Peace be with you.” Now, this was a common greeting, a greeting that men spoke to each other, but when Jesus speaks “Peace be with you” here, He actually gives what that phrase says. He gives them peace. The peace which surpasses all understanding. The peace that guards hearts and minds.

 

And having spoken of peace, He now shows this peace as He “showed them His hands and His side” (John 20:20). By showing His wounds, He proves to them that He is not a phantom or a spirit. He is Jesus in the flesh. The same Jesus they knew before He suffered and died.

 

By showing His hands and His side, Jesus is showing them the very price at which He has brought them peace, His pierced hands, His split side, the evidence of His death by crucifixion. He shows them the wounds made by the nails and the spear. The wounds that proclaim that God is at peace with us. These wounds attest to our peace. 

 

 

When the apostles fled when Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, they gave up their faith in Him. They became unbelievers. But by hearing those words, “Peace be with you” as Jesus extends His pierced hands, He has taken all their guilt away and has restored them as believers again. For these ten living apostles, seeing led to them believing.

 

Now restored to faith, these ten apostles desire to begin their work on evangelizing the lost. Lone and behold, an unbeliever comes into their midst: Thomas. So, they try to convince Thomas saying, “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25a). They kept laboring and laboring to convince Thomas to believe. But their efforts proved in vain as Thomas says to them, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe” (John 20:25b).

 

Thomas is right where the other apostles were before they saw Jesus. They had to see in order to believe. It is often we hear of Thomas as a doubter. He was no doubter. He was certain. Just like the other apostles were certain that Jesus was dead. Besides being certain, Thomas was an unbeliever, just like the other apostles before they saw Jesus. 

 

The other apostles attempted to use reason in bringing Thomas to faith, but unbelief always was and always will be unreasonable. This is glaringly plain in the case of Thomas. For him, all the unanimous testimony of his fellow apostles, whose character he knew so well, amounted to nothing. The fact is that all of them, including himself, never dreamed that Jesus would return from the dead. That was impossible. 

 

The more the ten apostles speak to him and the more they present the facts, the more stubborn Thomas becomes. He challenges the evidence, saying, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

 

Thomas is demanding evidence. What the other apostles claim to have is not nearly enough for him. 

 

Now, you can’t reason with an unbeliever, because unbelievers set up criteria of their own. Unbelievers will have what they demand. Unbelievers make themselves a superior person, looking down on believers as fools who cannot be trusted. The wisdom of the unbeliever exceeds that of all other people. At this time, Thomas is pretty sure of himself that Jesus is dead.

Eight days later, with all eleven living apostles present, and the doors still padlocked, Jesus appears. The first words Jesus says are “Peace be with you.” Then he pulled Thomas aside and said, “Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side. Do not disbelieve, but believe” (John 20:27).

 

Immediately, Jesus turns Thomas from unbelief and mistrust into a solid and confident believer. Jesus gave Him faith, just as He gives us faith. You see, faith can only be received as a gift from God, from the Holy Spirit. Faith is not something that God expects us to conjure up for ourselves. Faith is not something that we create. Faith is something that the Holy Spirit creates in us.

 

There was no mistake. This Man is the crucified and risen Jesus. He is living. He is alive! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

Thomas now had the knowledge. He saw Christ’s hands and the nail holes still visible, scarring His flesh. He could no longer deny what was right in front of him. And to his faith, Thomas declares, “My Lord and My God!” (John 20:28).

 

We each have a similar walk of faith as Thomas. You were baptized. There, the Holy Spirit gave you faith. And what does the Holy Spirit do with your faith? He strengthens it as you hear and read His Word. In the Rite of Confirmation, you confessed this faith as Thomas did. You stated your agreement with God. And what does God do? He continues to strengthen your faith through His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments. God gives you His grace to you personally as He forgives your sins.

 

In the Lord’s Supper, you agree that Jesus is truly present. You agree that He gives you His very body and blood. When you hear His words of promise in this Supper, your faith informs you that you receive God’s forgiveness. Life and salvation are yours because Jesus won them for you, by His death, through His resurrection.

 

Since that night, Jesus is still appearing for us. Yet, not in the same way as He did for the apostles, but He still does appear. He appears to you as your Savior – as His gift to you in the Sacraments and in His Word, He continues to speak to us in His Holy Scriptures. 

 

In Christ alone, He moves all people from unbelief to faith. And in this gift of faith, we forgive one another, just as He has forgiven us. 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 Day of Pentecost: "What Does This Mean?" (Acts 2:1-21)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who together send the promised Holy Spirit! Amen! 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

“And [the devout Jews from every nation under heaven] were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? … [They] all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2:7-8, 12).

 

Fifty days after Christ’s resurrection and ten days after His ascension, the followers of Christ remain in Jerusalem. They wait. They are waiting under the command their Lord who said, “Behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). You see, Jesus was waiting for the perfect time. And that perfect time had come.

 

When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, He had them observe the Passover the same night, and then He commanded them to celebrate the Passover the same time each year as a memorial of their deliverance and departure from Egypt (Exodus 12:14). From that day of the Passover, they traveled 50 days to Mount Sinai. There, upon Mount Sinai, God gave them the Law through Moses. This fiftieth day was also a day of importance. God, too, commanded them to observe a memorial day every year on the fiftieth day after Passover (Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-12). 

 

This fiftieth day after Passover became known as the Feast of the Harvest, or the Feast of Weeks, or simply “Pentecost,” since it took place 50 days after the Passover Sabbath. So, every pious Jew tried to be in Jerusalem for this festival to bring their harvest of grains to the temple. So, on this day, they gathered up their baskets, then processed up Mount Zion as they sang the Psalms of Ascents (Psalm 120-136), then processed into the temple courts where they would present their baskets to the priests.

 

Pentecost was a major festival as it brought in people from all throughout the world into Jerusalem. For us, we celebrate the Pentecost festival not because of the old history, but because of its new history, because of the sending of the Holy Spirit. This was the perfect time to send the Third Person of the Trinity upon the people.

 

For the festival pilgrims, Pentecost began just like other Pentecost festivals before them. But this particular Pentecost was going to be unlike any other before it. As the pilgrims are processing through Jerusalem, they begin to hear familiar voices. Their ears perked up! They recognized the dialect. Now, they weren’t hearing the Aramaic of Judea, which most of them understood. They weren’t hearing the common Greek of the Roman Empire. “Hey! I’m hearing my language!” They all heard and understood the apostles speaking the language of their homeland!

 

To this, they were all bewildered. They were all amazed. They were all perplexed as they said to one another, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:12)

 

What they were hearing was indeed a miracle! Now, this miracle was not in the hearing, but in the speaking of the apostles. Just like that, the Holy Spirit gave them the ability to speak in many languages! And just like that, the people heard. And they questioned what they heard. “What does this mean?”

 

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul writes, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The Church is the people of God – the believers in Christ. But believers do not exist apart from the hearing of the Word of God. If people are not told about Jesus Christ and what Christ has done for them, they cannot believe it. So, while the Church is the people of God, it never exists apart from the Marks of the Church – Word and Sacrament. You see, without the message that Christ died on the cross for your sins, the Church does not exist. This crowd gathered because of the miracles that were taking place. They gathered as they said to one another, “What does this mean?”

 

But did you notice that these people, hearing their own language, did not come to faith until Peter had preached the Word of God to them? Yes, “faith comes by hearing,” but as St. Paul also says, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? How are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14)

 

So, Peter preaches to them the Word of God: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. … This is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh’” (Acts 2:14, 16-17). Peter starts with the Old Testament and applies it to what Jesus had done. Peter preaches Law and Gospel to them. And when they understood what God had done and that they – because of their sins – bore responsibility for the death of Jesus, their consciences were cut open.  

So, they asked Peter, “What shall we do?” and Peter gave them the Gospel: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Three thousand were baptized that very day.

 

So, what did the Holy Spirit do that day? He gave the apostles the power to reach these pious Jews through the pure Word of God. You see, it was the purity of the Law and Gospel that caused Christ’s Church to grow. And the Holy Spirit works through us in every language to spread the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ that is given to all by grace through faith in Christ alone.

 

Without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the promised Helper, our salvation in Christ would have been lost. It would have been forgotten. But with the Holy Spirit, He gave the apostles the confidence to preach the Word of the Cross that Jesus died and rose again to give us forgiveness of sins and life everlasting, that Jesus ascended back into heaven as Lord of heaven and earth, who will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 

But in order to fully understand the Gospel, one needs to see the importance of the Gospel. You see, if you believe you are not a sinner, then Jesus is of no importance to you. So, the Holy Spirit leads us to acknowledge our sins against God and our neighbor, so that we are ready to hear the message that through Christ’s atoning death, those sins are forgiven. The Holy Spirit is always pointing to Jesus. That is His job. So, He constantly reminds us that we have the Savior, who is Jesus Christ, our Lord. For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

 

There is also another thing to be noted by the pious Jews response this day: their question, “What does this mean?” which is a question that is very familiar to us Lutherans. It is Luther’s question he asks throughout his Small Catechism.

 

Now, how many of us have been perplexed by Luther’s question? How many of us remain perplexed by Luther’s question? It’s certainly good to know the wordage of the Six Chief Parts of the Catechism. But we should never be shallow when it comes to Christian doctrine. Jesus, St. Paul, and Luther all desire that we do not remain as Christians who eat only baby food, but that we mature at eat steak. It’s all well and good to know the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer, but what do they mean? How do we fear, love, and trust in God? How do we truly love our neighbor? What does it really mean when we confess the Creed? How do we pray? 

How do these first three chief parts prepare us to understand the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Confession, and the Sacrament of the Altar? What does this all mean? Now, the Catechism does give us so many answers, but not every answer to our every question. So, we must all continue to grow as we are nourished by the Holy Spirit through the Means of Grace. For if you are not nourished, your faith will wither and die. So, continue to chew on God’s Word and inwardly digest it, so that you grow in faith and bear fruits of faith.

 

Confirmation Sunday so often is equated with graduation. The reality is – it isn’t. If confirmation were a graduation, there would be no need for Bible Studies, Christian colleges, and seminaries. There would be no need to continue coming to the Divine Service. But confirmation is a commencement. Confirmation is a beginning. Joshua, in just mere moments, you will be confirming your faith in Jesus Christ. You will vow your allegiance to Him, who suffered and died for you, who rose from the dead for you, who is ascended into heaven for you. You will state your intention to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it. You will be hated by the fallen world for what you are about to do, but as your confirmation verse says: “Be faithful unto death, and [you will receive] the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10b).

 

Now, you will be tempted to abandon Jesus. Satan will tempt you even more than he already has after today. He will use tactics that promote doubt, and his fallen world will criticize and persecute you. So, I pray that you call upon the name of Jesus, receive His gifts in Word and Sacrament, recall the Catechism, for you have the spiritual weapons to fight off Satan’s lies and deceit. May you never forget that.

 

Today, we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but do you all know that this outpouring continues today and everyday wherever the Gospel is preached? From the very beginning, the one holy Christian and apostolic Church has been about the Word. For Joshua, and all of us here today, may we never forget that Word and Sacrament is at the center of everything. It is the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God that clearly communicates all what the triune God has done for us, that we have the Savior Jesus Christ, that by Him becoming man, His death on the cross, His resurrection from the grave, and His bodily ascension into heaven, we are called to repentance and faith in Him for in Him we receive forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation and all by grace through faith in Him, who is proclaimed by the Holy Spirit. 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 Ascension of Our Lord: "Still with Us" (Acts 1:1-11)

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Alleluia! Christ is ascended! He is ascended, 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:

 

“And when [Jesus] had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while there were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11).

 

Just imagine the sight. The apostles and disciples staring off into the sky – gazing up into heaven. They gaze after Jesus until they can no longer see Him.

 

Just imagine what they were thinking. We have some ideas. They just asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) So, is the Ascension the way Jesus will bring back the old days of King David and King Solomon, when the Kingdom of Israel was the greatest? Is this the way Israel would become free from Roman domination and become a world power? You see, this was the hope of many in Israel.

 

To that question, prior to His Ascension, Jesus says to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts 1:7).

 

So, it was not for them – or us – to know when God would bring His great plan to completion. However, it is enough to know that He has a plan for His kingdom and that His will is gracious and good. God has marked the calendar, and He has marked the day and made a note of the hour. Until that day, no one on this side of heaven knows the day and the hour of Christ’s second coming, the date of Judgment Day.

 

But there is something to note from this exchange. Before His Resurrection, when Jesus was in His state of humiliation, He did not exercise His divine knowledge to the fullest. He had said then that He did not know the day of God’s judgment. He said, “No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). But here, Jesus does not say that. Here, Jesus says, “It is not for you to know” (Acts 1:7). In other words, “I know.”

 

From His Word, we know that Jesus’ kingdom is not political, but spiritual. We know that Jesus’ kingdom is not limited to the Jewish people, but includes all who trust in Christ, which is the spiritual Israel. 

 

Again, they are looking intently up into the sky. They stare even as the last clouds fold Him in. What’s next? Has Jesus left them? Has Jesus left us? They gaze after Him, but He is gone. Jesus has vanished.

 

Do you ever have times when you wish that Jesus wasn’t so far away? Do you ever ponder the idea: “Why Jesus, why do you permit all this evil to happen?” Our human understanding of the Ascension can lead us to think that Jesus is far, far away. But is that really the case? Has Jesus really abandoned us?

 

The Ascension was visible for the sake of the apostles. The very moment the clouds hid Jesus from their sight, He was transferred timelessly into the heavenly glory. Jesus is now visible in heaven with the same body, including His scars of triumph over the cross and grave.

 

Suddenly, two angels stood by them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

 

You see, Christ departed visibly, so He shall return visibly. He ascended into heaven, so He shall descend from heaven. He ascended bodily, so He shall descend bodily.

 

In this in-between time, what does Christ’s Ascension mean to us? St. Paul gives us the answer in tonight’s epistle: Jesus is now seated at the right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named. He has put all things under His feet and is head over the Church (Ephesians 1:20-22).

 

Now, does this mean that Jesus is away from us as He rules in heaven? No! This means that He rules in heaven and on earth. Through His Ascension, Jesus is reigning His death and resurrection over us, which means that He has the power to be everywhere and anywhere. He is no longer bound to a bodily, visible, tangible, and worldly way of life, to time, place, space, or the like. Through His Ascension, Jesus is now present and rules through His power everywhere, in all places and at all times, when and where we need Him. Jesus says, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

You see, Christ’s Ascension is all about bringing us His Means of Grace. He ascended so that He can distribute His sacrificial gifts to His people everywhere and anywhere. Again, Jesus Ascended so that He would no longer be bound spatially. He Ascended, so that He can truly be with us always to the end of the age in, with, and under His Word and Sacraments.

 

Because Jesus is Ascended into heaven and has all power and all authority, His Means of Grace are no mere symbols or simple remembrances of what He has accomplished on our behalf. No! They are the Means by which Christ gives Himself through His Word and Sacraments. His Means of Grace have both authority and power, right and might to accomplish that for which God has purposed them.

 

What is this purpose? Forgiveness of sins, which begets life and salvation! The Means of Grace created your faith in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism and strengthens your faith through Absolution, the Word, and the Sacrament of the Altar.

 

Through the Means of Grace, we are joined to the very same crucifixion and resurrection in the waters of Holy Baptism. It is a Baptism in which the Holy Spirit gives us faith as we live as God’s holy people.

 

Through the Means of Grace, the cross is placed upon us in Holy Absolution, wherein repentant hearts receive forgiveness of sins.

 

Through the Means of Grace, Christ feeds us His very Body and Blood under the bread and wine, given to us Christians to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of our sins in the Sacrament of the Altar.

 

Being forgiven through the Means of Grace, we mutually forgive one other.

 

So, the Ascension of Our Lord is not a time of mourning. Jesus has not left us. He did not retire when He ascended. He has not deserted us. He continues to be involved and be in charge. His Ascension is all about our comfort, peace, joy, and confidence.

 

While Jesus ascended from His apostles’ and disciples’ sight, being carried up into heaven, He raised His hands in blessing (Luke 24:50). His hands remain lifted to bless us, to bless our witness and our worship.

 

Imagine the awe and delight of the angels and archangels as the Son of God returned as also the Son of Man with all power and all authority in heaven and on earth, where He rules with grace and mercy, where repentance for the forgiveness of sins is preached.

 

Jesus is not absent. He is still with us in His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments – where He promises to be until He bodily returns on the Last Day. Alleluia! Christ is ascended! He is ascended, 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 Easter 3: "Filled with Christ's Touch" (Luke 24:36-49)

LISTEN

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:

 

Jesus says to His apostles: “Peace to you! Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Touch Me, and see” (Luke 24:36, 38-39a).

 

Much of today’s Gospel lesson seems like a repeat from last Sunday. Much of it seems like a re-run. We’ve heard this before! A re-run already! Today, we have the same proclamation of peace by Jesus. We have the same showing of His hands and His feet. We have the same touching of Jesus. Could Luke be retelling the events of Easter evening and of the events eight days later from John 20? Maybe. It is certainly possible. Yet, the emphasis of Luke’s Gospel is different, and it is this difference that we are focusing on today.

 

This morning, we continue the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord! Now, the fallen world may celebrate Easter for one day with its bunnies and eggs, but we continue this celebration with our triumphant cry: Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

One day is not enough to celebrate the joy of the life and salvation of our risen Savior, because this is Good News that needs to be shared! Just as we share what happened to our favorite sports team, television show, or premium live event, what Jesus has done is far more important! Jesus has defeated the powers of death, hell, and Satan through His death and bodily resurrection!

 

As important as Jesus opening the grave and rising to life, today on this Third Sunday of Easter, He opens the minds of His apostles “to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). This too, is Good News, for without this opening, the open tomb would be of no benefit to them. They needed their minds opened to the Word of God in order to believe and understand the Good News of the open tomb. Jesus opened their minds so that they – and us – could always touch Jesus.

 

Jesus opened their minds. Now, this is far different from the worldly idea of “open-mindedness.” To the fallen world, to be “open-minded” means to be open to all kinds of thinking, to all kinds of opinions, and to all kinds of views. From this way of thinking, there is no truth, but only different interpretations and judgments, which only lead to confusion and doubt. Not knowing what to believe. Not knowing truth. This is not what Jesus is doing. 

 

Instead, Jesus is cleaning out all the junk that fills their minds. He is cleaning out the cesspool of filth and falsehood and fear and all kinds of wrong thinking and ideas and is filling their minds with His truth and His wisdom. It is only Jesus who can open the tombs of our minds and fill them with the light of His Word and Truth, with repentance, faith, and forgiveness, as we may know Him and believe and be saved.

 

And this is what the risen Christ is still doing today, here, in this place! 

 

But first, just like last week, we need to know who Jesus is. Just as the apostles were, we are. We are troubled and full of doubts. So, what does Jesus do? He shows them Himself! He says, “See My hands and My feet, that is I Myself. Touch Me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39).

 

You see, the apostles were convinced that they were only seeing a spirit – a ghost! Even now, there are many people who are convinced that Jesus only rose from the dead spiritually. These people say that the spirit is more important than the body. In the early church, this is what the Gnostic heretics believed. They believed the spirit was good and the body was evil. And this heresy remains today through the transgender movement.

 

But here, Jesus is proclaiming that to be human is to be both body and soul. After woman was created by God in the Garden of Eden, Adam – after the rib was taken out of his side – said, “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23). He didn’t say, “Ahh, she is only flesh,” “Ahh, she is only spirit,” or “Ahh, she is only bones.” No, Adam said, “[She] is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

 

As it is with Jesus, so it is with us, we are flesh and bones, we are body and soul. To be complete, we are never only one and not the other.

By His physical presence, Jesus stands among His apostles after having overcome everything: sin, death, and the devil. Jesus is standing among them as the Resurrected Crucified One. 

 

The apostles had fears and doubts, just as we do. We pretend to be bold and courageous, but Jesus sees right through us. He knows every one of our doubts and fears. Just like the apostles, who witnessed miracles and signs, we too, hear of Jesus through the Word in the Divine Service and at Bible studies, but we still don’t fully believe and trust. To that, Jesus says, “Touch Me and see! I’ll show you that My resurrection and My living body are for real!”

 

So, this is precisely what Christ does with His apostles. Yes, they see Him, and they touch Him, but is it really Him? To this doubt, Christ says, “Have you anything here to eat?” (Luke 24:41). They gave Him a broiled fish, and He took it and ate. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

Jesus is no spirit! Spirits are not flesh and bone. Spirits cannot chew, swallow, and digest. Jesus is fully man with body and soul!

 

Now with that assurance, Jesus not only opens their minds to His presence, but He also opens their minds to His Word. Jesus says: “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

 

First God acts and we receive, then we act. For just as children learn how to speak by being spoken to, and learn to act by first imitating their parents, so do we as children of God. It was only after Jesus opened and cleaned out their minds by filling them with the Truth, that Jesus calls them to be eyewitnesses: to speak of what they have seen and what they believe. And through the work of the Holy Spirit, they will speak just as they were spoken to, to love just as they have been loved, to forgive just as they have been forgiven, and thus to open minds, which are filled with confusion and doubt, filled with sin and death, so that the light of Christ’s cleansing forgiveness might shine on them and all people. 

 

Yet even though the apostles – and you and me – are doing this work, it’s not really us doing it, it’s the Holy Spirit working in us who gives us the courage and strength to tell of Christ and welcome others here to receive His gifts of Word and Sacrament.

 

Yet even though the Holy Spirit is working in us, this doesn’t mean that when we speak of Jesus that everyone will listen. I wish that was the case, but Satan has blindfolded so many people from the light of Christ. Worldly wisdom, false gods, and false truths of the prince of this fallen world cloud so many hearts and minds in order to deceive them and mislead them into false belief, despair, and other great shames and vice. We too, can easily become deceived by this fallen world.

 

So, how do we not become deceived by this fallen world? Well, we must open our minds to understand the Scriptures! We must be filled week in and week out with Christ’s touch. But we appear to be at a disadvantage. Today, we don’t have the privilege of seeing Jesus face-to-face. But is that completely true?

 

Remember last week when Christ appeared to His apostles in the locked upper room? What did Christ prove by His appearance? He proved that His kingdom on earth is no longer bound to this world. His kingdom is no longer limited to place, space, or time.

 

Christ is here! You may not see Him just as the apostles did, but He is here. He is always where He promises to be! Today, we see the Crucified Jesus through our Holy Spirit-created faith. Today, Christ is here as He fills you with His gift of His Word. In His Word, we see the Crucified Jesus through Scripture. In fact, we not only see Him, but touch Him. There in that Book, we feel Christ and hear His Word, cover to cover, as He says to us: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations” (Luke 24:46-47a).

 

Christ is here to also fill us through His Sacraments. He is here to forgive you of your doubts and give you peace. He is here to fill you with His life-giving body and blood, that once received, you go and share this good news with others! You share God’s good news with Christ’s words, His truth, His love, and His forgiveness. 

 

Through the Means of Grace – Word and Sacrament – the Holy Spirit is working in you and through you as you speak His Word, as He opens the Scriptures to you, as He works in you to open the Scriptures to others, as He opens and fills hearts and minds in the crucified and risen Jesus. Through Word and Sacrament, Christ fills us with His touch! 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 +