Sermon for Advent Midweek 1: "Wake, Awake, the Bridegroom is Coming!" (Matthew 25:1-13)

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

Three days ago, we entered the season of Advent, which is a season of expectation, anticipation, and penitence, as the Church looks back to the past, looks at the now, and looks into the future. We remember how Christ came in our flesh at His first advent, we see Christ now through His Word and Sacraments, and we have the joyful expectation and certain hope of His coming again in our flesh on the Last Day.

The season of Advent is a countdown. Advent receives its significance from what is at the end of the countdown: Christmas.

Today on this first Wednesday in Advent, we will look at what is known as the King of the Lutheran Chorale: “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying.” In this jubilant hymn by Philipp Nicolai, we are introduced to the Advent parable about the countdown to Christ’s second coming in the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

The message of this parable and hymn is not about believers and unbelievers but is rather a warning to the Church here on Earth: Wake, awake!

Through this hymn and parable, Christ prepares us through the warning that He is nearing His Second Coming on the Last Day lest we be excluded from His kingdom. The countdown is nearing its end. He, the Bridegroom, is nearing to bring the faithful – His Bride, the Church – to be united to Him at the great wedding feast.

[Awake, O Church]

Tonight’s sermon hymn “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying” opens with watchmen on the battlements of a castle shouting the midnight cry “Awake, Jerusalem,” just as they would do if the city were being invaded. But this is a joyful shout, for the Bridegroom has arrived, and the wedding can commence.

Now, this is no ordinary wedding, for it is the Church, the new Jerusalem, who is gathered to await the coming of her Lord, to whom she is betrothed. 

“Wake, awake, for night is flying,”
The watchmen on the heights are crying;
    “Awake, Jerusalem, arise!”
Midnight hears the welcome voices
And at the thrilling cry rejoices:
    “Oh, where are ye, ye virgins wise?” 

Even with the loud midnight cry, the virgins are sleeping. Now, these virgins would be like bridesmaids today. In the days of Jesus’ first advent, the couple’s parents would have arranged the marriage. And as the wedding day drew nearer, part of the joy and anticipation included the bridegroom coming to meet his bride. It would be a surprise when he would come. He could come at any moment – in the daytime or even at midnight.

As for the bride, she was to be ready whenever her bridegroom came. So, it was the duty of her bridesmaids — the virgins in our parable — to keep her awake for the time he would arrive.

But “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept” (Matthew 25:5).

Suddenly, at midnight, there was a cry, “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6).

So:

 Your lamps with gladness take!
    Alleluia!
With bridal care
Yourselves prepare
To meet the Bridegroom, who is near.

But there is a problem: none of the virgins was prepared. Instead of anticipating the bridegroom’s arrival, they were all asleep. But among them, Jesus teaches us that there is a difference among these virgins. He says that five of them were foolish and five were wise.

So, what makes one foolish and one wise? The foolish did not believe that the bridegroom would arrive in the middle of the night, so they didn’t bring any extra oil for their lamps. The wise believed that the bridegroom could come in the middle of the night, so they were prepared with extra oil for their lamps. But, even more than that, the wise virgins are wise, because they were not afraid to ask for forgiveness as they repented by trimming their lamps. Even when they failed to keep watch, the wise believed and had faith in the bridegroom’s coming. The wise are wise because they repented of their sin.

This parable is a warning to the Church. You see, every virgin in this parable is a Christian – the wise and the fool. 

Although all had fallen asleep, just as all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), the difference among the ten virgins was their faith in the Bridegroom. This faith is represented by the oil or lack of oil. This faith is confidence in God’s promises.

For us this day, I ask you this question: Is Christ actually coming? Yes! He says so! He always keeps His promises! We don’t go by our feelings on when we think He may or may not arrive, since due to our sinful nature, our feelings are flawed. We just trust His Word!

The difference between the virgins was genuine faith in the Bridegroom. You see, half of the virgins trusted in the Bridegroom’s coming, while the other half did not, yet they all claimed to be faithful.

Among Christianity, we have Christians who are true believers in Christ and His promises and we have Christians who claim to belong to God, but they do not trust in Christ.

This can also be illustrated by the doctrine known as the visible and invisible church. The visible church is before our eyes and it contains the marks of the church – Word and Sacrament – as well as true believers and hypocrites. The invisible church is unseen by our eyes as it is only seen by God. Membership in the invisible church is based on faith in Christ alone.

Among the invisible church, these Christians live their lives according to Christ in daily repentance.

You see, faith is not merely something in the head of the believer that is stored away in the brain. No, true faith is a living, pulsating, active thing. A faith that has no works of faith is not actually true faith. So, a person who is lacking in such works and yet lays claim to faith is deluding himself most tragically because “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).

But Christ — the Bridegroom — “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), so just as a father warns his child in order to protect the child from danger, Christ warns us — the church visible and church invisible — that He is coming soon!

[The Church Hears the Call and Rejoices through Repentance]

After the warning —

Zion hears the watchmen singing,
And all her heart with joy is springing;
    She wakes, she rises from her gloom. 

Zion is the Church — the Bride of Christ — and she is awake. She hears the watchmen singing this good news that is so joyous. Upon hearing the joyous call, the wise of the church heeds the call and rejoices! These wise Christians come to repentance, which is an act of this hope!

Meanwhile, the foolish in the church — who lack true faith, by not repenting of their sins — will come to the wise Christians and ask them for help saying, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out” (Matthew 25:8). In response, the wise refuse, since if they do help the fools, it may become too late for the wise to enter the banquet hall with the Bridegroom, and they would not share in the joys of the wedding festivities.

The Bridegroom eventually arrives and the wise enter with Him to the marriage feast.

Now come, Thou Blessèd One,
Lord Jesus, God’s own Son,
    Hail! Hosanna!
We enter all
The wedding hall
To eat the Supper at Thy call.

“And the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10). In the spiritual truth our Lord teaches here, He pictures the happy lot of all the true Christians — those of the invisible Church. They will be ready when He, the Bridegroom returns to earth “with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). For while they were eagerly waiting for Jesus to bring them to Himself, they kept watch. But how could they have kept watch by being asleep?

Like the foolish virgins, the wise virgins are sinners – like you and me – so they did not deserve to enter the marriage feast any more than the foolish virgins. But again, there is a difference. In this parable, Jesus is teaching us about His coming on the Last Day – the Day of Judgement – when the Bridegroom will return and call the faithful, repentant believers to the eternal marriage feast.

You see, we keep watch by feeding the oil of our faith through the proclamation of His Word and His Sacrament as He comes to us now! The foolish virgins prove that faith can be lost. So, faith requires constant replenishment. It is through constant replenishment — through His Means of Grace — that God keeps us with Himself.

Look at it this way: how do we keep ourselves from starving to death? We eat! Likewise, faith cannot survive without the Word and Sacraments. So, without God’s Word and His Sacrament, our faith will dry up and die. But with God’s Word and Sacrament, it won’t! True faith in Christ cannot burn out as long as it is strengthened by God’s Word and His Sacrament!

Even with all the words of warning, the foolish still cling to the idea that somehow Jesus will on the Last Day open heaven’s doors to them, even through they are unrepentant hypocrites. To them, Jesus says to them, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12).

But for all true repentant believers who confessed their sins to God the Father, received His forgiveness through faith in Christ and received His Means of Grace in Word and Sacrament, Christ will say: “I know you! The door is open! Enter now the wedding hall!”

[The Church Sings Eternally as the Bride of Christ]

Upon entering the marriage feast, the Bride of Christ begins singing:

Now let all the heav’ns adore Thee,
Let saints and angels sing before Thee
    With harp and cymbals’ clearest tone.
Of one pearl each shining portal,
Where, joining with the choir immortal,
    We gather round Thy radiant throne.
No eye has seen the light,
No ear has heard the might
    Of Thy glory;
Therefore will we
Eternally
Sing hymns of praise and joy to Thee! 

In the meantime, we watch, for we know neither the day nor the hour. We watch knowing that the Bridegroom is coming. We need not fear that day, for we are filled with Christ, made holy, forgiven, redeemed, prepared for just that day. And while we know right now that we are His holy Bride, we receive this day a foretaste of this marriage feast to come. Even so, the Church says to its Bridegroom, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.” The countdown is nearing its end, so wake, awake, the Bridegroom is coming! Amen.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Sermon for the Day of Thanksgiving: "True Gratitude" (Luke 17:11-19)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

We have so much to be thankful for on this Day of Thanksgiving. We ought to be thankful at all times and all places because the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – has truly blessed us.

He has given us clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land, animals, and all that we have. He richly and daily provides us with all that we need to support our bodies and lives.

Not only that, but He also defends us against all danger and guards and protects us from all evil. Because of His love for us, it is our duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.

But have you ever thought about the proper way to give thanks to God? Today, on this Day of Thanksgiving, the Holy Spirit works through an unexpected man – a Samaritan – as He teaches us the proper way to give thanks to God.

[Cleansed by Faith]

As we say in the explanation of the First Article of the Creed, one of the ways we give thanks to God is by obeying Him. Now isn’t this what all ten lepers did? Jesus told them: “Go and show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14). But why would Jesus want these lepers to show themselves to the priests? First, Jesus is fulfilling the Levitical Law. But more importantly, Jesus wants the temple priests to confirm that this miracle had taken place. This miracle will also confirm that Jesus is who He says He is: the One who cleanses humanity of sin.

Immediately, without any hesitation, the ten lepers obeyed Jesus and went on their way toward Jerusalem.

At the same time, these ten lepers must have been surprised at Jesus’ reaction to their plea for mercy. But they trusted Jesus. There is no doubt that they had heard about previous miraculous healings of lepers as the result of Jesus. It is also likely that they expected Jesus to speak a word that would produce healing at once, but their trust in Jesus was strong enough that they didn’t listen to their voice of reason, they did just as Jesus commanded.

As these ten lepers were making their journey toward Jerusalem – all at once – they noticed their rotting flesh had healed. In their awe, they spoke with full voices. They were cleansed! They were cleansed because they all had faith in Jesus.

But as it is with faith, not every person grows at the same pace. In the Parable of the Sower, the Sower sowed his seed everywhere. “Some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold” (Luke 8:5-8a).

Each former leper had faith, but only one, after the cleansing, was willing to give glory to God – God in the Person of Jesus. And the chief irony of it all is that the one who gives glory to God is a Samaritan – a man from a mixed race and a mixed religion. He is the one who has actual faith in Jesus as the Divine Savior.

This Samaritan turned back and began praising God with a loud voice. He returned to give thanks to Jesus for this miraculous healing.

You see, this joyous gratitude in the heart of this healed leper could not be contained. He praised God with a loud voice. He believed that God had healed him through Jesus. He then fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him. He thanked Jesus believing that Jesus was in fact the Divine Messiah. He believed that if he was to thank God for his healing, he must thank God Himself. He thanked God through worship. His worship confesses his faith, the conviction about God in Jesus. He believed the place to give thanks for his cleansing is wherever Jesus is.

For the other nine, it is implied that they were Jews. They certainly obeyed Jesus and they had faith in Jesus, but their faith was not a saving faith. Their faith withered as they didn’t come to the same conclusion as the Samaritan that Jesus is the Incarnate God.

Now, we don’t know what happened to the other nine. They may have come to saving faith later in life, but on this day, only a Samaritan had come to saving faith.

For his faith, Jesus says to this Samaritan, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19). What Jesus is saying here is “Your faith has made you well, now come and follow Me,” for which this Samaritan did.

[True Gratitude]

As I began today’s sermon, I said that this Samaritan through the work of the Holy Spirit would teach us the proper way to give thanks to God. So, what then is the proper way to give thanks to God? Did you catch it? Is it us saying, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”? Not exactly. Now, this Samaritan did say thank you. But God doesn’t need our appreciation, since He gives daily bread to both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). You see, this Samaritan man did even more. He returned to Jesus to worship Him.

So, how do we give thanks? We give thanks to God as we come together in the Divine Service to receive more of what we are thankful for.

But what does being thankful really mean? We can’t be thankful for nothing. So, we should stop and think about what really matters. True thankfulness is being content, since the Lord will provide.

Here in the Divine Service, the Lord provides. You see, this is the place where Jesus is found! He is found in His Word that is preached and in the Sacrament that is administered for us!

If we look closely at the worship of the Samaritan, we see that he resembles our own worship. We first meet him – and the other nine – as he says, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13). Does this not sound like the words of the Kyrie that we say? “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.” For centuries, Christians have offered this simple prayer as we come together. In this prayer, we ask our Lord to hear us and help us in our necessities and troubles.

After the Kyrie, only one remains – the Samaritan. Jesus questions him saying, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17) For Jesus had so much more to offer them. He offers Himself on behalf of the whole world in His coming suffering and death on the cross. Through His death and resurrection, He offers forgiveness of sins, which begets eternal life and salvation.

On this Day of Thanksgiving – and every Lord’s Day – God provides His grace and mercy as He serves us in the Divine Service. He serves us in the Means of Grace, His Word and His Sacrament.

But how many of us ignore – or even despise – these gifts by ducking out early, choosing the “shorter” service, failing to show up at all, or being otherwise unfaithful in our attendance at the preaching of His Word and the reception of the Lord’s Supper? How many of us fail to acknowledge that Jesus is present here with us – where two or three are gathered – where His Word is proclaimed, where we celebrate His supper? As children of our heavenly Father, from whom we receive every good thing in our earthly lives, we ought to turn back to Christ and join the Samaritan praising God with a loud voice!

As the Samaritan fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks, acknowledging in his faith that Jesus is Lord, that Jesus is God, that Jesus performed this healing miracle and also saved him from his sins. We too, confess the same in the words of the Nicene Creed saying, Jesus is “very God of very God … who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven … and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.”

Then in the liturgy of the Sacrament of the Altar, we again fall at Jesus’ feet as we are in the presence of the crucified and risen Christ, who gives His Body and Blood in a meal where His Divine cleansing is for all who, like the Samaritan, are saved through faith. We hear and reply again on how it is always truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to God. Holy Communion is received in thanksgiving by Christians. This is the act of thanksgiving. So, the way we observe Thanksgiving is by receiving the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.

We give thanks to God as we come together at each Divine Service to receive more of what we give thanks for.

We come to be in the presence of Jesus knowing that we are sinners in need of mercy and Christ provides as He says to us, “Your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19). We leave the Divine Service with our faith strengthened and our sins forgiven. He strengthens our saving faith in Him. We leave knowing that we will return to where Christ is – in the Divine Service – to receive more what we are thankful for: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. We return since true gratitude proceeds from a heart sustained by faith. Amen.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Being Thankful

 

What does being thankful really mean? We can’t be thankful for nothing. So, we ought to stop and think about what really matters. Being thankful is being content, since the Lord will provide.

 

Oftentimes, our old sinful nature gets the better of us. Our sinful nature causes us to think we always need more things, like more money and more possessions. Or we look at the world around us with a glass half-empty mentality as we look for all what our sinful mind perceives is wrong with the world through complaints.

 

The thing is, the Lord always provides for both the just and the unjust. He provides daily bread – food, clothing, and shelter – to the just and the unjust.

 

Martin Luther explains it this way in the First Article of the Creed in his Small Catechism:

“I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

“He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

“He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.

“All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”

 

Since God provides for all the needs of our body, it is good and right at all times and all places to give thanks to Him. But how? How is it proper to give thanks to God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

 

Do we say to God, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”? We could certainly do that, but God doesn’t need our appreciation, since He gives daily bread to all people – the just and unjust.

 

So, what can we do to show our gratitude to God? We come to where He is. We show our gratitude by putting our complete faith and trust in God as our sole provider. And where is He always found? He is found where His Word is purely proclaimed and His Sacrament is rightly administered. The Divine Service is where Jesus is found. We give thanks to God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as we come together at each Divine Service to receive more of what we are thankful for: forgiveness of sins. Each Sunday, we return to receive more of what we are thankful for since true gratitude proceeds from a heart sustained by faith.

 

The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us on this Day of Thanksgiving and all our days ahead! Amen.

Sermon for Pentecost 25: "Enduring to the End" (Mark 13:1-13)

 

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

“The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13b). What is Jesus saying here? How do we endure?

This morning’s Gospel lesson can leave us scratching our heads and wondering what actually endures?

In the beginning, all earthly things – including you and me – were created to endure. Because of this, we all expect permanence. After all, we were all created to live forever, but permanence came to an end due to the Fall into sin. However, this is what Christ’s disciples were in awe of. They were in awe of all that seemed would last forever.

“As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down’” (Mark 13:1-2).

Really? All this beauty is going to come to an end?

For the disciples, they came to the big city of Jerusalem and were in awe of the Temple and other great buildings. Everything they saw took their breath away. We’re no different. We, too, often become awestruck when we gaze from the sidewalk at the impressive height of skyscrapers, or how majestic stadiums and arenas are, or historic buildings that have lasted hundreds of years. There is so much we can be in awe of.

Today, on this 25^th Sunday after Pentecost, Jesus speaks to us and says: “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13b). The question for us is this: How do we endure? To answer this question, Jesus first speaks about what does not endure.

[What Doesn’t Endure]

To our shock and grief, everything on earth will perish. Even the best and greatest on earth is doomed. Jesus says: “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Mark 13:2).

Nothing appears that it will last. In this, Jesus gives us a warning and a preview of the close of the age. He does this to reinforce the faith of His disciples. He does this to strengthen our faith, as well.

You see, by the end of that very week, Jesus knew His fate. He would suffer and die for the sins of the world. He knew that His suffering and death would be a harrowing experience for His disciples. He knew that Satan would use that moment to tear His disciples away from Him. So, in faithful love for them, and us, Jesus speaks to reinforce their faith for the ordeal that was soon to come.

First, Jesus speaks of false teachers as He says, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and they will lead many astray” (Mark 13:5b-6).

These false teachers will insist that the Scriptures support their false doctrine. They say that they have come to a more mature and enlightened view of the Bible by cherry picking Scripture in order to find support for their deceptions.

Now, as bad as false teachers are, they will not endure. We cannot count on false teachings for our salvation. But many people will become deceived and wander off from the Truth. However, during this time, false teachers will provide a further testing of the faithful.

Second, Jesus brings up wars and rumors of wars. He says: “Do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end in not yet” (Mark 13:7b).

There will be all sorts of things that make the news. World War I was first known as the Great War – the war to end all wars, but then came World War II. So, wars come, and wars go. But wars will also not endure.

Third, Jesus speaks of nations and kingdoms. Many believed that the Roman Empire would last forever. It was also once said that “the empire on which the sun never sets” was the British Empire. Many believe that the United States will last forever. But all earthly empires rise, and all earthly empires fall. So, earthly kingdoms and nations will also not endure.

Fourth, Jesus speaks of earthquakes. Fifth, Jesus speaks of famines. The ground will shake, and crops will fail. But earthquakes and famines will not endure.

Sixth, Jesus speaks of persecution saying, “They will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness before them” (Mark 13:9). As bad as the persecution may be do our bodily harm or hatred, none of this is aimed at us, this is all aimed at Jesus, as He said, “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake” (Mark 13:13a).

When Christ is proclaimed as the Way, and the Truth, and the Life – the only Savior of mankind – there will be hatred in the hearts of unbelievers. They say: “What about my good character? Isn’t that enough?” or “How are you to tell me how to live my life? All your talk of sin and hell doesn’t scare me!”

Again, the real hatred is not the Christian, it is actually Jesus Christ. Even persecution, as bad as it may be, will not endure.

Lastly, Jesus speaks of family relationships. He says, “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death” (Mark 13:12). So, even family relationships that are very special to us, will not endure.

As followers of Christ, we ought not to be swayed away from Christ by these many signs of the close of the age. Yes, we are to be put on alert, but at the same time, we should not be alarmed. They are, in fact, “the beginning of the birth pains” (Mark 13:8). It’s akin to a tornado watch being a time to be prepared for a possible tornado. And a tornado warning when we must be hunkered down.

[What Endures]

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13b), Christ says.

The reason why we have false teachers, wars, empires falling, earthquakes, famines, persecutions, and broken family relationships is all because we live in a fallen creation. Due to sin that was unleashed by our first parents when they were deceived by Satan, nothing appears to endure.

At the same time, Jesus says: “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13b). But how? How do we endure? Where is that answer?

When we are wondering about the end, where are we to turn? We turn to Jesus! He is the place to go. He is the only One who has the answer.

Even in the Old Testament times, they believed they had the answer on how to endure. As the Holy Spirit inspired the writer to the Hebrews to write: “Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices” (Hebrews 10:11). But they could never take sins away. They sure tried, but priestly sacrifices could not endure. “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:12-14).

You see, Jesus endures. He lives forever. He is sinless – like Adam before the Fall – and therefore He is immortal. As the incarnate Son of God, in Him is the fullness of the Godhead. He is the everlasting Temple of which the splendid temple in Jerusalem was just a shadow.

So, just opposite of the Jerusalem temple was the actual Temple Himself. It may seem strange that Jesus, while sitting on the ground, was greater than all those wonderful buildings. In the end, it is only Jesus who is able to endure.

But what about us? If Jesus endures forever, how do we?

We endure by the blood of Jesus! Christ, being raised from the dead, cannot die again. He endures. As the Son of God, He endures forever. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is holy and immortal. He is the everlasting Temple of God.

We endure only through Christ. In Christ alone, we are given the sure confidence that everyone who receives His Means of Grace – by hearing His Word and receiving His Sacrament – and trusts in Him and the fruits of His cross for the forgiveness of their sins will endure!

Due to Christ’s suffering, death, and bodily resurrection, “everyone who lives and believes in [Christ] shall never die” (John 11:26) and “whoever believes in [Christ], though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). In Christ alone, we receive His glorious body, which is imperishable.

Even though we may see everything around us disappear, don’t be alarmed. Therefore, as the sinful world tempts us by saying “I am He” (Mark 13:6) in order to lead us astray, or peace comes to an end through persecution, war, earthquakes, and family ties, always know this: Christ endures. And if we cling to Christ, we also endure.

Over and over again, God reminds us of these facts: “His steadfast love endures forever!” “His righteousness endures forever!” “His faithfulness endures forever!” And “His Word endures forever!”

Thus, salvation will occur for God’s people. Our salvation in Christ cannot be shaken. Nothing – not even Christ’s dire list we heard today – can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus. Christ’s one and only sacrifice endures for all time. By grace through faith in Christ alone, we endure to the end. In Christ alone, we are saved! Amen.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Funeral Sermon: "Singing the Glad Songs of Salvation" (Colossians 3:12-17)

 

Carol, Mary, and Julie, family and friends of Esther:

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

[Christ Speaks Comfort]

“Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1a). Christ spoke those words to comfort His disciples, since He knew His departure was nearing – with His betrayal, suffering, and death – just days away. Christ speaks those same words of comfort to us here this morning.

You see, any departure – though short or long – is a cause for distress. Certainly, nobody wants to be separated from their loved ones and friends. This morning we see before us the wages of sin, which is death. Due to sin, no human being can overcome death. But, although we die to sin – death serves as a portal, a gate to heaven – since “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

For all believers in Christ, death is not to be feared, since we have the sure and certain hope that we will be with our loved ones again who have died in the faith. “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep. … Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 18).

At the same time, don’t be ashamed to grieve. Grieving the loss of loved ones is perfectly natural. Remember, Jesus grieved. But always hold on to this sure and certain truth that because Christ lives, everyone in Christ also lives.

[God Blessed Esther]

We are here this morning to remember Esther’s life, but most importantly, we are here to rejoice in Christ’s promise of forgiveness of sins, which begets eternal life and salvation to all who trust in Him.

Throughout her life, the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – blessed Esther. She was blessed in her marriage to Harold, known as “Bud” to many, with three daughters Carol, Mary, and Julie. She was loving and never met a stranger. She was certainly a people person as she always remained close to her family and friends.

God also blessed Esther in her work life as He led her to become a prolific stenographer in her youth, which prepared her as she served as secretary at Glencoe High School for 22 years under many principals.

Even in the hard times of losing the farmstead near Lester Prairie in the spring of 1965, due to a tornado, out of that destruction, God blessed Esther and “Bud” as they moved to Glencoe.

All through her life, God provided for all of Esther’s needs of body and soul.

[Glad Songs of Salvation]

Now, you may have noticed a common theme in today’s Scripture readings. If not, I will enlighten you now.

We first heard from Psalm 118 with these words: “The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous” (Psalm 118:14-15). Then we heard in Revelation 7 of those clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, crying out saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10) They later proclaimed, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (Revelation 7:12) In the reading from Colossians 3, we heard these words: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).

This common theme is singing the glad songs of salvation. In my years in knowing Esther, she expressed her faith in Christ through song. In a way, singing hymns was how she prayed to her Lord and Savior. All throughout her life, she memorized many hymns. And later in life, when her eyesight diminished, she continually sang the hymns that were written in her heart.

Back at Easter, I visited Esther in the hospital. Being hospitalized, I knew she would not be able to attend the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord, so I began singing Easter hymns to her, such as “Awake, My Heart, with Gladness,” “O Sons and Daughters of the King,” and “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today,” and without any words in front of her, she sang right along with me.

For Esther, the word of Christ dwelled in her richly as she sang hymns with thankfulness in her heart to God.

[Hymns as Proclamation of the Word]

In our reading from Colossians 3, God teaches us that singing hymns is also a means for the proclamation of the Word. In fact, Christ-centered hymns convey some of the Bible’s greatest teachings.

As we sing hymns, we anticipate the worship, joy, and glory of eternity that all believers in Christ have. But for Esther, she is no longer anticipating these joys as she is there participating in this worship, joy, and glory with the Church Triumphant in heaven!

So, just as the Word of the Lord gives life and remains to eternity, as Baptism is a resurrection with Christ, which assures us of being raised with Him at His coming, and as the Holy Supper of Christ’s very Body and Blood is a foretaste of the banquet of the kingdom to come, so through singing hymns, the Church anticipates our future worship as the Church Triumphant. So, the closest we can get in this life to the joy and glory of paradise is the church’s worship of Word and Sacrament – including the hymns and canticles that are included.

For Martin Luther, hymnody was powerful. He wrote hymns that are rich in doctrine in order to teach and instruct, as well as to be easily memorized. Luther wrote in his Large Catechism that “nothing is so powerfully effective against the devil, the world, the flesh, and all evil thoughts as to occupy one’s self with God’s Word, to speak about it and meditate upon it. … Without a doubt, you will offer up no more powerful incense or savor against the devil than to occupy yourself with God’s commandments and words and to speak, sing, or think about them … [as] that drives away the devil and puts him to flight.”[1]

The Word of the Lord endures forever even through song. Christ-centered hymns proclaim Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and what His sacrifice gives us: forgiveness of our sins, eternal life, and salvation. For Esther, memorizing and singing hymns gave her comfort knowing that Christ has accomplished salvation for everyone who puts their faith and trust in Jesus.

Today, Esther and her fellow saints arrayed in white in the Church Triumphant are singing the glad songs of salvation – the glad songs of peace with God through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Today, Esther has no more hunger, no more thirst, no more tears. She has perfect eyesight. Esther has joined the Church Triumphant because she knew the way. So, what is the way? Jesus says: “I am the way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6)

You see, Jesus bridges the chasm between God and man. He is the only Bridge to God the Father. As we have all gone astray – due to our sin – Jesus took upon Himself all of our sins through His suffering and death upon the cross, so that we – by faith in Him – would know the only Way to God the Father.

As the Truth, Jesus is the actual embodiment of the Truth. As the Life, He abolishes the separation and unites us with God the Father.

Through Christ’s love for you, He has opened the gate of salvation. He opened the gate of salvation through His suffering, death, and bodily resurrection, which destroyed the power of sin, death, and hell upon all believers, so that we – by faith in Him – would be with Him forever. So do not let your hearts be troubled, since Christ alone has become our salvation.

For everyone in Christ, we are comforted knowing that even in the hour of death, through Christ, we possess the resurrection to everlasting life!

May we one day join Esther and her fellow saints in heaven and sing with them the glad songs of salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Amen.

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

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Esther Michaletz's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/esther-m-michaletz/

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[1] The Book of Concord. Luther’s Large Catechism (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000), 381.

Sermon for Reformation Day: "Set Free" (John 8:31-36)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

As the executioner was about to light the pyre at the feet of the reformer, he said, “Now we will cook the goose.”

The condemned man replied, “Yes, but there will come an eagle in a hundred years that you will not reach.”

This “cooked goose” was John Huss, for “Huss” is Bohemian for goose. Huss was burned at the stake as a condemned heretic for his attempted reformation. As he felt the heat of the flames, Huss spoke of an eagle who would not be condemned to death.

Some 102 years later, on October 31, 1517, another Reformation was sparked when Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses for Debate on the Wittenberg Castle Church door. Later on June 25, 1530, the teachings of the Evangelical Lutheran Church were first subscribed in the Augsburg Confession.

Between October 31, 1517 and June 25, 1530 a miracle happened: The Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – led Luther to rediscover the Gospel that had been hidden for too long of a time. Now, do not be mistaken, the Gospel was not totally hidden, but the Gospel was severely repressed from God’s people, including most of the clergy, as it was rarely heard.

For Luther, the Triune God lined everything up for him. You see, God worked through Luther to get the Gospel – the good news of Christ’s forgiveness – out to the people. God worked these events. As Luther did not know what would happen tomorrow, God foreknew His saving work that He would accomplish through His servant Martin Luther.

Today on this Reformation Day, God the Father reveals His heritage that has been passed down to us through His Son Jesus Christ that all who abide in Jesus have been set free from the bondage to sin.

[You Will Know the Truth]

To the Jews who had believed in Jesus, He said to them: “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

Today, many of us hear people say, “my truth” when referring to “the truth.” You see, our sinful nature – which on its own is blind to the truth – believes self is the source of authority. What is really going on here is a confusion between objective truth and subjective opinion. 

Here Jesus is giving us a preview to John 14:6 where He says, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” So, when Jesus says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” He is referring to Himself. Christ is not saying, “I have the truth,” like another Elijah; but “I am the truth.” Christ is not merely of the truth, but He is the actual embodiment of the Truth. He is the very reality of God the Father’s plans of grace and their execution.

To the Jews that day, they avoided the truth. They believed that as God’s chosen people, they were set free. So, when Jesus said: “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32), they were offended.

They thought: “How dare this Jesus say this about us?!” “We are the offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free?’” (John 8:33)

Oh, how quick they are to overlook their current condition. At that very moment, these Jews did not have their own nation as they were subjects of the Roman Empire. And not too long ago, these same people were ruled by the Persians and the Babylonians. At present, they are held in bondage to the laws of outsiders.

[Slaves to Sin]

But Jesus – as He always does – goes deeper. He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).

The bigger issue is sin itself. Sin indeed separates us from God and also separates us from each other. You see, sin’s focus is inward – to our wants and desires – instead of loving God and serving our neighbor.

And when we are in sin, we are unable to keep God’s Law perfectly. But the thing is, the demands of God’s Law are still required of us by God. So, in our sin, we are doomed to eternal separation apart from God. We are doomed to the depravity of our sins, which is eternal damnation. Even if we don’t like hearing the following, it is most certainly true: everyone who opposes the Gospel is working for Satan. So, if we continue to live in our sin as if our sin doesn’t matter, we are on the side of Satan, rather than on the side of Christ.

What Jesus is teaching us is to not be superficial. By saying “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples,” Jesus is requiring all His disciples to be genuine and accept all of Christ’s teachings and remain faithful to all of it.

This means that as a follower of Christ, we are to at all times and in all places abide in Christ’s Word. For Jesus never said, “My disciples can pick and choose what they want to believe.”

But the thing is, even if we desire to keep all of God’s Law as revealed in the Ten Commandments, we can’t. “For by works of the Law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the Law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). So, by works alone, no human being can be justified. We are stuck, since “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

So, what would life look like if we were enslaved under the demands of the Law? It would not look good. It would be sad and extremely depressing. Whatever I could do would never be enough. This is what life was like before God led Luther to rediscover the Gospel.

[In Christ, We are Declared Not Guilty]

Now, God is just. God is holy. So, if God is just, He cannot be unjust. If God is just, then a little sin is akin to great sin. Sin is sin and all sin separates us from Him. Sin is against His very nature.

But God is also the justifier who declares us not guilty, so we can be in His perfect realm of holiness. If He is just, how could this be?

“[We] are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:24). The only way sinners could be found not guilty of sin is if there was payment for that sin. Jesus Christ was that one payment for all time. He paid the price for our sin, so that the just God can declare us not guilty. So, God the Father put forward His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as a propitiation by His blood, so through Christ’s suffering and death, God the Father is satisfied, so that by grace through faith in Jesus, we too, are covered in Christ’s blood and are redeemed as righteous with God the Father.

So, we are justified just as Abraham was – by faith. Abraham had faith in the promise of the Messiah. We have faith in that promise fulfilled, Jesus Christ alone.

In response to being justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, we live out our faith in Jesus in our sanctified life. Through Christ alone, we uphold the Law (Romans 3:31).

Now, the Law that the Apostle Paul is referring to is Moral Law. You see, we ought not be following the winds and waves of the sinful world, but instead abide in God’s Word. If we are no different from the unbelieving world in how we think, speak, and act, then we are in an extremely bad place.

You see, if we are no different from the unbelieving world around us then we have replaced the one true God with a false idol that we put our faith and trust in, such as the god of safety and the god of comfort, which are popular these days. So, if you find yourself trusting in a false god, then you are still under the bondage of sin.

But no matter what, the Triune God is a loving God since His steadfast love endures forever, even if we fall into sin. Again, when we sin, we are unable to keep the Law. But the thing is, when we confess those sins to God the Father by repenting of them, God says to us: “You are forgiven. Now go and sin no more.” Those sins that once separated us from God are wiped clean as if they never happened.

These sins are wiped clean, since God the Father sees everyone in Christ as He sees His own Son: righteous. We are at perfect peace, due to  our faith in Christ. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Christ is offering us something that is forever: the eternal Gospel. He is offering us His inheritance that He won for all people through His suffering and death upon the cross: the forgiveness of sins, which begets eternal life and salvation.

Our reading this morning highlights three aspects of this eternal Gospel. 

First, the content is Truth (John 8:32). Truth is more than a body of truth but is embodied in the Person of Jesus Christ Himself.

Second, the vehicle is the words spoken about the Truth and what Jesus has done for our salvation, so if you abide in Christ’s Word, you shall know the incarnate Word. You shall know Jesus.

Third, the result of the Truth, which is freedom. Now, this isn’t political freedom, but a spiritual freedom. The result is freedom from bondage to sin and bondage to Satan, a freedom in which we are free indeed and a freedom that we shall enjoy forever as sons and daughters of God.

Christ has won the battle for us. Through His death and bodily resurrection, He has destroyed the power of sin, death, and Satan. “Our victory has been won; the Kingdom ours remaineth.” In Christ alone, we are set free. Amen.

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

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Gallatin, Tennessee.

An Example of Discipleship

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47). These were the crying words Jesus heard said from a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

We have much in common with Bartimaeus. For Bartimaeus, he was begging to people he could not actually see. Yet, oddly enough, he is an example of a model disciple. Despite being blind, he recognizes Jesus. He “sees” Jesus through his spiritual eyes. He “sees” Jesus through his faith.

We, too, “see” Jesus through our faith in Him. Like Bartimaeus, we are also beggars. Now, we may not be as noticeably poor as Bartimaeus in fear of if we will eat that day, but we are poor: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We all live in poverty in our own sin, since we are all born sinful.

Like Bartimaeus, we also call on Jesus and trust in His power to deliver us from our poverty of sin. Apart from Jesus, we are doomed to suffer the depravity of our sin, which is eternal damnation. But the Triune God — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — is a loving God. Due to God’s love for us, Jesus became a beggar for us, as He took upon Himself our human flesh and suffered and died for our sins, so we could be saved. Each time we say the Kyrie (“Lord, have mercy!”) and call upon Him in prayer, we call on Christ as our Savior to save us from sin, eternal death, and Satan. And each time, we call upon our Lord, Jesus says to us: “Go your way; your faith has made you well” (Mark 10:52).

Each time we call upon the Lord, Jesus compassionately responds to us — just as He healed Bartimaeus’ sight — as He takes upon Himself the depravity of our sins and replaces it with His righteousness. 

This interaction between Jesus and Bartimaeus had a profound effect upon Martin Luther. It is recorded that Luther’s last words were “We are beggars. This is true.”

We are all beggars as we cling to Jesus for all of our needs of body and soul.

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen