Sermon for the Baptism of Our Lord: "United in Death and Life"

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]

Suddenly, John appears out in the wilderness by the Jordan River, clothed in camel’s hair and wearing a leather belt around his waist. He spends all of his time in that desolate place preaching to the people. As he preaches repentance, more and more people come. These people keep coming and coming. As they come to John, he baptizes each person, one by one.

This great multitude of people kept coming to John. This multitude came to hear God’s Word and turn to God for repentance to receive forgiveness of sins. These people came to find relief from guilt and shame. They came to receive God’s grace.

But there was an exception. Among this great multitude stood Jesus of Nazareth. He was the only one among the multitudes of people who did not come to John in need of forgiveness of sins. Jesus was the only person who ever lived who did not need to repent.

Yet, Jesus was there, and when His turn came to be baptized by John, John was shocked. You see, John knew that Jesus was the man he spoke of when he preached, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stop down and untie” (Mark 1:7).

So, why is Jesus there? What is the purpose of His baptism? If He isn’t there to repent of His sins and receive forgiveness, why is He desiring to be baptized by John? He wasn’t being baptized for Himself, Jesus was being baptized for you!

[The Significance of Christ’s Baptism for Us]

As uncertain as life may seem to be these days, God’s love for you is certain. God’s love for you never changes. So, what does Christ’s baptism mean for you? It means everything!

Today in the Epistle lesson, the Holy Spirit inspires the Apostle Paul to speak about how we are united to Christ through our baptism. Paul makes it certain that in baptism, God unites us with Christ.

Now to say that baptism unites us to Christ is to say that prior to our baptism, we were not united with Christ. In fact, we were disconnected from God altogether. In fact, this may even be an understatement. You see in Ephesians 2, Paul describes our condition prior to Christ as being “children of wrath.” He says: “We all once lived in the passions of the flesh, carrying out the desires of the body, and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:3).

So, through our very nature – as we were conceived and born – we are under the wrath of God because of our sin. In our sin, we have proven that we still live as if our life is disconnected from God. Instead of loving God and our neighbor, we may gossip, spread false rumors, or judge others without proper authority. We focus on our wants and desires, rather than caring for our neighbor.

Likewise, our culture has convinced many of us to believe that sex outside the bounds of marriage is fine. Many may say: “Why not? It’s promoted in television and movies, so it must be fine. Afterall, we’ll probably get married someday.” Our lives are so dominated by what we see portrayed in television and movies. So, to say that we were disconnected from God by our nature is an understatement.

Fortunately, God is at work in baptism to unite us to Christ.

First, God unites us to Christ’s death in and through baptism. Paul tells us, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death” (Romans 6:3-4).

In fact, we are so closely united with Christ’s death in our baptism, that it is as if when the water flows over us and we hear the name of God pronounced over us that we are traveling back to nearly 2,000 years ago.

At our baptism, we are there with Christ at His baptism in the Jordan River as He takes upon Himself our sin. We are in fact nailed to the cross with Him as He died for our sins on that Good Friday. We are there with Christ inside that sealed tomb. This is what happened when you were baptized and what happens each time you witness a baptism. You see, we are indeed united to the death of Christ.

But like Christ, we do not remain dead in the tomb. In Baptism, just as we are buried with Christ, we are also raised from the dead with Christ to new life! Paul informs us saying, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

So, through our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection, God the Father sees us the same way He sees His own Son. He says to you: “With you I am well pleased.”

For everyone baptized into Christ, this newness of life is what we are walking in right now. This is our sanctified, or holy, life as we grow in the Christian faith. This is not something we have to wait for in our physical death to experience. We have this new life now through God’s action in our lives that we received through our baptism.

[The New Life]

At one time, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Now, God has raised us to new life in and through baptism. In this new life, we no longer live for ourselves, but we live for Christ, who reconciled us to God the Father once again. In this new life, we no longer live to our sinful desires, but rather, we live to please our gracious God.

This is what Paul means when he tells us: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). When we are dead to something, you don’t respond to it. You are dead and a dead person cannot respond to anyone or anything. As Paul says, “Consider yourselves dead to sin,” this is our new life.

Our text begins with this question from Paul: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1)

“By no means!” says Paul, this is not the life of a Christian! This is not the life of one united in baptism with Christ.

For some, they may believe that since Christ has given us His grace and favor, Christians can sin all the more. Afterall, Christ will forgive my sin, right? So, should we sin in abundance so that God can forgive us even more frequently?

This would be like asking, “Should I set my house on fire so that the fire department can get more practice at putting out house fires?” Or: “Should I crash my car into a tree so that first responders can get more practice in responding to accidents?”

But at the same time, we know that we will not be free from sin on this side of heaven. We are still going to sin, even as we walk in this newness of life. The difference is that we don’t intentionally sin. As Baptized believers in Christ, we don’t live in our sin. Instead, we repent of our sin daily. You see, no matter the sin, through repentance, that sin is forgiven. That sin is wiped clean! This is our daily life as a Christian. In this new life, we live a life of repentance.

Martin Luther once said, “Our sin is forgiven not so that we may continue in it, but that we might break loose from it; otherwise, it would be called a permission and not a remission of sin.”

So, we live our lives in the forgiveness that is ours in Christ. We walk in this newness of life in repentance that God gave us in our baptism.

And, each time, we repent and confess our sins to God the Father, He again sees us as He saw us in our baptism: “With you I am well pleased.”

Since we live in God’s grace, we walk in the newness of life as we repent and confess our sins.

[Our Union has Future Blessings]

Now, our new life does not end when our life here on earth comes to a close. You see, our union with Christ in our baptism has future blessings for us and all Christians, as well.

Paul says, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5). You see, there is more to come!

So, just as Christ was bodily raised from the dead, we too, will be bodily raised from the dead!

This is the sure and certain hope that we all have since we are united with Christ. You see, death is not the end. Death does not have the final say. You see, the power of death was defeated through Christ’s death on the cross and in His resurrection from the dead. This we now share in Christ through our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection. Death is now but a gateway to heaven to be in the presence of God and with all who have gone before us and after us in the faith.

Today, we await the return of Christ with those who have gone before us who are now in the presence of the Lord. Now, Christ will not return in humility as he came to be with us during His first coming. When He comes again, He will come in all power, glory, and majesty.

On that day, our bodies will be raised, just like His body was raised. On that day, our bodies will be changed to be like His glorious body. Our bodies will no longer suffer any of the effects of sin. Our bodies will be perfect and immortal.

When Christ returns, we will be as we are today, that through His baptism and our baptism into Christ, we are united with Him in His death and life. 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: "From Death to Life" (John 5)

 

Family and friends of Richard:

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

[Intro]

Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and follows him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

On Saturday, January 2, the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – called Richard Smith to his eternal home. He entered heaven and is continuing his eternal life that he received by grace through faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

One of the hobbies Richard had in his earthly life was to drive around. Some of the best times he had was simply being with his wife Betty as they drove around town and the countryside. He loved every moment he had with his wife Betty.

As a resident at GlenFields, Richard took part in its Just one WISH program. After Betty died, Richard’s one wish was to visit Betty’s grave and the home they shared in Green Isle. His wish was granted as he placed a bouquet of purple flowers on her grave, which was Betty’s favorite color, and he spent all that day remembering all the great times they had together.

Throughout the years he lived at GlenFields, he enjoyed getting out of his room to see what was happening throughout the building. I would catch him from time to time in his wheelchair and I would ask him if he needed any assistance back to his room, he typically denied my request. It could be that he was thinking about of all those times as he drove around with his wife as he saw new things along the way.

Certainly, the scenery in and around GlenFields changed during his time there with the addition and remodeling. Of all the places he could be in the building, there was only one place Richard could be found when First Lutheran led services, and that was GlenFields’ chapel. Today, through his faith in Jesus, Richard is living out the promise of eternal life as he has passed from death to life! Right now, Richard is experiencing what he could never imagine. He is in heaven with all the saints!

[Hearing and Believing]

In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us this good news: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

Now, do you realize that everyone who hears the words of Jesus and believes in Him is already living eternal life? Much of the time, we only think of going to heaven. Yes, heaven is wonderful! But it is much more than that, because everyone who believes in Christ today already has eternal life!

But is there a time when eternal life begins?

Today, we see the wages of sin, which is death. Although Richard’s body is here, his soul is living in heaven.

For Richard, the prospect of eternal life began when the Triune God chose him at his baptism. At the moment Richard heard God’s name pronounced over him in the waters of Holy Baptism, he received the ability to believe in Jesus as his Lord and Savior. This is the same for you and me!

Did you catch that? For everyone baptized into Christ, we come to faith by first hearing God’s Triune Name – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He first calls us through the waters of Holy Baptism. It is here, where the Holy Spirit calls us and enlightens us. It is here, where we receive the ability to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

So, the prospect of eternal life actually begins at our baptism. But how do we know when eternal life actually begins?

Well, eternal life begins when we hear the words of Jesus saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life” and you believe it!

Here, Jesus is not speaking of a future giving of life, because of past believing. Here, Jesus is speaking of the present. So, the very moment you truly believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have eternal life.

[In Christ Alone]

Now, what about those who deny Jesus by refusing to listen to His voice? Well, not to hear is to remain in eternal death: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). But to hear is life: “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b). Christ’s words define the person who belongs to Him. So, he or she who belongs Him is who “hears my word and believes him who sent me.”

This was Richard. You see, it doesn’t take any good work to receive salvation. It doesn’t take any special skill. All it takes is belief.

We receive this free gift of eternal life through Christ’s sacrificial death upon the cross and His resurrection from the dead on behalf of all sinners, you and me. You see, although He knew no sin, He took on our sin, so by grace through faith in Christ we would be forgiven of all our sins against God in thought, word, and deed. It is only through Christ, that we have become inheritors of eternal life!

This truth is expressed in one of Richard’s favorite hymns “How Great Thou Art”:

But when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in –

That on the cross my burden gladly bearing

He bled and died to take away my sin;

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!    (LSB 801, stanza 3)

[Eternal Peace]

Through Christ alone, we are forgiven and we have eternal life here and now! This eternal life is under God’s grace and favor and continues right through physical death.

Today, Richard and all the saints in the Church Triumphant are at eternal peace as they are in the presence of their Lord! You see, for everyone in heaven, they are at eternal peace as they face no more hunger, no more thirst, no more pain, and no more sorrow. Richard is living eternal bliss as a saint.

By first hearing and then believing in Jesus, Richard and all the saints in the Church Triumphant have truly passed from death to life. 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

Richard Smith's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/richard-william-smith/

Funeral Sermon: Waking in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4)

 

Sally, Stephen, Michael and Jessica, family and friends of Roger:

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

[Intro]

Through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul comforts us with these words: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Now, Paul is not saying that Christians do not grieve the loss of loved ones, certainly everyone grieves, since any separation brings grief, but as Christians we grieve in hope. This morning, we each hold on to the sure and certain hope of eternal life that was won for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was the hope of Roger in his earthly life and this is the certainty that he now has in heaven.

Throughout most of his earthly life, Roger suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. Now, Roger never let this disease deter him. Yes, he had bad days, but he kept on fighting this disease to the end. It may look like the power of sin — that is, death — has won, but through his faith in Christ, sin’s power is defeated.

Throughout his earthly life, he enjoyed serving Jesus on various boards at First Ev. Lutheran Church. For me, I really got to know Roger during his service on the Board of Evangelism, where he always had ideas to share on how to expand God’s kingdom. As one of First Lutheran’s leaders, he saw the 2000 addition, which included the fellowship hall, as one of the achievements during his life.

Outside of church activities, Roger was a farmer and a massage therapist. From 1997 to 2018, he also was a public servant as he was elected as supervisor for the McLeod County Soil & Water Conservation District. I recall, that when he didn’t win re-election in 2019, he told me, “This was God’s plan. This is God telling me it’s time to do something else.” Roger was always eager to do something to support his community and his church.

Most of all, he loved his Lord, he loved his wife Sally, and he loved his family.

Today may be a sad day, but today is also a day of comfort. As Psalm 147 proclaims, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). When Jesus called Roger home, all of Roger’s pains were gone. He was healed. He is at peace.

[Death & Sleep]

In our reading from 1 Thessalonians 4, the Apostle Paul compares death to sleep. He says, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Now, Paul is not trying to make something bad seem a bit better by referring to it in rosy terms. In fact, what Paul is saying is completely true. This is what death is like for one who dies in Christ. Death is like a sleep in which the person’s body is completely unaware of anything around it, but when his body awakes, Jesus wakes up the Christian to a glorious eternal day.

For all of us, we are not afraid to rest our heads on our pillow at night to go to sleep, for we know that we will wake up again to a new day. This is how death is for Christians. We should not fear resting our heads on the pillows of death and falling asleep, because Jesus will wake us up to a more glorious day.

Death is our enemy, but Jesus Christ conquered death on our behalf through His atoning death on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead. Due to His work on our behalf, we, by grace through faith in Jesus, no longer fear death, “for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

You see, Jesus has complete power over death. For everyone in Christ, Jesus tells us what His resurrection means: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19) and “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26a). This is the promise of Christ.

Roger was first made aware of this promise through the life-giving waters of Holy Baptism on September 5, 1948. In Baptism, the Holy Spirit worked in and through the water and the Word to create in him faith in Christ Jesus. This is where he was adopted as a child of the Heavenly Father and made a new creation in Christ. Then on May 20, 1962, the Holy Spirit led Roger to confess his faith in Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior.

By his faith in Jesus Christ, Roger and all believers receive the benefits of the cross of Jesus: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

As a part of this grace, every believer in Christ will be reunited with one another. This is our sure and certain hope in Christ.

In one of the last conversations I had with Roger, he had a question about the oil in the lamps that Jesus describes in the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Roger was so thrilled when he figured it out his question. You see, the oil in the lamps was faith. And Roger’s faith in Christ was strong as the Lord strengthened his faith through hearing God’s Word and receiving Christ’s very Body and Blood under the bread and wine. Through these Means of Grace, God prepares us and strengthens us so when it is our time to fall asleep, we are ready when we are awakened by our Lord.

[Encouraging One Another]

Paul closes our text urging the Thessalonians to talk about these facts so they might encourage one another in times of loss. May we do the same! How comforting it is to hear again and again from the lips of fellow believers this simple fact: “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

From our perspective, Roger is asleep. But from his perspective, he has been awoken by Christ to live a more glorious eternal day. He and all the saints in the Church Triumphant are at peace. And, by grace through faith in Christ alone, we will see our loved ones again who have departed in the faith. So, until Christ calls us home, encourage one another with the hope we have in Christ. For in some unknown day to come, Christ will wake you up to a more glorious eternal day! 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

Video of Funeral Service

 

Roger Schultz's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/roger-vernon-schultz/

Sermon for New Year's Eve: "Numbering Our Days"

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]

In a matter of hours, the year 2020 will be over. We will bid farewell to another year.

2020 is a year that we will not soon forget. This is the year that brought forth distancing. Before this year, you likely never heard of social distancing or distance learning. This was the year of the Bubble and the Thunderdome. Sports fans were replaced by audience cardboard cutouts and virtual fans. Orchestras performed in front of empty theaters to a live-streamed audience. Many of us learned how to work from home.

This past year brought about many changes and challenges to our lives. When we began 2020, we thought we could plan out the year, but we had to learn how to live one day at a time, as we had to learn to live with constant change.

For many of us, fear and worry struck our minds. The unknown of a novel virus, along with riots and further unrest led us to fear and worry about our life and the world around us. This fear and worry has captivated many of us throughout this year as we found ourselves glued to our television sets.

Whatever you thought about 2020, this year sure reminded us to number our days.

This evening, we heard what is likely the oldest Psalm. You would have thought Psalm 1 might be the oldest, but it is likely that the oldest is Psalm 90. What makes Psalm 90 unique is that it was written by Moses. It is likely that the Holy Spirit inspired Moses to write this Psalm toward the end of his life.

The most familiar verse in Psalm 90 is verse 12: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

But what exactly does it mean for us to number our days? Moses leads us to that answer through his Psalm.

[God is Eternal]

First, Moses tells of God’s eternal existence saying, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:1-2).

Here, Moses traces God’s existence to even before time existed. As the eternal God, He has always been. He never came into being, since He always exists. He has no beginning. God just always is.

God is the dwelling place, or refuge, for all generations. He is where we are to turn to for security. But, due to our sinful nature as inherited from our first parents Adam and Eve, we do not always remember God as our refuge. In our sin, we often turn to false idols for our refuge. We think we can save ourselves and become our own refuge.

No matter what we try to do, man always returns to what man was: dust.

[Man is Temporary]

God is eternal, but man is temporary. At the end of your life, one of two things will happen: either Christ will come descending from the clouds or you will die. Until Christ comes again, due to our sin, every human being will die. Man was formed from the dust of the ground and man will return to the dust of the ground.

Yet, our sin leads us to live our life as though there were no death. We think we will live forever. We like to think that we will always have time. We don’t want to talk about death. In fact, we like to hide death.

This appears to be one of the reasons behind cremation. For many people, cremation is not about the funeral costs, it’s actually about avoiding the sight of death. Instead of facing death in the casket, death is hidden.

When someone dies unexpected, we can no longer be with our departed one. We may stress ourselves with these questions: “Why didn’t I call?” and “Why didn’t I visit more often?”

We have all seen loved ones die, but until my generation is next – we often think, death is far away, but is it? As we grow older, years begin to feel like months, and months begin to feel like days. Before you know it, death is before you.

We may believe we live a healthy and active life, but being healthy and active does not prevent death. We always think we have time. But we indeed face death at any moment.

For some of us, the prospect of death became more of a reality this year amid the pandemic. But even before COVID-19, we still faced death without even realizing it. Due to sin in the world, heart disease, cancer, distracted driving, influenza, and countless other causes led to death. So, just because we don’t notice death all around us, it doesn’t make the prospect of death go away.

Moses reminds us that God can sweep us away as with a flood, that we are like a dream, and that we are like grass that fades and withers (Psalm 90:5-6).

Human mortality is like a dream quickly forgotten. All of us face the reality that life is short.

As much as humanity searches for a cure for death, no vaccine or pill will ever end death. Our temporal bodies will eventually wear out. Death is certain. Death is unavoidable. Death is a constantly threatening tyrant. We must go about our tasks with full awareness that we will die.

Each of us must die because the wages of sin is death. Moses reminds us of that when he says: “For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:7-10).

Due to our sin, we each deserve God’s anger and wrath. God’s wrath brings light to every violation of His holy will, even those sins that are hidden from our thinking.

You see, sin wreaks havoc in the whole creation. Our lives can be characterized as toil and trouble, but in the end, life comes to a close with just a sigh.

[Number Our Days]

For this, Moses prays with us that we would be taught to number our days, so that we may get a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

You see, the eternal God – who came into our flesh to dwell with us – came so that our fear in God’s impending wrath would turn to the hope of eternal life. Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins, so that whoever would believe in Him would have eternal life.

For the unbeliever, they are unable to have any assurance after death. They live their lives hoping that death will never come. They live their lives in fear of the unknown after death. Since we live in the world, the unbeliever’s fear can become our fear.

In the midst of this, the only way our fears subside is by trusting in Jesus. So, shed your fears by confessing them to Jesus. He is the only place where true comfort is found! A Government mandate may be designed to give us temporal peace and safety, but no government mandate can give anyone eternal peace. True peace is only found in Jesus!

For everyone in Christ, we know that life can vanish like a shadow. We know this life is exceedingly brief. We know this life is full of pain and sorrow. We know that death is coming.

Even with this fact, we pray with Moses that the Holy Spirit might teach us to number our days. Each day we have is a gift from God. Each day we have is a blessing. We do not pray that God would tell us the exact number of days in our life, but that we consider how short our life is, which could end at any moment.

We number our days in humility knowing that we could be living our last day and so we seek God’s grace and mercy.

Unlike the unbelieving world around us, we do not live in despair, because we trust in the promise of God as we live in hope and in faith. You see, the only answer for death – the only cure for death – is faith in Jesus Christ!

In Christ alone, we have the sure and certain hope in the resurrection of all flesh. Through His atoning suffering and death, and His glorious resurrection from the dead, we know for certain that when we take our final breath, our life is not over.

We are not left in God’s anger and wrath, instead we are in God’s grace and favor.

Like Simeon, who received comfort when he saw the young Jesus in the Temple, we too, are able to depart this life in peace as God’s saving Word has been fulfilled through His only Son, so that through hearing His Word and receiving His Sacrament, God freely gives us His grace and mercy, so we are prepared when death comes.

Through God’s grace and mercy, we live in God’s comfort and assurance! By faith in Christ alone, we are conquerors of death through His love for you and me. His love was displayed for all the world as His blood was shed for the sins of the entire world upon the cross. We, who share in Christ’s victory, are “sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

While the unbelieving world lives in fear and despair about the reality of death, we, through Christ, live in hope and comfort knowing that nothing separates us from the love of God. Through Christ’s love, we do not fear death, but trust in the promise of eternal life.

One of two things is for certain, either Christ returns at an hour you do not expect, like a thief in the night (Luke 12:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:2) or we die. Until that day, Lord, help us all to number our days and always turn to You in our time of doubt and fear, for You are our dwelling place, You are our refuge, and in You we find strength to meet the days ahead!

O God, our help in ages past, / Our hope for years to come, / Be Thou our guard while troubles last / And our eternal home! (LSB 733, stanza 6)

As we begin 2021, remember that our God is eternal, and thanks to Jesus’ cross and empty tomb, we shall spend eternity with Him. In light of this, we should number our days knowing that our life is short, but eternity in Christ is endless. 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 St. John, Apostle and Evangelist: "Walking in the Light"

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]

A small child was taken to a cathedral. She sat watching the sunshine through the windows. She then asked her mother, “What are these people on the windows?” Her mother replied, “They are saints.” “Now I know what saints are. They are the people who let the light shine through.”

This morning, the Third Day of Christmas, the Church celebrates one of those saints who let the light shine through – St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist.

John – a fisherman by trade – was among the first whom Jesus called to be an apostle. In his Gospel, John often refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” which tells of a close friendship between himself and Jesus. John was also the only one of the Twelve not to abandon Jesus during the hours of His suffering and death. When all looked doubtful, he remained faithful. Together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, he stood at the foot of the cross. It was there that Jesus gave His mother into John’s keeping and gave John to Mary as her own son.

According to Early Church tradition, Mary lived with John in Ephesus until the day of her death. Also, according to tradition, John was the only one of the Twelve who did not die a martyr’s death. Although, he suffered a time of exile upon the island of Patmos during which the great revelation was granted to him.

John died as an old man, but his Holy Spirit-inspired writings – First, Second, and Third Epistles of John; Revelation; and the Gospel of John – continue to be a bright shining light in the Church and serve as the Holy Spirit’s encouraging words to us always.

[False Teachings]

Now, some years ago, an article called “Pick-and-Choose-Christianity” appeared in a major national magazine. This article summarized the results of a three-year-study of all denominations in a midwestern state. This study pointed out that most church members “pick and choose” which teachings of Christianity they will accept and which they will leave behind. One of the most popular teachings that was disregarded was sin. A third of respondents said they were prone to mistakes, but they did not think of themselves as sinful.

In our reading from 1 John this morning, the Apostle John is putting his hearers to the test. As the last living apostle, he has become increasingly aware of errors finding their way into Christ’s Church. These errors are not minor issues. These errors are a matter of life and death.

Now, John’s focus in our reading today is the need for a savior. You see, these false teachers were proclaiming that there is no sin. They were teaching the heresy known as antinomianism, which dismisses the Law of God in the life of the Christian. To put it short and simple, antinomianism means it does not matter how you live. So, when it does not matter how a person lives – when everything is fine – why is there any need for a savior?

So, John’s principal concern is to reinforce faith and life in Christ’s flock against the threat of this deceiving influence that is coming in from outside the Church. Here, John is being a loving and caring pastor in testing them that they are indeed walking on the right path.

You see, sin is very real. Sin isn’t a thing made up by the Church to deny people any sort of enjoyment. As human beings, we often like to just dismiss sin, or just avoid the term altogether by calling sin a mere mistake or a poor choice, or use the acronym “YOLO” – you only live once – as an excuse for bad or risky behavior. Today’s popular excuse is: “What I do in my life should not concern you.” But like any virus, sin spreads. Discussing sin is uncomfortable. Discussing sin is unpleasant. This is likely why these false teachers then and now just dismiss sin.

But for God, sin is a big deal. Sin is an extremely big deal, since it is us separating ourselves from the love of God. Now, ever since Adam fell into sin, humankind has been stuck in the pit of sin and unable to save ourselves. Instead of loving God by following His commandments, all we do is dig ourselves deeper and deeper into sin.

Like all of us, John also was not perfect. He too was sinful. Like us, John needed salvation.

Thanks be to God the Father that He did not leave us to die in our sins, which we all deserve, instead He sent us the Savior. He sent us the Savior Jesus Christ – the Word made flesh – to be born of the virgin Mary. He sent His only-begotten Son to take upon Himself all our sins to the cross – every sin of thought, word, and deed against God’s command – so that anyone who would believe in Him would be saved from the power of sin, which is eternal death. He came as the only Savior from sin. No good works and no other religion have the power to save. He came so by grace through faith in Him, we would not walk in the darkness of our sins, but instead walk in the righteousness of His Light.

This is why John is proclaiming the need for salvation. Since, he had salvation through the blood of Jesus, he shared this good news. All throughout John’s life, he repented of his sins. He received forgiveness. He grew in the one true faith.

[Walking in the Light]

In our text, John is confronting his flock with this question: Are you walking in the darkness or are you walking in the light? Now, to walk in darkness is to live in sin and death. But what exactly does it mean to walk in the light? John tells us: We repent and confess our sins.

For most of us, this middle part of our epistle is a part of our muscle memory. We know this by heart. Sometimes the meaning of Confession and Absolution may just pass us by, but through our confession, we receive forgiveness. Our sin is wiped clean through the merit of Jesus. So, when you are absolved of your sins, it is Jesus doing this work – for you. This passage from 1 John is one of the ways in our liturgy that we confess our sins in the Divine Service to God our Father. But have you ever thought about the meaning behind it?

You see, these false teachers were proclaiming that they had fellowship with God. These false teachers were proclaiming that they had no sin. By denying sin, they were denying the saving power of Jesus Christ. These false teachers were in fact leading their hearers to eternal death apart from God, since the only way we come to fellowship with God is through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

For these lies, John proclaims: “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:6-10).

You see, none of us is perfect, except for Jesus Christ. As imperfect human beings, Christ alone has the power to make us perfect. He came to earth, so that through His cleansing blood in His atoning death, everyone who would believe in Him would have life. He came to earth as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

[Children of the Light]

Like John, we are also people who let the light of Christ shine through. We are witnesses of what Christ has done! Through God’s Word (the Bible), we hear the voice of Christ – the same voice that John heard. Through Confession and Absolution, we hear this same voice of Christ as He forgives our sins. And at the Lord’s Supper, we see, touch, and taste the same body and blood of Jesus that John witnessed being shed upon the cross and alive in the flesh again with His resurrected body.

As witnesses of Christ, we too have changed. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit has worked the new creation in us beginning at our Baptism. By grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we have become Children of the Light, we have nothing to fear, not even temporal death, since we have the sure and certain hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Through Christ’s Light that we shine in our daily lives – our daily vocations – we live out our lives proclaiming Christ.

As Children of the Light, our Christian life is not hidden. As Jesus says in Luke 12:35: We “stay dressed for action and keep our lamps burning.” By keeping our lamps burning, we do not live our Christian faith in private. In fact, our Christian faith is for all the world to see! Now, we don’t scream our faith through a megaphone, but we live our faith in what we think, say, and do. Christ shines through us as we live out our faith by proclaiming Christ in our daily actions and our daily vocations. This can be as simple as inviting friends to church, so others can hear the good news of Christ’s forgiveness.

As forgiven sinners, we try to follow God’s Law. We try the best we can. We try, try, and keep trying.

And when we fail and fall into any kind of sin, remember “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). So, we repent and confess that sin to God our Father and that sin is forgiven. Through your confession, you are forgiven by God the Father through the blood of Jesus.

Now our life is a struggle, the devil constantly entices us with the world and our flesh to sin. But, by God’s grace, we have the remedy for sin and this remedy is Jesus Christ. This is why He came. He came to save us from our sins. He came so that we would have life everlasting.

To sustain our weak faith, Jesus instituted the New Testament in His blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of sin and to strengthen our weak faith. In the Sacrament of the Altar, He grants us to drink His blood, which redeems, purchases, and wins from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, strengthening and preserving both body and soul to life everlasting. All this He accomplishes, all this He procures, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.

This Christ alone has done for you and me, so that we would walk safely in His light. Through Christ alone, we are His chosen and redeemed children. This is most certainly true. “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5b).

Through Christ’s cleansing blood, we no longer live in darkness, but live in His light as we receive the benefits of His cross: forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. We walk in His Light as we confess our sins, receive His forgiveness, and share the love of Christ with our neighbor. 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 Christmas Day: "The Word Became Flesh and Still Dwells with Us"

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]

It is all a matter of perspective. On Christmas Eve,

§  We recalled how God influenced a Roman census to lead Mary and Joseph to the city of David, called Bethlehem.

§  We recalled how Joseph was of the house and lineage of David.

§  We recalled how while they were in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to a Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and placed Him in a manger, since there was no place for them in the inn.

§  We also recalled how in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. We recalled how an angel of the Lord appeared to them and told them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12).

§  We recalled how these shepherds went with haste and found Mary, Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger.

This morning, we hear another perspective on the birth of Christ. But John’s Gospel leaves out the historical background of Matthew 1 and Luke 2. Instead, John focuses upon what we cannot see with human eyes.

You see, John’s Gospel is different. The Holy Spirit leads John not to concern himself about relaying the facts. That has already been done in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Rather, the Holy Spirit leads John about giving those facts meaning. He informs us what our eyes fail to notice at the manger. He focuses on the theological application of Christmas, when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This is John’s truth about Christmas.

[The Tabernacle]

Back in the Old Testament times, Jesus was there. He was dwelling, or better yet, tabernacling, with His people.

It was in the tabernacle where God revealed His glory. Now, this tabernacle was a tent designed by God Himself so that He would have a place to dwell among His people. Now, this tabernacle was a place of awe. This tabernacle was seen from miles around as everyone could witness God’s glory in the cloud that rested in the innermost part of the tabernacle, known as the Most Holy Place. This was an awe-inspiring sight knowing that the one true God was seen in that cloud.

Here, in the tabernacle, the Lord made His presence known to His people. There, He met them and interacted with them. The Lord tabernacled among them, to guard and guide them, to give them His Word, to forgive them their sins through His appointed sacrifices, and to lead them to the Promised Land. Ultimately, the Lord tabernacled with His people to save them.

Now, this tabernacle would serve the Israelites for nearly 500 years until it was replaced by the Temple. Now, the glory of God never left the Israelites. He remained. His glory would continue to dwell with His people. This new temple would have the same design as the previous tabernacle, but the temple would be a permanent structure, rather than a tent.

[In the Beginning…]

But, in fact, Jesus was there before the construction of the tabernacle. Jesus was there even before time. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Here, John is purposefully taking our thoughts back to Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” John is taking us as far back as we can go. He is taking us to eternity – before creation.

So, why is John drawing our attention to the Book of Genesis? Why would John focus on this in his Christmas account?

John is doing this to emphasize the Child born from Mary is connected with Creation and Life. John is emphasizing that Jesus, the Word of God, was present at the beginning. Jesus, the Word of God, was with God. Jesus, the Word of God, was God then; and Jesus, the Word of God is God now. Through the Word of God, the entire world came into existence through Him. Jesus not only contains life. Jesus is in fact, Life itself.

The Word that would become incarnate, that is, “in the flesh,” the God who would become fully man, is there. The Word has always been, and the Word will always be.

The Word did not begin at the incarnation. The Word is not trapped in heaven. The Word is the Alpha and Omega. The Word is the beginning and the end. But something did change. For the first time, through the incarnation, the eternal Word of God took on our human flesh and became man.

[The Mystery]

This is a profound mystery. We pondered this divine mystery as we sang “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.” It is hard to wrap our minds around how God could become like you and me, and have a human body, yet be without sin. How is that possible? How God could take the form of a baby inside a virgin’s womb is a mystery. Even Mary asked the angel: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34).

But God reveals to us that this divine mystery became flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we confess this divine mystery each Divine Service in the Creed.

This is a divine mystery that the Apostle Paul confesses to Timothy: “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

For us human creatures, we like to look at reason. If we do not see things that happened in the Bible happening today, many of us just dismiss it. We may overlook that the one true God is eternal and all powerful. We may overlook that the one true God can and does do amazing things.

In fact, God’s Word accomplishes His purposes. The Word gave life to creation. This is the same life-giving Word of God that became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ – true God in the flesh.

[Why Christ Came in the Flesh]

But why did God have to dwell among us in human flesh? Why did Jesus have to come as a baby? Why couldn’t Jesus had come as an adult?

Jesus came in the midst of fallen humanity to save us. As sinful human beings, we often search out false gods – like temporal safety and fortune – to give us happiness. We often focus on our wants and desires instead of being content. We often do not love our neighbor as we ought by being merciful, kind, and forgiving. So, the only way God’s wrath for our sins could be settled would be for God to come in our flesh and dwell with us, and so He did with “grace and truth.”

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us to redeem mankind from their sins. This is why He came as a baby.

You see, all of humanity, every one of us, had fallen into sin, ever since our first parents Adam and Eve disobeyed God by being deceived by Satan to eat of the forbidden fruit. Since the Fall of mankind in the Garden, no human being has been able to save themselves from sin. We are all trapped in sin and the wages of sin is eternal death apart from God. Our only hope would be a savior. And only God has the power to save. But at the same time, God’s justice demands that those who sin must die. Since man had sinned, man must die. Sins cannot be swept under the rug, so to speak. Sin must be dealt with.

This is why the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus came, as a humble child, to do what God demands of His Law. Jesus kept the commandments to love God and to love one’s neighbor perfectly. He is the only human being who has ever kept every single letter of God’s Law.

Jesus is the only righteous man. He is totally innocent. Even so, He suffered and died in our place. Being true God His suffering and death have infinite worth. Through His suffering and death, Jesus died as our substitute and paid the price for our sins. In exchange for His innocent suffering and death, by grace through faith in Him, we receive perfect righteousness.

Then through His bodily resurrection, we know that He has indeed conquered the powers of sin and death upon all who believe in Him. So, when we repent and confess our sin to God our Father, we know that through the suffering and death of Jesus, that sin is forgiven by grace through faith Him!

[Dwelling Among Us]

Despite Jesus returning to heaven at His ascension, He has not left us. In fact, He has continued to dwell with us as He tabernacles with His people!

Through the incarnation, Jesus, true God and true man, has put on the tent of human flesh. Everything that God promised about the tabernacle now stands fulfilled in Jesus. Today, there is no more need for a physical tabernacle or Temple. He is the place where God dwells among us. He is the place of awe. He is the place of forgiveness of sins, which brings life and salvation to all who believe in Him.

However, He appears like any other child. There is nothing glorious about His appearance. Yet, He is glorious. In this man, the eternal God dwells. This young Child lying in His mother’s arms is the One who created the entire universe and even the motherly arms that hold Him. This is awe-inspiring. This glorious God humbled Himself to be born of Mary and yet remain the source of all things.

This glorious God has shown His glory. First, through the incarnation. But He came not just to live in our flesh. He came ultimately to die in our flesh, so that we would be saved from our sins through His death, and from His death, we receive life! The Word that became flesh came for this reason: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).

You see, the Word of God became flesh in order to save you and me! He came as a humble baby boy knowing full well then what He came to do. In order to save us from our sins, He would have to die. The only cure for sin would be His death.

Even though He has died, rose, and has ascended to heaven, the Word of God that became flesh for us is still dwelling with us. His presence, His glory, and His grace is no less available for us today than it was when He was lying in Mary’s arms. His glory was manifest to you in your Baptism, a glory that remains with you. His glory is ever present with us in Scripture and in hearing the Word of Christ, a glory that remains with you. His glory is truly present under bread and wine.

In the Lord’s Supper, He comes to you with the very same body and blood that Mary held in her arms, the very same body and blood that was crucified for your salvation, the very same body and blood that rose from the dead, the very same body and blood that will come again for you on the Last Day, the very same body and blood in which you behold His glory, the glory of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Even in times of social distancing, Christ has never become distant with us! The very Word of God made flesh still dwells with us in Word and Sacrament!

So, on this Christmas morning, we confess the incarnation! The Word has become flesh and He still dwells with us! From Him we receive unending blessings: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation!

By faith in Christ, God in human flesh, He brings all of God’s blessings to you! His chief blessing is His grace! Merry Christmas! 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