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Acts 2:1-21

¹ When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

⁵ Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. ⁷ And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, ¹¹ both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” ¹² And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;

¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

²⁰ the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

It’s June 4, 2017. Here you are at church, and everything is much the same as it was last week. Some Scripture readings, confession of sins, absolution, little prayers here and there. Just another normal, predictable Sunday morning at Christ the King.

Well not, entirely ‘normal.’ Today is Pentecost. So, you hear about the giving of the Holy Spirit, and it is impressive, full of fireworks. A mighty rushing wind. People are filled with the Holy Spirit. Tongues of fire rest on those gathered together. Those 120 believers go out and preach the Gospel in the various languages of the world. Then, after this text, 3,000 new believers are added to the number of Jesus’ disciples.

All of this certainly is impressive, and we look at our little congregation gathered in the flatlands of northern Minnesota and wonder, “Where are all those signs today? Why aren’t we seeing the fireworks? Why aren’t thousands being added to our numbers?”

Remember when Elijah hid from Queen Jezebel after defeating the priests of Baal? Elijah fled to Mount Horeb and sat in a cave. A strong wind comes that tears the mountains and breaks the rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then, there is an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then, there is a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally there is a low whisper, and that is where the Lord is. From that thin sound, God speaks to Elijah (1 Kgs. 19:9-13).

The day of Pentecost is similar. All the fireworks of Pentecost are impressive, but those outward things confuse the people. Some even mock those who were preaching saying that they are crazy drunkards.

But it is when Peter preaches that things happen. Peter, who had been the Jesus-denying coward, is now preaching boldly. He tells the people how the prophecy from Joel – the signs in the sky and on the earth – is all fulfilled in Jesus. And Peter hammers the Law. This Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh, you crucified, but God has raised Him from the dead (Act 2:36).

And the people who had been mocking and ridiculing the disciples are cut to the heart and will ask when Peter’s sermon is done, “What shall we do?”

And Peter says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself” (Act. 2:38-39).

The fireworks of Pentecost are impressive, but Pentecost isn’t impressive because of them. Earthquakes, winds, and fires happen even when the Holy Spirit isn’t there.

What really makes Pentecost impressive is what cannot happen without the Holy Spirit working through the Word proclaimed – repentance and faith.

Only by the Holy Spirit can you be called by the Gospel. Only the Holy Spirit can enlighten the darkness of your hearts through His gifts of Word and Sacrament. Only by the Holy Spirit working through these means are you kept in the true faith day after day.

It doesn’t matter if the Holy Spirit adds 3,000 people to the number of Christians in one day or if people are added one by one. The Spirit creating faith is always a miracle more impressive than strong, rushing wind or tongues of fire.

Even if the Word and Sacraments seem boring, they are the Gospel and the power of God unto salvation. Wherever believers are gathered together to receive these gifts and to confess their faith in Christ, there the Holy Spirit is working because no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” apart from the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).

The fireworks don’t prove that the Holy Spirit is at work. So what sign should look for if we want to gauge if the Holy Spirit is at work? Listen to Jesus, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me” (Jn. 15:26).

Whenever you hear about Jesus’ finished work for you, when you hear about Christ crucified, risen, and ascended for you, there the Holy Spirit is working to bring you to repentance and faith. May God grant this to us and kindle in our hearts the fire of His love. Amen.[1]

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] I am thankful for a sermon by Rev. Timothy Winterstein as inspiration for portions of this sermon.

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Luke 24:44-53

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

⁵⁰ And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

And, today, let’s add to our alleluias.

Alleluia! Christ is ascended!
He is ascended indeed! Alleluia!

This past Thursday marked forty days after Easter and one of the most important days for the Christian Church – the Ascension of Christ. The Ascension means that Jesus – the One who has redeemed you, shed His blood and died for you, and who is risen for you – this Jesus now sits on the throne and rules the entire universe. The Ascension proves that Jesus has won the victory over sin, death, and the devil.

In the Ascension, Jesus stopped being in only one place at a time. Remember in the Gospels how Jesus would appear even after He was raised? He appeared to Mary Madeline near the tomb. He appeared to the disciples minus Thomas in the upper room Easter evening, and again to all the disciples together a week later. Jesus appeared while disciples were fishing at the Sea of Galilee. And in 1 Corinthians 15, we read that Jesus appeared to 500 witnesses all at one time. In each of those appearances, Jesus was there in that one particular place.

Now, because of the Ascension, Jesus is everywhere all the time in all the world even though we don’t see Him. Remember, that Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:18, 20).

As the Introit –  Psalm 110:1, the third most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament – said about the Ascension, Jesus our Lord is seated at God’s right hand with His enemies as His footstool. And maybe, you’re objecting because the verse reads, “The Lord says to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’” Don’t forget what our Epistle text (Eph. 1:15-23) also said. Christ was raised from the dead and seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places above all rule, authority, dominion, and above every name that is named not only in this age but in the one to come and, “[God] put all things under [Christ’s] feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church.”

In His human flesh, Jesus, your Savior ascended to God. Now, His nail-scarred but resurrected feet press down upon every enemy of God and every enemy of yours. The Ascension is something to celebrate because the sin-forgiving, death-destroying body of Jesus now covers every corner of the earth. Jesus is with you always protecting you from all harm and giving you every blessing.

But the devil does not want you to rejoice and delight in this, and so Satan attacks you, believer.

The devil attacks all the things that Jesus has done, but he attacks unbelievers and believers in different ways. With unbelievers, the devil attacks Christ’s birth – Christmas. He assaults Christ’s death and resurrection – Good Friday and Easter. The devil does not want people to believe that God became man, that Jesus died, and that He rose again because to believe those things is to be saved.

But once you are a Christian, the devil does not stop his attacks. But with believers, the devil does not come straight at Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. Instead, the devil chips away at the joy and hope that you have because of Jesus’ Ascension.

From time to time there are videos online of people watching an iceberg break apart. You hear creaking and cracking. Smaller chunks of ice, the size of a car, fall into the ocean. Every now and then, bigger chunks the size of a house fall off. But then, suddenly, half of the iceberg, maybe the size of the new Vikings’ stadium, slips away into the water.

The Ascension of Jesus is like all those smaller chunks that the devil tries to chip away from us so that our whole faith is ripped away from us.

So the devil tries to deceive us into thinking that Jesus has up and abandoned us. Satan tries to turn up the volume on all the evil and wickedness going on in the world to drown out Jesus’ statement that He has all authority in heaven and on earth, that Christ is far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion.

So, Satan points us to the terrorist attacks. He shows us how ISIS blows up a concert in Manchester England, killing twenty-two people, and a couple days later, they shoot up a bus of Christians in Egypt killing twenty-nine of our brothers and sisters in Christ (ten of those were children). The devil tries to focus our attention on the mess of our national politics and economy. The devil points us to how small and insignificant the church appears to be in this world and how many are leaving the church and abandoning the faith.

And the devil puts all the chaos, all the wickedness, all the pain and suffering before us and shouts as loud as he can, “Did Jesus really say that He has all authority in heaven and on earth? If Christ’s enemies are His footstool, how can I do all these horrible things? You must be some fool to believe what Jesus says!”

And too often, we listen. We do not believe that Jesus even now rules and reigns to all eternity. We are robbed of our joy, the world sees us running around worried and panicked, and the devil laughs.

Repent.

The Ascension doesn’t promise us that you will always see Jesus crushing His enemies with our eyes. But the Ascension does promise that His victory is real. The Ascension means that no matter what you see with your eyes, what God says is stronger and more real than what you see.

Look at the end of this text and see how Jesus ascended. “Lifting up His hands He blessed [the disciples], and while He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.”

Jesus’ hands were lifted up in blessing, and Scripture never says that Jesus’ hands are lowered. Jesus doesn’t stop blessing you. Your God, your Savior, Jesus is at God’s right hand blessing you in His ascended victory, now and forever.

Alleluia! Christ is risen and ascended!
He is risen and ascended indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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1 Peter 3:13-22

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

Writing a sermon on this text is no easy task. Believe me. I know, I’ve tried.

Peter begins today by telling us Christians to be zealous for what is good. And Peter doesn’t hide the fact that even when we do good, when we do the right thing, we will suffer, we will be reviled and slandered. And yet in the midst of our suffering, we should always be ready to give an answer, a gentle and respectful answer, for the hope that is in us. Peter reminds us that if we suffer for righteousness’ sake, we are blessed.

Peter points out that even Jesus suffered for doing good. Christ, the righteous One, suffered for sins He didn’t commit. Instead, Jesus suffered for your sins and for my sins. The Righteous One suffered for all us unrighteous ones that He might bring us to God. He was crucified. Killed. Put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

Finally, Peter talks about Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison. He tells us about Noah, the ark, and the deliverance that God granted through water. Peter connects Noah and the ark and the Flood to Baptism clearly saying, “Baptism now saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” And Peter concludes saying that Jesus has now gone into heaven, is at the right hand of God, and angels, authorities, and powers are subjected to Him.

It is a hard text. Doing good. Suffering. Jesus’ death and resurrection. Noah. Water. Baptism. The Ascension. There is a lot here. And how is it all tied together?

Like Peter tells us to, let’s consider Noah and the flood. Usually, when we think of the Flood we think mostly of God’s judgment upon sin, and it is certainly right to do that. Noah lived in an evil time. The world was so full of sin and wickedness that God regretted that He had created mankind at all. So, God determined to blot out man from the face of the earth.

But the Flood is also about God’s deliverance and salvation because “Noah found favor (lit. grace) in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8).

Though God determined to condemn the world through the Flood, God also determined to save Noah and his family. To save Noah, God told Noah to build an ark, to bring his family and the animals in, and to be delivered from the coming judgment.

For 120 years, Noah suffered as he built the ark. Can you imagine? Day after day, week after week, year after year, decade after decade people saying, “There’s crazy Noah building a big ol’ box. Hey, Noah, what did you say you are building that for?”

“God told me to.”

He was ridiculed by everyone else, but he persisted in doing good through his suffering. And Noah’s persistence was his preaching to those who did not listen to God’s voice. In fact, in 2 Peter (2:5), Noah is called a “herald (lit. preacher) of righteousness.” Once the ark was completed, God shut Noah and his family into the ark (Gen. 7:16).

The Flood came, and the waters drowned and doomed everything outside the ark.

Peter says that this is what God has done for you in your Baptism. God has drowned and destroyed all the sin and evil that surrounded you, condemning it in a watery death. And God has put you safely into the ark of His Church.

Remember, the flood waters condemned and drowned, but the Flood also delivered. it was those same waters that lifted the ark and everyone inside to safety.

Believer, everything that Christ has done for you – His perfect, sinless life; His death; His resurrection – it is all delivered to you in your Baptism. In your Baptism, God has united you with Christ’s death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11). In your Baptism, God has clothed you with Christ (Gal. 3:27).

So, when you suffer for doing good, have no fear. In your Baptism, in that flood of righteousness, God has delivered you from all sin and evil and delivered to you all that Christ has done for you.

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

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

John 14:1-14

¹ “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.”

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

¹² “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me.”

If your goal in life is to make a lot of money or have lots of power over others, the easiest way to do it is to stir up fear and manufacture a crisis. The first step in creating fear and crisis is to point out how things are changing and convince everyone that change is bad. Once people convinced this change is scary and terrible, you can keep dipping your hand in their wallet and controlling their behavior.

For years, we were constantly warned about global warming. The earth was getting hotter. We were told, “We are putting too much CO₂ in the atmosphere. The sea levels are rising. We have to get rid of the smog over our cities.”

So, the politicians came saying, “Elect me, and I’ll save you. I’ll make sure greedy corporations don’t keep spewing poison into the atmosphere. I’ll keep your water clean. I’ll make sure your kids breathe safe air.”

And scientists and businesses followed the politicians. “Give us funding so we can do studies.” “Make people buy our lightbulb that looks like spaghetti because it uses less energy.”

It’s gotten so absurd, there are cities spending countless hours and money debating and doing studies about grocery bags. At first, they didn’t want us using paper bags because we were cutting down all the forests, so we started to use plastic. But all those plastic bags are filling up landfills and killing fish and birds. Now, we are supposed to bring reusable bags whenever we go to the store. And those bags need to get washed so we don’t die of salmonella, but washing them uses more energy. And we’re back to square one.

All sorts of nonsense was done in the name of saving the earth and handing a cleaner planet to our children. Never mind the fact that, for nearly twenty years, the global temperature has been staying stable.

So, to keep getting elected and to keep getting funding and to keep making money the scientists, politicians, and businesses no longer talk about “global warming.” No. Now, it’s “global climate change.” Hot summer? “Global climate change.” Cold, snowy winter? “Global climate change.” Rainy? “Global climate change.” Drought? “Global climate change.” And, whenever possible, make sure you call it “catastrophic global climate change.”

None of this is to say that we should be pigs and pollute the planet. Everyone wants clean air and water. And for goodness sakes, this is a sermon – not a stump speech on the politics of weather and mankind’s effect on the climate.

So what’s the point? The point is that people will use change to create fear so they can control you and take your money. It’s almost a mathematical formula: Change X Fear = Money and Power. And the bigger the change, the bigger the fear, the more money and power.

Climate change is an easy target to pick on because in all the fear and fuss about the weather, no scientist, politician, or business will tell you what temperature it’s supposed to be. They don’t tell you what the temperature is supposed to be because if we ever achieve it, there is no more change, nor more fear. And that means they lose their power to take your money and control how you live.

But this same thing happens even in the church. Change is turned into fear in order gain control. The church is aging and shrinking, so we need to do something to draw in young people. The church needs to get more with the times. Giving is down, and the church is struggling to survive. So buy this book, come to this seminar, employ these methods, or your church will die.

But none of those things work precisely because none of it is the means that God has given the Church to do ministry. God has given to His Church His Word and the Sacraments. That’s it. Through these, and through them alone, God creates faith. But that doesn’t sell. So the books, seminars, and methods don’t suggest the Word and Sacraments. And every few years, there are be new books, new seminars, new methods.

We need to repent. We need to repent of our worry when we think we need to save the world. We need to repent of acting as though God’s gifts of Word and Sacrament are no longer the answer. We need to repent of our fear. We need to repent and listen to Jesus.

Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe. Believe in God, believe also in Me.” So, what are you worried about? What is troubling you?

Whatever it is you fear, whatever it is that worries and troubles you, the answer is faith in Christ. In this sinful world, things change. The answer is Jesus and what He has done for you.

Troubled by politics? Jesus has died and risen for you. Believe.

Troubled by the weather? It doesn’t matter if there is or isn’t catastrophic global climate change, and it doesn’t matter if we are causing it or not. Jesus has died and risen for you. Believe.

Troubled by our relationship with Russia or North Korea saying they will wipe our country off the face of the planet? Jesus has died and risen for you. Believe.

Troubled by the decline in the church? Jesus has died and risen for you. Believe.

In Christ, God has given you promises that He will not go back on – not now, not ever. Believe.

Believe because Jesus has rescued you. Jesus has ransomed you. Jesus has gone to the cross and prepared a place for you with Him forever. Jesus has put His name upon you in your Baptism and claimed you as His own. Jesus has given you His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Jesus has absolved you of all your sins.

If you stray, Jesus will seek you out. If you fall, Jesus will pick you up. If you are faithless, He remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13). Believe.

The simple fact of life in this fallen, broken world is that things change. In this sinful world, the times are always changing. Bob Dylan once said, “There is nothing so stable as change.” He was wrong.

With all the change and decay in this world, there is one thing that always is forever stable and enduring: Jesus has died and risen for you; Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; Jesus is the chief cornerstone of forgiveness, life, and mercy; and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame – not now, not ever.

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe in Jesus.

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

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

John 10:1-16

¹ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁷ So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

What is the mark of a Christian? Today, Jesus boils it down to one simple thing, “My sheep listen to My voice.” What makes you a Christian? You listen to Jesus.

There is a lot of talk in the Scriptures about God’s people being sheep, and a lot could be said about how dumb and helpless sheep can be. But the main thing about sheep in this text is one of the good characteristics of sheep – their hearing. Sheep don’t have exceptional hearing like dogs, but they do have very discerning ears.

The way sheep were cared for in Jesus’ day helps us understand this text.

Each town would have a big pen where all the shepherds would bring their flocks at night so they could go home and get some rest. A gatekeeper would be there through the night to make sure no one stole away the sheep. In the morning, the shepherds would go and call out to their sheep. Each flock would gather together and follow their shepherd and go about their sheepish day.

So, picture this scene playing out day after day. Thousands of sheep from many different flocks are in one huge pen, and dozens of shepherds are all calling out to their flocks at once. And in the midst of all the baaing and calling, the sheep, with their discerning ears, would pick out the voice of their shepherd, go toward it, and follow him.

This is how it is with you, Christian. This world is full of voices shouting at you. All sorts of things are trying to get your attention, attempting to get you to follow their voice instead of the voice of your Shepherd, trying to draw you away from your Shepherd.

The voice of one thief calls out to you, “It sure is nice of God to give you green pastures of His Word, but there is so many other things you could eat that would taste even better. I can show you fields of wealth and pleasure. You can feast there and be filled with all they have to offer. Just follow me, and I’ll show you. Those green pastures will always be there.”

The voice of another thief beckons you, “It sure is nice of God to lead you by the still waters of His love, mercy, and forgiveness. But you don’t need that all the time. You are a good sheep. Sure, you aren’t perfect, but no sheep is. And don’t you get bored of being by those still waters? I can show you things much more exciting. I can take you to oceans with big waves of pride. I can take you to rushing rivers of power and influence. Follow me, and we can have an adventure. You can always return to the still waters of God’s love and mercy if you want to.”

The voice of another thief whispers sweetly to you, “It sure is nice of God to lead you in paths of righteousness, but those paths of righteousness can be very hard. I can lead you on paths that are easier. I can lead you on the paths of tolerance and acceptance. So many other sheep walk on them, and you know what they say: there’s safety in numbers. All these paths lead to the same place in the end.”

The promises are enticing and possibilities are alluring. So you follow the voices of those thieves. For a while, the food of those other fields tastes good. For a while, the other waters are more exciting. For a while, the paths are much easier.

But soon you find that you are in the desert. Alone. Hungry. Scared. The thief has lured you away, and you are lost. Without your Shepherd. The wolf comes and snatches you because you have listened to the voices of thieves.

Repent.

Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” And by listening to the voices of thieves, you are damned.

So, hear again the voice of your Shepherd. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

Jesus, your Good Shepherd, has come. Jesus took all the thief’s stealing, killing, destroying. For you, Jesus was robbed of the glory that was rightly His. For you, Jesus was killed. For you, Jesus was destroyed so that you would not be – not now, not ever.

Today, don’t listen to the voices of the thieves. Hear Jesus, your Shepherd, calling out to you, little flock. Do you hear Him? He is calling now. “Take. Eat. This is My Body given unto death for you. Take. Drink. This is My blood shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sin.”

Hear His voice. Follow Him. He sets a table before you. And listening to His voice, His goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life, and you dwell in His house forever.

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

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

1 Peter 1:17-25

¹⁷ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸ knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for

“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,
and the flower falls,

²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

Because of sin, all of us are born of perishable seed. This fact shapes how we live and how we act. We have inherited futile ways from our forefathers. And in this time of exile, we end up on a pendulum of pride and despair because we let the things of this world form and shape us.

When life is good, you figure it will always be good. You get prideful, and in your pride, you get comfortable thinking that you are the master and the little “g” god of everything around you. But then, things take a turn. Your world is rocked, things fall apart. You fall into despair because you don’t know what to do or where to turn. And between those places of pride and despair, we figure everything is futile.

We see this happen in our Gospel lesson (Lk. 24:13-35). As the two disciples on the road to Emmaus talk with Jesus, we see that their thinking and their actions were shaped by the futile ways of this world.

Jesus appears to these two as they walked on the road that first Easter afternoon. The two disciples talk about how glorious following Jesus had been. Jesus was mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. He was healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, feeding the hungry, and raising the dead. Good stuff. They figured that He was going to be the one to redeem Israel, and since they were following Him, their pendulum had swung to a place of pride.

But, then, things changed. Jesus was arrested. He was delivered up to the authorities. He was condemned. He was crucified. The one they thought going to redeem them, died and was buried. They figured they must have been wrong, wrong about everything. So their pendulum swung all the way to despair.

And the events of the morning left them totally unsure of everything. The women said they had a vision of angels who said He was alive. But when Peter and John went to the tomb, they didn’t see Jesus. Their pendulum was moving once again, but they didn’t know if it would be to something good or something bad. They wanted to hope. They wanted to believe. But they didn’t know what to think or do.

And the irony in that Gospel text is that Jesus was right there with them. But because they were focused on themselves and their circumstances, they didn’t recognize Jesus.

What happened to these two disciples also happens to us. Even when we are following Jesus and in His presence, there is this danger of letting the futile, momentary things of this world shape us, our actions, and our belief.

Repent. Repent of being focused on yourself and the things that happen to you. Repent of letting the momentary things of this life form and shape you. Repent of missing Jesus’ presence when He is right there speaking to you.

In the closing words of this text, Peter gives a warning. He reminds us that we are like the grass. “All flesh is like grass…. The grass withers and the flower falls.”

But Peter also gives us a promise – an unfading, unshakable, certain, eternal promise, “the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news (the Gospel) that was preached to you.”

Strong and secure in the howling winds of change has always been the Word of the Lord, the Word of the Gospel of Christ crucified and risen, which stands forever.

This Word of the Gospel declares you that you are born again. You are born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable seed.

You see, God’s eternal plan was to send Jesus to redeem you from sin, death, and the devil – not with silver and gold, but with Christ’s holy and precious blood and with His innocent sufferings and death.

This Jesus was foreknown before the foundation of the world. That means even before Adam and Eve believed the devil’s lies and fell into sin, even before God created this world, God had determined to save you, to ransom you, to purchase you from sin by sending His own beloved Son.

Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, is this imperishable seed. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world.

God had promised to send Him. The prophets foretold His coming. But Jesus’ love for you has been made manifest in these last days for your sake so that your faith and your hope would not be in futile things, not in perishable things, not in things that fall and fade. God’s eternal love for you has been made manifest in Jesus and what He has done for you so that your faith and hope would be in Him – the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.

Remember that this is your time of exile. Remember that you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but imperishable seed. You have been born of the living, abiding Word of God.

You are His flock, and He will watch over you.

You are His brothers and sisters, and He will defend you.

You are His children, and He will protect you and provide for you.

You are His bride, and He will always remain faithful to you.

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

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

John 20:19-31

¹⁹ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” ²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

The Introit today began and ended with 1 Peter 2:2-3, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

As I was talking with my wife about the texts for this Sunday, I mentioned that verse, and she told me about something wonderful and beautiful that I hadn’t heard of before. Within an hour of being born, if a newborn infant is laid on her mother’s abdomen, that weak, helpless baby will move herself, find her mother’s breast, and start nursing.

God has fearfully and wonderfully made us, and this natural instinct or phenomenon (whatever you want to call it) is one of the many testimonies to that fact. God has designed us so that, even from the moment we are born, we know what we need physically, and we know where to get it.

Two weeks ago, on Palm Sunday, ISIS terrorists bombed two churches in Egypt killing 45 and injuring more than 120 other Christians. As those brothers and sisters in Christ gathered just as we did to wave palms shout Hosannas in praise to their Savior, their cries of welcome were stopped short. They were welcomed by Jesus into His presence where they now wave palm branches around the throne of Christ in heaven (Rev. 7:9).

Why mention these two things together? Why speak of the beauty of a newborn infant nursing and the horror of a terrorist attack?

Because of what happened later that same day. Hours after their neighbors, friends, and relatives were killed, hundreds of your Egyptian brothers and sisters in Christ took to the streets. Outside of the rubble of those sanctuaries, believers gathered together and publicly, boldly confessed the Nicene Creed.

Despite their loss and despite the danger, these Christians, like newborn infants, knew what they needed and knew where to get it. They needed the comfort of their Savior, and they knew the peace that was in their shared confession with their brothers and sisters in Christ.

This Gospel text begins the very first Easter evening. Jesus has risen. The women have seen Him and talked with Him. Jesus has appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and they have told the other disciples that they have seen Him.

But there are the disciples locked inside because they feared the Jews would accuse them of stealing Jesus’ body and faking His resurrection. But just as the sealed stone lying over the entrance didn’t stop Jesus from getting out of the tomb, so also locked doors couldn’t do anything to keep Jesus from His disciples.

Jesus appears and says, “Peace be with you.” He shows them His hands and side, relieving their fear. And Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Twice comforted by Christ speaking peace to them, sent with the presence of the Holy Spirit to forgive sins, and given the promise of serving a risen Savior, you would think the disciples would immediately be out in full force to proclaim the Good News of Christ crucified and risen. But… eight days later, there they are. Inside. Behind locked doors. Again.

Does Jesus just give up on them? No! Should He? I would.

But Jesus is slow to anger and abounding with steadfast love. He shows up again and gives them the same word, “Peace be with you.”

Thomas had not been there the first time, and because of that, he gets his (unwarranted) surname, doubting. You rarely hear him called ‘Apostle Thomas.’ Sometimes, you might hear him called ‘St. Thomas.’ Most of the time you hear him called ‘Doubting Thomas.’ Yes, of course, Thomas should have believed the testimony of his friends. He should have. But his vow of unbelief until he could see for himself is simply Thomas wanting to have the same blessed experience as the other disciples – nothing more, nothing less.

The other disciples, they should get more criticism. They had seen. They had been sent with authority. They had received the Holy Spirit. But they still feared. Yet, Jesus shows them mercy. The next Sunday, Jesus is back to preach the same sermon to all eleven of them. “Peace be with you.”

There is something to learn from both the disciples and from Thomas.

First, from the disciples, we see that we always need these comforting words from Jesus. As your pastor and brother in Christ, I need to hear this because I fall into doubt. I fall into unbelief. It doesn’t matter how many hours I spend in God’s Word each week, I need to be here – not just to preach and lead the service. I need to be here and hear Jesus give me His peace. I need to hear Him say to me, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Second, from Thomas, we should learn that we need to be where Jesus is to hear His preaching. We all, myself included, need to be where Jesus comes to preach to us, “Peace be with you.” Without constantly hearing Jesus, all of us quickly fall into doubt and unbelief.

The only thing that can keep Jesus’ peace from us is our own sinful neglect of hearing God’s Word.

Every week, we go out into the world and get ourselves beat up and kicked down, and we fall into the same fear that made the disciples lock themselves in. And every week, God is here giving out the treasure of His Word. Every week, Jesus is in this place to give us exactly what He repeatedly gave the disciples – His sermon, “Peace be with you.”

But too often, there is some excuse. “I was getting over a cough and needed to sleep in.” “We were just too tired from that tournament.” “We were busy with some guests from out of town.” Whatever the excuse is, it’s rubbish.

If you knew that a billionaire was going to be here one Sunday morning to dole out $1 million to anyone that showed up at 10:30 AM, would you miss it for any of those same reasons? Of course not!

How much more valuable is the Word of God? What greater treasure is Christ’s Gospel? Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Ro. 10:17). Without continually hearing Christ’s word, your faith will die, and you will perish for eternity.

Repent. All of us need to repent. We come to church as nonchalantly as we go to the grocery store. We live and we act as though we will always be able to come to this place to hear the Gospel. But that isn’t promised.

Christ has promised that the gates of hell will never overcome His church. Christ has promised that He holds you in the palm of His hand from which no one will be able to snatch you. But that doesn’t mean that this church, Christ the King, will always be here. That doesn’t mean that someday you won’t have to break the laws of man to hear the Word of God.

So the question you need to answer today is this: Do you know what you need, and do you know where to get it?

Satan is attacking this church. The devil has this congregation in his sights because He knows that what happens here week after week is nourishing food for your soul. The devil knows that the singing, the liturgy, the absolution, the reading of the Scriptures, the confessing of our faith, the preaching, the administration of God’s Sacraments is leading people out of his kingdom into the kingdom of God, and he hates it. He absolutely hates it.

So the devil has been patiently nibbling away by tempting all of us with anything that will distract us from being here. But Satan is upping his efforts. Fight the good fight of the faith.

Brothers and sisters, you have tasted that the Lord is good. Keep longing for the pure spiritual milk. Hear again today Christ’s pronouncement, “Peace be with you.” Then, come hear it again next week and the week after and the week after. Through this nourishing Word you will grow up into salvation.

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

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Matthew 28:1-10

¹ Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ² And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴ And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. ⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

⁸ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

On Good Friday, Joseph of Arimathea took the dead, lifeless body of the Son of God and laid it in his own new tomb which he had cut in the rock (Mt. 27:57-61). A great stone was rolled in front of that tomb and sealed so the disciples couldn’t come and steal Jesus’ body.

But that first Easter morning, something happened. There was an earthquake as an angel descended, broke the seal, and rolled away the stone. And a vacancy opened in that tomb. When the women got there, Jesus was gone. The tomb was empty.

Because the tomb was, and is, empty, everything has changed.

Listen to the angel’s invitation, “Come, see the place where He lay.”

On the cross, Jesus suffered the punishment that your sin deserved. On the cross, God poured out all His wrath and spent every last drop of His anger against your sin. On the cross, God turned His back on His beloved Son because Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for you.

On the cross, Jesus, the Lamb of God, took all your sin, all your doubt, all your shame. He brought it all to the tomb. On the cross, Jesus bore all your sins in His body (1 Pet. 2:24).

Now, the tomb is empty.

Today and forever, Jesus’ resurrection proves that sin and death has no power over you because God has joined you to Christ. The only thing that belongs in that tomb is the sin that Jesus has taken from you and rendered lifeless by His death on the cross. But see, the tomb is empty.

“Come, see the place where He lay. Come, see the place where Jesus took your sin.” On Good Friday, Jesus bore all your sin to the tomb where it was sealed, locked up, and hidden forever from your Heavenly Father.

Today, the tomb is empty. Your sin is gone.

When your heart is haunted with the guilt of your sins, when you are weighed down with the effects of the sins that others have committed against you, look at that empty tomb. When Jesus killed your sins on Calvary and erased them from the memory of God, He gave you the right to forget those sins as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, set your minds on these things. Set your minds on the things that are above. You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your Life appears, your tomb will be as empty as His. And you also will appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:1-4).

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

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

Matthew 26:1-27:66

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Who is this King of Glory?

The events we heard about in the Processional Gospel reading (Jn. 12:12-19) are grand and glorious. The crowds. The shouts of “Hosanna” (which means “save us now”). The people welcoming the King of Israel coming to them on a donkey’s colt.

We might be tempted to think this is Jesus’ moment of glory, but we would be wrong.

In that Processional Gospel, there is a curious statement: “His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him.” As grand as it was, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday was not Jesus in His glory.

So, who is this King of Glory? He is Yahweh, strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle.

Who is this King of Glory? He is Jesus who emptied Himself and took the form of a servant and was born in the likeness of men for you.

Who is this King of Glory? He is Jesus, obedient to His Father. Obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross for you.

Who is this King of Glory? He is Jesus. Delivered up to be crucified. Betrayed by Judas’ kiss. Giving His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sin. Denied by one of His closest friends. Arrested by soldiers. Seized. Spat upon all for you.

Who is this King of Glory? He is Jesus. Sentenced to die in exchange for a notorious, rebellious murderer. Stripped of clothes. Mocked. Flogged. Beaten. Crowned with thorns. Carrying His own cross all for you.

Who is this King of Glory? He is Jesus. Crucified. Mocked. Abandoned by God for you.

Who is this King of Glory? He is Jesus. Dead. Buried for you.

“Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name.”

Who is this King of Glory?

He is Jesus. At His name, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is His glory to win you back. It is His glory to defeat your enemies of sin, death, and the devil. It is His glory to redeem you.

It is His glory to show His unfathomable mercy by giving Himself unto death for you.

It is His glory to do all of this for you because the stone will not hold Him. Jesus is not dead, but lives.

Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna to the King of Glory. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen here.

John 11:17-27, 38-53

¹⁷ Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. ²⁰ So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

³⁸ Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” ⁴⁴ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

⁴⁵ Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, ⁴⁶ but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. ⁵⁰ Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” ⁵¹ He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵² and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

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

Sure, you’re a decent person – not perfect, but decent. Yeah, you could try harder, but your intentions are good. A slight improvement here and a little more effort there, and just imagine how good you could be.

The only problem is that, eventually, you die. And when you die, your prospects for improvement and goodness decrease. Rapidly.

Jesus arrives at Lazarus’ house four days late. There stands Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life. He stands before the stone of His buddy’s tomb and says, “Roll away the stone.”

And Martha – practical, practical Martha – says, “You probably don’t want to do that. It’s been four days. My brother, God bless him, he stinks.” The KJV is quite a good translation, and here is one of the places I love it. In the KJV, Martha says, “Lord, He stinketh.”

When you stinketh, nothing – no matter how good or moral or upright you were – nothing about you matters. When you stinketh, the only thing that matters is what kind of God you have.

So, what kind of God do you have?

You see what kind here and in our Old Testament lesson (Ezk. 37:1-14). Ezekiel sees the valley full or bones. There were many, and they were dry. They weren’t full of love for God or love for their neighbor. They weren’t even able to muster up a stink – not any more.

God asks, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

Not wanting to give the wrong answer, Ezekiel defers, “O Lord God, you know.”

“Well,” God says, “Preach to the bones.” (There’s a suggestion for a new congregation’s name – Dry Bones Lutheran.) “Preach to the bones, Ezekiel. Say, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. You will live and you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

So, Ezekiel preaches to a congregation without ears. And through that preaching, both the preacher and the bones know who Yahweh is.

Who is this Yahweh? He is the Resurrection and the Life. When God says, “Live,” you do. You can be dead as Lazarus and stinketh, you can be dead as those dry bones, you can be as dead as Marley from “A Christmas Carol,” when the Lord and Giver of life says to the dead, “Get up! Come out!” you do.

That is the kind of God you have. At His word, you who are dead gain life – endless life.

You have the kind of God who comes with life-giving words. The kinds of God who simply speaks to stinky Lazarus, “Come out,” and he does.

Ezekiel preached a sermon to dry bones, and they lived. Jesus preached to stinky Lazarus, and he lived. So, here is your sermon:

You – yes, you sinner. You are dead in sin. You stinketh. Come out. Come out of your stinky-ness. Come Holy Spirit and breathe on these dry bones that they may live.

Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life has taken your death and killed it in His death on the cross. You will not stink. You will live. And by this, you will know that He is Yahweh.

Your God and your Lord is here today to put His resurrected Body and His resurrected Blood into you so that you will not stink. Instead, you will have the pleasant, fragrant aroma of Christ. Amen.[1]

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] I am thankful for a sermon by Rev. Dr. Stephen Paulson as inspiration for this sermon.