Our Text is taken from the Epistle appointed for this day, Saint Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome, the 13th Chapter, verse 10:
Love is the fulfilling of the law.
Advent is here. For those who have been waiting since September when the stores first started to slowly incorporate the Christmas season into your brain, making you think about such things, your wait has finally come. We can start enjoying the Christmas hymns, the decorations, the lighting of the Advent Candles. I myself cringed at the imagery of Christmas so early, and the selling of wares before All Hallows Eve. It is true that our society has made Christmas into a commercial entity, and the true meaning of Christmas has been lost – as every Christmas special likes to remind us. What truly is missing from the Season, is the reason for Christmas, Love.
Bet you thought I was going to say, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” Another bumper sticker theology, yet this one has some merit to it. Every confirmand knows this verse, Romans 13:10, for this is a memory verse straight out of the Catechism., explained simply, Jesus is God, and God is Love; Truly, if Love is the fulfillment of the Law, and Christ came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, then Christ must have fulfilled this crazy little thing called love. Truly, He did. At the cross of Calvary, our Savior died the death of ALL men, the death which took the Father’s wrath away from you and placed it upon Himself. His death is the fulfillment of the Law of the Father that if you sin you must die. As I mentioned last week, this can only be decreed by the King, so with apologies to Mel Brooks, let me just say, “It’s good that He’s the King.” It is good that He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords that takes away the greatest of sins and makes you clean, pure, and spotless before God the Father through the workings of the Holy Ghost Who brings you into this one true faith and gives life everlasting through faith alone.
Now, with this new season and Church Year upon us of waiting for our Savior to come with His Second Advent, we contemplate this concept of fulfilling the law through love. Saint Paul shows us how we are to be waiting for the Savior to come again - by loving one another. “Owe no one anything,” Saint Paul says. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this passage misinterpreted, and I’m not going over all them now, it would take too long. However, let it suffice for us to say what this passage truly means. Do not owe anyone anything, refers to the understanding that if you are in debt to someone, and you have not quite paid it back, there can bubble up some resentment from the offended party. That is not love, people. No, for love does no wrong to a neighbor. Where there is love, there is no breaking of any of the commandments. Where there is love, there is no me, me, me. Where there is love, no one owes anyone anything. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love says, I do not want to put you into a state where you would have to question my Christianity, and so I will either pay immediately, or just not borrow in the first place so that you may have a clear conscience concerning you and me as Christian friends. Love says, “I want you to never have to question where you stand with me as to how much I care for you.” Love, true love, does no wrong and does everything well. Love is never, ever, selfish.
That is where Jesus comes into the picture. He loves you so much He is willing to do ANYTHING for you. His personal comfort – whoosh! – Out the window! That is why He came poor and lowly as a babe to a virgin, and placed in a dirty smelly manger. He had no need to exalt Himself, so for you He came into Jerusalem as the Passover lamb riding not on a great steed but on a lowly donkey. He was willing to do anything, and did just that, EVERYTHING that the Father demanded. He walked in the paths of righteousness, for your sakes, and He endured the suffering and pain that made His blood spill for the salvation of all mankind. He saves you from the gates of hell, and points you to the heavens. He saves your from death and destruction and says, “Given and shed for you for the complete remission of sins.” As if this is not enough, He comes back from the dead, and meets His disciples in Galilee, and lets them see Him as He is, and have comfort that they truly are loved by Him and are received into His company by faith alone.
Above all, you do not owe Him anything. He took care of your sins at Calvary, your everlasting life at the cross; shed His blood for you because He loves you just that much. Love is what compels Him to do such grace, and love needs no reciprocation when it comes to unconditional love. That I why He does this for all men, both the good and the evil alike, so no one can exclaim with truthfulness, “God doesn’t love me.” Nothing is further from the truth. Jesus loves all His creation and certainly will do what He promised – bring the faithful to everlasting life.
Love truly is the reason for this season of Advent and Christmas. Truly it is the reason for any season, even for life itself, for you cannot have the breath of life without the love of God. Since God does so love you, and Christ has come down to give you new life from sin eternally, what have you to fret about? Why do you still fear God and act as if He is against you? Know He has given you life and breath; know that all things come from the Father Who made you to enjoy His creation; know that the Holy Ghost loves you to make you His through the Word and Sacraments; know Jesus truly loves you by saving you from sin, death, hell, and the grave, and gives eternal life through faith alone. His love means you do nothing for such grace but believe. What is more, even that faith is given by the Holy Ghost freely out of His love.
With all this love going on, you are now free to love one another. You can tell your hurting neighbor that you care enough for them to tell them about Jesus and His love that makes the faithful whole. Keeping the commandments of God can only be done through love; His love in us to be passed to others. May this season show Christ’s love, and make it a better Season than it ever was – through Love Which has come down. His Love. In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

So far, we have suffered a full two weeks of shopping frenzy. It is a different world today than it was 6 months ago. People running around looking for that gift that little Johnny really wants for Christmas, but its just not there. There are hot new toys that little Jessica has been dreaming about, but Grandma just cannot locate a single outlet that has any in stock. They say the economy is dragging and there are too few dollars chasing to many items, but I say the reason they are chasing them is because they are not there to be bought. Now we have a “bigger” problem. There is despair setting in for if this keeps up, there will not be a very merry Christmas.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that, “it’s not going to be a merry Christmas this year if I cant get this or that (The Nintendo Wii gaming system is the big culprit this year.) Is this a sad state of affairs or what? People are basing their joy and their kid’s peace, on the acquisition of treasures that rust and time destroy. (Or at the very least, the little brother or sister destroys.)
Yet, this is not how God has asked us to hope and watch for the coming Messiah. No, in the Old Testament, the description of the coming Messiah was spelled out so plainly in Isaiah that the Jewish people knew exactly how to watch and pray. They were to be looking for The One that would have wisdom and understanding far beyond that of Solomon. Counsel and might far beyond the glory of King David. Knowledge and fear of the Lord more so than any prophet that has gone before. Waiting and hoping then was to be looking forward to the fulfillment of the promise in all its glory. To the virgin that would bring forth a Son, and call Him Emanuel, God with Us; Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.
Waiting in anticipation was the key, but looking for the right thing. As the people ran into John the Baptist, they saw one who was fulfilling all that the Old Testament promised about the coming Elijah who would prepare the way. He himself was not the way, but prepared for the One Who was to come. John was the one who pointed to the Hope in the Flesh, the Messiah, The Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Yet, even as He pointed to the right way, too many people were impatient. They wanted their savior now! They wanted John to be “The One”. Or at lest point to one who was ready to do what the people expected. So when they came to John, looking to see if he was the Messiah, and he said very clearly, “Certainly Not,” well, that was just not what they wanted to hear. They were mad, they were exasperated, they were running to another that filled their thoughts and desires with what they thought would be what they always wanted. Just a few yeas before, they revolted with a Judas Maccabees, under the same fervor. They didn’t learn their lesson then, and they certainly did not learn it now.
However, for the faithful, who stuck to God’s Word and promises, and not on their own thoughts and desires, they waited patiently for the Lord. They waited for the real Root of Jesse to come forth. They waited for the sign to come unto them, and bring them real and lasting peace, oneness with God. They got it, in the form of a babe lying in a manger, and a star in the heavens, that for those who believed, would have their King come to them. For them, the long wait paid off, and they were blessed all the more by The Word made flesh.
Even so today. We wait patiently for Jesus to come as He promised, and are blessed by the Word and Sacraments that our ours to keep us in the faith as we wait. With the help of the Holy Ghost Who keeps us ever mindful of our faith, and the promised coming with the Word, we deny ourselves and our desires, and rest on Christ alone. It is the Word of God that has the power Paul speaks of that shows how it was all fulfilled in the past, and with the fulfillment also in your life through the Sacraments, you have the hope that makes you able to wait patiently for the Lord. Though you don’t see Him, you trust in Him and that is the hope that makes saving faith.
Saving faith, which wavers not by the cares of this world. So, we don’t always get what we want in this world of sin and selfishness. What we do get is what we always need – Jesus Christ, and Him crucified for the forgiveness of sins. Yes, my friends, Christmas is about the needs being taken care of at the cross of Christ. The greatest gift was a babe in a manger because that Babe was going to save you from your sins. Let the world despair where it may; stand firm on the promise that trusting in Jesus Christ alone makes you worthy to receive the greatest gift of all, everlasting life thorough the forgiveness of sins. This is the true hope you have in Christ Jesus, a good news to share.
Indeed, you have a hope to share. Share with all the hope in Christ Jesus the Savior of our souls. Share with all who are despairing that this season is going to be upsetting because we cant get what we need. Remind one and all, that what we need has been taken care of at the cross, and that believing we have the joy and peace necessary to make life complete. In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

Hey, Kids?! Are you ready for Christmas?! How anxious are you to see how many presents you got, or what is in that big box under the tree? Parents, remember how anxious we were in waiting for Christmas to come? We counted days, hours, and minutes. We checked under the tree to see if the number of packages got any more numerous. We checked to see if any had gotten larger, and with the other siblings, argued who loved whom more by the comparisons. It was all part of the great game of anticipation. It has been said that the anticipation of something is more exciting than the thing itself that is waited for. Maybe for some things, but the thing that Paul speaks about waiting for patiently far surpasses the anticipation. What we are to be patient for is the Parousia – that is, the Coming of our Lord.
Now you know I hate to throw out Greek words without explaining them, but this word kind of explains itself. Parousia properly means “The Coming” or “The Arrival,” specifically of Our Lord. The coming of our Lord is that which we wait for, the day that Jesus comes to take us to be with Him forever. It is the day that Jesus will judge the good and the bad, the quick and the dead; separating the sheep from the goats. It is a day that is coming, though we do not know when. We wait for it, no differently than the waiting of the Old Testament people and prophets. They looked for signs and wonders; they looked through the family tree to locate the thread. They surrounded themselves with the worship life of the Temple, in great anticipation of the coming of the Lord, born of a virgin.
We do the same. We allow our worship life to be that of waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled in us. As the Old Testament people sacrificed the lamb in anticipation of the Lamb Who will be slain for the whole world, we surround ourselves with the Baptism that starts the good work in us, making us children of the heavenly father waiting for the Lord Who will bring us to be with Him as He promised to do. Worship then reminds us of the forgiveness found in Christ Jesus, and looks forward to the end, the parousia of our Lord.
Now this coming of Our Lord, this Great and terrible Day of the Lord, should never be seen as thing to be feared, and neither should it be seen as something we got to have RIGHT NOW as if it were some sought after popular toy that will never come again if we don’t have it right now. What we should be thinking here is even keel. No extremes, just even balance that makes us have peace. As a way of making this exhortation more understandable, James pleads with us to be patient. Do not be anxious, but patient. Do not wish Christ to hurry it up, but wait for it. It will happen soon enough. Wishing differently only takes your mind off the good stuff and makes it focus on ones self, and that is bad.
There are two main reasons why we should be patient, and Peter gives the first as clear as any can. Peter explains that Jesus is not slow in coming as if He is dragging His feet, not wanting to do the task ahead of Him, but, “is forbearing toward you not wanting anyone to parish, but that all should reach repentance.” That is the imagery of the farmer and his field. He cannot hurry it up, the coming of his fruit of the earth. He cannot hope that the harvest waits another week while he fixes the tractor. He has to be ready when it comes and he has now idea when that is – but he is ready!
So, James gives us encouragement to be ready by being patient. Patience means that we are calm, cool and collected. Furthermore, what happens when you are a cool customer? You are relaxed, aware of what is going on around you and are able to see problems before they start to tear you away from the righteous path. James helps us to see this with the example of judging. Don’t grumble, for The Judge is coming. If you are a patient type, you will notice when you are grumbling, and will cease to do so, and apologize when it happens. Jesus said, “The judgment you judge will be how you are judged.” In other words, if you are going to judge that something is wrong, then you will be judged wrong if you do it. Grumbling about a neighbor missing church too much will only lead to you not missing church or you too will be judged by that standard, and this time by God Himself! Not something you need right now, I am willing to say.
So standing firm, on the Word of God keeps you from grumbling about a neighbor, and make you willing to do just the opposite – help a neighbor. Help someone to make it to church; to praise the Father in heaven; to thank Jesus for His great love for you in making you His child through His death on the cross for the forgiveness of all sins. The Word of God makes you stand firm on the promises of God especially the promise of forgiveness of sins for everlasting life. With this promise, we stand firm in waiting for Jesus to Parousia once again. He came swiftly then, He comes speedily now, but there is much to do.
We will work in the kingdom while there is still time so that those who are in need of bearing good fruit to the Lord may do so while we all wait patiently. They are out there my friends, waiting for a firm believer in Christ to give them conviction that He truly does love every one of His creations. May we reflect that love for others as we wait patiently for the Lord. Do not fear that He comes to separate the sheep from the goats. He will clear His threshing floor, but you are His precious fruit. He will bring you in and set you among the faithful as He so promised. You are the apple of His eye, and He will hide you in the shadow of His wings. That means no worries, mate. In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

[This Sermon intentionally left blank, due to Mount Calvary having a Children’s program.]
In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

Our Text is taken from the Gospel appointed for this day, Saint Luke’s Gospel, the 2nd Chapter; verses 9-14:
We are ready.
We have waited long and hard in this season of advent for this week of Christmas, and as I mentioned last week, I hope you were calm, cool and collected. As James cautioned us, I pray that you were patient. We waited patiently for all the candles to be lit on our advent wreath. We waited patiently in the lines to purchase our gifts to give and we wait perhaps just a little longer to open the ones given to us, if you have not opened them all up already. We are ready, for the promise of gifts to be given are right there under our trees, so we can wait just a little longer and have patience and enjoy the excitement that comes from seeing Christmas come to us this day.
However, I would be willing to contend that for some of you, as I have mentioned, have already opened some presents. Some of us are like Calvin from Calvin and Hobbs. Calvin’s father imparted some wisdom to him by saying, “The anticipation for something is more exciting than actually getting it.” Calvin responds to his tiger about how silly this is that waiting for something can be a good thing. He wants what is his to come now. In fact, there is nothing he could possibly think of that he would rather wait for. Of course, they have this discussion on Calvin’s wagon, as it is about to careen into the next ravine, which prompts Hobbs, the Tiger to respond, “Oh, I don’t know, but death comes to mind.” As the wagon launches into the air, Calvin turns to his trusted confidant and states, “I do not know why I talk to you. Everything to you turns so morbid.”
The anticipation that the world was feeling as it was waiting for its Savior to come, how anxious were they? Here is the Creator of the World, the Promised Savior that was anticipated since the beginning of time, let alone since the beginning of sin, the Promise is come, and the world knew it not. The world went about on its merry little way not taking notice of the newly wed couple coming into the city for its tax count. They would not even give Him, their King, a room in the local inn. They had to go out into the place of the common man, and the Savior was born in a stable.
Look at that manger scene we have here. Does it not look cute? We have sheep and cows, a donkey and maybe a goat or two at some other manger scenes. We have the happy parents looking blissfully upon the child placed gently in a manger among such wonderful new hay. We have the Magi even misplaced upon the scene for this day, but we put them in there for impression’s sake. The Guardian angel, looking down so peacefully, and the well kept shepherds all gazing lazily upon the child. I call this the “sterile” view of our Lord’s birth, because I doubt it was this clean. We have hospitals now that give birthing mothers every convenience and comfort for their timely deliverance. We have the most sterile conditions to give the child the greatest chance of starting out in life without diseases, and how do we greet our Savior of long anticipation? Not only is he given the dirty, horrible conditions of which to come to us in, we totally ignore that He even has come.
What horrible, wretched human beings we are. We claim that we love God, anticipate His coming, and when He finally shows up, we do not even recognize Him. Good thing God steps in. It is God alone Who can save in the face of grave misbelief and other great shame and vice. It is God Who again sends His messenger ahead of Him to declare the Words to be true and trustworthy, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” This is the sign from God that He will send Himself to save. Yet, more than that, He give us more comfort in that though He knows we will treat Him shamefully, He comes to us, nonetheless, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us, a Son is given, the government will be upon His shoulder, and He will be called, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” He will be with us; He will save us. In spite of the humiliation of His birth to be in a place we would never dare to choose to bear our children, God comes to us to show us the better way. He came not to bring us to Him through fear and intimidation, but He comes to us meek and lowly that we may indeed come to Him. He came, to show us the promise fulfilled.
He came, and He comes again. The grace of God had trained us in the past to look for His coming and by faith to believe the angelic message, now we are trained by faith to look for the coming to come, the blessed hope and glorious reappearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us so long ago, that we may see and believe and praise with the shepherds. The shepherds did make quite a bit of noise when they got to see the Savior of the world. We have a great opportunity to make some noise too on this not so Silent Night of our Lord. We can speak of a birth, and a death that makes us His through the blood of our Savior Who has come to us. For without the blood, the birth is just a birth. Yet, with the cross, we have a Savior. There was a comic in the Lutheran Witness that I liked. It showed a Christmas Tree all adorned in a traditional way, yet in the shape not of a triangle or a cone, but in the shape of a cross. As hard as it is to believe from a human perspective, it is nevertheless, true. Jesus was born of a Virgin, and came to live with us so that He could take away your sins. As a present sits under your tree, and you anticipate what is inside, wondering if it is something that will be good for you to have. Jesus is that most perfect gift that keeps on giving, coming to die on that cross, yes, but with a purpose, coming willingly to bring us to the ultimate gift of Eternal life.
We are ready. In faith, we are ready to receive every gift from God no matter how long the wait. The Old Testament people and prophets waited long for the Savior to be born; we waited patiently for the celebration of Christmas to come; we can wait just a little longer for our Savior to bring us home. Though it may come in a wrapping that we may not recognize, at a time we may not expect, we welcome it anyway - by faith. The promise Savior has come. He has done all things well. He has given you faith and eternal life. May we always praise His holy name, and be eager to do the good work of faith in Him, the Babe of Bethlehem. In His, most Holy Name we pray. AMEN.
+ NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD. AMEN

Do you really know what it is like being a slave? We use the term so crassly. “I’m a slave to routine,” is often heard, yes, even from me. I am a person that is big on doing the same thing, wearing the same thing, eating the same thing over and over again with the purpose of noting else, but that I don’t care to do it differently. Oh, I suppose I could eat poached eggs once in my lifetime, but the way I see it, if I have an egg, and I’m going to cook it anyways, why not cook it as an omelet, and be done with it? As for the same thing being worn, don’t get me wrong – there is a different pair of underwear under all this, but the black shirt, black pants, black sweater, though it is the same look every Sunday (the only change being short or long sleeves – short in summer, long in winter) I’m not a slave to it, I just choose to do so.
What about work? Many people claim to be a slave to the grindstone. Really now? Are we so unappreciative of our jobs that we consider it slavery to go to work and earn a living? I love doing what I am doing and I would never in my right mind say I am a slave to the preaching profession. I may be captive to the Word of God, in that sense a slave to the Word and Will of Christ and the Trinity, but as for the duties, the day-to-day drudgeries, bring them on! Any opportunity the spread the Gospel, I will take it!
So then what does it mean to be a slave of or to something? It is when you have no control and no choice in the matter. In this country, we are constantly reminded of our past sins of having slaves to start this country. Yet, many Christians at the time defended the actions. Why? Because the Bible does not specifically speak in such terms, they argued. Paul never said it was wrong of Philemon to keep Onesimus as a slave, he only encouraged that he be free. What this argument missed is the intent of slavery. Slavery means that you have no choice in what happens to you. To be a slave means that you are in the ownership of another and have no control in changing that situation. Being a slave means that you are at the mercy of the controller, and as such can be treated in any way the oppressor sees fit to degrade, harass, and humiliate in order to display that control to others.
Which brings us to the enlightenment of Paul’s exhortation for us today. Paul reminds us that we are ALL slaves to sin, and born under the law that we must follow. Since we do not follow, we are sinners, and under the control and harassment of Satan, the great oppressor. He controls us to where we are so stifled in his clutch of sin we can’t even breathe. Yet, that is not enough. He pricks, he prods, he humiliates us in our sins with constant reminders of how sinful we truly are, and forces us even further into the muck and mire by the sheer weight of our sins we cannot ever get ourselves out. At least, there was an underground rail road to help get the southern slaves free. There is no one to help. No one to lend a hand. No one that can escape from the clutches of sins.
However, there is! There is One Who, when the fullness of time had come, did come unto us. He was sent from the heavenly Father at just the appointed time. He too was born like us, born of a virgin that first Christmas day, but also, like us, born under the law. Yet, sin has no hold on Him. He is not under the control of Satan and death, for He is the sinless one. He was not born of a human will, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God. He came for a purpose, to redeem you, me, and all sinners under the law that was so oppressive, and to give you a wonderful gift greater than any present under the tree. Through Him and our baptism, we receive the adoption as Sons.
It is Christ Jesus our Lord, born as a babe in Bethlehem Who has come into our world to break the bonds of sin death hell, and to make the captive free. And free He does through the very Body and blood shed for you on the cross of Calvary. It is this body and blood shed that makes us believe, makes us have forgiveness, make us have faith to trust in this great good news, and know, truly know, that we are heirs to everlasting life.
That truly is the Good News, my friends, that you are no longer slaves to sin and under the mighty oppressive hand of Satan. “But I still sin, though I have been washed clean in baptism. I still fight the flesh everyday and loose. Oh, dear God in heaven, what is to become of me?” If this is your cry, rest assured my friends, that as you are held by the Son to be His little lamb, you are called a Son. No longer a slave, but a son, an heir through God. That is why the Savior reigns, and not the flesh. For the flesh is week, but through the strength of Christ Who forgives, I now Live a life worthy of Him through faith. Faith in the Words that His death destroyed death, and with His resurrection, I am clothed with the robe of Righteousness, and nothing can move me from Him. Yes, you sin, but you are truly redeemed by Christ the crucified, and with that, you can believe your sins, which are many, are forgiven.
He truly breaks the bonds of death, and makes you his through faith alone. We sin, but He is even more faithful, and promises to bring us to Him. As we wait for this sure consummation in Christ Jesus, we trust in His most Holy Name. AMEN.

+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS. AMEN+

+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS. AMEN+

+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS. AMEN+

+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS. AMEN+

+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS. AMEN+

If I were to ask you to think of the most evil thing man could do, what would be on the top of your list? I got this idea from the Net-10 commercials, which have been calling rival cell phone companies evil because they charge too much compared to them. However, I’m sure you would agree that socially speaking we would rant murder a tad higher on that list. Perhaps a thief or a liar would be seen as more evil. Yet, it appears that there is one more evil out there that would seem to corral all these together to create the one – traitor.
It seems that a traitor would be the most despised because he violates the trust, the sanctity of the bond between friends. He would be instrumental in the murder, the thief, the destruction of another human being or his livelihood, and so certainly would be seen as evil or more so than any of the other evil things that men do.
As you might have guessed, we are going to meditate a bit on the most well known traitor of them all – Judas Iscariot. Now this may shock you to know this, but Judas was not always a traitor. In fact, he was one of the handpicked apostles from Jesus Himself. He was “Numbered with the Twelve.” He was on of the seventy-two sent out that healed the sick, raised the dead, and made demons flee in the Name of Jesus. He preached the good news to the poor and witness the great power of the Word of God to change the hearts of the believers, and with prayer witnessed and assisted in the feeding of so many with so little.
Not everything was positive for Judas, though. We are told flat out that Satan entered into him, that he was a covetous old sinner, well known to have taken from the poor pouch when he felt the desire to do so. His covetousness was so great, his greed so extensive; he collaborated with the evil Pharisees and Sadducees to betray Jesus to them. Worse, though, in my opinion, was that his greed was so great, he could not even recognize the savior reaching out to him; “One of you shall be tray me.” Judas answers “is it I?” Jesus reiterates, “You have said” He repeated announced that one of you would betray me, and again, “woe to that man who Betrays the Son of Man,”
Let us look upon the transpiring scene of Judas’ betrayal. Jesus takes the (now) eleven to the garden to meditate and prepare for the coming Redemption. Jesus faces His adversary not with anger and malice, but with prayer and forgiveness. Oh, if only we could do the same! Our gut reaction is to face enemies with seething scorn, reinforced defenses, sometimes even offences to strike before they do. And when the thing comes to pass, we react with fight and cries for justice for all who can hear! Jesus does not cry out. He does not defend Himself, but simply asks Judas to understand what He is doing. “You are doing with a kiss the opposite of what is seen. Betraying with the sign of affection. And now that you know I know this, understand what else I have taught you.”
Do you see the scene here? We are ready to condemn Judas for we see the treachery. Yet, all the other disciples deserted and betrayed Jesus as well. Peter, who just moments before declared he would rather die than betray by falling away, has fled as well. Who are we to condemn Judas, have we faired better? Jesus asks us to watch and be aware for sin crouches at the door, and yet, we sill fall away because of our own sinfulness. As much as we sin in the face of Jesus holding out His Word to remind us not to, we might as well be little Judas’ one and all.
Yet, that is why Jesus is betrayed into the hands of sinful men. This is why Jesus is going to be scoured, beaten, striped and whipped. This is why Jesus is going to hang on the cursed tree, and why Jesus will shed His flesh and blood upon the cross: so that sinful human beings such as you and I can receive the forgiveness we would otherwise not have. At this cross of Calvary He will, completely, wipe away every stain of sin, and absorb the entire wrath of the Heavenly Father and make you acceptable to Him through faith alone. You cannot earn reprieve, you cannot satisfy the wages of your sins that betray you, yet, Jesus not only can, He Does, and through the blessed waters of Baptism, makes you His child, washing you from your sins, and through the supper of our Lord, gives you the forgiveness again that makes you truly live for Him and your neighbor.
Judas did wrong in his remorse. Sure, he gets points for the remorse, but he forgot to turn to God for forgiveness, though He held it out constantly. That is what happens when people do not know God. Paul said it best in Corinthians: If one loves God, one is known by Him. You are known by Him through your faith in Him. Others, though He knows them, know Him not. The ashes we received tell others of Who we know and Who knows Us. It shows that we are contrite to the betrayal we have done in the past, and are able to stand in His presence because of His Righteousness sealed in us through faith in Him. May we always be ready to explain to others, though your remorse will never be enough to calm your hurting soul, there is NO sin so great that the forgiveness of Christ cannot overtake it. That is the beauty of being a Christian; that is the true love of Christ. May we always be ready to forgive as Jesus does, so that others need not wallow in despair of His mercy, and know that they are loved by Him Who wants and will save. In His most holy name. Amen.
[RISE]
+ NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD. AMEN +

Lent is here. Lent is a time to be somber, to be aware of ones sinfulness, and above all, contrite, repentant, and truly sorry for ones sins. How we bring this about has been a topic of great discussion. Some of you have decided to give something up for Lent, so that when the pangs of desire for that certain something crop up – whether it would be chocolate, or coffee, or meat, or some other worldly pleasure – you will remember your sinfulness, and understand your desire for a savior who saves you from yourself.
Paul knew about sinful desires. He addressed them all through out his writings to the Romans. He certainly addressed them in his other writings as well, but the one to the Romans spoke of the total depravity of man, causing him to speak with the assistance of the Holy Ghost, “[Man] became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged glory of God for images resembling [creation]. Therefore, He gave them up in the lust of their hearts…” and again, “All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.”
Indeed man is totally depraved; trapped in the lust of sins and desires that remove our eyes from Christ and make them turn inward to self. We become selfish and so inward focused we care not at all unless it benefits me. I saw a comedian routine where he speaks of a ME monster. It’s the guy at the dinner party that always takes about me myself and I and me me me me ME MEEE!. No one gets to talk because we are talking about MEEEEEEE! Know people like that?
Well, these people should remind you of your own sinful nature. It is a Me Monster too. The sinful desires are never for neighbor, never for God, never for the betterment of ones self. They are always selfish and singular in nature – all about looking out for number One!
That is the whole thing is it not? As our text states, “By one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin. One person ruined all of paradise for the rest of us. One man threw away all that God has given him and went with the desire for what he wanted. Adam was the ultimate Me Monster. He wanted to know all things good and evil. He wanted to be like God. He did not care about Eve; he did not care about the future. He cared about himself. What more, it’s passed from generation to generation. One to one. One By One. Each child born of flesh has inherited this singular desire for self. Complain about Adam and his selfishness all you want, but you are the one who commits your selfish sins now. As do I; as do each and every child of man. We each are condemned first for the original sin of one man, and then for our own selfishness. One for one we are condemned. One wrath for One sin. Fair enough when it comes to God and His anger.
However, something else about lent comes to play as well. There is more to what Saint Paul says. “The free Gift is not like the trespass.” The sin is one to one. Your sin is yours. My sin is mine. Nevertheless, Jesus is for ALL. His righteousness is not for Himself, but for all men of every age. Jesus took the wrath for all sins, and by His stripes YOU are healed. His One act upon the cross covers countless sins and makes you able to stand before God in all righteousness, innocence and blessedness. One to Many; sounds too good to be true. Yet, is that not how God the Father works? He always bestows the blessings far down the chain of humanity, for even the unrighteous get the sun to rise in the morning; even the unrighteous get to enjoy flowers and pastries, and meats and chocolates. The blessings are bestowed to all in a temporal way, so why should it surprise when the blessings flow to so many in a spiritual way, and through faith no less! It should not surprise that the Father accepts His Son’s sacrifice once for all mankind. He knew we could not saves ourselves so sending His Son allowed Him to pay for our sins, and earn for us God’s Favor, so through His one act of obedience all the acts of man are forgiven.
If this sounds too good to be true, I can’t help that. I can only say what it is. This is how God has chosen to save you and all men from themselves. In Christ, there is no more “me monster” always looking out for self. There is no a monster at all. What there is through Baptism is a new man who desires to help ones neighbor to have the richness of the glory from the cross that will make their sins disappear. It seeks not self but God and neighbor, and turns the desires of the hearts to things Spiritual and Sacramental. As we partake of this Blessed Sacrament of Body and Blood we proclaim the Lord’s death that brings life, and we celebrate it for others to see and desire His goodness with us. The forgiveness that comes from the cross of Christ is a glory for all men, so we dare not keep it unto ourselves. Let us in this day of selfish ambition show how as children of Christ forgiven and blessed by the Sacraments, we care about others. In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

Let’s talk about scales shall we? Not the kind that tell you how much weight you have gained or lost, but the balancing kind. Scales like the scales of justice that are supposed to be balanced. Are your scales tipped a bit? In this season of lent, have we felt sufficiently sorry for our sins? After all, that is what lent is all about. We are supposed to be lamenting our sins, putting ashes upon our heads as a sign and token that we truly are repentant. The scales are supposed to be tipping under the weight of our many sins, and to this end, we are supposed to feel sorry, so sorry, so utterly and pathetically tragically sorry?
We are German Lutherans. We feel nothing. Especially happy in Church. All emotions are to be kept in check and an even balanced approach to lent is what we strive to achieve.
Truly there is a grain of wisdom in this. Maybe not Solomon choosing who the mother is when he suggested cutting the baby in half wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless. Feelings can be affected in so many ways, both positively and negatively, and with that in mind, we should be cautious in referring to how we truly feel at the face of Lent and sins.
Let us venture a bit into the world of feelings, shall we? Do you feel happy? Sad? Angry at someone or something? Apprehensive of the future? Worried of the past? Curious as to where the Pastor is going with all this? Burdened by sins? Indeed, not everyone of us is feeling the same way, even right now, so how can our right standing with God be based on how one feels or not?
Indeed that is where Paul places our text for understanding, “That is why it [the promises of Salvation] depends on Faith. Faith in the Word of God – the Promises of God. Indeed, you may not have felt burdened by sins, but the Word of God is based on promise and forgiveness, so that you can still be assured that you are saved by Grace. You may be so burdened by sins, that even though you heard the blessed absolution you still feel doubt and misgivings of God’s merciful grace. To this faith rises up and demands, you hear yet again, “You have been saved by Grace.” The promise rests on Grace, the forgiveness of the act of obedience of Jesus on the cross,
The best thing though, about this promise from Faith, is that anyone can have faith. This is so much better than the old covenant, in which only the Jews got the blessings, and even then, only the boys. Oh sure, the girls got blessings too, but it seemed like so much lip service. Sure the gentile males got the circumcision when they came to faith, but in all honesty, it was not the same as the whole life being under grace and promise. Do you see the problem here? Too many feelings – not enough grace and faith.
So Paul assures the distressed sinner that the feelings go out the window and that the trust in Gods Word reigns in the hearts to trust all that Jesus accomplished at the cross was enough for salvation and there is nothing more to be added to make it more concrete. Faith trusts in such Word of God. It is indeed, comforted.
Now certainly if you feel happy, please do so celebrate as one Redeemed by Christ the Crucified. However, do not revel as if only YOU are saved. Indeed, God the Father through His Holy Ghost makes this faith alone entry into heaven available to ALL people; men as well as women and Children. Hence the reason for Infant Baptism. It is the faith that trusts in the Word that saves. Not that the individual feels ready to be baptized. No, the faith that trusts such Word of God is indeed a robust faith that cannot keep such goodness to oneself. Therefore, this guarantee of heaven for the righteous is guaranteed to all by faith alone – no feelings hurt or offended.
In this way, there is a sense that we can keep the scales of our emotions in check. We are truly sorry for sins committed, but there is Christ to lift us up and carry those sins away. If anything, the scales tip in the favor of Almighty God, and under the blessed weight of Grace alone we are truly comforted in our distress. May we use our balanced emotions to spread the Gospel out of love, and never sound as if we are burdened to be in the service of almighty God. May our faith be seen by those distressed by the enormity of their sins, and know that they too can have the faith necessary to eternal life, and know they join with us in the blessed knowledge of beings one of God’s children – heirs to everlasting life. In His most Holy Name. Amen
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

A Story: there was a fairly rich man who lived, shall we say, a not very Christian life. In order to get his first job, he lied on the application and produced a false certificate of birth that allowed him to work while underage. As he went from job to job, he found his true calling as a sales rep. This was easy for him because he could sell a ketchup Popsicle to a woman in white gloves; and he usually did. He would always add on the extras that the customer neither needed nor could afford – but that’s not his fault, right? I mean a guy has to make a living right? When his other associates were about to close deals, he would offer to help, then would submit the sales under his numbers so as to get the commission. Eventually he moved to management then to ownership and truly made the BIG bucks.
However, something changed as he started to find time for himself as the BIG money maker; he started to go back to Church. Oh, he never really left the church; he just did not have time for it. Now, he goes to church often, hearing the Word of God, remembering his baptism, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and genuinely living his faith by the sharing of his wealth. But he died. And as he was being escorted to judgment hall, he could hear the gleeful laughter of Lucifer himself behind the doors. Upon entering, his senses were overwhelmed by what he saw. It was a courtroom, with Satan as the accuser, and God as the judge. There was just one seat unoccupied – he figured it was for him and sat down. There was no defense counsel, he was on his own. Satan began the arguments by declaring he had all the evidence necessary to condemn this man and take him down thee the bowels of hell. He had proof – Picture proof!
Satan starts to set up the projector giggling all the way, about how he was able to document every aspect of this guy’s life and how every sin he ever committed was caught on film. The man is sweating it out, pleading with the judge that sure in the early days he was a ruthless sinner but surely in these last days he has done much good. He pleaded that through it all he never abandoned his faith, just set it aside for the moment. He begged as tears streamed down his cheeks, “Have mercy on me, a sinner. By the cross of Jesus Christ have mercy!” It was Satan himself who replied, for he too knows his scripture well, “Repent before death, for when the night cometh, no man can work.”
The projector ready, the film in place, the switched is turned and there is Jesus! An entire film of nothing but Jesus standing there as if He was on the mount of transfiguration! The man stares in bewilderment; Satan is enraged by intense fury. There is pandemonium that can only be settled by the single bag of the gavel by the Father Almighty. In the instantaneous quiet He declares, “Arise o sleeper; arise from the dead, for Christ shines on you.”
Indeed, in sins we are dead, asleep to the goodness that God has given us in Christ Jesus. We are in so much darkness it may as well be us sleeping. Yet, through the cross of Christ we have a light that shines on us, a light that makes us alive with a new life that lives for God and neighbor because Christ has given us the victory. When we are accused by Satan for our misdeeds, we have no defense. We made the choices; we committed the sins; we transgressed the wonderful Law of God. We put ourselves into a pit of darkness death and despair due to sins. When Christ comes into the hearts of the believer, there is light that shines, and chases away that darkness of sins. In baptism the sins are washed away and all that is left is the light of Christ covering the believer as a robe.
No longer are we sleeping on the job, trying to earn riches on earth at the expense of heaven; no longer are we pursuing our comforts above our neighbor. We live a new life for God and neighbor.
In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

Let me give you a little insight. I was a hyperactive child. The was is emphasized on the child part. I know this is a news flash for many of you - or should I use the term news byte for the modern crowd out there – but that is the reality as it is weather I want to believe it or not. Now I would be willing to bet you think this kind of condition is basically uncontrollable. You are going to have to invade from the outside with Ritalin or some other drug to keep the symptoms at bay. In addition, I bet you would also try to keep sugar away from these little hellions like me, or you might just kiss nighttime sleeping goodbye. Both of these statements are utterly false and I can prove them with my own experiences. When I was in the public school system, there was a movement to try and get me on Ritalin so as to calm me down. Mom rightfully refused to give me the meds but the schools thought I was taking them. This posed a problem for them: how are they going to get me under control? The solution was quite simple: move me to the front of the class, less distractions there; give me more work to do – I finished tests too quickly; and let recess involve lots of running, burn that energy away. So as you can see, hyperactivity can be controlled if you make a concerted effort to do so.
But what about sugar in little kids, that has to be uncontrollable situation right? We have all seen it right? You get all the kids together and feed them pop and birthday cake and just kiss beddy-bie good bye. This is also an old wife’s tale told by the new ones as well. Not only did I myself feel no ill effects as I endured the stigma, but neither did Julia. Feed her Ice Cream just before bed and she still slept through the night. Don’t trust me as an authoritative source? I might know my Scripture but anatomy and physiology is not my forte? Let me present to you the American journal of medicine. They agree with me. There is no external or internal combustion that will escalate the activity of the children unless you impose it on them. In other words, if you tell the kids they are expected to act like little terrors, they will oblige.
What all this all has to do with our text today (in case your wondering – sometimes I wonder) is that there is an uncontrollable spirit within those who are in Christ Jesus. Are we saying there is a controllable spirit in those who are without Christ? Can we truly control the sinful nature? What is the sinful nature but hostility towards God and His Word, what one pastor so rightly expressed insubordination continuously, all of which leads to death. If it were controllable, would we not do it? Who would not chose life over death? If we could change our nature, would we not stop the hostility, the rejection of God’s word, the travel on the highway to hell? Truly it is a highway to accommodate all the travelers on the well worn path. Truly we cannot help ourselves, and there truly is an uncontrollable spirit of destruction due to original sin passed from man to man, flesh to flesh, life to life. The mind truly is set on the sinful desires for it desires nothing else but to take care of self and to preserve its own seeming control.
Indeed, unlike hyperactivity and sugar rushes, we are nowhere in control come the sinful nature, which is why its so wonderful to experience the awesome power of the uncontrollable Spirit of God that keeps us in the One True Faith. Whereas the old nature was hell bent on self preservation, the Spirit of God moves among us and makes us preserved through the Word and Sacraments which sets our minds on things that the Spirit desires, which is peace, the love of God, the salvation which comes solely from the cross of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, the preservation to eternal life through the resurrection of Christ from the grave, and the desire to take care of our neighbor. Nowhere in this list do we have any control – salvation is all God’s doing. It is as the Old Testament lesson with all the dead bones coming together. They cannot give themselves life but God does though His Son.
That is why there is now no more condemnation in Christ Jesus. As Paul explains, the Spirit of Christ sets us free from the control of sin and death. Lazarus was raised from the grave because the death of men cannot stop almighty God. Christ rose from the grave because the evil men that put Him to death needed a Savior too, and the grave has no mastery over Him. Indeed He is the one man Who hast died for the people so that ALL may have life and live. We are slaves purchased from a tyrant by the blood of a plantation owner Who gives us green pastures to frolic in. If left to ourselves we would be utterly lost to the slavery of sins tyranny. However, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly and makes you one with Him in paradise. He is The One Who fulfilled all righteousness so there is nothing for you to do. Believe in the One Whom was sent – that is it!
It sounds so simple, yet what did Lazarus do when called? Believed he was alive and followed the Word of Christ and came out. If he did not believe, he would still be in the grave. Thanks be to God He sends His Holy Spirit into our lives to make us believe. Through Baptism we have the new life breathed into our dead bones and believe we can live for God and Neighbor. The raising of Lazarus was for more than just him and his family. It was for all to see and believe. Many still did not, which is why Jesus wept. Our job is to keep the faith and do the work of spreading the Good News of Jesus to all. To this we are truly out of control and would not want it any other way. Being out of control means its all God’s doing, and He gets the glory. We praise Him with our worship and we thank Him for the opportunity to tell others. As we near Holy Week, let us be controlled by the Spirit of Truth and help others to be out of the control of sins and be in the control of Christ and His Forgiveness which takes away all sins. In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

How many times have you seen a person and completely forgot who they were? You recognize the face yet you struggle with their name. You don’t want to say the wrong one, so you make up a moniker like, “Hey, Buddy! How are you?” Or worse, “Hey, Buckaroo; nice to see you again.” We all know what’s going on. What is essentially being said here is that the person you are trying to remember was not all that important to you. Let’s face it, we remember important people – Who’s the president of the United States right now? See? He’s important to you so you remember. Quickly, who’s the general manager to the Red Sox organization? I know its Theo Epstein because I am an interested fan of the organization and I care about what they are doing. So as you can see, we remember what we feel is important to us and we conveniently forget what is not. Do you know the Prime Minister of Antarctica? Do they even have one? You are not sure are you?
Well here in our text, we have Jesus coming into Jerusalem. He has done this many times before but never like this. Here the people are singing, dancing, causing a general ruckus about. Cutting palm branches making the tree huggers cringe and laying down garments to be trodden upon making moms everywhere say, “I’m not washing that!” Before all this the disciples borrowed two animals for their traveling companion, expressing to the owners that the Lord has need of them. Obviously the owners knew the name of The Lord to be credible enough for allowing them to be borrowed. All this is seen as people knowing Jesus and displaying their knowledge publicly.
Then there are the others. They are not singing or dancing. They are not cutting trees or ruining fabric. They are not even sure what is going on. They ask the crowd who gathered, “Who is this?” They are so clueless it truly is sad. It would be as if they were downtown when we were throwing the parade for the Steelers and someone in the crowd asks “what’s going on here?” Can you imagine the reaction of the person being asked? Even a Browns fan knew what was going on that day. Same here. How out of it would a person have to be to not know who this Jesus of Nazareth is coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, on a colt the foal of a donkey? Even if we wanted to concede that it was not announced ahead of time that Jesus was going to do this, should not He have been recognized? As we mentioned, if we cannot remember who we saw, they just are not as important as we like them to be.
Is there a third? How about people that do know Jesus, but refuse to participate? Pharisees and Sadducees who certainly recognize Jesus and do know His name, they just refuse to allow the knowledge and the fervor of the crowd dictate what they want to believe. The people recognize Jesus as the prophet of Nazareth, as the Son of David – the restorer of the Kingdom of Glory. They know He has come to save His people and will allow no man, no government, no religious fervor to take away His flock, but the religious rulers, they see but refuse to accept; as Jesus put it, they are blind though seeing. All the evidence is there for them to see and believe, but the hardness of their hearts keep them from the one true faith.
Of these three types of people, the joyful ones, the uninformed, and the defiant ones, which are the ones Jesus is coming to save? The answer is all three, for there is none that is outside the realm of grace from the cross. All these palm wavers, where will they be on Good Friday as they crucify our Lord? These are they who will change from shouts of hosanna to shouts of crucify, and yet, Christ comes to forgive them, they know not what they do. The Christ came to seek that which was lost, and to offer them eternal life with Him forever, so we would wonder as sheep without a shepherd no more. Concerning the unbeliever, how else can they believe until the Word accomplishes that for which it was sent? He as to go to the Cross and suffer at the hands of these men in order that all would be fulfilled. He must set His face like flint towards the cross, unwavering, undaunted, so that all the world would see and believe that He Who hangs right here, is the Savior of all mankind, truly takes away the sins of the world, and will rise again on the third day to silence the critics once and for all.
So we have our three types of people; the knower’s, the unknower’s, and the we-know-but-refuse-to-believe crowd. How are we to handle them today? We run into them everywhere we meet, every person falls into one of these. For the believer, we join in with them in praise to the Son Who is going to the cross to save us from sin, death, hell, and the grave. Celebrate we do with our palms and garments strewn, that our devotion is not made in secret but that the whole world may see and asks us the question, “Who is this?” We celebrate, for He has forgiven our sins too, where we have fallen short, where we have done wrong, and where there is forgiveness, there is life everlasting, so why not praise, if heaven is our home? For all who asks, “Who is this?” may we have the ready answer, “This is our God and King, Who has been crucified for our transgressions, and has begotten us unto a lively hope through the resurrection of the dead. He died, that I may die no more; He lives, that I may live with Him forever.” As for the we-know-but-refuse-to-believe, well, how do we truly know? We cannot look into the heart and see if they truly do have the hardened heart. All we can do is continue to hold out Christ and pray that the Holy Ghost will break every barrier down that would keep His kingdom from coming among us
We have a great task this Palm Sunday. We, who have seen and believe who wave the palms this day, wave them not for ourselves, but as a sign to others where to find their Lord. We direct them to Jesus and we let His Word do the rest. May we sing the praises loud that others will praise with us, the one and only and that Him yet again for the new life found from His death on the cross. In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

Certainly you are aware that in the past I have, on this most solemn of Thursdays, preached on the washing of the disciple’s feet, as the text for this day has been appointed to be at times. I have also on this day preached concerning the Last Supper, the agony in the garden, and the fifth of the seven last words of Christ from the cross (I Thirst). Today it seems out of place to preach concerning the two malefactors flanking Jesus on both sides, one on His right, and one on His left, but if you bear with me, I think I can wrap it up for you in a tidy little bow.
What we have before us is the scene of Jesus being crucified and reviled as one who does not care. Would not be the first time. Recall the ship being tossed at sea, and Jesus asleep below deck. The disciples asked Him, “Lord, do you not care if we drown?” Recall the raising of Lazarus. Waiting 4 days to arrive, Jesus is reproached by Mary, “Lord if you had been here my brother would be alive.” Why is it that we are so quick to believe that God does not care, when we see all the evidence of His love for us constantly in our lives? How can a God such as ours Who gives us every good thing for us to enjoy, be seen as uncaring? Such is the blindness of sin.
This brings us to the left of Jesus, the man Testas. Now the placement and the name of this malefactor is not in scripture in any plausible way. These are simply traditional names and places for these malefactors. What we do know from scripture, is that they booth were condemned with Him, and that they both reviled Him and cursed Him. Yes, it may shock you to be revealed that even the “good” criminal is swearing at Jesus. Once again the Scripture is true, “there is none righteous, no not one.” It’s just that the other was observant of the scene and willing to accept Jesus as He is.
Testas, however, is not. Among the great sea of faces that passed by that very public spectacle, there was not one that was more venomous than his. Sure the chief priest and the elders of the Law were trying to outbid one another in mocking and reviling Jesus, however, the close proximity and the pure desperate fight to keep this life makes his insults all the more potent. He was oblivious to his condemnation, careless to his punishment. All he wanted was to get down and live. He cared not for the reason for the punishment; he cared not about who he hurt and what he had done. All he wanted was his life back. This is why all he ever asks of Jesus is, “Save yourself, and us while you are at it.”
What he failed to see, as did Dysmas, the other malefactor eventually saw, is that Jesus was doing just that. He was saving them, and us, and all people just as He promised to do and this night we celebrate the greatest way that cross comes to us. Certainly the Word of God heard yet again in our ears stirs our faith and makes us react with awe and wonder yet again at the greatness of our God, but here at this altar, in this Sacrament, we partake of the cross in such a way that no other action can compare. Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks and gives it to you saying, “This is My body, this do for the remembrance of Me.” Remember that He was a great guy on earth? Remember that He taught us to love one another? Remember to not cast pearls before swine? Simply we are to remember the Cross, for this night was made for days like tomorrow. Jesus takes the wine, gives thanks and declares, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for YOU for the forgiveness of sins.” Indeed as Jesus hung on that cursed tree, He truly was fulfilling all the accusations thrown at Him, “Save yourself – and us!” He truly did save them that called on His name in faith, repentance, and in the fear of the Lord. The other criminal eventually while watching The WORD in the flesh came to the understanding of his sins and what Jesus was accomplishing at the cross. He did not have the opportunity to partake of communion, yet he was not denied his place in heaven, for it is not the eating and the drinking that does great things, but the faith in the Words here given, “Given and shed FOR YOU for the forgiveness of all sins.”
Testas saw and heard the same things as Dysmas, but he hardened his heart and refused to believe in the One Whom was sent. This truly is the first offense of the cross in such a graphic way. He sees Jesus dying there, but sees only a man, not a Savior. Certainly he has reached the end of the line. He cannot be saved for he refused to be comforted by Jesus merits here witnessed. His legs broken for the final blow to realized the end is near. Repent, o sinner, and fade not into the dark abyss of hell and the pace reserved for Satan and his followers. He repents not, and the light fades from his life.
Let us learn from Testas how NOT to live. Avoid the beginnings of evil doing that they may not become commonplace and make our hearts hard to the comforts of Christ’s Holy Word. Let us not be ashamed of the Cross o Christ, and rely on it as our source of redemption and forgiveness. May we always hear the Holy Ghost as He turns us from our evil ways, and listen to Him direct us to partaking this sacrament instituted for this very reason: we cannot save or even help ourselves in this state of sin, but He can – and does – freely from His grace and love. Always remember, the Cross of Christ I glory, His name I praise for He saves me. In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

We have experienced once again the great passion of The Christ, The Savior of the whole world, the Great King Who comes to all the people righteous and having salvation. The Triumphant entry just a mere five days ago was a display that all could see; those who knew Jesus, those who did not, and those who knew but did not want to believe what was happening. Throughout this whole passion story, we can see the same players with their struggles, the knowing disciples struggling with their faith; the unknowing Romans doing their thing; the we-don’t-want-to-believe Pharisees and Sadducees, and be sure to add Herod in that mix as well. In all this, people played important parts, but the only Person that mattered, was Jesus the Crucified.
At this cross, we see that Jesus fulfills the prophecy of being The One despised and rejected of men. Both Jew and Gentile, high and low put Jesus on that cross. Sure it was the Romans who welded the hammer and struck the great blows that pierced His hands and feet with the cursed nails. It was an ignorant unknowing Roman that pierced His side. It was the underhandedness of the Jews that put manipulations in place to cause our Savior to go along the Via Dolorosa. Yet, it was you and me and the sins of the whole world placed before the cross on this very special Good Friday, and we made Him what we see today; a Man despised and rejected of men. Despised by us as we hurl insults and profanity at Him, and yet, this is the same Jesus that sat with us, ate with us, wept with us, dies for us.
As we contemplate our standings and rejections of Him, there is still another that rejected Him that was far more painful and of great price than any of us – it was the rejection of God the Father. With the day being darkened by the eclipses and the great and terrible earthquake, we see vividly the anger of the Father but even more than that, we have a taste of what hell really is. We use that word so flippantly; hurts like hell, hot as hell, cold as hell, I’m in hell, and yet, none of this is true. REAL hell is this right here: God removing His presence from you because of sin. Jesus was despised and rejected and forsaken by His own Father because of our many sins, and we jokingly speak of a little office or voters meeting which goes too long as hell on earth. No, my friends, this is hell on earth; our Savior on the cross the Lamb uncomplaining as He hangs there.
Despised by men, rejected by the Father in Heaven, and STILL He was crucified for you and displays His power over sin by being The Son of God, the Savior of all men, the Lord of Glory. He dies not as a mortal, fading into oblivion, but Shouts with a cry, “It is Finished!” Shouts He does, to show the very devil Himself that he is vanquished from all control over Him or His people of faith. Shouts, He does, to declare to all men that Salvation is found nowhere else but here at the cross. Gives up the ghost, Jesus does to show He is the master of His own fate, making the point once again that God is here on this tree, fulfilling all righteousness, and forgiving all their sins. God then shows His power over the sinful creation by rending the earth and breaking the tombs. He shows His power over death and the graves by lettings the graves open up and lettings the bodies of the saints out. He shows His compassion on all men and shows that the Spirit will move even the gentiles to believe by having the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus declare, “Truly this was the Son of God!" Even Pilate Himself, writes the better inscription that he probably did not understand fully as he was trying to irritate the Jews, “The King of the Jews”.
So seeing the crucified Christ yet again, what is our attitude? Indifference because we have heard all this before, or a new found appreciation for all God has done for us? Faith is renewed every time we see the cross of Calvary. My we always and ever keep our eyes on the Cross of Christ, and in Him, Who forgives, praise His holy name. In His most Holy Name. Amen.
+ AND NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD AMEN +

HE IS RISEN! [Reply: HE IS RIESN INDEED]
Is this not the most Wonderful Time of the Year? I know it is a Christmas song title but could we not make the case that Easter is such a thing as well? We have endured 6 straight weeks of Lent which reminded us how sinful we are. Six straight weeks. Six straight weeks of ashes figuratively on our heads which reminded us why our Savior had to come to save us. With so much reminder of our sin, with so much given up for so long so we could concentrate on our Lord’s Passion, it is not wonderful to see our Savior’s tomb empty and know that His life was not in vain but has accomplished what He set out to do – make us one with Him in faith. Is it not wonderful to see yet again that our works do nothing to appease almighty God but our Savior’s work completely and wonderfully eradicates all sins?
It is wonderful, that though we have done nothing but wrongdoing to our Lord, He still went to the cross to save us from ourselves. That though we did everything to make Him go away, He comes back to us and meets us where we are in the closed room, on the road to Emmaus, on the shore of Galilee. That though we did everything to keep Him in that grave, sealing it as best we know how and setting the guard, He still breaks forth to show us that HE IS RISEN [HE IS RISEN INDEED] the grave has no mastery over Him and that we too can find comfort in or resurrection.
As we mentioned on Maundy Thursday, it is indeed a blessing that we can partake of the Supper of our Lord, and thereby intimately partake of the forgiveness won at the cross in no other profound way. With the eating and the drinking we receive the great body and blood of Christ shed at the cross, and assure ourselves again of the Easter Promise – “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” As with the message from Good Friday, we see here that the Father was appeased by the merits of His Son and thereby we enter with Him into glory by faith in these words, “I go and prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place, then I will come back to bring you to where I Am.” It is all based on faith in the Words – Words here written, Words here spoken, Words moving the hearts of the unbeliever into the believer through the promptings of the Holy Ghost. The Words that remind us that He is NOT here, but HE IS RISEN [HE IS RISEN INDEED]
It is the most Wonderful Time of the Year, for it is at this time that we celebrate the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords with High praise and Exaltation. Have you ever busted loose in song? I’m not necessarily speaking as those old time musicals where one person breaks out in song and miraculously everyone is in lock step and tuned – though if it happened we could finally give thanks to God properly. No, I mean busted loose with your favorite hymn while doing your daily chores. Singing a verse or two of your Savior’s praise to His glory alone of the wonderful things He’s done. Singing the praises that let your neighbor two doors down hear yet again that He is Risen! [He is risen indeed]. Well, maybe we don’t need to be that loud, but even if we were, would that not prove again why this is the most Wonderful Time of the Year?
It is indeed wonderful that Christ is Risen [He is risen indeed] and that with His rising to life we have life assured for us the faithful. We cannot help ourselves but to be joyful and triumphant as we contemplate our Savior’s empty grave for He is Risen! [He is risen indeed]. This is a Joy that we cannot keep to ourselves but must share with the world! Which gives me a slight pause; why is it that we are so free to offer a merry Christmas for weeks before and even some weeks after, but rarely do we offer a happy Easter before, and only for about a week after Easter? Are we more ashamed of Easter? I hope not! So let us endeavor this day to remember our Crucified Lord for our redemption and praise His resurrection that all the world will join with us in shouting: He is Risen! [He is risen indeed]. In His most holy name. Amen.
[RISE]
+ NOW MAY THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD. AMEN +

HE IS RISEN! [Reply: HE IS RISEN INDEED]
Is this still the most Wonderful Time of the Year? I say it is because of our two readings for this quasimodogeniti Sunday. Here we have the great promise reiterated: we are saved by grace alone, and for this we have a joy that exceeds all that we are.
If it were not enough to just plain say that you are saved apart from any effort on your side of the salvation equation, we are given the ultimate proof that we are truly saved not by our works but by His work in these readings for us today. The Gospel of Saint John gives us the record of poor ole doubting Thomas. Yes, this is the very Thomas that we always refer to when calling someone a “doubting Thomas”. Thomas had the misfortune of not being in the upper room the first Easter night when Jesus appeared to the ten+ disciples. Recall: I say ten because Thomas is not there and Judas hung himself just two days prior so they have yet to replace him. Also from the Luke account we find that there are other disciples not just the apostles in the room. How many there are we just do not know but what we do know is that they all were in amazement during the first visit, and that they too needed to touch, feel, experience the resurrection in a physical way to know that Jesus was not a ghost but has flesh and bone and able to eat honeycomb and fish. So Thomas’ reaction is not out of sorts – he’s only asking for the same treatment as the other disciples had.
Which is why on the second visit, Jesus does not dismiss Thomas outright as some sort of unbeliever that should be ashamed of himself for not believing in the Word alone. It is just too much to believe; there is no other evidence like it in the entire world – someone coming back from the dead in three days without any human interference! Certainly people were raised back to life by the efforts of Elijah, Elisha, Jesus and even Paul, but to be buried in the grave, and on the third day you are not there, that is a lot to comprehend my friend. Yet, comprehend this: all this happened so that you might believe that your salvation is not dependant on any man’s work, but on the work and merits of this True Son of God. Which is why the blessing is so much more the stronger today, “Blessed are they that have not seen, but believe”.
Seeing in order to believe is a work of ourselves. If we need to see it to believe it, we are essentially saying that we want to do something to make it believable. Thomas needed to feel and see and experience in order to trust and believe. He trusted his senses rather than his faith. However, when the time came, he did not need to touch and feel – he believed on sight. How blessed he was to witness the risen Savior; how blessed he was to touch and to feel His Salvation. Who among us would not have loved that opportunity! However, how much more blessed are you who have not seen, and yet believe? Peter tells us: you are experiencing an inexpressible and glorious joy receiving the goal of your faith – the salvation of your soul.
We know that our faith is founded on Jesus Christ and not on our own senses. We know that our faith given from baptism has always kept us ever mindful of the salvation of our souls. And as we eat of the bread and drink of the cup, we truly in every sense of the word, experience Christ in the most profound of ways. We need not do anything for any of these blessed gifts, but trust in the Word, given for you, for the forgiveness of all sins. This is why the joy is exceeding that of the twelve – it is a solid faith based on Christ alone and not on anything you have done.
We may wish longingly to be at the tomb, to be at the great ascension, even to be at the manger scene of His virgin birth, but the truth of the matter is that we are even more blessed that any of these Christians because by faith alone do we behold and the greater reward is with us. Think of it this way. Let’s say you like to collect spoons. I know people collect them because I see them in every rest stop I have ever been in. Your friend goes off to visit Niagara Falls, and brings you back a souvenir spoon that commemorates it. Though you were never at the falls, you have the evidence of the falls and you have the benefits of increasing your collection without the expenses or the border customs problems. Jesus does the same. He gives you the gift of eternal life without you ever having to do a thing for it, and your inexpressible joy will permeate your whole being to be one of glorious joy.
We rejoice that our faith is truly founded on Jesus Christ our God and Lord and not on our own works to make it happen. May we always and forever shout with joy the expression of our faith in the resurrection: HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! HALLELUJAH! In His most holy name, Amen.

HE IS RISEN! [Reply: HE IS RISEN INDEED]
It is still the most Wonderful Time of the Year! More wonderful evidence that our salvation is made by faith alone, and that our faith is nothing more than the gift of God. Last Sunday we saw how those who have not seen yet believe are more blessed than those who got to see. This Sunday we see that the blessings come from only one place – Christ the Crucified.
Now how groundbreaking is this concept of Salvation through Christ alone? It must be quite earth shattering since all three reading address this notion. The road to Emmaus is one of those Scripture stories I love so much. In it we have the whole understanding of Salvation through Christ alone, without any work on our part. When you look at those disciples, they are sad, dejected, we might say beside themselves with grief. Understandably so, when your life is all wrapped up in the explanation of what the Messiah was all about from the Jewish perspective. They were expecting a political savior, a military savior, a savior that was going to establish earthly rule. With that in mind, how do we appease the earthly king? We work at it. We grovel, we give lip service, we offer ourselves as obedient subjects willing to do the greatest bidding of the king to find favor in his eyes and receive earthly blessings.
This is not why Jesus came bearing our cross. If this were possible, to appease Almighty God by “doing enough”, we would not need a cross. So when Jesus begins with Moses, and all the prophets He begins with the understanding that the yoke of slavery was too burdensome to bear, and that the promised Messiah was going to take care of the yoke, by suffering all, and entering into glory as He so promised and bring us to Himself. I have heard more than once, “Wouldn’t it be great to have been there to hear that? What a great Bible lesson that must have been.” Put these people in the crowd that would love to have been at the manger and at the ascension. The truth of the matter is we do have a concise and succinct explanation of Christ right in our meditation today, “it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed, but with the precious blood of Christ.” Redemption by gold and silver implies an earthly work, perhaps even one that we too can achieve if only we would gather enough to give to our King. But when it comes to the Holy Precious Blood and the Innocent suffering and death as Martin Luther phrased it in our memory work from the catechism, there is nothing on our part to make it more precious or more holy.
Peter understood this intimately when he addressed the crowd in our Acts reading for today. He let those hearers have it, to know that they were despicable human beings, who also helped put Jesus on that cross for their many sins. That was the law that all needed to hear. However, Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. So Peter also offers the pure sweet gospel that every hearer also needs to hear, that He Is Risen [He is Risen Indeed, Halleluiah!] and sits at the right hand of God as both Lord and Christ, the Savior of the Whole world. He explains to them that this Jesus is the Messiah they have been waiting for to serve all along. So they ask the question, “Brothers, what shall we do?” What can we do to serve the Messiah we have waited so long to be with and to appease? Peter tells them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Now many have contended that the act of being baptized is a “me” work; that we decide to be baptized and we offer ourselves to be baptized in the name, but that just does not jive with what Peter is expressing here. We are made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ, and this faith is through Him, Peter explains.
Through Him we are believers in God. Not anything we do but through Him alone, we believe. We do not need to see and believe because by Faith given in baptism we believe in all that Jesus suffered. We believe that His blood mixed in that sacred baptismal water indeed makes the water one of everlasting life. It is not a fluke that Martin Luther used this very passage to bring about our proper understanding of Salvation in Jesus Christ in explaining the Second Article of the Creed. For the salvation of all men hinges on Jesus Christ and Him crucified, shedding the blood necessary for your salvation by faith alone, and it is most certainly true that there is nothing any man can do to make it more complete.
We rejoice that our faith is truly founded on Jesus Christ our God and Lord and not on our own works to make it happen. We rejoice that all the Sacraments are of God and not of our own works to appease the God Who accepts Jesus Christ alone as the satisfaction for sins. May we always and forever shout with joy the expression of our faith in the resurrection: HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! HALLELUJAH! In His most holy name, Amen.

HE IS RISEN! [Reply: HE IS RISEN INDEED]
“The Psychiatrist is IN.” Remember Lucy with her psychiatrist booth? Many a time when poor ol’ wishy washy Charlie Brown was in need of help, he turned to the Lucy cardboard booth for his psychiatric help. Sometimes she was there waiting for him, sometimes she had to have her friends point out that she had a customer, but invariably when she was ready to help out, Charlie Brown had to put in the 5 cents that made that jingle-jingle-jingle that made music to her ears. Now maybe I am not remembering it well, but has Lucy ever helped Charlie Brown? As often as he kept going over and paying all that coinage, you would think he would learn his lesson that maybe Lucy is not the most helpful person for his problems, but to the booth he goes hoping that this time it would work.
What has this to do with Good Shepherd Sunday, you might ask? Well, look at the meditation message for today. We are in a world of suffering. God never promised the Christian he would no ever suffer, just that in suffering there is help from God for those who seek it – keep it mindful says the txt. We suffer constantly in this world, and let us be truthful – much of it is our own doing. We suffer because we get up late in the morning and then are harried throughout the day trying to catch up. We gain weight and have our health problems because we did not listen to doctor’s advice of eat less and exercise, or we did not take our medication on time or as directed. I got an email this week, telling me I need to watch out because there are extra cops on the road giving tickets every 20 minutes. Well, this is all fine and dandy but unless you are breaking the law by speeding, this should worry you not. As long as you stay under the posted speed limit, there is truly nothing to fear from any cop. If one drives too fast and ends up getting a ticket, do we complain to the cop for doing his job? No! They should suffer for that sin by paying the fine, as steep as it is. However, if one is not speeding, and gets one, different issue. Now the case can be made of suffering unjustly, and who can they turn to for relief from such an unwarranted burden? You would say “The Magistrate,” and in this instance, you would be right, but the answer I really wanted was “Christ.”
Jesus knows a thing or two about suffering unjustly. Talk about suffering, He came from the very heavens, the throne of God Himself, and allowed Himself to be subjected to our laws and the regulations He made! Imagine making a rule, and then you can’t be exempt from it. He suffered as He taught the people and they did not believe. However, He suffered the bulk of it as He hung on that cursed tree obtaining for you eternal life. The ruling was that sins must be paid for through death; however Christ our Brother took that regulation upon Himself and suffered all that the wrath of the Father would be appeased. He died for you that you might never die, and be found righteous in His sight through the body and blood we will receive once again.
All this is for you, and it is yours simply by being sheep and being lead by the Shepherd. He asks for nothing, not even a single nickel. All He asks is that you be a sheep and follow Him. Sheep are not the greatest of the walking beasts, and they do have a tendency to wander away, and they find themselves in situations which really are their own doing. They go astray, try to find their own solution, get lost more. Finally, they cry out to the Shepherd to save them from their peril. Our Savior Jesus Christ is very much like the Good Shepherd we call Him to be. He does have a willingness to save, and He does every time we cry out to Him – Yes, even if it is our fault. He saves swiftly and completely, no strings attached. And He’s always there. When you come to this altar, the Shepherd is always in. He hears and more importantly He acts and offers what we need most – peace through forgiveness of sins and everlasting life for all who believe.
He is the door to everlasting life, and to all who hear His voice they go out and in and find great pasture. The Kingdom of heaven is very much like that. Jesus is the door that lets us in and makes us children by faith. We then have a Good Shepherd Who laid down His life and took it up again that you may be saved. He is the guardian of your soul and no one can take that precious soul from Him. He promised to save those who repent, that is return from their evil ways and He does. He will never let you down, ever.
What of those who do not yet know Him? Good sheep spread the word. We are called to tell everyone about Jesus. Its no secret that Jesus saves by faith alone, its just that so few people truly understand such things. We are called to help others like Lucy truly wants to, but to give them real help. Direct them to Christ and He will cover them with His body and Blood as He does for you in your baptism.
We rejoice that our faith is truly founded on Jesus Christ our God and Lord and not on our own works to make it happen. We rejoice that all the Sacraments are of God and not of our own works to appease the God Who accepts Jesus Christ alone as the satisfaction for sins. May we always and forever shout with joy the expression of our faith in the Good Shepherd that lays down His life for the sheep: HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! HALLELUJAH! In His most holy name, Amen.

HE IS RISEN! [Reply: HE IS RISEN INDEED]
If I were to ask you what is the most impossible thing you can think of, what would you say? How about the Ottawa Senators wining the Lord Stanley Cup this year? Yeah, I know, we should not be gloating over the loss of another. However, it is truly an impossible thing now. There is no possible way that the Senators can win the Lord Stanley Cup, hence the term im-possible. It is impossible for a man to have a baby sitting in his womb since men don’t have wombs. Tabloids excluded, it will never happen, and we politely exclude the goofy sex-change pregnancies. Certainly there are other impossibilities, such as God sinning, or the Devil doing good for the sake of Good, or the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series in my life time.
“Hold on a second there, Pastor!” I know what you are going to say; with hard work and perseverance, they could win it. It is a possibility, however remote, that they could win a world series. This is most certainly true. But the chances are remote given the statistical analysis and the history of the franchise. Yet, as bleak as it translates on paper for the cubs to win a championship, it is still a better possibility than any man, woman or child earning their right into heaven.
Wait a minute. You mean to say that there is a way to earn your right to heaven? Sure there is. All you have to do is not break any of the Ten Commandments – EVER. Of course you and I know that this can never happen, it is, in itself, an impossibility. Scripture all over the place makes it plain as the sun rising in the east that there is not one righteous person, no not one, yet so many denominations make it a point to strive for such perfection as if it could be attained, or promise that you can remove yourself from temptation and sin completely, or that your sins are not all that bad. One of the texts used to support such great shame and vice, what we have for our meditation today.
There are some who believe that last verse has to do with us doing what is necessary in order to obtain mercy. After all, how does one obtain a victory? They make it happen by dominating their opponent. How does one obtain a promotion at work? They acquire it through hard work and diligence. How does one obtain wealth? It has the flavor of earning it rather than having it given to them. That would be an inheritance. Although it is possible to obtain something given to you, they justify their reasoning by explaining that it would be better written received. The thought is we obtain what we work for, and receive our gifts.
If this is as far as we go then this would be fine and dandy. However, human reasoning is never a good thing when it comes to God’s Word. We need to take ALL of God’s Word in order to formulate and understand our salvation through Christ alone. Therefore let us take the Gospel reading for today. Here we see that Jesus will go and prepare a place for you. And He will bring you to Himself. It says nothing about what you must do to obtain this place prepared for you, nor does it make reference to any work on your part to make Jesus want to prepare this place. Truly this is all done out of sincere love for you without any merit or worthiness on your part. He receives you to Himself, just as He received Stephen – by faith alone. Truly what did Stephen do, other than speak out in faith? Truly he was the first recorded martyr of the faith, but his work was faith. His faith has made him well. His faith made him bold to preach the Word of God and rejoice as being found worthy to suffer for the Name.
You see, once before, before we had Jesus born of a virgin, before we had Jesus living the sinless life, before we had the death and the resurrection, we were not people of God, but strangers to His ways. We had not obtained mercy because the mercy was not there yet. Let alone the stiffneckedness we displayed in running further from the horror and the shame of facing God. However, with Jesus fulfilling the scripture He earns the right, He acquires the privilege to appease the heavenly Father and then to pass that removal of wrath to His servants that we to now obtain eternal life not by the things we say, but by the things He has said and done, “for the forgiveness of all your sins. He truly did bleed and die on that cross, so that you may have life.
Our God Truly knows how to save, for He does just that every single time the Word is preached. The best thing is the whole Church truly was founded on this one Good News, that Jesus has done all things necessary for salvation, and that you truly are saved by simply believing in the Word of God. We are always compelled to do something though. Here is an idea. Let us tell others about this great news we have about Jesus the Christ. Certainly it will be hard to believe, but he who believes and perseveres unto the end receives the crown of life – that is eternal life. How many possible ways can we spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him saving you? The possibilities are endless. Therefore, let us make the most of our opportunities when they arrive, and not worry so much about how things should be, but how things can be made better through faith in Him. HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED HALLELUJAH! In His most holy name, Amen.

HE IS RISEN! [Reply: HE IS RISEN INDEED]
Quick! What is 2 plus 2? That, my friend, is an answer so rooted in your brain that you took no thought at all to come up with it. What is the capital of Pennsylvania? Again, this is an answer that you deal with constantly. The news reporters “go to Harrisburg” to find the scoop that is happening in local and state government. If you lived in a different state, you would become just as familiar with their capital’s name from the many repetitions that they would make referring to it in their reports. How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? Now this answer is well ingrained in the brain, “the world may never know.” A popular commercial growing up that is still being shown today. In all these things, we have rote memory influencing what we “know” to be true. We know 2 plus 2, we know our capitals, we know the world may never know, and these answers are always right there on the tip of our tongues when asked. However, Peter encourages us today to understand that we need to know something else: the reason of the hope that is in you.
Hope? What hope? This world is beyond hope. With the sin and the degradation all around, how can anyone have hope? With the horrors of evil people doing evil things because the days are evil, how can there be hope? When a child cannot even wear a color upon their head for fear that they will be mistaken as a member of a rival gang, how can there be hope? When all is said and done and the life that is led ends in the darkness of the grave because the wages of sin is death, how can there be any hope? Truly we lament with King Solomon, “All is vanity.”
However, for the Christian there is hope, even in the depth of the grave there is a hope. For we have a King that is not unsympathetic to our plight but has been there done that, yet without sin. We have a Shepherd which is good in every way and makes us eat of the good pasture. We have a Savior God Who came to us where we are, Who dwelt among us and Who fulfilled the promise He made to save us from our sins. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were given forgiveness from God and a promise that a Savior would come to save His people and defeat the old evil foe. Jesus is that one. He alone came down from heaven and got in that mud with us. He became sin for us so that as He hung on that tree, it would no longer signify death, but life. More than that, having been dead, and buried He sanctified the graves of all the saints who have gone before because He was there too.
Not only was He there, He is no longer there. He is not here. HE IS RISEN [HE IS RISEN INDEED HALLELUJAH!] Indeed the promise of the angel and the Lord Himself was that the grave has no mastery over Him. To this end, He made the graves a portal to eternal life, simply so that you and I may go in and out and find good pasture. He fulfills the promise to Adam and Eve, and thereby that wonderful children’s prayer is drawn from our Gospel lesson, where our Lord will not leave us as orphans but our soul He takes.
Christians have Hope. Hope is more than a feeling; it is a real and certain reality. Every baptized child of God has this sure and certain hope in the resurrection of our Lord. The partaking of His very body and blood in communion is the hope that sins are forgiven and that you are right with the Heavenly Father. This hope is something the world does not understand and so it is foreign to them. There are times when the world acts as the Athenians did to Paul in our first lesson. They ask a bunch of questions and try to understand what the great and wonderful message is all about. Is today any different than that of the Athenians in the first reading? I would say only that vary rarely will anyone just come up out of nowhere and ask you about your faith and why you believe as you do. It may be rare, but it will happen. Are you ready to answer? Paul had the ready answer with the altar to the unknown God, “Let me tell you what you don’t know,” he said. Are you ready to tell people what they don’t know about Jesus Christ our Lord? Indeed there is nothing to say if there is nothing retained, so we must invariably be in The Word. We must be studying daily and constantly that which we believe so that we can answer just as fast as 2+2=4. We have wonderful help in the Small Catechism, the quick reference guide to what we believe, teach and confess about Jesus Christ our Lord, but daily reading helps so much more in understanding Jesus and the grace of God more fully.
So are you ready to give an answer to what you believe about the hope you have in Christ Jesus our Lord? Are you ready to tell of the great miracles He performs even today in your life? Are you ready to tell of the generous blessings from the Word and Sacrament? Or do you need more time? The days are short, my friend, to tell of the Good News of Jesus Christ from the grave. Every opportunity needs to be employed. This only comes about when we read our Bible, come to the services of God’s house, and just as importantly, BELIEVE what we are reading and experiencing to be trustworthy and true. If you truly don’t believe your sins are forgiven, how can you help others to believe? By the same token, how can you be happy about your life? The HOPE we have is that sins ARE forgiven regardless of how we feel at the time. Jesus shed His blood and died on that cross for YOU. That is all the hope you need, and all the hope necessary. This should make you wake up every morning on the right foot, “I am a forgiven child of God, and nothing can take that away from me this day.” THAT is living the hope we have, my friend, and as you live a happy life, others will ask, because they want to be happy too. The opportunity to share Christ has come, and we welcome it.
So be ready when asked to tell every man your reason for hope in this hopeless world. About how Jesus Christ has changed you from darkness into light, and given you the promise we hope in not as others which have no hope but as forgiven children of the Heavenly Father. HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED HALLELUJAH! In His most holy name, Amen.