Category: Sermon Page

Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 7, 2023

“Our Identity as Church: Living Stones and a Holy Priesthood” (1 Peter 2:2-10)

There’s a lot of talk about “identity” these days. How do you “identify”? What do you identify as? A guy may be born as a male, but now he decides that he identifies as a woman. It doesn’t matter what the reality is, because that’s how he identifies. Whoops, I should watch my pronouns: If that’s how “she” identifies, then that’s who “she” is. And you have no right to say any different.

Identity. How do you self-identify? How do you see yourself? “I’m an American!” “I’m a Cardinals fan!” Oh, I’m sorry. . . . I’m a husband, wife, parent, grandparent, butcher, baker, or candlemaker. And those all may be true. But all of those are individual identities. They all start with “I.”

But what about something larger? Do you and I–do we, together–have a collective identity? Yes, we do! Today I want you to think not just about your “me” identity but more so about our “we” identity: who we are together, who we are as church. And in our Epistle today, St. Peter tells us who we are. He says, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.” And so our theme this morning: “Our Identity as Church: Living Stones and a Holy Priesthood.”

“Living stones” and a “holy priesthood”: Now those are not terms we usually think of as our identity. So they need some explanation. Both of these terms go back to the Old Testament. They both have to do with the worship life of ancient Israel. “Living stones” recalls the building of the temple in Jerusalem. And “holy priesthood” refers to those Israelites who were dedicated to the Lord’s service at the temple.

Now Peter takes these Old Testament terms and applies them to us, the New Testament church. Peter wants us to know that this is who we are and that we should see ourselves in this way. He writes: “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Now notice, our identity as living stones comes as we are connected to one particular living stone. And that of course is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the living stone who was rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God.

He was rejected by men. He came to his own, but his own did not receive him. Here was the promised Messiah, at long last coming to his people, and yet so many did not receive him. The scribes and Pharisees, the Sadducees, the chief priests and elders–the very religious leaders who should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah did the exact opposite. They rejected him. Why? Because Jesus exposed their pride and hypocrisy. He threatened their power and prestige. And so they hated him. They had him arrested and crucified. As prophesied in the Psalms and quoted by Peter, Jesus is “the stone that the builders rejected.”

But in fact, this was according to God’s plan. They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. God sent his Son into this world to be the sin-bearer for all humanity. “This is my Son, the beloved, my chosen one,” the Father said at Jesus’ baptism. And so Christ came to do the Father’s will. That meant going to the cross, to redeem sinful mankind. There Jesus shed his holy precious blood to atone for our sins and win our forgiveness. It is done. It is finished. Jesus’ death did the job. For you! You are forgiven, your guilt is removed, and you are right with God. Because of Jesus.

And so God glorified his Son by raising him from the dead and making him Lord of all. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious.” Christ is our cornerstone! He is the living stone, risen from the dead and now alive forever! Christ is the cornerstone of the church, the one foundational stone that determines all the angles in the building. The church is true as it lines up straight with Christ. The church finds its identity as it is connected to Christ. The church finds its life in connection with Christ.

Friends, this is how we are living stones. It’s because we are connected to the living stone, our Lord Jesus Christ. We draw our life from Jesus. You are joined to Jesus through your baptism. God has given you the gift of faith in your Savior. The Word and the Sacraments are the mortar that join us living stones to the one chief cornerstone.

And in the process, these means of grace join us to one another in this spiritual house known as the church. We are not just a bunch of individual stones, scattered and separate and unconnected. No, we have been joined together to take form as the church, to have a real, collective identity. This is who we are. God has made us to be his people. We have an identity and a purpose together. Get this in your head. It’s not just “me and Jesus.” It’s we and Jesus. Let’s think of ourselves in this way.

And so when you absent yourself from the church, it’s like a brick deciding to pull itself out of the building. It weakens the whole structure. Brothers and sisters, fellow bricks, fellow stones, we are stronger when we stay connected and support one another.

We have an identity and a purpose together. This is where the “holy priesthood” idea comes in. “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” What do priests do? They offer up sacrifices. The Old Testament priests were dedicated to the Lord’s service to offer up all kinds of sacrifices: sin offerings, guilt offerings, thanksgiving offerings, and so on. God had set them apart to do this work.

Now here in our text Peter applies this priesthood language to the New Testament church. We as church have been set apart to the Lord’s service. We are dedicated and holy to the Lord. And God has given us this work to do, to offer up spiritual sacrifices.

Here we need to be clear. There are many kinds of sacrifices we offer to God, but there is one we do not make–indeed, we cannot. And that is an atoning sacrifice for our sin. That sacrifice has already been made, once and for all, when our great high priest, Jesus Christ, shed his holy blood on the cross. That one-of-a-kind sacrifice can never be repeated, nor need it be. Jesus did the perfect job for us, complete in every way.

But there are still sacrifices we can offer up to God: sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. “Eucharistic sacrifices” we can call them. For example, the tithes and firstfruit offerings you put in the plate–these are spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, and they support the work of the church. Then there is the sacrifice of thankful lips, speaking our prayers and singing our praises to the God who has redeemed us, with gladness and gratitude in our hearts. Yes, these are sacrifices, these are offerings, that are pleasing to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is one other spiritual sacrifice you can make, again, the sacrifice of thankful lips: It’s when you tell your friends and neighbors and relatives about what God has done for you. Peter gets at this also in our text. He says: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Proclaiming his excellencies! Fellow priests, we have the privilege and opportunity to tell others of what God has done for us and for them: “that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” This is what God has done for us! We were lost, wandering around in the dark. But God has called us out of that darkness of sin and death, and brought us into his kingdom of light and life! New life, eternal life! Excellent! I’d say this is something worth talking about! God has made us his people, he has made us a royal priesthood, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Brothers and sisters, what an identity, what a purpose, we have! This is a high calling! And it’s all by grace. We don’t deserve it. But this is God’s gift to us in Christ. He, Jesus, the living stone, is the chosen and precious cornerstone. Through him we living stones are built into a spiritual house and made a holy priesthood. “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Living stones and a holy priesthood: What a joy it is to know that this is our identity as church!

Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 30, 2023

“The Sheep Hear the Shepherd’s Voice” (John 10:1-10)

Today is the day in the church year we call “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Every year on this day we get a reading from John 10, the chapter where Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” Every year we hear Jesus talking about the relationship of the shepherd and his sheep. And so today Jesus says: “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Dear friends, my fellow sheep, it is vitally important–it is a matter of life or death–that we hear and know and follow the voice of our shepherd. For there are other voices out there that would lead us astray, lead us into grave spiritual danger, if we were to follow them. Thus our theme this morning: “The Sheep Hear the Shepherd’s Voice.”

Yes, Jesus is our good shepherd. Throughout this tenth chapter of John, Jesus takes the familiar Old Testament imagery of the Lord as the shepherd, and he applies it to himself. What we find in Psalm 23 and elsewhere, Jesus says is fulfilled in him, that he is the true and good shepherd of God’s people.

The 23rd Psalm says, “The Lord is my shepherd.” The Lord Jesus is that shepherd. He leads and feeds, he guards and guides his sheep. He leads us beside still waters. He feeds us in green pastures. He guards us from all evil, even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He guides his sheep in paths of righteousness.

We the sheep are utterly dependent on the shepherd for our very life. Without our shepherd, we would be in big trouble. We would get stuck in dried-out areas where there’s not enough pasture. We would be alarmed and bewildered by things that frighten us. We’d be easy prey for any predator that comes along. We’d be lost and not able to find our way back to safety. That’s what would happen to us without our shepherd.

And so we need our shepherd–we need to hear the voice of our shepherd–to bring us out of those barren places. To comfort us when we’re distressed. To warn us of approaching danger. To call us back when we wander astray. Without the clear and steady voice of the shepherd, finding us and calling us, we sheep would be surely lost. On our own, we’re vulnerable to all sorts of dangers and predators, vulnerable also to our own lack of good sense. That’s why we need the good shepherd to take care of us.

Luther puts it like this: “You are a lost sheep and you cannot, of yourself, find the way to the shepherd. Of yourself you can go astray, and unless Christ, your shepherd, sought you and fetched you back, you would simply fall a prey to the wolf. But now he comes, seeks you, finds you, and brings you back to his flock, that is, through the Word and the Sacraments, back into the Christian church, gives his life for you, keeps you henceforth in the right way, that you fall into no error. There you hear nothing about your own strength, good works, and merits, except that your strength, good works, and merits mean going astray, being defenseless and lost. Christ works, merits, and manifests his strength in this alone: He seeks, upholds, and leads you. He wins life for you through his death. He alone is strong enough to protect you so that you do not perish, and are not snatched out of his hand. Towards all this you can do nothing but lend your ears, listen, and receive with gratitude this unspeakable treasure and learn easily to recognize your shepherd’s voice and to shun the voice of the stranger.”

Jesus’ sheep gladly listen to the voice of their shepherd. They recognize his voice as the one they can trust. And they shun the voice of the stranger. Understand the picture in what Jesus is saying: In ancient times, there might be several flocks of sheep gathered into one sheepfold. In the morning, when the shepherds come to get their sheep, they begin calling out to them. Any number of shepherds might be in the sheepfold at one time, each one gathering his flock. But each sheep in that flock knows the voice of its own shepherd. They ignore the other voices calling throughout the sheepfold, and they zero in on their own shepherd. They hear his voice and follow him, not someone else.

“The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Oh, there are many other voices in our world that you and I could listen to. There is the voice of our popular culture, calling out to us. What does that voice sound like? It sounds very appealing. It speaks our native language, the language of our flesh. It appeals to our desires. We can hear this voice calling out to us night and day, from entertainment, celebrities, education, media, and government. This voice says: “There is no such thing as truth, there’s no such thing as right and wrong. The only thing that matters is what’s true for you, what feels right to you. Be spiritual, sure, but don’t get too involved in organized religion. Make up your own mind. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do or believe.” This voice is calling out 24/7. It is the voice of the world around us. It’s that little voice lurking in the dark corner of your heart. It’s the same seductive voice that came slithering on a tree and whispered in the ear of Adam and Eve. Don’t listen to it. It’s not the voice of your shepherd.

The voice of your shepherd has a clear and distinct tone. His voice rings true, calling you home. This voice, like the one in Eden, comes calling out from a tree. But it is a different tree, and this voice speaks a different word. This voice speaks of forgiveness. It speaks of the love of the Father who sends his Son to redeem a world that had rebelled against him. This is a one-of-a-kind voice. You hear the voice of God in the true and trustworthy words of Jesus. Here is your shepherd; his, the voice you should listen to.

Listen to him speaking to you today. Jesus speaks absolution to guilty consciences, when Christ’s undershepherd says: “In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins.” Jesus speaks of the willing sacrifice he makes to guard and save his sheep: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus speaks of what he came to do for his sheep: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” This is the living voice of the gospel that Jesus speaks to you even now through the preaching of his word.

And what a sweet sound it is! Jesus gives a gift no one else can give. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus gives you life! Abundantly! Eternally! This is life renewed and restored back to God. Life that is yours right now by faith. Life that lasts forever, conquering the grave. Jesus’ sheep will never perish. We will not die eternally. The abundant life that Jesus gives is life with God that will never end.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus can give this gift because he earned it for us on the cross, where he suffered the judgment we deserve. As Peter writes: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

On the cross, our good shepherd laid down his life for the sheep, only to take it up again in his resurrection. And now our living Lord Jesus speaks to us–his voice very clear, very recognizable–so that we can hear and know it and follow where he leads.

Listen to your shepherd’s life-giving voice and follow him. This is the life of faith. This is life in his flock, the church. You were made Jesus’ little lambs in your baptism. You were brought into the fold. You know your Savior, Jesus Christ, and he knows you. You learn to know the shepherd’s voice through your life in the church, here in God’s house, listening to God’s word as it is preached and taught and sacramented. These gospel means, these means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments–these are your life! For they are the life of Christ coming to you and leading you through life and into the life to come. The voice of Christ comes to you in his word and nowhere else. Never stray from his word. Never get out of range of his voice. Your very life depends on it. His life comes to you by means of it.

Brothers and sisters, are you feeling a little sheepish today? Good. I hope so. For we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. We are Jesus’ sheep, and we gladly listen to his voice. Our shepherd calls, and we follow. “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

Third Sunday of Easter
April 23, 2023

“On the Road and at the Table with Jesus” (Luke 24:13-35)

The painting I’m holding in front of you–and you can see it on your bulletin insert–is called, in German, “Gang nach Emmaus,” or in English, “The Road to Emmaus.” It’s by a 19th-century Swiss artist, Robert Zünd. And it’s one of my favorite paintings. Imagine putting yourself into this picture and getting to walk alongside Jesus as he opens up the Scriptures! And then when you get to Emmaus, to be right there at the table with Jesus! What a day! What an experience! “On the Road and at the Table with Jesus!”

First, though, let’s set the scene. It’s a Sunday–in fact, it’s the Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. But the two guys who set out from Jerusalem to go to Emmaus that day–they don’t know that. They don’t know that their master, Jesus of Nazareth, has risen from the dead. Oh, they had heard this crazy report that some of the women brought back that morning. The women said that they had gone to the tomb, the tomb was empty, and an angel told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. Yeah, right. Who can believe that?

These guys had been in Jerusalem for the Passover, which is supposed to be a joyous festival. But for them it turned out to be a heart-breaking disappointment, a crushing blow. Their master, Jesus, had been betrayed and arrested and put to death. Death on a cross–crucified, like a common criminal! And he was the one they had been pinning their hopes on! Jesus was the one they thought was going to make Israel great again! They thought he would be the Messiah, who would deliver Israel from the hands of the Romans. Restore the nation to its former glory. A new David! The long-promised King of Israel! But now this. He’s dead. And all their hopes have died with him.

They explain all this to the stranger on the road. They hadn’t noticed him catching up to them, but there he is. He should look familiar to them, but something–or someone–is keeping them from recognizing him. The stranger asks, “What have you guys been talking about?” They stop and look at him. They’re amazed that this guy hasn’t heard the big news about what happened in Jerusalem just a couple of days earlier. “You mean you haven’t heard what happened to Jesus of Nazareth? Surely everyone who was there has heard about it. It was the talk of the town!”

So they fill him in: “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” And then they tell him the wild talk from the women, that nonsense about Jesus rising from the dead.

But at that, the stranger tells them: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And they’re thinking: “Who is this guy? Who gave him the right to call us ‘foolish’ and ‘slow of heart to believe’? And what’s this strange idea he has, that the Messiah must suffer first? Are you kidding? We were expecting a glorious Messiah! This suffering and death business–a Messiah who is rejected and killed? This doesn’t make sense! It doesn’t fit our paradigm!”

But then the stranger starts explaining this as they walk along: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” What a Bible study this must have been! Jesus has the whole Old Testament to choose from as he explains about a Messiah who suffers. So, what are some of the Scriptures Jesus could have used to teach them this? Let’s think of a few.

“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets.” So let’s begin with the First Book of Moses, Genesis. Right away, right after the fall into sin, there is the first promise of a Savior. He’s called the “woman’s seed,” who will stomp on the head of the devil. But what will happen to him as he does that? The serpent will strike him in the heel. Think of how Jesus would be nailed to the cross. Already we have a suffering Christ, right out of the box. But that’s how he will reverse the curse and win the victory over sin and death–through suffering.

Think of how Adam and Eve tried to cover up their shame with fig leaves. That didn’t work. But God covered them with skins of animals. Meaning, someone had to die in their place. Adam and Eve should have died that day, but God provided a substitute.

Or think of the exodus from Egypt. Death should have struck the homes of the Israelites, but God provided the Passover lamb, whose blood on the doorposts spared them from death. Or think of all the animal sacrifices at the tabernacle and temple. Blood was shed, sacrifices were made, to cover the sins of the Israelites. These all pointed ahead to Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Yes, a suffering Christ, whose perfect sacrifice atones for your sins and mine. As St. Peter writes, in the Epistle you heard today: “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” Brothers and sisters, God has set you free, he has redeemed you from sin and death. How? By the blood of Jesus Christ, the holy Lamb of God.

A suffering Christ. A righteous sufferer. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22, the psalm most vividly portraying the crucifixion of Christ. You see, the suffering Christ was right there in their Scriptures all along, but these Emmaus guys hadn’t gotten it, nor had the rest of the disciples.

Or consider the most direct prophecy of a suffering Messiah, Isaiah 53, the Suffering Servant: “He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” There it is, right there in their own Bible! But these fellas had not put two and two together. Nobody had. They had not figured out that this was exactly what Jesus did, that this was who Jesus was. Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, suffering and dying for the sins of the people, for our sins as well. By his stripes, with his holy wounds, we are healed. This is the Savior we need! Jesus is the righteous one who suffers and dies for us, to take our place and suffer the judgment we deserve, so that God’s judgment will not fall on us.

Well, Jesus could have gone on, explaining these things. But the road to Emmaus is only seven miles long. These disciples wished it was seventy times seven! They don’t want the stranger to leave. They want to hear more. So they invite him into the house. “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” And when they sit down at table to eat, the guest starts acting like the host! “He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.” Now their eyes are opened! Now they recognize him! It’s Jesus who has been teaching them. It’s Jesus who is breaking bread with them. It’s Jesus, risen from the dead! He really is alive! Now it’s all starting to come together for them. And with that, Jesus vanishes from their sight. And they say to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

Friends, on the road to Emmaus, and at the table in the breaking of the bread, our risen Lord Jesus Christ sets the pattern for his church for all ages to come. It’s Sunday, the first day of the week, the day when our Lord rose from the dead. And so every Sunday becomes another Easter, because on this day Jesus meets with his church. He opens up the Scriptures to us. He opens our minds to understand the Scriptures, that it’s all about him, a Savior who loves us and suffers and dies for our sins and rises from the dead. Now we are forgiven. Now, baptized in his name, we will share in his resurrection. This is what it’s all about.

Brothers and sisters, every Sunday Jesus joins us on our journey through life, on our own Emmaus road. And when we reach our final destination, there we will see our Lord face to face. There he will be our host at his heavenly banquet, the wedding feast of the Lamb in his kingdom, which will have no end. We receive a foretaste of that feast to come in the Lord’s Supper, as Jesus invites us to his Table every Sunday.

On the road and at the table with Jesus: Friends, you don’t have to walk to Emmaus to experience this. No, Jesus comes right here to us. Abiding with us. Opening the Scriptures to us. Hosting us at his Table. Dear fellow Emmaus disciples, our risen Lord Jesus is with us, on the road and at the table! And it’s a beautiful picture indeed!

Second Sunday of Easter
April 16, 2023

“Quasimodogeniti: Like Newborn Infants” (1 Peter 1:3-9; 2:2-3)

Today is the Second Sunday in the Easter season, which means it’s the first Sunday after Easter itself. Like many of the Sundays in the church year, this one has an old and traditional title. The name of this Sunday, in Latin, is Quasimodogeniti. Sounds like the character Quasimodo in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” doesn’t it? That’s because Quasimodo was named after the day he was adopted as a baby, Quasimodogeniti.

The word, Quasimodogeniti, is actually several words strung together: Quasi, meaning, “like” or “as”; modo, meaning, “just now”; and geniti, “those having been born.” Quasimodogeniti, “like those just now having been born.” These are the opening words of the traditional Introit for this Sunday, Quasimodogeniti infantes, “Like newborn infants.”

Why is this passage used on the first Sunday after Easter? Why is “like newborn infants” fitting on this day? Because this was the first Sunday a pastor would be speaking to the new Christians who had just been baptized and brought into the church on Easter Day. Now he addresses them as “newborn infants,” just recently having been born again in Holy Baptism. Often catechumens would be instructed during the time leading up to Easter. On Easter Eve they would be baptized, and on Easter morning they would partake of the Lord’s Supper for the first time. In that context, then, how appropriate it would be for them to hear these words the next Sunday: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation–if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

You see? The new Christians are encouraged to grow up in their salvation. They have just been given the new birth in baptism. They have just tasted for the first time the goodness of the Lord at his Table. Now they are encouraged to grow–like the newborn Christians they are, to long for the pure milk of God’s word, and so grow up in Christ.

This verse is taken from 1 Peter, and that’s appropriate for this Easter season. This epistle reads like a pastoral letter to the newly baptized. It has that feel. Many biblical scholars think that may well have been its original purpose: an encouragement to grow for those who have been given the new birth in Holy Baptism. The first verses of 1 Peter 1, the Epistle reading for today, sound that note: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

“God has caused us to be born again.” “Like newborn infants.” This is baptismal language that Peter uses. Newborn, new birth. Jesus speaks this way in John 3: “born again by water and the Spirit.” Paul, in his epistle to Titus, says that God saved us “through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Baptism is that new birth, the washing of water with the word done by the Holy Spirit. Baptism washes away our sins. It gives us new life, the always-being-renewed life the Spirit works through the word. It joins us to the life of Christ. Baptism makes us children of the heavenly Father.

Peter says all this at the start of his epistle. “According to his great mercy” God has given us new birth. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t deserve it. God gave it, as a gift. As little as a baby decides to be born, so little do we decide to be born again. God does the birthing.

What is this a new birth into? It is a new birth “to a living hope.” Before we had no hope. Our lives were hope-less. We had no future to look forward to, only death and the grave. Our sins had wiped out any hope for the future. Only the grim prospect of an eternity spent under God’s judgment. No hope, according to our old birth into this life of sin and death.

But now we have been given a new birth, and it is a birth into hope. A living hope. A life of hope. The hope of the life to come. An always-alive hope, never flickering out. A lively hope, enlivening our days, quickening our steps, lifting our hearts. This is the living hope we have, that God has birthed us into.

It is a living hope “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Easter hope. Resurrection hope. Jesus hope. Our new birth into hope is through the resurrection of Christ. If Christ had not been raised, we would have no hope. But now has Christ arisen. He is risen from the dead. Proof that God has accepted his death as the sacrifice for our sins. Proof that it all has been paid for by his death on the cross, in our place. Christ is risen. Sin has been atoned for. Death has been defeated, once and for all. Christ is risen, and he is the sure hope of our resurrection. Because he lives, we shall live also.

Our baptism joined us to Jesus in his death and resurrection. Baptism is our tomb and our womb. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Sin and death–buried with Christ in that watery tomb. Life and hope emerge from the waters, now that we’re connected to Christ. That’s what you’ve been given in baptism. Now we are Easter people, new-life people, living-hope people. We Christians crave the pure spiritual milk of God’s word, and we receive the life of Christ in the sacraments.

God has given us new birth to a living hope and “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” There is no probate court where this inheritance will come into dispute. Your inheritance cannot be challenged. There is no death tax or estate tax on this inheritance. It’s being kept safe for you, in heaven.

And you are being kept safe, in preparation for that day–you, “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” You have this inheritance waiting for you. You all are co-heirs with Christ. His inheritance is yours. You have God as your Father. You have the rights of sons. You will inherit the riches of heaven. All this is yours, baptized believers in Christ.

So this is the new birth you have been given. New birth to a living hope. New birth to an inheritance in heaven. Now, Peter tells us, as newborn infants in Christ, “long for the pure spiritual milk.”

But this milk–what is it? Our translation calls it “spiritual” milk, but the word “spiritual” doesn’t actually appear in the original text. The Greek word has the idea of “logical” or “reasonable” or “appropriate,” depending on the context of what’s being talked about. In this case, the milk is that which is appropriate for these newborns. And, since we were born again through the word of God, that is the milk that’s suitable for us–God’s word. His gospel word, which not only gave us birth, but also is the milk that nourishes us. The word of God is that “pure spiritual milk.” And so preaching, teaching, the sacraments–these are the means, this is the milk, we need in order to live and flourish. The good news of the mercy of our God–this is the refreshing milk that leaves such a good taste in our mouths. This is the milk that builds us up in the faith, growing us into strong Christians.

Do you remember those commercials by the milk industry that were on TV some years back? The commercial would open with a kid, maybe 10 or 12 years old, saying, “Now I may be short and scrawny, but I’m drinking my milk, and in a few short years. . . .” Then you would see the same kid at about the age of 18 or 20, tall and strong and healthy. And the tagline at the end would say, “Milk: It Does a Body Good.”

Well, the milk of God’s word will certainly do your body good, as well as your soul. With this milk, your soul will grow strong in the faith, and your body will receive the one thing it needs to have eternal health and salvation. And that is very good indeed.

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation–if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” The milk of God’s word is what we need to grow up as strong and healthy Christians. Not that we will ever grow out of longing for the pure spiritual milk. No, we always will have that eager desire. But with that milk, constantly being nourished on God’s word, we will grow strong and healthy in our faith. Our lives as Christians will be enriched and strengthened in every way.

How we need the word and the sacraments–constantly, regularly–to keep us alive and healthy in our Christian faith and life! So, brothers and sisters, long for the milk! Long for God’s word! Eagerly desire it, earnestly long for it, crave the pure milk of God’s word. Don’t let anything stop you. Run after it. Seek it out. Your pastor is here to give you the pure milk of God’s word. Go for it! Go to the Bible classes–we’ve got a new one starting up this Tuesday on Romans. Go to the services of God’s house! Discover the riches in the liturgy. Listen carefully to the sermons. Take God’s word to heart, and let it reshape your life. Run to this altar! Be refreshed here in the Lord’s Supper, and taste that the Lord is good. Be strengthened in faith toward God and in fervent love toward one another. This kind of hunger and thirst is the healthiest craving you will ever have. So yes, milk does do a body good. The pure milk of God’s word will do this body, this congregation, more good than anything else you can imagine.

“Like newborn infants”: Quasimodogeniti. Does the name ring a bell? Sure it does. On this day we are encouraged, “like newborn infants,” to long for the pure spiritual milk of God’s word. And I have a hunch you’ll be back to do just that.

The Resurrection of Our Lord: Easter Day
Sunday, April 9, 2023

“Alleluia! Christ Is Risen!” (Matthew 28:1-10)

“Alleluia! Christ is risen!” (“He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”)

“He is risen indeed!” Why such a joyful response? Because of the glorious good news that Christ is risen from the dead. This good news of the resurrection of our Lord brings joy and gladness to troubled, weary hearts. His resurrection calls forth our joyous response. On this Easter Day, then, the whole church on earth–all across the earth–hears the good news, “Christ is risen,” and we respond, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

But first comes God’s word to us: “Christ is risen.” That’s what the angel said to the women at the tomb: “I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” This great fact of the resurrection is stated in such simple yet profound words. The reality of the resurrection itself is the first thing that grabs our attention. Jesus really did die, he was buried, and he lay in the tomb since Friday. Now on Sunday morning he is alive, risen from the dead!

On that Sunday morning, there was a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on! First, there was a great earthquake, an angel came down, and the stone was rolled away. Then the guards who were assigned to guard a dead man–they started shaking with fear and became like dead men! This was truly an earth-shaking event!

Listen, Jesus Christ is the destroyer of death. He is the Lord of life. By his resurrection, Jesus is declared to be the Son of God in power. Death could not hold him. The grave could not keep him. Our Savior broke the chains of death, and by his resurrection he has brought life and immortality to light.

“I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. . . . He has risen.” This announcement by the angel brings together the two key events at the heart of the gospel: Christ’s death and Christ’s resurrection. On the cross, Jesus finished the work of our redemption. Now his resurrection shows the result of his saving work. The resurrection testifies to the astonishing effect of his atoning sacrifice. You see, on the cross Christ made the perfect sacrifice for all the sins of the whole world.

This is good news for you: The holy precious blood of God’s own Son saves you. God has acted to save you from your sins and the death you deserve. God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, was crucified for you! This is how much God loves you! What grace! What a gift! As a result, God is now at peace with you! God is reconciled to us sinners, because of the sacrifice of his Son. Easter shows that Good Friday did the job. There’s nothing left to be done. It is finished, complete. Christ’s death paid for all our sin and overcame death itself. The crucifixion and the resurrection go together, and they declare the glory and grace of our God. We hear it in the words of the angel: “Jesus who was crucified . . . has risen.”

What’s more, the angel says, “He has risen, as he said.” As he said! Jesus himself had foretold his resurrection. Not only had he predicted his passion–his suffering and death–but with it he promised that on the third day he would be raised to life. The disciples didn’t understand it at the time, but Jesus had told them. Thus the resurrection attests to the truthfulness of all of Christ’s teachings. His words, all of them, are true and trustworthy. They are sound and sure. Indeed, his words are Spirit and they are life. There is nothing more trustworthy for you to rely on. You can stake your life on the words of Christ. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Listen, you may be facing a lot of uncertainty in your life. Health uncertainties. Economic uncertainties. Uncertainties about relationships, about your family. But there is one thing you can be absolutely sure of. And that is the completed work and the trustworthy word of Jesus Christ. Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Amid all the uncertainties of life, we have this solid rock to stand on. Our Lord has promised that he forgives our sins, he gives us eternal life, and he will come again and raise our bodies to live with him forever. This–all of this–is most certainly true!

Friends, you can depend on what Jesus says. Follow him, keep following him and listening to his voice. He will teach you what it means to be his disciple. His words are trustworthy and true, as his resurrection so powerfully demonstrates. “He has risen, as he said.”

Now you would think the angel’s proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection would elicit nothing but pure joy. But our text says that the women “departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy.” Their joy was great, but so was their fear. They weren’t sure what to make of all this, how to put it all together.

But Jesus meets these frightened women and calms their fears. “Greetings!” he says. “Be of good cheer.” Jesus reassures the women with the sound of his familiar voice. He greets them with a word of well-being. And happiness and joy certainly come to these women, now that they see their Lord before them and hear his voice.

And Jesus gives them even more reassurance: “Do not be afraid.” Fear not. The perfect love of Christ drives out our fears. The fear of punishment, the fear of God’s judgment, the fear of death–all these fears are overcome by the comforting voice of our Savior.

Jesus speaks these same words of reassurance to you today: “Greetings! Do not be afraid. I have risen from the dead. I have conquered the grave. I hold the keys of Death and Hades. They are a defeated enemy. Listen, I am not angry with you. God is not angry with you. I have good news for you! You are forgiven. You have life with me. I give it to you freely. Be reassured by my resurrection.”

So great is the grace of our risen Lord! And now he gives the women a message to relay: “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” “Go and tell my brothers.” This he says in reference to his disciples–those same disciples who had deserted him and denied their Lord, in his hour of trial, just a few nights earlier.

Yet Jesus calls them his brothers. Jesus here is speaking pardon for their lack of faith. Jesus is restoring them to his fellowship. Instead of saying, “Forget those guys, they blew it! They were faithless when it came to crunch time”–no, instead of that, Jesus says, “Go and tell my brothers.”

Christ restores his disciples to fellowship. And he does the same for you. Have you wandered from the faith? Have you absented yourself from the fellowship of Christ’s church? Today Jesus is restoring you. He’s calling you back to himself, back to his family, back to his church. Jesus calls unreliable disciples like you and me–he calls us his brothers.

What riches are ours as a result! Martin Luther writes: “If now Christ is our brother, I would like to know what we still lack? Brethren in the flesh have common possessions, have together one father, one inheritance, else they would not be brethren. So we have common possessions with Christ, and have together one Father and one inheritance.”

Brothers and sisters, in Holy Baptism you and I were united to Christ. We were made God’s children. And so we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Our Lord’s resurrection, then, is the guarantee of our own resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection life has been delivered to you in the waters of Holy Baptism.

On this Easter Day, my fellow baptized, take hope in the victory over death that Jesus gives you. You have been raised with Christ to newness of life even now. And, when Christ returns, we will share in his bodily resurrection and the life that lasts forever.

And notice, Christ’s resurrection is a physical, bodily resurrection: The women come up, it says, and take hold of his feet. Ghosts don’t have feet you can grasp. So, likewise, our resurrection at the last day will be a physical, bodily resurrection. Our mortal bodies will be raised and made whole and glorious, never to die again.

Dear friends, today the Lord’s messenger announces the good news of Easter to us: “Jesus who was crucified . . . has risen, as he said.” Today our risen Lord himself cheers us with his presence, his comforting voice speaking his reassuring, restorative words: “Greetings! Do not be afraid. I call you my brothers and sisters.” Hearing these words, what other response could we have but one of joy and worship? This is why we say: “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Today we are joining with all our fellow Christians around the world in one big, joyous Easter worship.

Jesus Christ, our crucified Savior, is risen from the dead. He is here with us now, as we are gathered in his name. Our response? We rejoice. We worship him. We give our Lord the highest honor and praise. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” “Therefore let us joyful be and sing to God right thankfully loud songs of alleluia!”

“Alleluia! Christ is risen!” (“He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”)