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Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 15, 2022

“From the Now to the New” (John 16:12-22; Revelation 21:1-7)

Our readings today take us “From the Now to the New.” What I mean is, they take us from the “now” we are experiencing in the present to the “new” that awaits us in the future. And that knowledge of the “new” gives us the hope and strength we need to carry on in the “now.”

Let’s start with the “now” of the disciples. Their “now,” as we read about it in John 16, was a time of sorrow and sadness and grief. It’s Thursday evening, and Jesus has been telling them some disturbing things. He’s been saying that he’s about to go away, that he’s returning to the Father, and they won’t be seeing him for a little while. This fills them with grief. Obviously, they’re going to miss their master. He had called them to be his disciples, and they’ve been with him these past couple of years, and they have witnessed some astounding things. Jesus has done great works of mercy and power: healing the sick, casting out demons, stilling storms, feeding the multitudes. They had never seen any things like these! And they have heard Jesus’ remarkable teachings, his words of wisdom and insight unlike any other’s. Jesus has demonstrated an authority in word and deed that could only come from God. This has been a life-changing experience for these men, to be with Jesus in such close contact during this time.

But now he says he’s going away. Imagine their shock and sadness and confusion! “How can this be? What will we do? How can we cope? And what does he mean by this ‘little while’ when we will see him again?”

Friends, you and I may have similar questions. Our “now” may not be so pleasant. We wonder how we’re going to cope when we see our life savings going down by the thousands each month–at the same time that gasoline and groceries are costing more and more. There go my dreams for a happy retirement! We wonder how we’re going to cope when we get the bad diagnosis of a brain tumor or a malignant melanoma–and how are we going to pay all those medical bills? We wonder how we’re going to cope when our spouse deserts us and refuses to be reconciled. We’re saddened when our adult child doesn’t ever take the initiative to reach out to us and says they’re too busy whenever we suggest getting together. All of these things cause us pain and grief and cause our hearts to be downcast. Is this kind of a “now” all there is? Do we have any hope for the future?

That’s like what the disciples were wrestling with. “Jesus says he’s going to be leaving us, and what will happen to us then? Was this all for naught?” Well, Jesus knows what they’re thinking and feeling, and he addresses their sadness and sorrow. He says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.” Whoa, this sounds even worse! At least, though, Jesus is being honest. He doesn’t sugarcoat things. He knows they’re going to be weeping and lamenting. And at the same time, the world will be rejoicing! This can mean only one thing: Jesus’ enemies, who have been out to get him–they’re going to succeed! And they, his enemies, will be happy that they got him!

Jesus had told his disciples that this would happen. He had said several times that when they go up to Jerusalem, he would be arrested and handed over to sinful men, and they will kill him! And he has just said, that very evening, that one of the twelve is going to betray him! The bad news is in the process of happening–that night! Of course, this comes like a blow to the solar plexus to the disciples. They’re stunned, they’re confused, they’re saddened. How is it helping, Jesus, that you’re saying, “You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice”?

It is helping, because it is by this very act of Jesus’ enemies triumphing over him, which will happen now this night and the next day–it is by Jesus’ seeming defeat that he will paradoxically gain the victory. His crucifixion will be the sacrifice that atones for the sins of the world–yes, your sins and mine! His blood will cleanse your sin-stained garments. His death will be death’s undoing. All the devil’s ammunition against you has been stripped away from him. Christ’s righteousness covers your guilt and your shame. Now you are right with God. No more barrier, no more wall of separation, between you and God. Peace has been made in the body and blood of Christ.

This is the basis for what Jesus says next: “You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” Think of the big change that happened for those disciples from Thursday night to Sunday night. Thursday night, they’re sad when Jesus tells them these things. It gets worse when Jesus is arrested in the garden that night, and they all are scattered. Friday, there’s the shock when Jesus is crucified, and now he’s dead! All their hopes are crushed. Saturday is the saddest Sabbath they’ve ever experienced. They’re despondent–and frightened. On Sunday, they huddle in secret with the door locked, for fear that Jesus’ enemies now will come after them. Oh, they hear some crazy talk from their women about Jesus supposedly rising from the dead, but, hey, who can believe that?

But then, suddenly, Jesus appears in their locked room, and, amazingly–can this really be true? Yes, it is! Jesus greets them with peace. He lets them touch and handle his body, to see that he’s not a ghost. They see the nail marks in his hands. Yes, it really is Jesus, risen from the dead! And now is fulfilled what Jesus told them would happen: Their sorrow is turned to joy!

Jesus told them this would happen, too, using the analogy of a woman giving birth: “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.” Now I have never given birth to a baby. Believe it or not, a biological male cannot be a “birthing person,” no matter how he may try to self-identify. But I was in the room when my daughter was being born. And I can attest that the actual “birthing person” does go through some anguish, and she may even remember that pain a little later. I think some of you ladies know what I’m talking about. But that anguish is far outweighed by the joy that the little baby gives you.

What Jesus is saying, dear Christian, is that the pain and the anguish of your “now” will be far, far outweighed by the incredible joy that’s in store for you! And this is where the “new” comes in. One of the disciples, the apostle John, was given a glimpse of the “new” that awaits us, and he passes that vision on to us in the Book of Revelation, to give us the sure hope of what we have to look forward to. He says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” This current heaven and earth are messed up. The whole creation is groaning, due to the damage that sin has done. We have earthquakes and droughts, floods and tornados–the list goes on and on. But all that is coming to end. God is going to replace the damaged old with a perfect new: a renewed creation, where everything will work right, like it was before the fall into sin, when everything was very good.

What does John see next? “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Notice, the holy city comes down from God to us. That’s the way it always goes with our salvation: from God to us, and not the other way around. The bride is the church; her husband is Christ. The church is adorned like a bride: radiant, beautiful, no more flaws or ugliness. And a loud voice says: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Now we see why the holy city is called the new Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem was where the temple was, where God made his dwelling in the midst of his people. And God is going to do that again in the new Jerusalem. And we will be delighted to be God’s people, to be in perfect communion with our God.

And here is God’s promise: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Now we feel the pain and the mourning and the crying of the old creation. When the new heaven and the new earth arrive–that is, when Christ comes again, when the new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven–then all that old painful stuff will be forgotten. No more death, only life. No more tears, only joy and gladness. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

When that day comes, our Lord will say, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Including you! You will have a new, glorified body. Your soul will be renewed, with no more sin or sorrow to weigh you down. The same Lord who said on the cross, “It is finished!” now will declare, “It is done!” The goal has been reached.

Dear friends, this is the “new” you have to look forward to! It will be so much better than the sadness we experience in our “now.” But because we have this “new” to look forward to, to give us hope and strength to carry on–this hope will enliven and enlighten even our darkest days. And the joy of the future will sneak into our present, knowing that even now we have Christ our Lord with us, leading us forward toward that day when he returns. And so Jesus says to you today: “You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 8, 2022

“The Good Shepherd and His Flock” (John 10:22-30; Acts 20:17-35; Revelation 7:9-17)

Today is the Sunday in the church year known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” You’ll notice that on this day all of the readings, the psalm, the hymns–all carry the theme of the shepherd and his flock, the sheep. And this will strengthen our faith today and give us life and hope for the future, as we see what God’s word says about “The Good Shepherd and His Flock.”

The first thing we need to do is to identify who this shepherd is and who are his flock. The shepherd, of course, is our Lord Jesus Christ. “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus says about himself. And when he says that, Jesus is identifying himself as the Messiah, the heaven-sent shepherd who would come and lead God’s people. Jesus claims to have a unique relationship with the heavenly Father: “The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me.” In his ministry, Jesus demonstrated works that showed he came from God, works full of divine mercy and power.

OK, so Jesus is the shepherd. Then who are the sheep, his flock? Jesus tells us: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” The flock consists of all those who listen to Jesus, who are known by him, and who follow him in faith. In other words, it’s people like you! “My sheep hear my voice.” You are here today to hear Christ’s voice. You recognize his voice, how he speaks, the things he says. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.” Jesus, your shepherd, knows you. He called you by name in your baptism. Do you think that God has forgotten you? No way! The good shepherd knows each one of his sheep. You are dear to him. “And they follow me,” Jesus says. Being a sheep in Christ’s flock is not a one-time thing. No, we follow our shepherd on a daily basis, week after week, year after year, throughout our entire life.

What has your shepherd done for you, that you follow him? “I am the good shepherd,” Christ says, “I know my own and my own know me, and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Friends, the good shepherd is so good that he sacrifices his own life in order to save yours. Jesus laid down his life by being lifted up on the cross. You would still be dead in your trespasses and sins if he had not done that. Your sins would kill you. They would condemn you to death. But Christ took our death and our punishment on himself. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” That’s what Jesus did by shedding his blood for us on the cross. The good shepherd laid down his life for the sheep.

Now your sins are washed away, forgiven! Our robes have been washed clean in Christ’s blood. And so, Christ the good shepherd has gotten himself a flock. Now we are the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. He has purchased and won us, to be his own and live under him in his kingdom. Otherwise, we would be like sheep without a shepherd, lost and vulnerable, and that’s a dangerous place to be.

Our good shepherd laid down his life only to take it up again. His resurrection shows the victory he won over sin, death, and the grave, a victory he shares with all of us. “I give them eternal life,” Jesus says of his sheep. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Dear Christian, this is your shepherd’s promise to you. It is the promise of a new life that lasts forever. It’s the promise that the grave will not keep you, that hell has no hold on you. It is Christ’s promise that no one or no thing–no devil, no disease, no despair, no trouble or temptation–no one can snatch you out of our Lord’s mighty, nail-pierced hand.

This is the salvation that Christ freely gives you. Salvation is the rescue out of danger that would otherwise kill you, from which you could not save yourself. Salvation is that rescue, plus the resulting state of safety thereafter. You are secure in the protection of your loving shepherd. This is assurance you can rely on. Why? Because it comes from God and not from you. Your eternal salvation is as strong as Christ’s promise, and that’s as strong as it gets. “No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Not only can no one snatch you out of his hand, Christ also strengthens you in your faith your whole life long. Your good shepherd does that by sending you his undershepherds, pastors, to preach the word to you and build you up in the Christian life and hope. Look at how the apostle Paul emphasizes this in his address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 (“elders,” meaning what we would call “pastors”).

Paul himself is both an example of how to shepherd the flock and he gives instruction to those pastors on how to do it. Paul says he has testified to all “of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” He says that his ministry was “to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” He says that he did not shrink from declaring to them “the whole counsel of God.” And besides expecting these pastors to follow his example, Paul also instructs them to guard the flock against “fierce wolves” who will come in and try to draw away disciples for themselves “by speaking twisted things.” These aspects of the pastoral ministry spoken of here in Acts 20–these are the same things that Christ’s undershepherds today are to continue to do for you, the flock.

And so I testify to you of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Is sin pulling at you, tugging at you, alluring and enticing you to go astray, to wander away from your shepherd? Have you been thinking and acting and speaking in ways that go against God’s commandments, self-chosen ways that you know are wrong? Repent of those sins. Confess them, whatever they are: lust, anger, unforgiveness, selfishness, not paying attention to God’s word, absenting yourself from God’s house. These are damnable sins, and you need to repent.

Then find forgiveness for your sins in the holy wounds of Christ. Believe Christ’s promise that he washes away all your sins. He cleanses you, gives you a clean slate and a fresh start. Find forgiveness here at this altar in the body and blood of Christ, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Faith in Christ takes hold of his promises. Faith listens to his voice and follows where he leads. This is the gospel of the grace of God, the good news that God is gracious to you, freely giving you his gifts, not because you deserve it but because he is kind and merciful to you for the sake of Christ.

As Christ’s undershepherd, I will not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. This means delving into God’s word together, attending to the preaching and the hearing of the word. My job is to preach the truth. Your job–and your joy–is to listen to the truth. Together we attend to the teaching and the study of the Scriptures. In the various classes we have here every week, you will get the whole counsel of God. I am called to teach you what God wants you to know. This is what Christ your shepherd does for you, by giving you a pastor who declares to you the whole counsel of God. God does this in order to build you up in the faith and to strengthen you in your life of Christian love and service.

That means I also need to warn you against the wolves, the false teachers that are out there, those who twist the Scriptures into knots, telling people what they want to hear. They’re all about style over substance, excitement and entertainment over God’s means of grace. When supposedly Christian teachers downplay and diminish the message of Christ crucified and make Christianity all about you and how to get what you want, they are speaking twisted things that would draw the flock away. So I need to guard you against that, by warning you and teaching you to distinguish truth from error.

See how much your good shepherd, Jesus Christ, loves you! He does everything for his flock, to guard and guide you, to lead and feed you. He has saved you by his blood, laying down his life for you, only to take it up again in resurrection victory. In him you have forgiveness, life, and salvation, new life now and the sure hope of an everlasting future. No one can snatch you out of his hands. Christ your shepherd knows you by name. You hear his voice and follow him in faith. Your good shepherd has brought you into his flock, the church, where his undershepherd leads you into the green pastures of God’s word.

And if that’s not all, all that the shepherd has already done for the flock and is doing, there is also what he will do for us in the future. For our good shepherd will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death and bring us out safe on the other side. Then will be fulfilled what is written of our life in the age to come: “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Dear friends, today is Good Shepherd Sunday, and we look forward to enjoying a Good Shepherd Forever!

Third Sunday of Easter
May 1, 2022

“The Lion of Judah, the Lamb Who Was Slain” (Revelation 5:1-14)

What’s going on in our world? Is anybody in charge here? It seems like the world is spinning out of control. We’re just getting over a global pandemic, and then we go into a global panic. Russia attacks Ukraine for no good reason, putting everyone on edge. Here at home, we’ve got men winning women’s swimming tournaments and a new Supreme Court justice who doesn’t even know what a woman is. Then there’s the economy. I checked my investment portfolio the other day, and, year to date, it’s down over 10%. If that’s not bad enough, at the same time inflation is at its highest rate in 40 years. Think of what you’re paying now for gasoline and groceries. So investments are way down, inflation is way up–it’s a double whammy.

And then there’s what’s happening to the church. Church membership and church attendance are way down, all across the country. The percentage of people who identify as Christians has dropped dramatically in the last ten to twenty years. We’re becoming a secularized, post-Christian nation. And in the parts of the world where Christianity is growing, our brothers and sisters are suffering terrible persecution.

When we’re faced with these situations–unless we have our heads in the sand and are unaware of what’s going on in the world–we may be tempted to despair, to lose hope. We look at the world and say: What’s going on here? Is anybody in charge? The present is pretty bad, and it doesn’t look like there’s any hope for the future.

Dear friends, today I want to encourage you. Yes, there is hope for the future. There is someone in charge. History does have a destination, and it’s a good one. What I mean is, the history of the future has already been written. It’s like a scroll to be unrolled. And the good news is, someone has been found who is worthy to unroll the scroll. Thus he reveals the course of events and their final outcome to us. He not only reveals them, but he is in charge of them. We meet that someone in our reading today from Revelation 5: “The Lion of Judah, the Lamb Who Was Slain.”

Here’s what I’m talking about. The apostle John has been given a glimpse into heaven. He’s told he will be shown what must take place in the future. He’s taken into the throne room of God. He sees and hears the whole company of heaven worshiping the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of all things. That’s what’s going on in chapter 4 of Revelation. Then as we move into chapter 5, John sees in God’s right hand a scroll. Apparently, this scroll contains the comprehensive record of all the things John had been told he would be shown, the things that must take place in the future. But this scroll is rolled up. And, on top of that, it is sealed, sealed with seven seals. The history of the future may be written, but it is hidden, hidden and sealed. And no one can be found who is worthy to open the scroll and look into it.

This is distressing to John, and he begins to weep. John knows the suffering and the persecution that the church in his day is experiencing. He himself is an exile on the isle of Patmos when he receives this vision. So, he wants to know if there is going to be any end to the suffering and the chaos. Are things ever going to get better? Does God really care about what’s happening on earth? The scroll would tell us, the scroll in God’s right hand, but that scroll is closed up and sealed securely. There’s been a search across heaven and earth for someone to open it, but it turns out that no one is worthy, no one is up to the task or worthy of the honor.

Until now. Now someone is found who is able, who is worthy. John is told, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” In other words, it’s the Messiah. The Messiah of Israel, from the tribe of Judah, the long-promised Davidic king–the Christ has come and conquered. He has won the victory over the enemies of God’s people. Therefore he, the Lion of Judah, is able to unseal the scroll and unroll it.

The Lion of the tribe of Judah–that’s where John is told to look. But when he does, what does he see? He sees a Lamb. That’s odd. You look to a Lion and you see a Lamb? The Lion–that’s the image we would expect for a mighty conqueror. And Christ is that. He has won the victory. But the way he has done it–that’s the surprise. Christ has conquered by being a Lamb. Lambs don’t strike terror into people. And not just any lamb, but a Lamb who has been slain. This is saying “sacrifice,” a sacrificial victim, like the lambs that were slain in the sacrifices in the temple. As sacrifices for sin. That too is who Christ is. He is the Lamb who has been slain as the sacrifice for sin. Only now he is standing at the throne of God in heaven.

Dear friends, this is where we look also. We look to Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for all your sins. Now he is risen from the dead and exalted at the right hand of God. Christ has risen, victorious in the fight. He has defeated all your enemies for you, all the enemies of God’s people: sin and Satan, death and disease, chaos and confusion, persecution and suffering, wars and rumors of wars, wicked rulers, economic instability, and the bleak unknown future. Jesus has defeated all our foes by his sacrificial death and his victorious resurrection. Weep no more.

“And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.” Jesus holds the future in his hands. There is someone in charge, and it is our Savior. The Lamb takes the scroll, and this prompts a joyous outburst in heaven. Everyone around the throne sings a new song to the Lamb: “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Worthy are you, O Christ! You have every right to open the scroll, to reveal the history of the future and to rule over those events. For you have been given all authority in heaven and on earth, by virtue of the victory you have won. Listen, Christian, listen, church–listen to the song they’re singing in heaven! By his blood, the holy precious blood of the Son of God, Christ our Lord, the Lamb who was slain, has ransomed and redeemed, purchased and liberated, a people belonging to God from every nation on earth. They’re speaking every sort of language–English and Spanish, Swedish and Swahili, Russian and Ukrainian, Chinese and Arabic, German and maybe even a little Norwegian.

God has a big stake in what’s going on in the world! God has people–a people called the church, consisting of redeemed sinners like you and me–God has people in every corner of this world, in every nook and cranny. And God is committed to his people. We are precious to him. He has not forgotten you, despite all the suffering and confusion going on in this world. Be encouraged today! Weep no more. The history of the future has already been written, and Christ is holding it in his hand. As the events unfold, you can be sure that there is an end in sight. And until then, the risen and exalted Christ is ruling all things for the sake of his church.

It doesn’t always look like it, does it? From our perspective here on earth, we can’t see the big picture. But that’s why John was given this revelation, so we could have a new perspective, to see how things look from heaven’s vantage point. That’s the point, that’s the message of the Book of Revelation. Look to Christ, behold him, behold him as the Lion of Judah who has conquered in the fight, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Behold the Lamb who was slain, who now is risen and ruling and revealing to us that our future is indeed bright. This gives us the encouragement we need when things look dark and gloomy in our world and in our life.

And so, we join in the worship and adoration of the Lamb. As we sing our praises on this Lord’s day, know that we are joining with the whole company of heaven and all our fellow Christians here on earth. Together we are singing the loudest and most joyous song there is: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Second Sunday of Easter
April 24, 2022

“Only Jesus: No Other Name” (Acts 4:1-12; Revelation 1:4-18; John 14:1-14)

Something significant, something momentous, happened in the city of Chicago 175 years ago this week. No, I’m not talking about the day I was born. I was born in Chicago, yes, but I’m not quite that old. No, but something else was born there 175 years ago. It was the birth of our church body, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It was on April 26, 1847, that representatives from fourteen Lutheran congregations came together at First St. Paul Lutheran Church on the north side of Chicago, and they formed a brand new synod. They were all German-speaking congregations, mostly from the Midwest, so they called the new synod “Die Deutsche Evangelisch-Lutherische Synode von Missouri, Ohio, und andern Staaten,” that is, being translated, “The German Evangelical-Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States.”

Well, in the 175 years since then, we’ve grown from fourteen congregations to about 6,000. We’ve expanded far beyond the Midwest, with congregations all across the country and mission work and partner churches all around the world. And we’re not nearly as German as we used to be: You’ve let some of us Scandinavians in, as well as Blacks and Hispanics and Asians and every ethnicity under the sun. But there’s one thing that still binds us all together, and it is this: “Only Jesus: No Other Name.”

“Only Jesus: No Other Name.” That is the theme for our synod’s 175th anniversary year, which begins on Tuesday. “Only Jesus”: He alone is able to bring us to God. “No other name” has been given to men by which we must be saved. This saving message has been the central focus of our synod’s work throughout our history, and we pray that that will never change. “Only Jesus: No Other Name.” This morning I want to show you how this message has been the glue that has held our synod together through many challenges, and how Jesus alone will give us hope for the future–for our synod, for our congregation, and for each one of us personally.

The Missouri Synod was formed in 1847, but the story begins a few years before that. In 1839, a group of Lutheran pastors and laypeople in Saxony, Germany, were persuaded by a powerful preacher to leave their homes and their congregations there and to join him as their leader and set sail for America. They came up the Mississippi River and settled in Perry County, Missouri, south of St. Louis. Through a series of misfortunes and the cloud of scandal, their glorious dream colony fell apart. Their leader was banished across the river to Illinois. The people were left despairing and despondent and filled with regret. “Why did we leave Germany? Did we really need to? Now that we’re here, should we go back? We were deceived and deluded. We messed up, big-time. Are we even the church?”

Well, in the face of that uncertainty, one of the young pastors stepped forward to encourage the little flock. His name was C. F. W. Walther, and he was saying: “Yes, we messed up, but we are still the church. We have God’s Word here among us. We have the Sacraments in our midst. God will bless us despite our failures. Jesus is here, and he will see us through.”

Friends, you and I mess up in our lives, don’t we? Our little congregation has had its share of struggles. But Jesus is here. His Word and Sacraments are here among us. Christ forgives us and restores us, both as church and in our personal lives. And this gives us the encouragement we need to carry on.

Which is what the Saxons in St. Louis and Perry County did: They carried on. Walther began publishing a newspaper called “Der Lutheraner,” “The Lutheran.” And over the next few years, they discovered that there were other like-minded Lutherans elsewhere in America. A pastor in Bavaria, Wilhelm Loehe, had heard that there was a pressing need for more pastors to serve the fast-growing number of German immigrants in America, so he began training them and sending them over. And that’s how the Saxons in Missouri and the German Lutherans in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio found out about one other, and they discovered they shared a common bond in the confession of the faith. Thus they came together in 1847 and formed a new synod.

And in the 175 years since, the Missouri Synod has had its ups and downs. While God has blessed us richly, far more than we deserve, we have had some serious challenges. For example, after World War II, some of the professors at our St. Louis seminary, and the pastors they trained, were influenced more and more by the liberalism prevalent at the time. This led to the so-called “Walkout” at the sem in 1974 and the formation of a breakaway “seminary in exile” called “Seminex.” Our church body was engaged in what is known as “The Battle for the Bible.” Is the Bible true and trustworthy, or is it riddled with errors and thus we can pick and choose which parts we like and which we can discard? That was the issue. And it was a painful struggle, with a number of pastors, professors, and congregations leaving the synod. But by God’s grace, most of our synod stayed and remained faithful to the truth of God’s inspired and inerrant Word.

Why did this matter? Because if you lose the truthfulness and inspiration of Holy Scripture, before too long you will lose the central message of Scripture, which is the person and work of Christ. And if you lose Christ, you lose everything. You heard what Jesus said in John 14: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the way. Only through Jesus do we come to God. Jesus is the truth. He makes God known to us. Jesus is the life. Only Jesus can give us the life that overcomes death. Only Jesus, and we only get to know Jesus and believe in him through the testimony of Holy Scripture. Thank God that he preserved our synod in the Battle for the Bible!

Brothers and sisters, you and I cannot rest on our laurels, thinking, “Hey, we are the faithful ones! We believe the Bible!” That does not do us much good if we’re not continually in the Bible, drawing our strength and life from God’s Word. Through regular attendance at our church’s worship services and Bible classes, through our daily meditation on the Word of God–this is how the Lord keeps us steadfast in his Word. This is how we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Another challenge our synod has survived: In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, one of our clergymen–a district president, in fact–participated in a nationally televised interfaith prayer service at Yankee Stadium. This is something he should not have done. Because the nature of an interfaith prayer service is that it has clergymen representing all sorts of religions and denominations–Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, etc.–all of them leading prayers and delivering messages, as though all of those religions were equally valid. The effect of this is to reduce Jesus to just one option among many. But that can never be.

You heard what the apostle Peter said about Jesus in Acts 4: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” No other name! Not “Allah,” not “Muhammad.” There are not many roads to God; there is just one. The road is narrow, but it is open to everyone. God wants all men to be saved. And the only name by which we must be saved is the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Why? What has he done to save us? Dear friends, this same Jesus, the very Son of God come in the flesh–this same Jesus took all the sins of the world and carried them on his back to the cross. There he died, taking the judgment of God upon himself, the judgment we sinners deserved. By his blood, he has redeemed people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. Jesus Christ “has freed us from our sins by his blood,” as you heard in the reading from Revelation. What a Savior we have! And by his death, he has conquered death and gained the victory for life. You heard our risen Lord say: “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Fear not, dear friends! Jesus is risen, and he is ruling all things for the good of his church. Our risen Lord stands in the midst of his church, and he will see us through. Our synod still faces its challenges. “Woke-ism” has crept into our colleges, and we need to deal with that. Numbers are down in our congregations, and we get discouraged. The temptation for our church body has always been to blend in with the culture around us, and that’s still the case today. Many of our congregations have taken to imitating the non-denominational churches: diluting the Christ-centered, cross-focused message in favor of more popular topics; and resorting to peppy, shallow songs and weak worship practices, in place of our rich heritage of solid liturgy and hymnody. But as for us, we will preach Christ crucified, and stick to what extols him best.

“Only Jesus: No Other Name.” This is what has kept our synod together over these 175 years, and thank God for it! This is the heart and soul of our church body and of our own congregation. And this is the saving message that will give healing and hope to your own life: forgiveness for your messed-up past, strength for your challenging present, and wonderful hope for your eternal future. God grant it. Amen.

The Resurrection of Our Lord: Easter Day
Sunday, April 17, 2022

“The Power of the Easter Promise” (Luke 24:1-12)

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

This morning I want to tell you about the power of a promise. Our reading from Luke 24 puts on display the power of a promise. It’s a promise that was good, because of the one who made it. It’s a promise that was good, even though people forgot that the promise had been made; and even though when some people did think about it, they just knew that the promise wasn’t any good after all.

It’s about what happened at the tomb that morning. The angels said to the women, “Remember. Remember how he spoke to you. Remember what he said would happen. Remember the promise.” The promise came true in power back then, and the same promise is true today. Today we marvel at, and take hold of, “The Power of the Easter Promise.”

A promise is only as good, only as powerful, as the person who makes it. So we ask, “Who is the powerful person in this reading? Who are the powerful people?” Well, it’s not the two angels. Angels are powerful, but in this case they’re just acting as messengers. They do nothing but speak to the women. The promise’s power doesn’t come from the angels.

The powerful people in this reading are not the women. And it’s not the apostles or the others with them on that first Easter. What this reading shows us, in fact, is the weakness, the complete inability, and the helplessness of the women and the men who were there.

The women had rested on the Sabbath, and then they thought it was their turn to get to work. In their minds, nothing had changed since Friday afternoon, when evil had done away with their teacher and master. Nothing had changed, so they came to do their duty for his dead body. It’s beautiful in a way, and brave and loving. But it’s completely, utterly wrong. They enter the tomb, but they don’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.

The angels’ words to them show how unaware and helpless and confused they were. “Why are you seeking the living among the dead?” Indeed, what sort of people do you find in tombs? Dead people, and they think Jesus is dead. Do these loving, confused, wrong-headed women have anything to do with the power of the Easter promise? Nothing at all. In fact, they’re living as if the promise had no power, as if it had never even been made.

And the apostles? They come off worse even worse. The women tell them about the empty tomb, and what the angels told them, and about the promise. But it doesn’t do any good. These words seem to the apostles to be “an idle tale,” and they don’t believe the women. Peter even runs to the tomb and sees that there’s no body in there. But all he can do is marvel as he goes home. He doesn’t get it, not yet.

So here’s the point again: The power of a promise does not reside in the people to whom the promise is made. The power comes from the one who makes the promise. This Easter story shows us that no one is saved because of their own efforts, or their own sincerity, or their own anything. The powerful promise was there, but the women and the apostles had nothing to do with providing it with power.

The power comes from the one who made the promise. And that’s why the angels tell the women: “Remember!” Remember what you have forgotten, what you didn’t believe. Remember that he told you, while still in Galilee, that these things must happen. These things had to happen. Jesus told you that he would be delivered into the hands of sinful men, that he would die on a cross, and on the third day–that’s today, by the way–that he would rise from the dead. Dead no more. Never to die again.

It must happen, the angels said. It was the Father’s plan, and Jesus promised it. And it happened because–as we’ve been saying through this whole series–Satan, the chief priests, Pilate, and everyone else meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. Jesus, who preached good news and healed crippled hands, was betrayed into the power of sinful hands. Sinful hands are strong, and they do evil things.

And they crucified him. The evil of injustice, mockery, and blasphemy came against the innocent Son of God. And it had to happen. It was necessary, even though no one knew why at the time. Jesus was numbered among the transgressors, with a criminal on his right and on his left–and in front and behind, and before and after, and all the way down to today, to you and to me. Jesus is one of a kind, in his own category–pure, holy, perfect, innocent, righteous. But God’s plan was for him to be with us, in our place, to die when he didn’t deserve it and we did, and to take the evil of the world upon himself, so it would not come against you. So that your sins would not cling to you or be fastened to you. God’s plan was that the evil would be fastened to Jesus, when he was fastened to the cross.

And he had to rise. He had to, because Jesus came to bring light into darkness and to drive back the power of evil. And the promise meant that God would take the evil and use it for good. And so, death was undone. The tomb was opened. No body was there, because this is the Lord Jesus we’re talking about, and Jesus is the Lord. This is the Easter promise, and it came true and has power, because of the one who made it. Jesus made the promise, in the power of the Father’s plan. Easter is not about the women or the apostles or about you or me. It’s about the one who made and kept the promise.

And the power comes from him, not from them or from us. And yet, the power was for them. The power is for us. And our reading today shows the beginnings of this, especially in the lives of Mary Magdalene and the other women. The power of the Easter promise is a power to turn things around, to turn them upside-down–right-side-up, really–then, now, and forever. The power of the Easter promise transforms lives.

The first life transformed by the promise is the life of the Lord Jesus himself. When he came among us so long ago, he came in a certain way. Lowly. Vulnerable. And although he had power–just ask the people he healed–he moved toward the time when he would set his power aside and be numbered among the transgressors. In a profound mystery, the Lord Jesus emptied himself and became weak and vulnerable. He was mortal, and they killed him. Evil seemed to have the last word.

But the power of the promise that Jesus himself made transformed him, and the Father raised him from the dead. He is still Jesus, still the God-Man that he always was. But now the lowliness is gone. The weakness is gone. He is still our human brother, but no longer is he subject to death. He lives forever. This was the plan, this was the promise, and it has come true. The power of the promise emptied the tomb.

And right at the tomb, you can see the power of the Easter promise beginning to turn the women around, turn their lives right-side up. They come thinking they have work to do, work for their dead master. But the angels tell them: “You’re too late! The work is done! Remember! Remember the promise he made.” “And they remembered Jesus’ words.” They remembered; they realized; they believed. And the change begins. Their plans for putting spices on a dead body–those plans have vanished, like fog burned off in the warmth and sunlight of the day. The women literally turn around! “And returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.”

Ah, the eleven. The promise will transform them, as well. As you read the Book of Acts, you see that the Easter people of Jesus, while they were not perfect, the power was there–the power of Jesus to forgive and restore, to empower and encourage people like Peter and the apostles and the rest of the early Christians.

Dear friends, that power is available today, this morning, because the promise remains the same. All the evil in the world–Jesus took it and overcame it. Jesus died, carrying out God’s plan to take evil and use it for good. Rising from the dead, Jesus broke the power of death. Jesus lives, and he has the power to forgive and restore, to empower and encourage people just like you and me.

This promise is for everyone here. I invite you to believe it and trust it. The promise turned the women around, literally and spiritually. By the power of the promise, you and I can turn from our wrong-headed plans, thinking that our lives are our own that our need for Jesus isn’t all that great. Whatever form it takes, turn from all that pride or unbelief or despair, and be forgiven. Be restored. Be changed. Be transformed.

Because of the power of the promise, what will happen in your life? God will forgive you for Jesus’ sake. As far as the east is from the west, that’s how far he removes your sins from you. God will welcome you, no matter what your past, no matter what you’ve done. Peter fell as far away as you can fall. But Jesus turned him around and restored him and transformed him. God does the same for us today through the power of the Easter promise.

What else will happen in your life, because of Easter? Well, I don’t know what specific blessings and opportunities await you. But I do know this: Jesus lives, and he will be at work. He doesn’t stop working. Our Lord will be at work all the way until the day of the final transformation, the day of his return in glory. By his almighty power, he will raise you from the dead, and he will give to all who trust in him a pure and beautiful eternal life. A life that will never end. Life with God and with one another, in a renewed world, the new heaven and earth. This, my friends–this is the power of the Easter promise.

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