You will quickly find (if you have not already) that I end each service with “Let us go forth and serve the Lord.” This hymn emphasizes this message so well. Much like the apostle James says, “I will show you my faith by my works,” this hymn clearly gives answers and examples for how we can “go forth and serve the Lord.”
Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Each day is a chance to serve the Lord. We do not only serve the Lord on Sunday morning, but every morning and in very different ways. Sunday morning strengthens us for all that we will do throughout the week. Mission work is a daily endeavor as we live life around those who need to hear about Jesus’ love for them.
Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee.
In other words, “What can we do and where can we go to serve the Lord?” While the first stanza focuses on days and times, this stanza focuses us on actions and places for us to serve one another. Surely we serve each other in our church, but we also serve others in our community. As we often hear, “Actions speak louder than words.” Our example shows Christ to our community.
Take my voice and let me sing Always, only for my King; Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.
We all know that Christians love to sing and love to praise the Lord. Singing is the joyful noise that can change the culture of any congregation. But this stanza also draws us to reflect on what we say to the people we interact with. Although most of our conversations are probably not about the promises of the Gospel, what we say to others can shape how they think about us and about the Church.
Take my silver and gold, Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect and use Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Usually when we sing a stanza like this one, we automatically think that the pastor and the church are “asking for money again.” But that does not have to be the case. We all know that there are many ways that we can use our money for the good of our neighbor. We can feed others who are hungry. We can clothe those who are naked. We can recycle items for use at VBS. We can support the youth for their camp each year.
Take my will and make it Thine, It shall be no longer mine; Take my heart, it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne.
In these closing stanzas of our hymn this time, we remember why we do what we do. It is because our will and heart have been won by grace through faith by our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through us that Christ continues to reign as King of Kings. We are the instruments and tools that the Lord uses to pour out His love to His people and to those who are not yet His people. God always uses means, or ways, to have mercy. And we are those who show His mercy to those who need it. Take myself, and I will be, ever, only, all for Thee.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.
Sermon on Galatians 5:16-25 Pentecost Monday 6 June 2022 Kramer Chapel Fort Wayne, Indiana
Text: “But I say, keep walking with the Spirit, and you definitely will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
Intro: 78 years ago today, the largest amphibious assaults in history, known today as D-Day was underway on the shores of France. The battle for control of the beaches led to the defeat of Nazi Germany once and for all. We are engaged in a more ancient war – the war between the Holy Spirit and our sinful nature. The war is already won; Jesus defeated sin, death, and the power of the devil when he suffered and died to atone for our sins and rose again to break the seal of the grave forever. Yet the battle is not over. Even though our sinful nature, the flesh, was defeated on the cross and drowned in the waters of baptism, it’s not quite dead yet. As the old saying goes, the Old Adam (and Eve!) is a good swimmer! Yet because Christ has defeated it, we no longer haveto sin. We already live our lives following the Holy Spirit and what he wants. If we keep walking around with him – when we follow his lead, our victory is guaranteed.
The war is between the Spirit and the Flesh
Easier said then done! For our sin-soaked and warped emotions are very powerful.
Our culture urges us to follow our dreams, to our own self be true, to pursue happiness above everything else, to ignore reality when it doesn’t feel right.
As if that was not bad enough, we are told that we must celebrate the choices of others – from same-sex marriage to pretending that some men are women and some women are men, to killing babies in the womb and sick people in their beds.
The flesh leads to destruction
When we compromise with these forces, we find ourselves curved back in on ourselves, dividing into ever smaller group and turn to fighting, even among ourselves.
God warns us that the works of these desires lead to destruction and ultimately to hell.
Yet the urgings of the Old Adam are a lie; He is dead.
The fruit of the Spirit comes from life in Christ
Our New Adam or Eve lives. For when Christ rose from the dead, we rose to new life.
The Holy Spirit created our new self within us when we were baptized.
He brings fruit from that new nature to us and to our brothers and sisters in Christ through us.
When our work in this battle is done, our life is hidden with God, until the battle is over and we rise glorious in his victory to live with him forever.
Rev. Robert E. Smith Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, Indiana
As we take a look at these stewardship hymns, we will be reminded that we are God’s people, souls created by Him and provided for by Him. We will pay special attention to the Fourth Petition, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
We give Thee but Thine own, Whatever the gift may be; All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee.
This stanza recognizes the order of giving. First, God the Father gives to us. He gives to us clothing and shoes, house and home, land, animals and all that we have to support this body and life. He gives these things that we might use them, and especially that we would use all good things for giving glory back to Him.
May we Thy bounties thus As stewards true receive And gladly, as Thou blesses us, To Thee our firstfruits give!
We recognize right away in this stanza the word “firstfruits.” This phrase is as old as Abel. It is in fact related to farming, to gardening, to working in the ground. When I think of firstfruits, I always remember “Give God my very best.” He gives to us even more than we need or ask, and so we give back to Him the best that we have for Him to use again.
Oh, hearts are bruised and dead, And homes are bare and cold, And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled Are straying from the fold.
Here comes suffering. Here comes the struggles of this world. That there are needy people all around us. That there are others who are straying from the fold and need to hear the words of this most precious Gospel. This stanza reminds us about the reason for our giving. It reminds us about how God will use our treasures for His glory. He will heal hearts and warm homes for those who need. He will provide for others what He has provided for us.
To comfort and to bless, To find a balm for woe, To tend the lone and fatherless Is angels’ work below.
God’s work in the world continues even more! These words focus on the power of the Gospel and the continuation of the ministry. This is quite important for us as Christians, not just that we assist others who have serious physical needs, but that we as the Church provide for others with serious spiritual needs.
The captive to release, To God the lost to bring, To teach the way of life and peace, It is a Christ-like thing.
“What would Jesus do?” We often hear this phrase and worry that we are never doing enough for the kingdom. But this stanza reminds us that we are being like Christ when we give to others and support the ministry of the Gospel. We are stewards of God’s gifts, it is true. But here we certainly consider that we are Christ’s examples to the world to be generous to one another as well.
And we believe Thy Word, Though dim our faith may be: Whatever for Thine we do, O Lord, We do it unto Thee.
Here we have the conclusion. That everything we do, we do to the glory of God. That every penny we earn, we earn because of God’s grace and mercy. That every prayer we pray, we focus our prayers on furthering the Gospel. All of this because God has first and foremost given so much to each and every one of us.
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The theme for this morning is this: I have come into the world and I have overcome the world.
The King of heaven and earth claims His territory. As far as the east is from the west, as far as the north is from the south, the King is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The King who created the world has come into this world. The King who created this earth has come in order to save it. He came, He saw, and He conquered. Like a conqueror declaring the victory in the streets, our Lord Jesus Christ declared the victory over each and every one of our enemies. Over sin, we are covered with forgiveness. Over death, we have the Lord who lives and who gives life to us forever. Over the devil, we have Jesus who withstood temptation, but more than that, who conquered the wicked foe.
Our Lord has come into the world, and He has overcome the world. For we know our Lord is the Lord of hosts. The hosts are the angels who came to Bethlehem to the shepherds. The hosts are the angels who rolled away the tomb. The hosts are the soldiers of the cross who have fought the good fight, who have finished the race, who have kept the faith. We are part of these hosts, the hosts that won and never will lose again, the hosts who gather at this altar and receive the only life-giving, strengthening and preserving food for the battle in this world.
Of course, Jesus came into the world. We have celebrated it in December every year. This Incarnation Invasion brought God to earth, God with us. Mary was right; “with God all things are possible,” even a virgin birth, even the birth of God in flesh, even that his name is Jesus, even that “He forgives His people of their sins.” Jesus came into the world, came as a king, not according to earthly standards, but according to heavenly standards. Jesus came into the world, to claim His territory, the earth He created, the world He loved, the creation that needed its King.
But we just can’t wait to be king. Maybe we don’t even like Burger King, but we certainly would like to have it our way. Like Adam and Eve and the serpent before them, we forget what God says and do what we want anyway. Or David and Bathsheba. Or Peter drowning in the sea. We think we know best, or right and wrong, or moral and immoral. We want to be able to tell so-and-so to do what we want rather than let God tell us what He wants and what He says. Our will be done, and not God’s will.
This becomes especially troublesome in the church. You’re a sinner, I’m a sinner, we’re just a bunch of sinners. And we are not free to make decisions like we might in our families, or in our businesses, or in our daily lives. We have God’s Word that is what we believe, that teaches us what is true, and that is outside of ourselves. Much like the Incarnation Invasion, the Word enters our own flesh, creates faith in our souls, and sustains that faith unto life everlasting. This is the great power of the Sacrament, that Jesus enters in, and there faith within, and eternal life begin. And so what God’s Word says is all that matters, not what the world says, not what we would like, but what God has said for us to do.
And this will certainly make me unlikable, like Jeremiah, like Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, and Habakkuk. That I will lead our church according to God’s will and not my own will, or your own, or anybody else’s own. That I make decisions for the whole and not the most powerful parts. That I make decisions based on God’s Word and not on my preference. This humbles me, and it humbles you. At the end of the day, we just can’t wait to be king of the church, but that’s just it, we can’t be king of the church. Jesus is the King of the Church. And this will certainly make us unlikable, when we are the church and not the world, when we are believing and the world is doubting, when we are gathering around God rather than becoming gods unto ourselves.
Worried about the world? Worried about the church? Worried about the family, or the business? Let Jesus tell you today: “I have overcome the world.” As the Catechism says, this is most certainly true. Jesus has overcome the sin of Adam and even the sin of us. Jesus has overcome even the punishment of sin, death, and was raised to new life. Jesus has overcome the devil, who tempted Adam and each and every one of us, and proclaimed the victory and claimed the territory.
For the Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world, even our own world. There is no forgiveness of sins found in this wicked world except here at the church. There is no life everlasting in a world scared to death except that which Jesus accomplished when He said, “It is finished.” There is no curb against temptation in our lawless society except that the Word of God is our sword of the Spirit against every temptation we face. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, has overcome the world.
This is no throwaway statement that we can overlook. This is the very promise of the Gospel, that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That God created this world and sent His Son to save it. That God’s will was done by Jesus’ death on the cross, that the Lord saved you from each of your enemies. Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Of course Jesus came into the world. He came, He saw, and He conquered for you.
This Jesus who called the disciples and sent them as far as the east is from the west, as far as the north is from the south, has worked faith in His Church. He has sent the Gospel even to us, that Jesus is Lord, even Lord of this Church. He humbles us with His Word that comforts us and His Sacraments that relieve us. The Lord of heaven and earth who lives and reigns over this congregation forever and ever has already claimed the everlasting territory, Jerusalem the golden, the mountain of Zion for you, His dearly beloved people, for whom He came, and for whom He overcame, until you shall come into the kingdom that shall have no end.
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The theme is this: Every good and perfect gift comes from above.
There is but one source for all the evil things going on in our society. There is but one root of all evil. There is but one cause for division in the church. It is the untamed tongue. It is the lying mouth and the deceitful people. It is the breaking of that 8th commandment, that you should not bear false witness against your neighbor. What does this mean? That we should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.
Can we not see it all around us in the world in which we live? That telling lies is as easy as unlimited texting. That betrayals are as simple as political differences. That slander is treated as the righteous thing to do, that ruining someone else makes us look better and feel better about our own sinful selves. That sticks and stones break our bones, but words will always hurt them too.
James causes us to ask ourselves today, Do we hear often about those who defended one another and spoke the truth even though it caused offense (because it was true)? Do we recognize the value when someone speaks well about someone else and promotes their honor instead of their own? Do we ourselves explain everything in the kindest way? It is my hope and my duty that I should be for you an example. And it is your duty and responsibility to be the example also to all those around you.
James begins our text for today with this in mind when he says, “Do not be deceived, beloved brothers.” Yes, he is saying that the world will deceive the church. We see that happening all around us. But he is also cautioning us that we would not deceive one another. For we are beloved brothers and sisters in Christ here at this church. We speak the truth in love, and most especially, we speak the truth toward one another. That is love, that we speak the truth, defend one another, and explain everything in the kindest way.
What is the truth? What can be trusted? It is this: that every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In other words, God the Father speaks the truth. He is reliable, He is reputable, and He will defend you from all evil in this world. He keeps the 8th commandment perfectly, for He will never tell lies about you or betray you, nor will he ever slander you or hurt your reputation.
That is certainly a good and perfect gift, that God tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It is a good and perfect gift that is quite valuable in this distrusting and disgusting world in which we live. It is for us our most precious treasure, that God tempts no one and that He does not deceive us or mislead us into other great shame and vice. The devil, the world, and our own sinful nature do that. But coming down from the Father of Lights is truth, and trust, and only these, and no deception whatsoever.
For as James says, it was the Father’s will that we were created by the word of truth, and it was the Father’s will that we were brought to the water and recreated by that water and the word in our baptisms. It was the Father’s will that we were brought forth in the truth, the truth that Christ died for the ungodly, that Christ also speaks the truth in love toward us. This He has done, but why? For what purpose?
That we would be the firstfruits of all creation. That we would be the example to all the world. That we would be the true, honorable, and honest folks in town no matter how anybody else might treat us. The good and perfect gift has been given, that word of truth, and it compels us to live as examples to all those who need to hear it.
What the apostle James has said in the Scriptures long ago, let the preacher James say to you this morning, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Know this, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. This is what makes the Christian life so different from the American way of life. That we use our ears more than our mouths. That we hear God’s Word and that faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. That when we listen to one another, we show that we care about one another. Be quick to hear.
And be slow to speak. This may be the most difficult. For we live in a world of talking heads, and for some reason now everybody’s opinions matter about everything that there is to argue about. And yet there are some opinions that are allowed and others that are silenced. Be slow to speak, dear brothers and sisters, be patient when the world isn’t patient, be wise in the midst of all the foolishness, be slow to speak.
So that you would be slow to anger. For this is what the world loves, anger, and feelings, opinions, and strife. But James reminds you today, that anger does not produce the righteousness of God. In fact, it leads to breaking the 5th commandment, not to making the situation better again. No, what produces the righteousness of God? It is the good and perfect gift that comes down from the Father of lights.
It is the truth, and the truth will set you free. It is the truth, that you can trust God, for He brought you forth by the word of truth. With meekness, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, receive today the implanted word, the truth, for this implanted word is able to save your souls.
Do not be deceived, but receive the implanted word this day, that good and perfect gift that God the Father has given to you.
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
I know that you know these Ten Commandments. You know now what is right and what is wrong. That God is your God and that you are His child every day of your life. That the Lord is the Lord and that you worship Him in this church every week. That your parents are still your parents and it is your duty to obey them. God placed them over you for your good, and they care about you. That every life is worth living, and that as men you must protect those in danger of death and destruction. That women are precious in God’s sight and must also be respected and honored both now and in the years to come. That what you have is given by God and what your neighbor has is not yours. That above all, you speak the truth and keep your word, your assignments to your teachers, your chores for your parents, and your responsibilities at this church.
And I know that you know the Apostles’ Creed. You know now what you are to believe. That what was spoken at your baptism you have now made your own in your heart. That God the Father made you and all creatures in this world. That your Father has given to you all that you need to support this body and life. That you are male or female, that you are body and soul, made in the image of God.
You know that you are redeemed. Not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and innocent suffering and death, you know now that Jesus loves you, that Jesus died for you, that He rose also on the third day for you and all those who sit behind you. That now you will live under Christ in His kingdom, that kingdom that shall have no end.
All of this because the Holy Spirit has worked faith in you. He has brought you into this church and is always ready to forgive you your sins. This Holy Spirit who has promised you the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. He called you by the gospel and enlightened you with His gifts. And you can be certain that it is this Holy Spirit who sanctifies and keeps you in this faith in which you stand.
You know now what is right and wrong. You know now what you are to believe. And of course you have known for many years how you are to pray. Pray to your Father as His Son has taught you. Pray in faith, hope, and love for all that you need when you need it most. Pray for all people according to their needs. Pray even on those Thursdays in your lives when there’s nothing going on and nobody to talk to. Talk with God; He is always listening.
For you are God’s child. Baptized so many years ago, God made you forever to be part of His family. He gave you His name, that you would live in it, that you would die for it. That because of that water and the word you are forever changed from the ways of the world and made a disciple in the way of God. That because of this Sacrament you have every confidence that you are forgiven of all of your sins before God anytime that you need it.
This is why the Lord sent me to be your pastor. That I would publicly, privately, and regularly pronounce God’s forgiveness to you. That’s why they pay me the big bucks. To remind you and comfort you in this promise of God, that you are forgiven. In the stead of your Lord and Savior and because of His command, I promise to speak God’s forgiveness to you every single time you repent of your sins. God’s grace is abundantly spoken to you and for you because of Christ.
These things you know, these you believe, teach, and confess. These are your sure and certain foundation, made even more sure for you on a weekly basis at this altar. That this, the bread and wine are truly the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given and shed for you. Do this in remembrance of me. As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
Oh, and, by the way, welcome to Sunday Bible Study. Join us, your parents, your pastor, and these also who support you in your faith. Join the conversation. Grow your faith and be strengthened by those who believe like you and confess like you. Learn from them, and I assure you, they will learn also from you.
Know this, we are not confirming you today because we no longer care about you. We are not confirming you just because you are old enough. We are confirming you this day in front of all of us because we know the Christian life is difficult, and that faith in our Lord is the only way to get through any difficulty.
Obey and Pray, believe and receive. You know it. You have been taught it. You believe it. Now you may receive it. Stand firm, O soldier of the cross, fight the good fight…of faith…unto life everlasting.
Grace, mercy, and peace, be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The theme is this: Great is His faithfulness.
I believe you can ask every mother in this room today and get quite more of a description than you bargained for about the pains of childbearing. But let John do the describing for us without the extra embellishments. The woman in labor has such pain in order to give birth to her children, but all of that pain fades away when she holds her baby in her arms. Her sorrow and her pain are turned to joy. When she holds that child, nothing else matters.
And I believe you can ask every mother in this room today about how she feels when her young whippersnappers head off to college. On the one hand, she wants what is best for you, wants you to do your best and achieve your goals. She wants you to be grown up and start your own families. But on the other hand, I tell you the truth, she misses you, her children, when you are gone from the home. She wants you to call her, so she can hear your voice again. She wants you to visit her, to come home. While you are off at college, she has sorrow. But when you return, her sorrow is turned into joy. A little while you are away, and again a little while and you come back.
And this is no different in the life of the church. That our children have left or our neighbors have left. And for many of us, we want them to come back. A little while and you will not see me…but we hope and pray that again a little while and we will see them. We have sorrow now, and the world rejoices at this. The devil loves our suffering. The devil devises divisions, strife, false doctrine, you name it.
When Jesus speaks these words to the disciples, it is on the night in which he was betrayed. A little while and you will not see me. I will be crucified. I will die, and I will be buried. He knows this, but the disciples cannot believe it is true. Sure, Jesus said three times that he would be killed and be buried and on the third day rise again. Sure, the Old Testament prophesied this long ago in Psalm 22 and 31 and in Isaiah 53. But our text today reminds us that the disciples are still not understanding what Jesus means. This news makes them sorrowful, but again a little while and they will see Him, see Him raised from the dead. That will turn their sorrow into joy.
On a day like today, on “Take your Mom to church” Sunday, I hope that many of our mothers are joyful that you are here with them hearing the Word of God and believing it like you were raised. I pray that you come back and that she has joy when you return. But when this Sunday falls on a theme like this one, let us turn to the book of the Bible made famous for sorrow, the book of Lamentations, written from Jeremiah, the so-called Weeping Prophet.
For Jeremiah surprises us when he says to us today, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” This is incredibly comforting for us. This is the Good News and Gospel for our souls. That like our own mothers who love us our whole lives, our Lord loves us even more and greater and it never ceases. He died on the cross because He loves us. His mercies, His grace, is not conditional nor does it only last for a few months or years. God’s mercy is granted to you all the days of your life, even today, in the midst of sorrow.
Great is our Lord’s faithfulness to us! In the midst of lamentations, in the midst of pain, in the midst of sorrow, in the midst of struggles, our Lord’s mercies will never fail us. There is no other piece of our lives that can promise us this. At the school, there will not always be an ear to listen. On the farm, there oftentimes seems to be no mercy. At work, we may struggle with various trials. Even in our homes, there are times of lamentations. But you must always remember and never forget.
Great is our Lord’s faithfulness to you. The Lord is your portion, therefore you will hope in Him. Our hope is not in our jobs or our children. Our hope, dearly beloved saints of God, our hope is in the Lord. This hope that we have is this very thing, that our sorrow will be turned into joy. Rejoice, for you shall see the Lord again, again you will see Him, this time face-to-face in clouds of glory.
Great is His faithfulness. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that we should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. In our lives, we wait for many things, for many prayers to be answered, for many children to come home. Let us also wait for the salvation of the Lord. Let us also wait, for the Lord shall return to bring us, His children, home. Let us also wait, and as we wait, His mercies are new every morning. His faithfulness is great every day.
So also, you have sorrow now, but the Lord will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you forever and ever.
Up through endless ranks of angels, Cries of triumph in His ears, To His heavenly throne ascending, Having vanquished all their fears, Christ looks down upon His faithful, Leaving them in happy tears.
In this first stanza, the hymnwriter puts us in the place of Christ. As Christ ascends into the heavens, “through endless ranks of angels,” He hears “cries of triumph.” Certainly we think of “Alleluia!” We think of “Christ is risen!” We think of “Glory to God in the highest!” The angels and archangels and all the company of heaven rejoice and sing that the Lord is living, that King comes back “to His heavenly throne ascending.” He has vanquished their fears and leaves them in happy tears. “It is finished,” the salvation of souls, the redemption of the whole world.
Death-destroying, life-restoring, Proven equal to our need, Now for us before the Father As our brother intercede; Flesh that for our world was wounded, Living, for the wounded plead!
The first Adam died because of His sin and therefore all die. But the second Adam, Jesus, destroyed death and restored life to all creation. What we needed the Lord hath provided. This stanza emphasizes that the Lord Jesus pleads and intercedes for us, His people to the Father. Yes, Jesus died on the cross. Yes, Jesus rose from the dead. But His work is not done. He still prays for us, for the wounded here below, that grace on us would bestow!
To our lives of wanton wandering Send Your Spirit, promised guide; Through our lives of fear and failure With Your power and love abide; Welcome us, as You were welcomed, To an endless Eastertide.
In our lives of wanton wandering … Isn’t that a wonderful phrase for our lives as Christians? We are yet wandering in the wilderness waiting for the return of the Lord. And though we love the Lord, we love ourselves, our sin, and our desires even now too. We are wanton wanderers.
But notice the prayer we pray. “Send Your Spirit, promised Guide.” We rely and hope on the work of the Holy Spirit. We know God sent the Spirit, that we would never be alone. Think the Ascension promise, “Lo, I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” The Holy Spirit will guide and teach us, enlightened and strengthen us. That we will be welcomed to an endless Eastertide in heaven forever!
Alleluia, Alleluia! Oh, to breathe the Spirit’s grace! Alleluia, Alleluia! Oh, to see the Father’s face! Alleluia, Alleluia! Oh, to feel the Son’s embrace! Glory be to the Father, And to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, Is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Perhaps you have been in places that bring back a flood of memories. Maybe its an old barn where you threw haybales with Grandpa before the days of round bailers. Maybe it’s Grandma and Grandpa’s old farm house kitchen where you and your cousins got to sit again for Easter brunch. We associate memories with places. The memories associated with the upper room were likely still vivid for the Disciples. The upper room, the place that Peter valiantly swore He would not betray Jesus. That they all would rather die than fall away from Jesus. And here they are, sitting around in fear in the evening.
The men had heard the news. They saw the empty tomb. The empty tomb did not give them joy. The idea of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was not something joyful to them. And the resurrection of Jesus is nothing to glory in, in and of itself. The disciples were wallowing in self-pity because they failed Jesus. They did not live up to their word. They played a good game with words, but their actions could cash the checks their mouths wrote. Think about how many times the disciples failed Jesus. How often they argued over who would be the greatest among them. How often they didn’t pay enough attention to Jesus as He patiently taught them. And of course, how horrible of them to have run away from Him when He needed their aid the most. How pitiful and disgraceful.
Throw in fear they had for the Jews, who had overseen the crucifixion of Jesus, and you can begin to understand what was going on. Heck, you already had another disciple leave the company. Thomas wasn’t even gathered with them when the Lord first came. He had left the company, gone back to whatever life he had before Jesus.
Fear all around, thick enough to cut with a knife. They feared because of sin all around them and even in them. Their hearts heavy with grief and fear.
And then the risen Lord Jesus Christ shows up. And He stood among them. I bet when they recognized him, the room was suddenly hushed, if it wasn’t already. The hair on the back of their necks likely standing. What would Jesus say?
‘Peace be with you.” “Peace be with you.” That is what He said, and when He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Only then, where the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Why might you ask?
Well, they saw the nail marks and the thrust of the spear, they knew and believed that Jesus took those blows for them. That Jesus went to the cross for their sins. That Jesus still bears the marks of His cross for them that He might bring them peace. Peace that comes only from the forgiveness of sins. This is a peace which is offered nowhere else. Jesus shows up in His resurrected body bearing the marks of His cross here to bring peace to those disciples, soon to be sent out to proclaim this peace to all the world. Just as the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.
And when He said this, He breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Jesus gives them the Divine mandate, the great commission of John to go out and preach forgiveness in the Name of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ, who is as Thomas finally calls Him, “my Lord and my God.”
The marks of the cross matter. Being in worship on Good Friday matters. Pondering the work of Jesus on the cross matters. Seeing His marks as the marks of love for you, that you might have peace matters. Those marks are the only way you have forgiveness of sins. And it is because of those marks that the disciples are glad. So we too should be glad.
From those marks flow the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ as He went to cross gave up His Spirit, and thus in His resurrection breathes upon His beloved and gives the Holy Spirit. Just as He does for you. See here the connection to the beginning of Genesis. The man was created, and the Lord God breathed into the man the breath of life. Jesus breathes the breath of life, that is the Holy Spirit, into His disciples on that first day of the week, the evening of His resurrection from the dead.
But 2 were missing that day. Judas who did not believe that he could be forgiven, who killed himself out of his despair, and Thomas who seemed to have gone back to his life before Jesus. He was not there with his brothers in the upper room. And He would not have been there the next Lord’s Day either. But someone cared enough to tell him, “We have seen the Lord.” I want to believe that the same man who told Nathaniel, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,” that would be Philip, also came to Thomas to tell him, ‘Come and see.” Come to the upper room, come to the church and see the crucified and risen Lord for yourself. He is not here to hurt you. He is not here to destroy you. You may be afraid but Jesus is not here to cause you harm. He is here to give you peace.
But that peace comes with a bit of price. Not to you, but to Him. Christ bears the marks of the cross that you may have peace. And its in those Holy Wounds that we find healing. Fear is vanquished. Sin is atoned for and forgiven. We are given new life. And when we are confronted again with fear and the accusations of sin which would cause us worry, we can and should be unafraid to come to the Lord Jesus where He promises to be, and confess them, but also confess, “Christ for me was wounded.” And rejoice and be glad like the disciples were that first Easter evening and every Lord’s day ever since. Do not miss. And do not forget to pray for those who are long absent. We all have failed our brothers and sisters. I am chief among you in this regard. I am your pastor, undershepherd of the Good Shepherd Jesus. Many of our flock have wondered, going their own way. It hurts to see, and it hurts me to see how I have failed, just like the disciples hurt when they saw their own failings to keep their word to the Lord. The vows made at ordination and installation confront and give direction. It also acts as mirror like the 10 commandments. Your pastor fails. But the gospel is the same for me as it was for the disciples this day. And it is the same for you now.
Whatever failing you have committed. Whatever opportunity you had and blew in the past for speaking up about the importance of Christ and being where He promises to be to bring peace in a chaotic world. Where sin is forgiven. Do not fear. Christ forgives you. He loves you. He wants you here. He wants you look upon his wounds and know He went to the cross for you. Be renewed in the knowledge of His love for you, he bore the cross for you. And His marks still bear His love. And now His love is given you in His supper, you are brought to His table, welcomed as His own. And He speaks His peace to you, He wipes your tears away as He says, “Take and eat, take and drink. Your sins are forgiven be at peace.”
And having been filled with His peace and His love, we pray that we be motivated to speak the proclamation of the disciples, “we have seen the Lord.” No, we have not seen the physical Lord Jesus in His resurrected state, but we do see Him with the eyes of faith in His Supper. And Christ calls us the blessed ones. So we do the best thing we can do for those who in the world walking about as if they have no hope. We say, “Come and see.” Yes, come and see the grace and mercy of our Lord in those holy wounds which our Lord still bears for us. Those wounds are glorious to us, and they make us glad, for they are what tell us Christ comes to bring us forgiveness and peace everlasting.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Rev. Jacob Hercamp St. Peter’s Lutheran Church La Grange, MO
You say it every time you recite the 1st commandment and its meaning: “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” But what does that actually entail? What does it mean to fear, love, and trust in God? Suffice it say the words work together so talk about faith.
I deeply appreciate the definitions that Rev. Peter Bender provides along with his Lutheran Catechesis materials. He offers this definition for fear: “the awe and reverence of the heart toward God.” Also in light of the first commandment, he adds, “The terror of heart caused by the demands of God’s Law.”
There are two types of fear in play then when talking about fearing God. We must always remember who is the Creator and who is creature. Obviously the Creator is greater than creature. The Lord speaks through Jeremiah about He being a potter and we being His clay. He can do whatever He desires with us. We should be afraid of Him because of the terror that He can be to sinners. The Lord God is a consuming fire. Fire is a good thing, but we can have a healthy fear of it. If, for instance, fire is uncontrolled it can be dangerous.
Fear, love, and ultimately trust, all come together in the worship of Triune God. We love God when we by the Holy Spirit desire to hear His Word. We are called to rely on His Word for our life now and into eternity. This is the life of faith. This is a life that relies upon God for everything that makes up our needs for this life and the next.
Rev. Jacob Hercamp St. Peter’s Lutheran Church La Grange, MO
