Sermon On Peace

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

Dear saints, as I was reading and preparing for today, I remembered something from our midweek series. After our Lord institutes his Holy Supper, he and the Twelve disciples (minus Judas) sang a hymn and go to the Mount of Olives. Once there, he says, “You will all fall away, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” It should not be surprising that this happened. In fact, it happened that very night! The disciples were scattered, Peter denies the Lord three times, and it is only John who is at the cross as his Savior suffers and dies.

Only a few days later, the Eleven were back together. Well, ten of them were together. They had gathered behind locked doors and were afraid. I suppose they had multiple reasons to be afraid. First, the Jews who killed Jesus might come after them next. And second, that same Jesus, whom they had called Lord, was said to have risen from the dead. Like he said he would. After they scattered and abandoned him. Like he said they would. No wonder they were afraid. It was a fear on at least two fronts. A locked door might keep out the Jews, but it fails to keep out the risen Jesus. He simply stands in their midst.

And if the appearance of an angel causes fear and strife, imagine the Lord – that God himself – just appears before you. The typical greeting of the angel is, “Do not be afraid.” Our Lord’s greeting to the disciples is, “Peace be with you.”

This greeting is important. What is it to have peace between a sinful human being and the crucified and risen Messiah? How can sinful humanity, responsible for the death of the Christ, have peace with him? This peace comes to us because he has reconciled himself to us. Because Jesus died in our place, he has redeemed us and made peace with us. We may now come before him and not fear being smite-ed. Rather, we come and receive even more from him.

On the evening of his resurrection, Jesus came to the disciples with both peace and a gift. He appeared and comforted them, reassuring them that there is no animosity between them. There is only peace between Jesus and his disciples. Because he has worked and won their salvation, there is peace.

But he is also there with a gift. And it is a gift we should continue to cherish today. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

This gift is not just for the apostles; it is for us, too. The gift isn’t to an individual; it is to the church. We call it the Office of the Keys. It is to the apostles that our Lord gives the authority and responsibility to teach, administer the sacraments, and to forgive sin. As they went out, they appointed pastors to continue the work. And that work continues through today.

We continually fail in our lives. Every time we sin, no matter what commandment it is that we break, we are breaking the First Commandment. In a sense, we forsake and flee from him at every sin. And when we realize our sin and feel remorse, it is likely that we also fear. We might want to hole ourselves up and hide.

But we can’t hide from God. He knows the things we do that we don’t know that we do. And he is there for his dear children, even when we think it better that he stays away. Instead of staying away, he sends the Son in the flesh. Jesus keeps the Law perfectly for us. He dies for us. He rises for us. He has redeemed us.

And he has sent his apostles and pastors to tell and remind us. Sent them to declare to us that our sins are forgiven. This is what I declared to you today: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

It is not my forgiveness; it is God’s forgiveness. It is not my baptism; it is God’s baptism. It is not my supper; it is our Lord’s Holy Supper. It is not my word; it is the very Word of God. I am but a messenger sent to declare it to you. And so, hear it: God sent his Son into the flesh to redeem you from your sin. He died on the cross and rose from the grave. He sends his Word that you would believe and have life in his name. He washed you in baptism and gave you new life. He gives you the Supper to feed and nourish your soul. He absolves you of all your sins for the sake of your Lord Jesus Christ. Peace be with you. Amen.

TTT Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. TTT

Rev. Brent Keller 
Peace Lutheran Church 
Alcester, SD  

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