Sunday, March 17, 2024

Sermon -- 5th Sunday in Lent (March 17, 2024)

JOHN 12:20-33

THE HOUR HAS COME FOR THE SON OF MAN TO BE GLORIFIED.

In the name + of Jesus.

      The Gospel of John records Jesus being particularly focused on his appointed hour.  Throughout his ministry, there were people who wanted to hasten Jesus’ appointed hour.  It began already at his first miracle.  The Virgin Mary informed Jesus that the wedding had run out of wine.  She seemed to think that this was the opportune time for the kingdom of God to burst forth on the world.  Perhaps she had in mind the prophet Joel who had said, “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.  And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it.  And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord” (Joel 3:17-18).  Whether she was thinking of that or not, Jesus’ reply was straight forward: “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). 

     Later on, Jesus’ own brothers encouraged him, “‘Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing.  For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly.  If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’  …Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come…’” (John 7:4-6). 

     Jesus had made several bold claims that he is divine.  These often stirred up the wrath of the Pharisees and the priests.  A few times they had attempted to stone him to death, but Jesus avoided all their attempts.  John explained why Jesus could make such strong claims and avoid their threats.  He wrote, These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come” (John 8:20). 

     Jesus was always focused on his appointed hour.  And he was firmly in control of it.  Jesus’ arrest did not come as a surprise to him, and he made no attempt to escape it.  Jesus was not surprised by who betrayed him.  Rather, Jesus encouraged him to do what he had come to do.  The Sanhedrin thought that they were in control.  Although the Sanhedrin was determined to kill Jesus, they also wanted to use caution.  They said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people” (Matthew 26:5).  But Jesus was in control of his appointed hour.  When the Passover lambs were to be slain, so was Jesus.  That was his appointed hour.  He was committed to completing the task given to him by his heavenly Father.

     Now we get to the portion of John’s Gospel which we read earlier.  Some Greeks had come to Jerusalem for the Passover.  If they “went up to worship at the feast” (John 12:20), then they were converts to Judaism and they were waiting for the promised Messiah.  They were likely convinced that Jesus was the Christ, which is why they were eager to meet him.  As John records it, it is a strange introduction.  There are no cordial greetings, not even an exchange of names.  That’s not to say it didn’t happen, but John cuts right to the chase in his Gospel.  You want to see Jesus?  Well, this is what you should be paying attention to.  This is what matters.  “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23).  After the long wait, the appointed hour was at hand.  It was the beginning of Holy Week, and Jesus was ready to be slain as the chosen Lamb which covers over our iniquities and delivers us from death.

     Jesus explained why his death was necessary.  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).  Jesus could have lived his perfect life in peace.  By doing so, he would have earned God’s favor.  Jesus would have been the one holy man who kept the Commandments.  Presumably, he would not have died because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).  At some point, the Father would have assumed Jesus bodily into heaven apart from death.  If he had no sin, there would be no death.  Jesus would have been the one perfect man who entered the glories of God the Father.  And if that is all Jesus was, then we can only look to him as an example of how to win God’s favor. 

     But this would make our lives all the more frustrating.  Just because we have an example does not mean we can copy it.  Why not say, “In order to win God’s favor, you need to paint like Rembrandt, compose music like Mozart, and run like Usain Bolt”?  Watching YouTube instruction videos for hours will not get me close.  Just because they excelled does not mean I can. 

     In regard to holiness, it gets worse.  Even when we want keep the word of the Lord, we lose our patience and snap at other people.  We say that we are too tired to carry out our responsibilities and neglect them.  We claim that we don’t have time to read the Bible at home or to pray, but we always seem to have time for scrolling on our phones.  If you decided to wear one of those What Would Jesus Do bracelets and let that guide you, you would still be burdened with fears and doubts because you don’t know what Jesus would do.  When your co-worker decides to blame you for a task that was fouled up, would Jesus shame your co-worker in front of everyone and yell, “Liar”?  Would Jesus give a few bucks to everyone he saw holding up a cardboard sign at an intersection?  How much would he give?  What would Jesus do?  The biggest lesson you will learn from this is that you are not like Jesus.

     When Jesus declared, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23), he did not have in mind another example for us to follow.  Rather, he went there to make an exchange—his holiness for our sins.  By going to the cross, Jesus would make the payment for all of our sins.  That does not mean our sins are excusable; it means that they are taken away from us.  Jesus’ innocent life was given in exchange for our sinful lives.  The righteous one died for the unrighteous.  He took on the curse of God so that we would receive God’s favor and blessings.

     The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  That glory is revealed in Jesus’ sufferings and death.  That is where the Lord atones for the sins of the world.  And upon dying, Jesus’ lifeless body was laid in a tomb.  He was planted there like a seed.  If Jesus did not come to suffer and die for us, he would have remained the only holy man—like a seed that was never planted.  “But if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). 

     When a seed is planted, it germinates and sprouts.  It produces far more than just one seed to replace itself.  Think about a sunflower.  One seed is planted, and a giant stalk comes up.  Then when the flower blooms, you can seek all kinds of sunflower seeds in that blackened center.  If you don’t plant the sunflower seed, you will only have the one seed.  But if that seed is buried in the ground and dies, an abundance of seeds will result.

     So it is with Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  The man who overcame the grave shows what is in store for you.  Jesus is the first to rise from the dead and to live forever.  Since Jesus has mastered death and the grave, death and the grave must obey Jesus’ command.  When he comes again on the Last Day, Jesus’ voice will summon all people out of their graves.  Those who believe in Jesus will be raised up to live in glory forever more.  This is the reason Jesus came.

     But there would be a cost for this, and Jesus knew it.  Sins are wicked.  They demand justice.  They have earned God’s wrath because God does not treat his word lightly.  To go against God’s word is to attack God himself.  This cannot be overlooked or go unpunished.  So, Jesus came to take the punishment for us.  And he knew it would be intense torment.  It would mean the eternal pains of hell absorbed by the eternal Son of God.  Therefore, Jesus said, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  But for this purpose I have come to this hour.  Father, glorify your name.”  Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” (John 12:27-28). 

     The hour had come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  And in doing so, God the Father was glorified too.  The glory of God is not that he is holy or almighty.  He is those things, but that does not save us.  The glory of God is that he loves and saves sinners.  God the Father revealed his mercy by sending Jesus to redeem us.  The Son of Man secured God’s mercy for us by going to the cross to die for our sins.  This was the whole purpose Jesus came into this world.  This was his appointed hour, and everything in history centers on this moment. 

     God from eternity entered the world at a specific time.  His years of life, his teaching, and everything else he did were focused on this hour.  This is the moment when the Son of Man redeemed us from an eternity of divine rejection and opened up the kingdom of heaven to us for everlasting peace and rest.  The Gospels record many things Jesus said and did, and we do well to be familiar with them.  But like those Greeks who came to see Jesus, we need our focus to be on Jesus’ sufferings, death, and resurrection.  That is where he makes his glory known.  That is where he makes our salvation known.

     The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  We are just a week away from Holy Week.  We have entered Passiontide, and our Lenten fast has intensified.  It is probably unsettling to you to see the walls barren, to see the crucifix veiled, and to have the organ muted.  You might even hate it.  But by scaling back our festive mood and putting away our vivid art, we are highlighting our own lack of beauty and glory.  We are sinners.  We are not worthy to look upon Jesus who suffered and died for us.  If the hour has come for the Son of Man to be slain, it is not appropriate for our worship to be exuberant.  It is subdued as we recognize the solemnity of the hour.

     Our celebration is muted for a while, but not for long.  For the seed was planted in the earth.  It has sprung forth on the third day.  It will produce an abundant harvest of people who will be raised from the dead to live forever.  Then, our celebration will be limitless in its joy and in its duration.  But for now, let’s focus on the appointed hour.  As Jesus said, “For this purpose I have come to this hour” (John 12:27).

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Private Confession & Absolution (March 24, 7:00-9:00 PM)

When Lutherans hear someone speak of Private Confession and Absolution, the response is usually a knee-jerk, "That's Roman Catholic!" Though that may be a common perception, the perception is because either it was taught wrongly or understood wrongly. Consider what the Lutheran Confessions teach about Private Confession and Absolution.

Our churches teach that private Absolution should be retained in the churches, although listing all sins is not necessary for Confession. For, according to the Psalm, it is impossible. "Who can discern his errors?" (Psalm 19:12) -- Augsburg Confession, Article XI

What is Confession?
Answer: Confession has two parts: the one is that we confess our sins; the other is that we receive Absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor, as from God Himself, and in no way doubt, but firmly believe that our sins are forgiven before God in heaven by this.

What sins should we confess?
Answer: Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even of those that we do not know, as we do in the Lord's Prayer. But before the confessor we should confess only those sins that we know and feel in our hearts.
 -- Luther's Small Catechism, Part V

These are basic confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. They are catholic, insofar as they are Christian. But they are not Roman, insofar as the penitent is not obligated to orally confess every sin in order to be forgiven of it and insofar as one's forgiveness is not dependent upon some action on the part of the penitent. The forgiveness is based on Jesus' sufferings and death for the penitent who has been baptized into his name.

Since the practice of Private Confession and Absolution is a Lutheran practice, it would be good for Lutherans to practice it. It is good for the penitent who is grieved by a particular sin to confess it so that he can hear Christ say through the mouth of his minister: "I forgive you." It would be good for the one who is burdened to be relieved of his burden by Holy Absolution. It would be good for this practice, though foreign to many in my corner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to be restored. 

In order for this practice to be restored and perhaps put to better use, there will be dates on the calendar set aside for anyone who would like to drop in and make use of this means of grace. These will be set up about 4 times per year. Private Confession and Absolution is always available by appointment in addition to these scheduled times.

                    A day around Epiphany (Epiphany is always January 6)
                    A day during Holy Week
                    A day around Labor Day weekend
                    A day after Thanksgiving weekend

The next scheduled date and time for Private Confession and Absolution will be Sunday, March 24, 7:00 - 9:00 PM.  All participation is voluntary, as Absolution cannot be forced upon anyone.

Of course, this will be new to most members who decide to make use of it. If you come in, the pastor will walk through the rite with you and explain the various parts of it, especially including the "private" part, namely, that this confession is to Christ and, therefore, remains his business alone. The pastor will not report the confession or the names of those who come for confession.  No confession will get used as a sermon illustration, either.  The point is not for a pastor to learn everyone's dirty, little secrets.  The point is for the guilty and the grieved to find relief and receive forgiveness, or absolution. 

Thursday, March 14, 2024

YouTube -- 4th Sunday in Lent (March 10, 2024)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, March 10, 2024.



Update from Good Shepherd (March 14, 2024)

Greetings!

REGULAR SCHEDULE 

          Sunday School -- Sundays at 9:00 AM.
          Adult Bible Class -- Sundays at 9:00 AM.
          Divine Service -- Sundays at 10:00 AM.
          Lenten Vespers -- Wednesdays at 7:00 PM.  Supper at 6:00 PM.
          Bible Matters resumes in April.

          For a calendar of events and meetings, click here.

INTRODUCTION VIDEO FOR GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH
          Here is a video to introduce people to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Novi. Share it as much as you can.

ADULT BIBLE CLASS

          We have begun a series for Adult Bible Class entitled, “Families of the Bible.”  The schedule for this class can be found here.
          Adult Bible Class beings promptly at 9:00 AM. All are welcome.

LENTEN NOTES
For an overview of the Lenten seasonclick here
Lenten Vespers -- Wednesdays in February and March at 7:00 PM.  The schedule can be found here.
Lenten Dinners -- Wednesdays before the Lenten services at 6:00 PM.  

EASTER FOR KIDS -- AN EASTER JOURNEY

          Good Shepherd’s 2024 Easter-for-Kids Event will be held on Saturday, March 23, 10am – Noon.

          At this event, kids will follow a path from Jesus’ crucifixion, to the guards who guarded his tomb, to the empty tomb on Easter morning. Along the way, there will be lessons, crafts, and special guests (centurion, angel) to tell them what they have seen. They will get a sticker for their “passport” at each station, with a reward at the end for filling their passport.
          There will be 5 stations – Sign-in, the crucifixion, the Centurian, the tomb, and the selfie-station. We will need some help making this event a success. Here are some of the ways that you can help.
          >>> Planning for the stations – we have a basic idea of what each station requires, but need some people to help put it together. This will include planning crafts, decorating, etc. Ideally would like to get someone to be in charge of each station.
          >>> Decorating -- We want to turn our room divider into a tomb, need a stone to roll, costumes, etc. We have some ideas to start but just need help making it happen.
          >>> Crafts – if you have good craft ideas for kids, we would love to hear them.
          >>> Giveaway – put together goodie bags for the kids at the end. Also need some kind of raffle game and prize. (Last year we did a guess the number of jelly beans in the jar.)
          >>> Volunteers day of the event – will need people to sign kids in, help with crafts, lead kids into the stations, and some “actors” to play roles. Would ideally like to get about 10 people.
          Another way to help will be to “like” and share our posts on social media when they come out. Please help us to make this event a success.

EASTER FOR KIDS—Final Prep
            We will have our final prep meeting for Easter for Kids on Sunday, March 17 after the service. We will be prepackaging some give-away materials and would welcome the extra hands to do it.  In addition, we will be doing set up at church on Friday, March 22 at 6:00 PM.  More hands will make for lighter work.   Finally, we are hoping to have more of our members on site on Saturday, March 23 (10 AM - Noon) to assist with the guests who will be coming to our event.  There are many ways to get involved. If interested, join us for this meeting.

WELS INTERNATIONAL YOUTH RALLY
          This summer, about 2,000 WELS teens (from 8th grade graduation through 12th grade graduation) from all over the country will be gathering in Fort Collins, Colorado for a Youth Rally. The Rally will be held June 25-28. All who have attended have raved about what a good time this is. More information can be found at www.welsyouthrally.net. The cost is $410 for early bird registration, March 6 – April 30. Transportation costs are not included in the registration fee. Good Shepherd teens will likely connect with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Livonia to ensure that we have our teens connected to a chaperon. If you are interested, please speak to Pastor Schroeder.

GOOD SHEPHERD ON YOUTUBE
          Services are uploaded to YouTube each week. Feel free to share the videos. Here is the service from March 10, 2024: Good Shepherd Novi, Divine Service, March 10, 2024 (youtube.com)

REGULAR OFFICE HOURS
          The pastor will try to maintain regular office hours are Monday – Thursday, 9:00 AM - Noon. To ensure the pastor’s availability, it is best to make an appointment. He is available by phone or text (248-719-5218). You may also email (welsnovi@aol.com), but the response may be slower. 

DO YOU LIKE US?
          Look for Good Shepherd on Facebook. Then “LIKE” us for updates and other postings. Be sure to share posts with friends.

SHARE THIS POST!
          We desire as many as possible to rejoice in the Gospel which we proclaim and confess. Share the information from our weekly email blast, links to our web page, and even to the pastor's blog to let others know that we have a space in our congregation for them!

In Christ,
Pastor Schroeder

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REGULAR SCHEDULE
DIVINE SERVICES are on Sundays at 10:00 AM
Sunday School -- Sundays at 9:00 AM 
Adult Bible Class -- Sundays at 9:00 AM
Lenten Vespers-- Wednesdays through March 20
          Supper -- 6:00 PM
          Worship -- 7:00 PM
          Choir -- 8:00 PM
Bible Matters resumes in April.

GOOD SHEPHERD’S WEBSITE
www.GoodShepherdNovi.org

PASTOR SCHROEDER’S BLOG
www.LutheranSubject.blogspot.com 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Sermon -- 4th Sunday in Lent (March 10, 2024)

NUMBERS 21:4-9

THE REMEDY FOR DEATH IS LIFTED HIGH.

In the name + of Jesus.

      The people of Israel had been in the wilderness for over three decades.  It was their own fault.  The Lord had intended to bring them straight from Mt. Sinai into the Promised Land.  But the people became convinced that they could not take this land no matter what promises God had made.  For their stubborn unbelief, the Lord told them that they would be banished to the wilderness for forty years where all the adults would die.

     Even though Israel was banished to the wilderness, they were not abandoned by the Lord.  The Lord provided what they needed to live for that entire forty years.  Sometimes it was miraculous, such as having enough water gush forth from a rock to satisfy a nation of about 2 million plus flocks and herds.  When the people complained, “There is no food,” they had in mind the delicacies which Egypt offered.  The wilderness land could not be cultivated.  They could not grow their own crops.  But God daily supplied manna, bread flakes that appeared daily on the ground.  The Lord had faithfully remained with Israel on their forty-year journey in the wilderness.  Nevertheless, the people grew discontent with God and his blessings.

     “The people became impatient on the way.  And the people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?  For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food’” (Numbers 21:4-5).  They despised God’s gracious blessings.  The people had had enough.  They were sick of Moses and the Lord.  I don’t know what their plan would have been if the Lord withdrew his blessings from them.  If life was hard while the Lord was blessing them, what would it be if he abandoned them? 

     Rather than abandon them, the Lord got their attention.  Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died” (Numbers 21:6).  Did you catch that?  The Lord sent the serpents.  This was no coincidental infestation.  The Lord was showing the people of Israel the reality that we are always only a step away from death.  We like to think that life will always go on and everything will be fine.  But sin has come into the world, and death comes because of it.  Death does not ask your permission.  It does not negotiate a convenient time.  It comes when God is pleased to bring our lives to an end. 

     When the people began dying from the serpents, the people were no longer begging Moses for a better menu.  They only cared about being delivered from death.  “The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you.  Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us’” (Numbers 21:7).  We only care about death when it feels real, but it is always real.  That is why God lets us feel it from time to time.  That is part of why tragedies and hardships hit us.  This world is broken, and it is dying.  We are sinners, and we are dying.  When we recognize this, we also cry out to the Lord for mercy.

     The people of Israel prayed that the Lord would take away the venomous serpents.  But do you know what?  He didn’t.  The Lord did not take the serpents away.  Instead, the Lord provided a remedy for the death.  This is what the Lord told Moses, “‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole.  And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live’ (Numbers 21:8-9). 

     The remedy for death was lifted up high.  The Lord had attached a promise to that serpent.  All who trusted God’s promise and looked to the bronze serpent lived.  The persistence of the serpents in the camp were a continual reminder that death is always close at hand.  But the Lord provided the remedy for death. 

     The Lord Jesus said that the lifting of the bronze serpent was an image that prefigured his own death.  Jesus said, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).  Just as the serpent was lifted up by Moses, Jesus himself would be lifted up.  This refers to Jesus’ crucifixion.  He would not be stoned to death.  If that were the case, he would be on the ground and the people would cast down stones on him from a higher place.  He would not be stretched out to be beheaded like the apostle Paul was.  He would be lifted up on a pole with a crossbeam, and he would die suspended above the earth. 

     Now, crucifixions were common.  The Romans issued this torturous death to any who posed a serious threat to the authority, order, or peace which the Romans established.  When Jesus was crucified, he was lifted up between two criminals.  So, Jesus being lifted up to die on a cross was not unique to him.  Jesus’ death was on public display.  That was common in crucifixions, too  They were done in a prominent place so that many people would see them.  This display of cruel torture would deter people from daring to repeat what the condemned person was sentenced for.  What was unique about Jesus’ crucifixion is that Jesus is the only one who had a promise attached to it.  For, this is what the Lord says, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). 

     The remedy for death is lifted up high.  Jesus’ death was no secret.  In fact, it is a proclamation.  Jesus’ suffering proclaims the anger that God has against those who ignore his words and turn from godly living.  Jesus’ agony proclaims the curse that sins deserve which Jesus accepted for all mankind; for, all are sinners.  Jesus’ willingness to suffer and die like this proclaims the love that moved God to deliver us from the guilt of our sins and the curse of our death.  This is what God the Father was willing to sacrifice to save you.  The remedy for death was lifted high—just as Moses lifted high the snake in the desert so that everyone there could see the remedy for their own death.

     Saving faith is not knowledge that Jesus died on a cross.  Even atheists know that.  Saving faith trusts the promise attached to Jesus’ death.  Jesus declared, Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).  There will come a day when each of us will close our eyes in death.  When that day comes, our soul and body will separate.  The body will decay and return to dust.  But what becomes of the soul?  It returns to God who created it.  We will go to be with the Lord.  When we close our eyes to this world, we will open them and see Jesus.  So, we will not die.  We simply depart from this world of sin and enter the kingdom of glory.  Jesus is the remedy of death who was lifted high for all to see.

     And Jesus’ promise continues.  Because sin has corrupted our bodies, these bodies cannot live forever.  They are marked for death.  But Jesus is the remedy for death.  He has conquered death by his resurrection.  Jesus’ resurrection proclaims what will be the future of all who believe in him.  As he promised, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).  On the Last Day, Jesus will raise up these bodies.  For, our souls and our bodies were not created to be separate things.  Jesus will raise up our bodies, reunite our bodies with our souls, and we will be wholly restored and renewed to live with our Lord forever.

     For now, we are like those Israelites who were wandering in the wilderness for decades.  We are not home yet.  We live with difficulties, with sorrows, and with blessings that are flawed and that fail.  Sometimes, God sends calamities to us like he did when he sent the serpents to the Israelites.  They prove our frailty and our mortality.  And sometimes, he does not take them away.  They are constant reminders that this world is broken, and it will die.  They are reminders that we are sinners, and we will die.  Death is always real, and we are only a step away from it. 

     But you do not need to live in fear of death, and you do not need to be haunted by how close it is.  Consider what St. Peter wrote, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).  What baptism corresponds to is the Flood and Noah’s ark.  Can you imagine how unnerving it was for Noah and his family to have the ark battered by rain and pounded by waves?  To hear the ark creaking from all the stress put upon it?  Do you think they had to be convinced that death was close at hand?  How many inches of ark wood separated Noah and his family from certain death?  It did not matter, because the Lord had promised to deliver Noah and his family from death.  While the Flood destroyed everything wicked, it also lifted up the ark above the destruction to save the people in it. 

     So, there may only be a step between you and death.  But you have been baptized into Christ.  You have been brought into the ark of the Christian Church.  Everything outside of the Church will perish, but those who are in the Church, that is in Christ, will be saved.  The one thing that stands between you and death is Jesus.  He is the remedy which has been lifted up high to save you.  And as St. Paul wrote in our epistle, God has seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).  That is, he lifts you up above all that will perish so that you remain safe.

     And as you trudge through this life on your way to that heavenly Promised Land, recognize that the Lord gives you everything you need to live right now.  He supplies you with food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home, family and friends.  You may suffer hardships.  The Lord may choose to not take those hardships away from you.  They remind you that everything here is passing away.  Death is close at hand.  But Jesus sticks closer.  He remains our remedy from death.  He will deliver us into that heavenly Promised Land where we will lack nothing.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Sermon -- Funeral for John (Jack) Alexander Boyd

Christian Funeral for
+ John “Jack” Alexander Boyd +
(May 30, 1931 - February 14, 2024)

2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8

JACK BOYD SHALL RECEIVE A CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

In the name + of Jesus.

      The Apostle Paul wrote these words from a prison cell in Rome.  He knew that his life was about to come to an end.  Let me correct that.  He knew his time on earth was about to come to an end.  His life was not about to end.  Instead, he was about to enter life in the glories of heaven, a life which does not know suffering or sorrow.

     St. Paul described his death this way, I am already being poured out as a drink offering” (2 Timothy 4:6).  A drink offering would either be poured out onto the Lord’s altar or onto the ground.  Once it was poured out, you could not get it back.  That is like our time in this world.  Day after day is poured out.  Once it is in the past, we do not get it back.  Jack Boyd lived a long life—over 90 years!  Over the course of those years, he saw the lives of many loved ones poured out and emptied.  He had to bid farewell to his parents and three siblings.  By age 90, he would have bid farewell to many friends, too.  Once they were in the past, he could not get them back.  And now Jack’s life has been poured out.  His departure from this world has come.  Life here is short.  Even a life of 90 years feels short once the final drops are drained out.

     That’s not to say Jack’s life was meaningless.  Family and friends have fond memories of him.  He was active with golf, bowling, skiing, and camping trips to Burt Lake.  A stroke may have taken away his independence, but it did not rob him of his personality.  He enjoyed interacting with other residents in his facility.  I think half the time I went to visit him, he was not in his room.  In his younger years, he served his country in Korea.  He never shared any war stories with me, but maybe that is just as well.  Who knows how many people he met and how many connections he made as a barber?  But no matter how full that life was, it has been poured out now.

     But like St. Paul, Jack Boyd had something better to look forward to.  Life on this earth has been poured out, never to be retrieved again.  But life in the kingdom of God does not have an end date.  St. Paul confessed what he looked forward to, and it is what we get to look forward to as believers in Jesus Christ.  “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). 

     The Lord has laid up for Jack Boyd the crown of righteousness.  But as St. Paul acknowledged, this crown is not earned; it is given.  For there is no one on earth who has been righteous.  Jack Boyd may have been active, productive, and entertaining, but he was not holy.  He confessed that regularly throughout his life, so we do not dishonor him by acknowledging that now. 

     Jack did not go to church to be praised for being a good man.  Jack went to church because he loved that the Lord sent a Savior for him.  He loved Jesus’ appearing.  For, Jesus Christ who is the only man who has ever perfectly obeyed all that God has commanded.  Therefore, Jesus is the righteous judge.  But Jesus does not only demand righteousness, he also supplies it.  Jack was baptized into the name of Jesus where he was clothed in Jesus’ righteousness.  He heard words of absolution which forgave him of all sins.  He went to holy communion where he feasted on the living body and blood of Jesus.  In this way, Jack received a full pardon for all his sins and the righteousness that God demands. 

     Before God, Jack was a righteous man, although it did not always look like it.  For Jack, it probably did not always feel like it.  It is hard to see anything righteous about a stroke.  As he grew older and more frail, he may have wondered if God’s favor was still upon him.  Whenever we endure hardships or loss, we wonder if God is punishing us for something we did.  But God’s favor is not made evident by appearances or by feelings.  God’s favor is revealed in his word.  And what does God say?  He says, Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).  The Lord Jesus showed his favor upon Jack by bringing him into the saving faith.  God’s favor continued as he sustained Jack in the saving faith.  And now the Lord Jesus gives Jack the reward for the faith he had given him.  Jack Boyd will receive the crown of life.

     The crown of righteousness God has pledged to Jack Boyd will not be seen by us until the resurrection on the Last Day.  He did not look glorious after suffering a stroke.  He did not look glorious in his final years in a wheelchair.  He certainly does not look glorious now—ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  But this is the promise: Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).  The Savior bore the curse of God to deliver Jack from the sting of death.  The Savior wore a crown of thorns to secure for Jack the crown of life.  Jesus poured out his life completely to atone for every sin of every sinner.  The Savior who died for his sins also rose from the dead.  So, Jesus lives and reigns over sin because he has taken them away.  Therefore, his righteous judgment is forgiveness.  Jesus lives and reigns over death because he has overpowered the grave.  Therefore, his judgment on the righteous is the resurrection to everlasting glory.  Since Jack was baptized into Jesus, Jesus makes him a victor over sin and death. 

     Jack Boyd will receive the crown of righteousness.  When Jesus appears again in glory on the Last Day, Jack will appear with him and with all the saints who will be dressed in robes of righteousness and wearing crowns of glory.  All the saints will be wearing crowns because we will be living and reigning with Jesus.  For, death does not get the last word.  Jesus does.  Jesus is the righteous judge whose word is stronger than death. 

     Jack Boyd’s life has been poured out like a drink offering.  His time on earth is done.  He has fought the good fight.  He has finished the race.  He has kept the faith.  So, now his body will rest until Jesus comes again.  Then this body which has been redeemed by Jesus will be raised and glorified by Jesus.  Jack Boyd will receive the crown of life, of glory, and of righteousness.  Since Jack belongs to Jesus, he will reign with him in eternal life, endless glory, and perfect righteousness.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.