YouTube -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 23, 2025)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, March 23, 2025.

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 23, 2025)

LUKE 13:1-9

THE LORD USES EVILS TO WORK FOR YOUR SALVATION.

In the name + of Jesus.

      People have always wanted to know why God does what he does, especially when tragedies occur.  When you experience some hardship, whether a health-related concern or a natural disaster, you want to know: Did God send it or did God allow it?  Is God responsible, or is it the devil’s work?  The Bible teaches this: “On a good day, enjoy the good, but on a bad day, consider carefully.  God has made the one as well as the other, so no man can find out about anything that will come later” (Ecclesiastes 7:14).  So, we should never get the idea that God lost control and that the devil had his way with us.  Jesus lives and reigns over all things.

     This is not a reason to assess blame.  This is a reason to take comfort.  For, Jesus promises you this: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…  And surely I am with you always until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18,20).  So, no matter what happens, it only happens with Jesus watching over every aspect of your life and, in fact, of this whole world.  Jesus promises you, “Not one (sparrow) will fall to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father” (Matthew 10:29).  Nothing happens apart from the Lord, whether good or bad.  And nothing happens with Jesus being apart from you.  The Lord uses even evils to work for your salvation.  With this in mind, you can face each day with confidence and peace. 

     Still, we try to figure out what God is doing and why he is doing it.  We long to peak behind the curtain, thinking that we will find comfort and peace if we know the secret things of God.  Well, there’s a reason God keeps them a secret.  It is the same reason parents don’t sit down with their 10-year-old children to explain their credit card debt or the difficulties of their marriage.  The children don’t need to know that.  They only need to know that their parents are with them, love them, and will care for them.  That is exactly what Jesus promises you.  So, fear not.

     “At that time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices” (Luke 13:1).  We don’t know why this bloody tragedy in the temple occurred.  Did Pontius Pilate feel the need to flex some Roman muscles?  Maybe.  Or did these Galileans provoke it?  The Galileans were known for being revolutionaries.  Did some Zealots go to the temple to stage an uprising, causing Pilate’s soldiers to crush it?  Maybe.  Either way, it was a big story, and some wanted to hear what Jesus had to say about it.  Why did this happen?  Why did God allow it?  What was God doing?  Jesus, what do you think?

     Jesus “answered them, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things’” (Luke 13:2)?  From Jesus’ answer, we might infer that people thought these Galileans had it coming to them, that they were receiving their just desserts.  Jesus did not fault the Galileans or curse the Romans.  What Jesus’ answer does teach us is that we should not concern ourselves with why tragedies happen to other people.  Is it God’s judgment?  Is it Satan stirring up trouble?  If you knew the answer, would that make you feel any better about yourself?  If so, you missed the point completely.  Jesus warned, “Do you think that (they) were worse sinners…?  I tell you, no.  But unless you repent, you will all perish too” (Luke 13:2-3).  

     Jesus, then, mentioned another tragedy.  This one was not an act of violence but an accident.  The tower of Siloam had collapsed and crushed 18 people.  Jesus had them consider: “Do you think that they were worse sinners than all the people living in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no.  But unless you repent, you will all perish too” (Luke 13:4-5).  Once again, people must have been thinking that sudden or tragic death reflects God’s judgment.  But we don’t know the mind of God.  He does not tell us why people die suddenly, tragically, or in infancy.  All our groping for answers produces only frustration and suspicion.  When we speculate, we might conclude that God is wicked because we deserve better.  But if you don’t know why something happened, how can you assess blame?

     All we can know about tragedies is what God tells us.  Job reminds us, “Man born of woman has a few short days, and they are full of anxiety.  He blossoms like a flower, but soon withers.  He recedes like a shadow and does not remain.  …Certainly his days are determined.  The number of his months has been set by you.  A limit is set, which he cannot exceed” (Job 14:1-2,5).  So, we know that life is full of anxiety.  Bad things happen.  We know that all lives end in death, and there is no promise about how many days you get.  Meanwhile, all the days leading up to death are a mix of joy and pain, blessing and suffering. 

     But now, the why.  Why do sorrows and sufferings occur?  Because it is a sinful world and we are sinners in this sinful world.  Sin corrupts everything.  Sorrow and suffering are evidence of it.  They are reminders that the end of our lives and the end of the world is coming.  If we are continually reminded that all that we see and possess and experience will come to an end, we will be forced to look for comfort and peace from somewhere outside ourselves and from outside this world.  We will also learn to not be attached to this world or attracted to its blessings.  While we can appreciate the blessings, they are temporary.  The happiness they bring is temporary.  It can be destroyed without notice—like a tower collapsing on eighteen people in Jerusalem.  If you want lasting happiness, it must come from somewhere else.  God uses evils to highlight this and to work for our salvation.

     The only lasting happiness, in fact, ever-lasting happiness, that you will find is through Jesus Christ.  Jesus promises you a joy that cannot be killed off by death.  Jesus issues a sentence which wipes away all guilt.  Jesus gives you a treasure which never loses its value and a peace which will never be interrupted by war, terror, or tragedy.  Although we are familiar with such evils in this world, Jesus will bring you into a kingdom that will be forever free from them all.  The evils you experience here make you long for what is better.  So, God uses these evils to work for your salvation.

     God used evil to secure your salvation.  Although Jesus only ever did good to the people he encountered, he still gained enemies.  They tried to trap him in his words so that they could accuse him as a false teacher.  They slandered him and plotted against him.  They arrested him without charges and unjustly sentenced him.  His death sentence was not done for the sake of justice but for the sake of appeasing an angry mob.  All these evils piled up against Jesus, but all were used by the Lord to work for your salvation. 

     At the cross, a strange justice was carried out.  It has the appearance of evil because the innocent are not supposed to be condemned and the guilty are not supposed to get off scott free.  St. Peter wrote, “Christ suffered once for sins in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).  So, the righteous, innocent man was condemned and the unrighteous have been set free.  This shows you God’s love for you—that he was willing to have his only begotten Son slain for you so that you will not perish but have everlasting life.  That love remains, that salvation stands, that mercy endures even when tragedies and sufferings strike.  Even though they are painful, those hardships are temporary.  God’s love, however, endures forever.  He promises an eternity whose joys are beyond comparison to any sufferings we face here.

     While it is true that Jesus has done all things that need to be done to win your salvation, the Lord still looks for repentance in your life.  Repentance and faith are not merely mental exercises.  They do not just lay there; they produce results.  Repentance puts to death the sinful desires that bring on God’s judgment.  Faith produces a life that does what is good, honorable, generous, and pure.  The Lord looks for these things which prove that our repentance is genuine.

     To make this point, Jesus told the parable about the fruitless fig tree.  The man said, ^“Look, for three years now I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I have found none.  Cut it down.  Why even let it use up the soil” (Luke 13:7)?  Just as you plant a fruit tree to enjoy its fruit, so the Lord has planted you in his kingdom to do works that he delights in.  He has planted faith in you so that it will produce fruits which are evidence of your faith.  If the Lord has been pleased to set you free from all the curses—and eventually all the consequences—of your sins, then the Lord has also set you free to live a life that renounces those sins and lives a life that is godly, productive, and beneficial to others. 

     And he has made this promise to you: “I am the Vine; you are the branches.  The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit” (John 15:5).  So, if your faith is being informed by God’s word and being fed by God’s sacraments, the good works will come forth.  For “it is God who is working in you, both to will and to work, for the sake of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).  Just as Jesus provides the very righteousness you need to stand before the Father at the final judgment, so also Jesus produces in you the very fruits the Father delights to see in your life.  As long as you are being nurtured by God’s word and sacraments, the good fruits will come forth and prove your repentance and your faith to be genuine.

     Even while you strive for good, bad things will still happen to you.  In a sinful world, it is inevitable.  Just as good works are evidence of a living faith, so also tragedies and suffering are evidence of a sinful world.  But God uses these evils to work for your salvation.  They cause you to focus on the glories of the heavenly kingdom.  They also give you opportunities on earth to love and serve your fellow man in his need.  Tragedies experienced by others are ways for fruits of faith to be seen in you.  And tragedies that you experience are ways for you to confess your confidence in God’s promises. 

     So, do not fear.  Jesus lives and reigns in you and for you.  Nothing happens apart from Jesus.  And nothing happens with Jesus being apart from you.  Therefore, you will not perish.  God works all things for your good.

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

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 3, 2024)

JOHN 2:13-22

JESUS IS ZEALOUS FOR RIGHT WORSHIP.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The big tech industries have a reputation for giving problem solving questions to potential employees.  Even if people give the wrong answers, the companies are interested in seeing how the interviewees think.  One question was asked of people who were interviewing for Microsoft.  Their task was to upgrade Bill Gates’ house with every technological innovation they could.  Proposals were made.  Some interesting suggestions were presented—like having the music in the house float from speaker to speaker as Mr. Gates walked from room to room.  The best answer was this: “What does Mr. Gates want?”  The only way anyone could be sure if their project satisfied Mr. Gates is if they knew what Mr. Gates wanted in the first place.

     The same is true for worship.  Many religions have many ideas about how to worship God—everything from blood sacrifice to quiet introspection.  But if we want to know that God is pleased with the worship we offer him, God has to tell us what he wants. 

     When asked why we worship as we do, the common answer, which I have to believe has been used in every church everywhere, is, “We’ve always done it that way before.”  That may be true, but there has to be a reason we’ve always done it that way.  It is true that our worship forms have been handed down to us.  From Christians of the past, we have received rites and ceremonies which have become familiar.  But if we are holding on to tradition for the sake of familiarity or nostalgia, we are worshiping what pleases us. Our concern should be that our worship and our lives please God.  So, we need to keep referring back to God’s word to be assured that our worship and our lives are pleasing to God.  For, our Lord is zealous for right worship. 

     When Jesus entered the temple, he saw worship practices which had morphed into business practices.  “In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there” (John 2:14).  No doubt, they were added because they were practical.  Who wanted to drag an ox all the way from Galilee when you could buy one in Jerusalem?  And if you were going to buy one in Jerusalem anyway, why not get it at the temple?  That’s one-stop shopping!  All the Jewish men were required to pay an annual temple tax.  That tax was to be paid with a shekel.  But if you were a pilgrim from outside of Palestine, you would have different coinage.  You would need to get it exchanged.  And once again, why not offer one-stop shopping and make your exchange in the temple courts?  The priests had developed a pretty slick business model.  But the Church is not a business.  The temple was to be a house of worship and prayer, not a house of trade.

     Jesus is zealous for right worship, and so he addressed the abuses in the temple.  “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen.  And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.  And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade’” (John 2:15-16).  Jesus did not overthrow everything that was going on in the temple, just the abuses that had crept in.  The priests defended what was practical even though it made a poor confession.  They did not treat God’s house as if it were holy ground.  Zeal for God’s house consumed Jesus.  He demanded that the holy things be treated like holy things.  Jesus is zealous for right worship.

     We struggle with worship for various reasons, usually sinful reasons.  We want worship to be done to our liking.  We all have our favorite hymns, and we may become angry if they are not chosen often enough.  Sometimes we come looking for things to bother us.  If you come to church with your own expectations and your expectations are not met, you may walk away.  You may even believe that you are justified to do so.  After all, the church did not do things the way you wanted.  But if my worship is about my preference, my ego, my comfort, or my entertainment, then worship is all about me.  This is idolatry.  Repent.

     The Lord is zealous for right worship.  He is not pleased with us crafting our worship to suit our pleasures no matter how pretty or practical we think it is.  So, turn back to God’s word.  There we are told what delights him as right worship.  Psalm 51 guides us, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).  We come to God as broken sinners.  We do not bring anything to the service that God needs.  Really, God does not need us.  If we are wiped out, God is still glorious, holy, almighty, and content.  We do not come to God’s house to do him any favors.  Many Christians over the years have told their pastor, “You should just be thankful I am here.”  That sure sounds like, “I would rather be somewhere else than God’s presence.”  Beware.  Those who think that way may well be excused from God’s presence for eternity.

     Jesus is zealous for right worship.  We come rightly as beggars.  If we are beggars, then it is God who must fill us with good things.  And that is why we come to God’s house and assemble in God’s presence.  Our Lord summons us so that he can give us the mercy and the hope we need.  Jesus is the only one who supplies these blessings.  Jesus told his disciples, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).  Therefore, we come to God’s house.  Here, the Lord serves us.

     The Father is zealous for your salvation, so he sent his Son to suffer for your sins and die as a sin offering for you.  The Son was zealous to do his Father’s will.  Jesus did not serve to satisfy his desires, his preferences, his emotions, or his ego.  Jesus had one goal—to obey his Father’s will even if it meant being cursed despite perfect obedience.  Jesus was zealous for his Father’s will, which meant that Jesus was zealous to save you.  Jesus, therefore, gave his life as the ransom price to buy you back from sin, death, and the devil.  He paid the full price to set you free.

     Jesus is zealous for right worship so that he can deliver to you the gifts that save you.  But right worship also means that we come before Jesus where he tells us to find him.  Some have reasoned, “Since God is everywhere I can worship him just as easily in my cabin up north as I can in church.”  Well, it is true that God is everywhere.  He is omnipresent.  He fills all things.  Since God is everywhere, he is in fire, too.  So, why don’t you play with fire?  Why don’t you hold it in your lap and embrace God there since he is in fire?  Because God is not in fire for you.  Fire does what God created it to do—to burn, scorch, and destroy.  God has made no promise that he will forgive your sins or deliver salvation through fire.  Just because God is present everywhere does not mean he is there for you and for your salvation.  Right worship happens where the Lord tells us that we will find him for our good.

     Jesus is zealous for right worship.  We consider the Scriptures again to see what is held up as right worship.  The apostles who preached and who organized the church set a pattern for worship.  The early church “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).  The fellowship is God’s people who gather together in Jesus’ name.  The apostles’ teaching is the words and works of Jesus which proclaim divine grace to us.  The breaking of bread is holy communion in which Jesus gives you his body and blood which have paid for your sins and which have overcome death.  The prayers are likely a liturgical form which keeps our worship focused on our Triune God and what he does for us.  This is where our Lord delivers forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation.  You do not gain God’s favor by good works, by quiet introspection, or by your own theories and judgments.  God’s favor is found only where God tells us to find it.  Anything else is not right worship.

     When Jesus cleansed the temple of all the abuses there, the religious leaders were outraged.  They were accustomed to business as usual in the temple and saw no reason for Jesus’ interruption.  You can imagine them saying, “We’ve always done it this way.”  They confronted Jesus.  “What sign do you show us for doing these things” (John 2:18)?  They wanted evidence from heaven that Jesus had the right to cleanse the temple.  If they had been paying attention, Jesus had stated his authority when he cried out, “Do not make my Father's house a house of trade” (John 2:16).  If Jesus called God his Father, then Jesus was claiming to be the Son of God.  So, it is Jesus’ house they were desecrating, and he was zealous to see right worship in it.

     But Jesus gave them a sign.  It is the only sign he ever gave to them.  “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).  What is the temple?  It is where God has chosen to dwell with his people.  Who is Jesus?  He is God who has chosen to dwell with his people.  Jesus was telling the religious leaders that they would destroy his body in death, but that he would rise from the dead again on the third day.  This would prove Jesus is God the Son.  It proves that he has the authority to tell us what right worship looks like.  The one who said he would be killed and rise from dead on the third day and then did it deserves to be listened to.  It even proves that Jesus has the authority to judge the living and the dead.  The Bible reminds us, “(God) has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).  In the end, Jesus will judge people according to how they worshiped—whether we are devoted to our own desires or we are devoted to what God desires.

     Jesus is zealous for right worship, but he is not zealous to destroy you.  He is zealous to save you.  He tells you what is good and pleasing to him.  He proclaims what is good so you can pursue it.  He reveals what is evil so you can turn from it.  Most importantly, he tells you what he has done to take away your sins and to grant you a resurrection to life everlasting.  And he tells you how he delivers these things to you.  We rightly approach our Lord as penitent sinners who stand on holy ground.  And we rightly call upon Jesus to provide us with all that we need to stand before our heavenly Father in innocence.  If our worship keeps us focused on that, it is good, right, and salutary. 

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

YouTube -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 12, 2023)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 12, 2023)

EXODUS 17:1-7

THE LORD PROVIDES THE WATERS OF LIFE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     When the nation of Israel left Egypt, a census was taken.  The count of men eligible for military service was over 600,000 men.  Add in the women, the children, and the elderly, and this was a nation of about two million people.  Now recall that they had flocks, herds, and other animals with them.  They were all in the wilderness.  A wilderness is an area not suitable for farming; grazing, perhaps, but not agriculture.  There were no fields of grain, orchards of fruit, or vineyards.

     Just a few months earlier, they had been living in Egypt.  There the Nile River offered an endless supply of water.  Because of the Nile, crops were plentiful in variety and quantity.  Of course, the downside of being in Egypt was forced labor and brutal treatment.  The Egyptians had little compassion for the people of Israel.  At one point, the royal policy was genocide—the death of every Hebrew baby boy.  So, the food in Egypt might have been good, but life in Egypt was unbearable.

     The Lord, in his mercy, delivered the people of Israel from the brutality and slavery of the Egyptians.  He not only led the people of Israel to freedom, he also destroyed the Egyptian army who pursued them.  Pharaoh’s army was consumed by the Red Sea.  They would never pose a threat to Israel again.  This nation of about two million people was delivered by the Lord who had sworn to give them a land of great abundance and riches.  But they were not there yet.  The Lord led them through a wilderness where he promised them: If they would obey his word, he would bless and keep them.

     It seems that God’s goodness and God’s promise were forgotten quickly.  “All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.  … And the people grumbled against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst’” (Exodus 17:1,3)?   

     Can you imagine being the parent of a young child saying, “I’m thirsty,” but there is no water to be found?  Why would Moses intentionally lead an entire nation to a place devoid of a key necessity for life?  As soon as the journey got hard, they quarreled with God and with Moses.  They even made an accusation: “Is the Lord among us or not” (Exodus 17:7)?    

     Oh, how quickly people forget the Lord’s goodness!  Would the Lord really go through all the trouble of the plagues, the Passover, and the deliverance through the Red Sea just to let the nation of Israel die in the wilderness?  The Lord had sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that the land of Canaan would be given to their descendants.  Would the Lord renege on his oath?  Was he incapable of keeping it?  Is God so callous, so indifferent that he would neglect the people he had chosen for his own?  Of course, not. 

     It is easy for us to scoff at the panic and impatience of the Israelites because we know how the story ends.  The Lord provided them with the water of life—and remember: This was enough water to quench the thirst of two million people with their flocks and herds!  We also know that the Lord delivered them to the Promised Land, just as he swore he would.  It is easy to be confident when you know the end of the story.  And it is easy to be at peace when it is someone else who is going through the hardship. 

     Your life knows its share of hardships, too.  Some things are merely inconvenient and annoying.  Having a power outage for two days is inconvenient.  Waiting on the phone for customer service and having to deal with a computer instead of a person is annoying.  Road construction is annoying and traffic delays are inconvenient.  We might complain that these are hardships, but they really aren’t.  Real hardships produce panic or tears.

     As time goes by, the Lord delivers you into more and more hardships.  Often, this means that blessings get taken away from you.  You were probably blessed by your parents for much of your life.  But eventually, they are taken away from you.  You have been blessed by many friends, but they may move away, become estranged, or die.  As you age, you can lose your hearing, your eyesight, your balance.  You may have to give up driving your car or living in your home.  Perhaps you may not have to wait until you are that old.  You may suffer from some virus or disorder that robs you of mobility or memory.  You may be plagued by anxiety or depression.  Medical bills may drain your bank account.  Like the Israelites, you may wonder: “Is the Lord among us or not” (Exodus 17:7)? 

     Oh, how quickly we forget the Lord’s goodness!  Remember what the Lord has done for you.  He became a human being and subjected himself to the sorrows and pains of a sinful world.  He engaged with people who cared about his healing touch but not about his preaching.  Jesus’ disciples frustrated him with their lack of understanding and with their arguments about which of them was the greatest.  He was betrayed by one, denied by another, and forsaken by all of them.  He was falsely condemned by the Church and unjustly sentenced to be crucified by the State.  At the cross, he offered up his sinless life on behalf of all who sin against him.  He suffered in silence for all who complain about him.  We accuse, “Is the Lord among us or not” (Exodus 17:7)? when he has never forsaken us.  To atone for this, Jesus was forsaken by his Father—not merely suffering hardship, but enduring hell so that we will never have to.  The heavenly Father poured out his anger upon Jesus when he should have done so to us.  Now, after Jesus has done all that for you, after Jesus marked you as his very own through your baptism, do you think he will abandon you and let you suffer hardship on your own?  Repent.

     Moses memorialized the place where he struck the rock and where God provided the water of life for millions of people and for their animals.  “He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord” (Exodus 17:7).  Meribah means “place of quarreling.”  Massah means “place of testing.”  But who tested whom?  Yes, the people put the Lord to the test when they suggested that he was not loving or faithful.  But God also tested the people of Israel.  God sent hardships upon the people of Israel to see how they would respond.  Would they call upon the Lord for mercy, or would they find fault with the Lord because his ways are too hard?  Would they forget the Promised Land and return to Egypt, reasoning that full bellies were worth broken backs, that Egyptian slave masters were better than the Lord?  They did—more than once.  Nevertheless, the Lord was merciful.  Perhaps they would learn the lesson: God does not forsake his people even in times of hardship.

     The Lord provided the water of life to the people of Israel because they needed it.  It sustained them through their wilderness journey to the Promised Land.  In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul noted that God’s provision was not a one-time event.  The journey of two million people through wilderness land was a hard journey.  The Lord often led them to places where provisions were scarce or absent, but he always provided for their needs.  St. Paul wrote, “Our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.  For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4).  The Lord was always with his people, and he always provided the water of life to sustain them.

     It is no different for us.  We live in a world which is hostile to God’s word.  We live with hardships and suffering and loss.  The Lord tests us through these difficulties.  The loss of family and friends is hard.  The loss of sight and hearing is hard.  The loss of mobility and memory are hard.  Stress, anxiety, and depression are hard.  But through all these things, the Lord remains with us.  He teaches us not to trust in the many blessings he gives us.  They will all pass away.  In the end, we have what we need even without them.  Despite our losses, the Lord supplies what we need to live.  He desires us to trust in him alone for our peace and confidence.  No matter what we suffer or lose, we will discover that, with Jesus, we have all we ever needed.  For he will bring us into our heaven home. 

     The Lord provided the people of Israel with the water of life.  It was not just the water that flowed from the rock that they needed to survive the wilderness.  Jesus supplies the water of life which is his Gospel message.  This is the word that refreshes us in the harsh world.  The world will not become less harsh.  The word of God will always be despised.  Hardships, sorrows, pain, and loss will continue to pile up.  But fear not.  Jesus is our Immanuel, God with us, even when the hardships.  He provides the water of life which comforts and sustains us as we pass through this world to the heavenly Promised Land.  And he gives us a feast which strengthens us on that journey home.  Jesus gives us his very body and blood which forgives our sins and sustains our faith.  The body and blood which have overcome death supply us with the life-giving resource we need to endure a dying world.  The peace of Jesus refreshes us in a hostile world.  The water of life from Jesus quenches our thirsty needs.

     It is easy to be confident when you know the end of the story.  Well, you do know the end of the story.  We confess it each week: We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.  Jesus has secured your place there.  He sealed you as his own through your baptism.  He lives and reigns for you, and he does not forget his own. 

     It is easy to be at peace when it is someone else who endures the hardship.  Jesus has endured the hardship for you.  He bore the guilt of sin, the wrath of his Father, and the curse of death for you.  While you may suffer hardships and difficulties, none of them can truly harm you.  Not even death can harm you.  For you have a resurrection to life everlasting.  You have a heavenly Promised Land that awaits.  Jesus will provide all you need to get you there.

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

YouTube --3rd Sunday in Lent (March 20, 2022)

Here is the service from Sunday, March 20, 2022.

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 20, 2022)

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13

JESUS IS THE PERFECT HOPE FOR COMMON SINNERS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     If you had a history teacher with a sense of humor, you may have heard him say, “Those who do not learn history are condemned to repeat it.”  This is true regarding our Christian faith, too.  When St. Paul wrote about the Israelites in the Old Testament, he commented, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did” (1 Corinthians 10:6).  The people St. Paul referred to were not strangers to the Lord and his promises.  They all had the advantage of the Lord’s covenant and care.  Five times, St. Paul noted that they all received the Lord’s benefits.  And yet, “with most of them God was not pleased” (1 Corinthians 10:5).  Understand the history, and heed the warning.

     The history of Israel is sadly redundant.  It is very pronounced in the book of Judges.  The cycle repeats over and over.  Again Israel did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.  So the Lord handed Israel over to an oppressing nation.  After years of hardship, the people of Israel finally cried out to the Lord.  In his mercy, the Lord raised up a deliverer who drove out the invading nation.  For as long as that judge was alive, the people remained faithful to the Lord.  But then the judge died.  They people became negligent.  They did not listen to or follow the word of the Lord.  So, again, Israel did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.  That sad pattern continues through the history of the world.  If you do not pay heed to the lessons of history, you are condemned to repeat them.

     If God’s people in the past could fall away from the faith, God’s people today can also fall away.  There is nothing special about us that sets us free from the temptations that caused the people of the past to fall.  St. Paul wrote, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  We are common sinners who endure temptations that are common.  All people are afflicted with temptations no matter what age you live in or what age you are.  Temptations are tailored to you.  You and I might not face the same temptations.  What is a great temptation to me might not bother you at all, and what tempts you might be unappealing to me.  The devil knows our weaknesses and preys on them.  If you are contemplating or drawn to something that you know God forbids, you are not special.  Perhaps not everyone is tempted that way, but you are not the only one who is.  “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

     We are all afflicted by temptations.  The devil continually sows seeds of doubt and deception in our hearts.  He teaches us to question everything about God, his word, his grace, and our place in his kingdom.  He wants us to displace our trust.  He did that with Simon Peter on the night Jesus was betrayed.  Jesus had warned Peter that he would deny him three times that night.  But Peter was so confident in his own strength and faith that he refused to believe it.  He boasted, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”  “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you” (Matthew 26:33,35)!  You know how that evening ended.  Peter’s faith in his own strength proved disastrous as he denied three times that he was a disciple of Jesus.  “These things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).  Learn from the history so that you are not condemned to repeat it.

     The fact that you are enduring temptations is not unusual.  The devil tries to deceive you.  Worldly attitudes promote greed, pride, and debauchery.  Your own sinful flesh finds sins beneficial and entertaining.  You give into them because you like them.  You defend them because you don’t want to give them up.  This is common for all people, and we are common sinners like all others. 

     Not only does the devil entice you into great and shameful sins, he will also lead you into despair.  The despair may come from being consumed by your guilt, as it happened with Judas Iscariot after he betrayed Jesus.  Judas’ solution was to kill himself.  If you have ever toyed with that idea, you are not unique.  This temptation is common.  Or despair may come from excessive sorrow over sins, as it happened with Simon Peter after he denied Jesus.  Peter wondered if there was a place for him any longer in the kingdom of God, much less as an apostle.  If you have ever wondered if God really loves you or desires you because of your sins, you are not unique.  That temptation is common, too.  But if you have thought that God is done with you or that you should kill yourself, know for certain that it is not your Lord Jesus Christ who is telling you that.

     “These things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.  Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).  When we recognize that the saints of the past fell hard, we should make sure that we have a proper humility about ourselves.  That’s why we begin each Divine Service with a confession of sins.  We do not do it for God’s sake; we do it for ours.  We must never forget that we are common sinners.  We must never forget that we are prone to temptation.  We must never forget that we need a Savior because we have no hope of our own that could save us.  If you confess you are a common sinner, then you have everything in common with the sinners of the past.

     Those who do not learn history are condemned to repeat it.  Like sinners from the past, we too may be tempted to take pride in ourselves—thinking that we will stand firm because of our church attendance, because of our offerings, or because we know how to behave in front of the right people.  While those are good works, they don’t save.  Consider this: Gracelynn cannot boast of church attendance, offerings, or proper behavior.  And yet, she is saved.  That’s because our hope is not in how much we are doing for Jesus.  Our hope is in how much Jesus has done for us.  Jesus is the perfect hope for the common sinner. 

     Jesus is your perfect hope because he knows what it is to be tempted.  The Bible says that Jesus “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).  So, Jesus is sympathetic toward you.  He knows that you are a sinner, but he does not despise you.  He knows your weaknesses, but he does not disown you.  He knows that you have given in when you should have fought harder, but he does not forsake you.  Jesus remains your Savior. 

     Jesus is the perfect hope for common sinners.  What’s more, he extends you a promise through the apostle Paul.  St. Paul assures you, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Some temptations can be avoided.  The recovering alcoholic knows he cannot go into a tavern.  He may even need to cut ties with old drinking buddies.  But no one can escape all temptations.  Martin Luther compared temptations to birds.  He said, “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”  In other words, temptations are bound to come, but it does not mean that you have to give into them.  And you should not even give time to fantasizing or them, lest they roost in your mind.  The longer you contemplate them, the more tempting they will be.

     All people have given in to temptation; Jesus is the one man who did not.  He exposed Satan’s lies for what they were.  He rejected Satan’s deceptive reasoning and seductive promises.  He overcame every temptation.  He did this for you so that you can flee to Jesus whenever you are being tempted.  Who better than Jesus to call upon when you are tempted or tormented or troubled?  Jesus is sympathetic to your weaknesses.  He is always a refuge for sinners.  Jesus is stronger than the devil and has overcome him.  And Jesus is faithful to you.  He does not let you try to stand against temptation by your own wisdom and wit, strength and savvy.  He summons you, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15).  If Jesus drove out the demons who physically possessed people, will he not also drive away the demons who tempt and torment you?

     Even if you fall into temptation, Jesus is still the perfect hope for the common sinner.  Jesus is the way out of sin, for he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  All our sins were piled onto Jesus.  The Righteous One was slain on behalf of the unrighteous so that we can stand before God without fear of condemnation.  Jesus endured our condemnation for us when he was crucified.  That is the way out of your sin—through Jesus Christ. 

     Jesus is the perfect hope for the common sinner.  He bestows forgiveness when the word of God is preached, which is why we come to hear it.  He grants new life in the waters of baptism, which is why Gracelynn was baptized and why we have comfort in our own baptisms.  He delivers to you the body and blood which have atoned for your sins in the Holy Supper.  And we have yet one more promise: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  We don’t have to pretend before God.  We don’t have to invent virtues or present resumes.  We can be honest and admit that we are common sinners with guilt that is common to all mankind.  We can do this because we know that we have a merciful God.  He is faithful—he acquits us of all guilt for the sake of Jesus.  And he is just—he will not punish us for sins that have already been paid for.  This is why Jesus is the perfect hope for common sinners. 

     If you do not learn from history, you are condemned to repeat it.  The history of God’s people is that some fall away from the grace of God because they loved their sins and would not repent.  Learn the lesson.  You and I cannot stand on our own.  We fall into sin often.  But the Lord has set us on the Rock that does not move, and that Rock is Christ.  Even if we tremble in weakness or cower in fear, the Rock of our salvation remains firm.  He is your strength, your refuge, and your perfect hope.  The Lord Jesus does not even regard you as a common sinner.  Because you have been baptized into his name, he declares you to be his beloved saint.  This is the grace that allows you to stand before the Lord and to dwell in his kingdom forever.

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

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 7, 2021)

1 CORINTHIANS 1:18-25

POWER AND WISDOM ARE IN GOD’S WORD.

 In the name + of Jesus.

            When Jesus grabbed a bunch of cords to drive the animals and merchants out of the temple, those who were expelled were understandably surprised and upset.  Jesus had disrupted business as usual.  They demanded answers: “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” (John 2:18)  A miraculous sign was one of the ways a prophet of the Lord would prove his authority, just as it was with Moses and Elijah.  However, not every prophet is recorded to have done miraculous signs.  Neither Nathan nor Jeremiah nor John the Baptist did a miraculous sign, and each of them was recognized as a prophet.

     Still, the Jewish religious leaders demanded Jesus prove himself with a miraculous sign.  What they missed was the true authority Jesus claimed.  Jesus had said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” (Matthew 21:13)  In that short comment, Jesus had quoted both Isaiah (56:7) and Jeremiah (7:11).  This was not about Jesus being in an ornery mood or acting on impulse; this was about Jesus being zealous for the house of the Lord.  It was about Jesus holding God’s word to be both dear and true.  It was about God’s people having sacred space for prayer.  The authority Jesus invoked was the word of God.  Power and wisdom are in God’s word; and they still are. 

     St. Paul emphasized that in his letter to the Corinthians.  He wrote, “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)  To those who are perishing, the word of God is foolish, unreasonable, and worthy of scorn.

     To you, however, the word of God is both wise and powerful.  It makes you wise for salvation.  You know where to find the forgiveness of your sins.  You cling to the promises of God which were fulfilled by Jesus and which are applied to you by the word and sacraments.  The Gospel is the power of God which releases you from the grip of the devil, the threat of hell, and the fear of the grave.  God’s power to save is found in Jesus as he was nailed to a cross, beaten, bleeding, naked, mocked, shamed, and died.  What appears as weak and pathetic is the glory and power of God; for that is where sin, death, and the devil are all defeated.  These things are not automatically known; they have to be proclaimed.  These things are not automatically believed; faith must be granted to you.  God’s word has been put into your ears and into your heart so that you receive God’s grace.  Power and wisdom are in God’s word.

     To you, it is also remarkable that so many would despise God’s word.  But that’s how it always has been.  St. Paul remarked, “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23)  The Jews who challenged Jesus in the temple were not swayed by God’s word when Jesus quoted it.  They demanded a miraculous sign before they would believe Jesus.  Ironically, Jesus did give them a sign: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19)  The temple is where God dwells with his people.  Jesus is God who dwells with his people.  He foretold that they would kill him, but that he would raise himself from the dead.  He did, and they still did not believe.  Whoever does not believe God’s word will not believe even if miracles are presented as evidence.  The power to save is not in miraculous sings; the power is in God’s word.

     Greeks, on the other hand, look for wisdom.  They want God’s word to be reasonable and subject to scientific formulas.  Or they may want a special wisdom that reads minds or predicts the future.  In either case, they want God to be restricted to their own wisdom and whims.  But God’s wisdom is not about telling the future for this life; it is about revealing salvation for eternal life.  True wisdom is found in God’s word.

     What was true in Paul’s day is still true today.  You and I are influenced by it too, for sin still clings to our hearts.  We still crave the signs.  We want God to prove his love by feeding our egos.  A loving God should always give us money, a clean bill of health, the downfall of our enemies, and honor, success, and popularity.  What does it say if we don’t have them?  Has God failed us?  Does he actually love us?  Our sinful flesh craves signs and questions or even despises God when he does not perform.

     Of course, we also look for wisdom.  Perhaps our greatest threat to our faith comes from our desire to be loved and respected by the world.  The world has its own wisdom.  That’s not to say it is entirely useless or evil.  Science has benefited us with medicine, homes that are lit and heated, personal computers, digital cameras, and cars that can parallel park themselves.  For these things, we give thanks.  But those blessings only help with this life.  They do not soothe a guilty conscience or comfort a fearful heart. 

     The world in its wisdom regards God and his word as foolish.  Science rejects God because God refuses to be reduced to formulas and equations.  College professors may hold many degrees and dazzle you with their intellect.  They have command of their topic, so it may feel like their arguments are undefeatable—even when they mock God’s word and calls God a liar.  Don’t think so?  Say that God created the world in six days.  State that God created man and woman and did not suggest any additional sexes or changing between them.  You will be mocked and ridiculed for believing what the Bible says about these things, and you will hear arguments which supposedly prove God’s word is wrong.  If you should have to suffer that, then listen to the word of the Lord: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

     Sadly, many Christian churches have abandoned God’s word and adopted this worldly wisdom.  It has been met with great applause from the world and with great pride from these churches.  But to adopt the world’s wisdom, these churches have had to dismiss God’s word and say that God’s word does not mean what it says.

     But now Paul would ask you: “Where is the one who is wise?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the debater of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20)  Which philosopher can release you from the guilt of your sins?  Which professor can outsmart the grave?  If the wisdom of this world is so brilliant, why aren’t people more honest, content, loving, chaste, and patient than they’ve ever been?  You who know and confess God’s word still have not overcome your own sins.  If God’s people are still sinners, how can it be better for those who mock God and his word?  All the intelligence and number crunching and technology in this world cannot take away a single sin.  No matter what your GPA was, all are going to die.  Where are the scholars, the wise men, and the philosophers to fix that?  Even if they reject God’s word and defy God himself, they are still condemned by it and accountable to him.  And they call you fools!

     Wisdom and power are in God’s word.  “It pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:21)  God chooses to use what is foolish to impart divine wisdom.  God does this to show you that salvation is his gift and his work.  You are not saved because you are strong.  It is those who confess that they are powerless whom God saves.  You are not saved because you are smart.  It is those who confess the foolishness of their sinful hearts that are saved. 

     The payment God made to save sinners was done on a cross some 2,000 years ago.  Jesus died in humility and weakness, forsaken and rejected by God, crushed and condemned for our sins.  But the benefits of that payment are delivered to you now.  It is not delivered by miraculous signs.  It is not granted through some divine insight from within you.  It is delivered with words.  It is given through preaching.  It is proclaimed by weak, sinful, flawed, and dying men who sometimes stumble over words or deliver it poorly.  It is unimpressive, isn’t it?  And yet this is where the wisdom and power of God are unleashed. 

     Wisdom and power are in the word of God.  For this is what the Lord says: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)  God delivers his wisdom through words.  God, who created the world through words, creates a new life in you through words.  God decrees you absolved of sin, declares your verdict of innocence, and pronounces your release from death and the devil through words.  The Holy Spirit who breathed into the apostles the very words of God breathes new life into you as those words are proclaimed.  And if the way God delivers his gifts to you is underwhelming in appearance, it is because God desires to use what is common and even despised for his glorious purposes.  This is to show that the wisdom for salvation comes from God and the power to save is God’s work alone.

     Wisdom and power are in God’s word.  “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)  Faith came to you through the word—whether preached or attached to the sacraments.  Faith continues to come, is sustained, and is strengthened through the word—whether preached or attached to the sacraments.  This word is where the Holy Spirit works to keep you in the Christian faith.  That is why we always gather around the word and sacraments.

     Be aware: You can forfeit the salvation God has given you.  The most common way that happens is that you to stop listening to the word of the Lord.  If you do, some other word will take its place.  You will end up embracing and believing what the world passes off as wisdom.  You might even feel proud that you are smarter than God, but you will forfeit the only deliverance from sin, death, and the devil there is.  You might still be a nice person.  But Jesus does not save nice people; Jesus saves only those who believe.  For, “it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:21) 

     If you long to be wise for salvation, listen to the word.  If you want to know the power that delivers you from sin, death, and the devil, listen to the word.  The power to save and the wisdom for salvation are found only in God’s word.  All the wisdom, power, and glory of the world will pass away; but the word of the Lord endures forever.  So do those who believe it.

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

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 15, 2020)

EPHESIANS 5:8-14

YOU ARE CHILDREN OF LIGHT.

In the name + of Jesus.

     One of the blessings of confessing the Christian faith is that it allows us to be utterly honest about everything.  First of all, we get to be honest with ourselves.  We get to acknowledge what St. Paul says as true: “At one time you were darkness.” (Ephesians 5:8)  Now, for many of us, that darkness did not last that long.  If you were baptized as an infant, you were snatched out of darkness and brought into God's wonderful light. 
     But we did not come into God's family by right.  We all came into this world in darkness, that is, as sinful beings.  And we know what it is to have our sinful nature continue to crave and delight in sins.  We can be honest about this and acknowledge that we have not shaken it off.  We all have our darker days when we seek revenge, we give in to self-importance which leads only to anger, and we despise those whose opinions are not like ours.  In the dark regions of our hearts, we would rather defend our sins and claim that they are justified, or at least understandable.  But God shines the light of his word onto our lives and exposes our sins and our sinful nature for what they are: evil.  Dear Christian, your faith gives you the honesty to confess these things.  We confess our sins and our sinfulness.  We acknowledge that God is good and right and true.  We repent of our sins and fight against every inclination to do them.
     St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians was not written to ungodly, impenitent people.  He was writing to Christians, to people who had been rescued from darkness and from the devil's realm.  He writes not just to the Ephesians, but to the Church, and therefore to you.  And he reminds you what you are now: “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light...” (Ephesians 5:8)  
     You are children of light.  That means that not only Christ has exposed your sinfulness so that you would repent.  It especially means that the Holy Spirit has enlightened you to see that God is merciful; he does not treat us as our sins deserve.  More than that, God is gracious.  He blesses us and gives us gifts that we do not deserve.  Jesus Christ is the light of the world, and he shows himself to be the Savior of sinners.  He has plunged himself into the depths of darkness to pull us out of sin and death.  In doing so, he has covered himself in our sins.  He did not shy away from our darkest moments, but had compassion on us despite them.  In order to deliver us, Jesus bore our curse.  As he hung cursed from the cross, darkness covered the land and the Father forsook his Son.  Jesus suffered the pains of death and the torments of hell for us.  But on the third day, Jesus brought us into the light of God's goodness by his resurrection.  When the grave burst open, so did the gates of heaven.  Your sins have been taken away.  Your heart has been renewed, and your eyes are now open. 
     You are children of light.  That means you not only see God as the gracious Savior who delivers you from every evil, you also see that God's word is good and right and true.  By his word, God guides and directs us so that we do not return to wickedness and all the consequences that come with it.  You are children of light.  It is honest to confess this, because the Lord Jesus tells you this is what you are, and he never lies to you.  You have been baptized into Christ which cleanses you of your sinfulness and marks you as children of God.
     You are children of light.  Jesus has enlightened you to see that a godly life is a better life.  But you also have the honesty to acknowledge that the world is still wicked.  St. Paul writes, “Walk as children of light....  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.” (Ephesians 5:8-12)  
     While it may be shameful to speak of the things that are done under the cover of darkness, we know what those things are.  That is because they are flaunted before us.  They are the main plot in the movies, the lyrics of pop songs, the goal of television characters, and topics which people boast about on social media.  The world has forgotten how to blush over shameful deeds.  Having shameful actions flaunted as they are, we might become so accustomed to them that we no longer regard them as shameful.  God's word shows you differently.  He reminds you who you are: You are children of light.  For this reason, you do not join in with them, nor do you have to approve of them.  Even if sins are commonplace, they ought not be common among us.  You have been rescued from the darkness; you gain nothing by going back to it.  Live as children of light; for that is what you are.
     You get to be utterly honest about everything.  The light of God's word exposes the world for what it is: evil.  It grieves us to see so many live with sin-darkened minds and hearts.  We know that they are perishing.  As children who dwell in God's light, we reveal God's light to others and expose the truth.  If your goal in doing so is only to condemn them for their sins, the scorn you receive will be deserved.  But if your goal is to love them despite their sins and to rescue them from the darkness they live in, you may still receive scorn.  But you can rest with a clean conscience.  God has enlightened us to know the only hope for sinners.  Only in Christ is there deliverance from darkness and death.  Therefore, we proclaim God's word so that others may also be delivered from death and darkness to light and life.
     The light of God's word allows us to see both the blessings in this world and its problems.  We are grateful for the blessings God grants, but we also pray, “Deliver us from evil.”  Whether you are the victim of someone's scorn, grieving the loss of loved ones, or fearful of a pandemic, you recognize evils for what they are—the consequences of sin entering the world and corrupting it.  There is nothing un-Christian about saying, “This really stinks.”  Because of sin, life can be hard and even painful.  It is for these reasons that we pray for the glories of heaven when we will be forever free from sorrow, pain, and loss.
     At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8-9)  You are children of light; therefore, live like children of light.  That is more than just avoiding wickedness.  It is also making sure that you do not make idols of the good things in this world.  Many people are frightened over the coronavirus.  They are afraid of isolation, sickness, and possible death.  Others are bothered because sports have stopped or because the stock market dropped thousands of points.  People want to their entertainment, wealth, and health are preserved.  These are not inherently evil, but neither do they deliver from sin or death.  Only Jesus does this.  Therefore, the only thing with real value is the Gospel in word and sacraments.  That is what we must cherish.
     You are children of light.  God has enlightened you to recognize that our only hope is found in Jesus.  We don't know the future; God has chosen not to reveal it.  Perhaps the virus will pass away.  Perhaps it will be like the Plague in the 1400's which claimed the lives of one third of Europe.  But God has enlightened you to know this: No plague sends anyone to hell.  Only sin does that.  God has enlightened you to know this: Jesus Christ has taken away your sin.  Jesus Christ has overcome death and the grave.  Jesus Christ assures you of an everlasting glory.  God has enlightened you to know this: Life in Christ does not end.  Time in this world may run short, but time in the kingdom of God never runs out.  And God has enlightened you to know this: No matter what you endure in this world, God's love and mercy remain constant.  His promises stand firm—regardless of panic, shortages, quarantines, or death.  In fact, his promises stand firm over death.
     You do not live in the dark.  You are children of light.  And our Lord will finally deliver us all to his kingdom of everlasting light and life and glory.  So, live as children of light.  Do not fear, but rejoice.  The Lord Jesus Christ lives and reigns.  And we shall live and reign with him.

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

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday in Lent (March 24, 2019)

EXODUS 3:1-8b,10-15

THE LORD IS REMEMBERED 

AS YOUR DELIVERER.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The Lord Jesus taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil.”  No doubt, that is a heart-felt prayer by many Christians.  We all have different evils that come to mind when we pray that, depending upon what we are going through.  We either pray that we never have to face certain difficulties, trials, and sorrows, or we plead that God would relieve us from the ones we are facing.  Brothers and sisters, the day is coming when we will be delivered from every form of evil that exists.  The Lord is remembered as your deliverer.  On the Last Day, our Lord will deliver us to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.  Then, everything will be right.  Everything will be restored to the perfection that God has always intended us to have.
     Until that day, we will have to deal with various difficulties, trials, and sorrows.  However, even these God uses for our good.  We have this promise: We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)  God makes use of the evils of this world for our eternal good.
     Consider the Israelites.  For many generations, they were enslaved by the Egyptians and pressed into hard labor.  It was a bitter existence, and we would never want to endure what they did.  While they were enduring this hardship, God was still with them and even blessed them.  God blessed them not with money or freedom, but with children.  They grew into a great nation while they were slaves in Egypt.  Do not think lightly of this blessing.  Money and freedom are temporary blessings.  Children you will get to have forever in heaven, by God's grace.  Still, it did not feel like God was blessing them, or even remembered them.  Life was hard.  And no doubt, many Israelites were praying, “Deliver us from evil.”
     In this way, God used their hardships for their good.  If they had built luxury condos and set up a thriving, comfortable community in Egypt, they would have settled in nicely.  They would have had no desire to see the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  They might have even forgotten about God's promised Savior.  If life were that wonderful, who would want to be saved from it?  But the Lord used their hardships so that they would long for something better and cry out for deliverance.
     The cries of the Israelites were not hopeless dreams, either.  They were based on promises.  God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would deliver their descendants to the Promised Land, and that he would bring a Savior into the world through them.  So, when Israel cried out, they cried out holding on to a promise that God had made, and they were holding God to that promise.  True to his word, the Lord acted.  The LORD said [to Moses], “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters.  I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey...” (Exodus 3:7-8)
     The hardships you face do not rise to the level of the Israelites enslaved in Egypt.  But that does not make them any less painful or frustrating for you.  Still, God uses those hardships for your eternal good.  Your hardships and your pains are a constant reminder that this world is corrupt and dying.  Nothing here is permanent, and therefore, nothing here is reliable.  We tend to trust in the blessings we can touch and hold, but they are taken away by being stolen, broken, worn out, or by dying.  When we are dealt our problems, we want someone to blame for them.  Often, that falls to God.  The devil convinces us that, if God truly loves us, he would spare us from heartache and difficulties.  But God did not make the Egyptians oppressive and abusive to the Israelites.  The sinful ambition of the Egyptians drove them to that.  And God is not the one who brought sin and death into the world.  Man did that, and now we suffer the consequences.  Some consequences come because the world is broken and bad things happen.  Some we bring on ourselves because of our sinful choices.  God is not the reason evil is in the world; but God is the one who can deliver you from them all.
     The Lord is remembered as your deliverer, and he uses even the evils of this world for your good.  Because of them, you long to be delivered from a world of sin and to receive a better home.  Because of them, you pray to the Lord for mercy and for strength to endure.  In short, they drive you to Jesus.  Just like the Israelites', your cries are not wishful thinking or empty dreams.  You have been given promises by God that he will bring this deliverance to you.  The Lord is remembered as a deliverer.
     Although the Lord had allowed the Israelites to endure about 400 years of hardship, he had not forgotten them.  When God was ready to act, he called Moses to act for him to deliver Israel out of Egypt.  Moses was not eager to do it.  God said, “Tough.  You're doing it.  Go!”  Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”  God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”  And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13-14)
     The Lord calls himself “I AM.”  That means he is eternal.  He is always “I AM.”  In the Garden of Eden, he is I AM.  At the burning bush, he is I AM.  When he took on flesh to save mankind, he is I AM.  And in the midst of your life and struggles, he is I AM.  Since he does not change, neither do his compassion and his promises.  Though he is eternal, this God entered our time to save us from all that is temporary and passing away.  He came to give us a life without end.  The Lord is remembered as our deliverer.
     But a life without end would actually be torturous if we were to keep on living in a world of difficulties, trials, and sorrows.  The Lord also delivers us from that.  As the “I AM,” the Lord is independent of everything.  He is not affected by the troubles of this sinful world, just as he is not affected by sin itself.  If we as the human race managed to destroy ourselves, God would not be changed.  The “I AM” would still be holy, glorious, almighty, and merciful.  But rather than keep his distance from sinful creatures, the Lord invested himself into saving us from sin, death, and every form of evil.  The Lord is remembered as a deliverer.  For the Lord entered our world as a man, submitting himself to all of the pains, sorrows, and hardships that we know.  He grieved over the sick and the dying.  He made fellowship with those who had messed up their lives with sinful choices.  He gave himself into the hands of those who plotted against him, who sought his death, and who mocked him while he died.  But all these things the Lord did for them, and for us.  Although he is independent of us, he invested himself in this world.  He gave his life as the ransom price to deliver us out of the curse of our sin and the consequences of our sin in this sinful world.  We are wholly dependent upon Jesus for our deliverance from sin, from death, and from every form of evil.  But Jesus has demonstrated that we are right to depend upon him fully for deliverance from all of these.  When we cry out to Jesus, we are clinging to promises of forgiveness and salvation.  We are holding Jesus to those promises, and we are right to do so.  For he is to be remembered as our deliverer.
     The Lord revealed himself to Moses and declared: “This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” (Exodus 3:15)  The Lord is remembered as our deliverer.  Whatever evils you are enduring, they are not everlasting.  The mercies and promises of our Lord are.  The day will come when Jesus will deliver you out of a corrupt and dying world and will free you from your corrupt and dying body.  He will deliver you from every form of evil, and he will give a perfect and permanent answer to all your prayers.  For, he will make all things right.  He will raise you up from the dead to life everlasting, and he will restore his creation to a flawless condition.  The Lord entered our sinful world and our temporary time to deliver us to everlasting, heavenly glory.  And we will praise him then as we remember him now—as our gracious deliverer.

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