Sermon -- Festival of St. Mark, Evangelist (April 25, 2025)

This sermon was preached at a chapel service at Hope Christian Academy in Westland, Michigan.

ACTS 15:36-41

ST. MARK REVEALS A SAVIOR WHO DOES NOT DISAPPOINT.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Without really knowing him, you probably have a great respect for St. Mark the Evangelist.  How could you fail to admire one of four writers of the Gospels?  Perhaps it would be good for you to learn the rest of the story.  You may find him disappointing.

     St. Mark was raised by a godly woman named Mary.  (His father is not mentioned.)  She was a resident of Jerusalem and was among the first Christians.  Her home was used as a gathering place for Christians to worship and pray (Acts 12:12).  Although not one of the apostles, Mark seems to have been a witness of at least some of Jesus’ ministry.  In his gospel, Mark includes an interesting note following the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane.  He wrote, “A certain young man was following him, wearing just a linen cloth over his naked body.  They seized him, but he left behind the linen cloth and fled from them naked” (Mark 14:51-52).  Many agree that this was Mark referring to himself.  If he was able to escape the guard, he might have been a pretty shifty runner.  You might be disappointed to learn that Mark would also end up running away at a later date.

     Mark had accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey.  He traveled with them to the island of Cyprus.  From there, they sailed to the mainland to a city called Pamphylia, which is in modern-day Turkey.  We don’t know why, but that’s where Mark ran away and returned home.  Later, when Paul and Barnabas were planning to revisit the churches they had founded, Paul refused to bring Mark along.  That suggests that Mark’s reason for abandoning the work on the first missionary journey was inexcusable.  Mark had failed to fulfill his duties faithfully.  Although Barnabas was willing to give his cousin, Mark, another chance to serve, St. Paul was unwilling to take the risk.  To him, Mark was a disappointment and, therefore, unwelcome.

     Mark was likely a young man, perhaps even a teenager, which means that you might have a lot in common with him.  You have heard Jesus’ teachings.  You probably come from a devout Christian family.  And, like Mark, you don’t always live up to your intentions in serving the Lord.  Many of you have taken a confirmation vow.  You swore before God and his church that you would willingly suffer all things, even death, rather than turn away from your Lord.  And I have no doubt that you meant it.  That vow is easy to make surrounded by your family and the family of believers who were gathered at your church with you. 

     But once you have found yourself surrounded by people who do not share your faith, whose speech is peppered with obscenities, and who cheer for perverse behavior and think you are weird because you don’t, it is not so easy to stand firm in your faith.  That confirmation vow takes a bit of a beating.  Maybe your parents were disappointed in your choices.  Maybe you were disappointed in yourself.  You would not be the first.  There is a reason King David taught us to pray in the Psalms, “Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways.  According to your mercy remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord.” (Psalm 25:7).  Those of us who are older have prayed that prayer often.  We can still feel the disappointment of poor choices from our past.  Mark probably prayed it, too.  You are not unique in your struggles.

     If you have a desire to serve the Lord, it is because the Holy Spirit has planted that desire in you.  If you are disappointed in yourself over your sins, the Holy Spirit has planted that in you as well.  We all prove ourselves to be sinners.  You may be frustrated by it.  You may even despise yourself for it.  But it is not a reason to despair.  The Lord Jesus Christ came for sinners.  He does not disown you because you are weak.  He remains faithful to you amid your struggles.  You may not live up to whatever vows or promises, but the Lord has made a vow to you.  St. Mark recorded it for you: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). 

     You will notice that Jesus did not say, “Whoever believes and performs up to a certain level.”  He did not say, “Whoever believes and overcomes all temptations.”  He did not say, “Whoever believes and does not let me down.”  Our Lord promises salvation to all who are baptized and who trust in him.  You and I do not have the righteousness which God demands, but Jesus provides it.  Whoever believes in Jesus has it.  Whoever has been baptized into Christ is covered in it.  Therefore, you are not judged according to your merits, but according to Jesus’ merits.  Those who trust in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation will never have their hopes disappointed.

     I had said that you should know the rest of the story about St. Mark.  There is a bit more to the story.  It did not end with St. Paul’s disappointment of Mark.  Young Mark grew in faith, in maturity, and in his commitment to the Lord.  He was devoted to God’s word.  He was fed by the Lord’s Supper.  And he continued to serve the Lord in his kingdom.  The Gospel he wrote is regarded as the memoirs of St. Peter.  That means Mark accompanied Peter in his work.  Even St. Paul changed his mind about Mark.  Paul mentions Mark in his letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, showing that Mark had become a fellow minister with St. Paul.  Shortly before he was put to death, St. Paul wrote to Timothy and implored him to come to him.  He included this request: “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).  Not only did Paul ask for Mark, Paul praised him for his usefulness.

     You will also continue to grow in the faith, and the Lord has use for you in his church—whether you would become a full-time church worker like Mark or whether you will support that work like Mark’s mother, Mary.  Do not let the struggles of youth sour you about your future.  The rest of your story has yet to be written.  So, be devoted to God’s word.  Partake in the sacrament as often as you can.  If you are disappointed in yourself because of your sins, go to your pastor and confess them so that he will absolve you of them.  Neither the Lord nor your pastor will ever be disappointed in a broken and contrite heart.  As you continue to receive God’s mercy and to grow in the faith, the Holy Spirit will build your courage so that you will confess the faith in your words and your works. 

     We have pondered St. Mark’s story.  But the story St. Mark would have you cling to is the one he wrote about Jesus.  Mark proclaimed to you all that the Savior has done for you so that you will find peace and purpose and pleasure in him.  You will never be disappointed in Jesus’ promises, and he is not disappointed that you are his.

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

Sermon -- Festival of St. Matthias, Apostle

This sermon was preached at Hope Christian Academy in Westland, Michigan.

ACTS 1:15-26

The Festival of St. Matthias, Apostle

In the name + of Jesus.

     “This saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to become an overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1).  The Lord has established the office of the holy ministry for the good of the Church.  The Church does not exist for the sake of the pastor; the pastor exists for the sake of the Church.  He is the Lord’s servant.  He is sent to serve you by preaching and teaching God’s word, by administering the sacraments, by absolving the penitent, and by admonishing the impenitent.  And he serves the Lord as one who is accountable to God for his service.  The desire to be a pastor is a good one, and it is good for all the boys here to consider if that is how you could serve the Lord and his Church.

     What makes someone a pastor?  The short answer: God does.  Simply having the desire to be a pastor does not make you a pastor.  Jesus had gathered many disciples to himself, but they were not all chosen to be his apostles.  Jesus hand-picked twelve.  To them, he gave authority to preach, to heal diseases, and to drive out demons.  They trained for three years with Jesus.  They heard his teaching, received private instruction, and witnessed his miracles, particularly his resurrection from the dead.  As much as others may have wanted to be apostles, no one could take that honor or authority for himself.  Jesus had to give it.

     Sadly, not all the apostles remained faithful to Jesus.  Judas Iscariot was motivated by greed rather than godliness, and he agreed to betray Jesus for cash.  Overwhelmed by guilt, Judas hanged himself.  He fell from the faith and then fell headlong from his noose to a gruesome death.  This left a vacancy among the apostles.

     Again, the remaining Eleven did not seek volunteers.  Perhaps some had the desire to be apostles.  Perhaps some felt they had the right to be apostles.  But just having the desire to be an apostle does not give one the right to be an apostle.  The book of Acts records who alone would have been eligible to be an apostle of our Lord.  St. Peter said, “‘Therefore it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us during the entire time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from his baptism by John until the day Jesus was taken up from us, become a witness with us of his resurrection.’  They proposed two: Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus) and Matthias” (Acts 1:21-23).  These two men were deemed eligible to be apostles, but there was only one vacancy.  So, the Church prayed that the Lord would reveal which man would fill the office.  They cast lots, “and the lot fell to Matthias.  So he was counted with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26).  What made Matthias an apostle?  God did.

     From this time forward, we hear nothing about St. Matthias.  We don’t know where he preached, but we do know what he preached.  As a witness of Jesus’ teachings and miracles, his death and resurrection, Matthias boldly claimed that God has taken a keen interest in sinners.  That preaching could be terrifying at first.  How does it make you feel to know that everything you do is seen by God?  That every word you have said—even what you whispered in secret or sent privately in a text—is known by God?  That every thought you’ve considered is open to God?  You’ve probably heard it said that the internet is forever.  Anything you put into the cyberworld can come back to haunt you.  Now, you can get around that by not putting your comments or photos on the internet.  But there are no secrets with God.  The Bible declares, “Death and Destruction lie open before the Lord—how much more human hearts” (Proverbs 15:11)!

     The Lord has taken a keen interest in you.  It is not to convict and to condemn you; it is to console you and to save you.  The Lord’s interest in you is revealed in Jesus Christ.  He is God who became a man to dwell with sinners.  When Jesus exposes your sins, it is like a doctor who tells you, “You have a tumor in your brain.  If it is not removed, it will kill you.”  Jesus says, “You have sin in your heart.  If it is not removed, it will kill you.  Good news: I have come to restore and renew your heart.”

     The Lord has come to alleviate you of the sins that haunt you.  The Lord has come to take upon himself your curse and to suffer and die in your place.  And to prove to you that his payment for your sins is sufficient, Jesus rose from the dead.  The Savior lives to purify you of all unrighteousness.  The Savior reigns for your good.  St. Matthias bore witness to all of this.  He preached it freely and fearlessly so that people could be freed from their sins and live without fear of death and hell.

     There are no longer apostles in the Christian Church today—that is, people who were chosen personally by Jesus and who witnessed his life, death, and resurrection.  But the Church does have pastors who continue to preach, teach, administer the sacraments, absolve the penitent, and admonish the impenitent.  And just as no one could insist on his right to be an apostle, so also no one today can enter a church and insist that he is the pastor.  The Lord worked through the Church to call Matthias to fill the office of an apostle, and so the Holy Spirit works through the church today to call men to be pastors to serve in a particular time and place.

     This should not be shocking to you.  It works similarly in many occupations.  Say you have the desire to be a police officer, which is also a noble task.  Just having the desire does not make you a cop.  If you were to go to a local precinct and tell the officer on duty that you want to be a cop, he would not give you a uniform and the keys to a squad car.  It requires training from an academy.  Upon graduation, you would be qualified to be a police officer, but that still does not make you one.  A department must hire you.  They give you the authority to serve as a police officer.  So also, men are trained to be pastors.  They study at a seminary.  Upon graduation, they are qualified to serve as pastors.  But that does not make them pastors.  What makes someone a pastor?  God does.  The Lord works through a congregation to call a man to be a pastor.  This, therefore, is a divine call.  It assures the pastor that this congregation is the place God wants him to serve, and it assures the congregation that this is the pastor God wants them to have.

     In his wisdom, the Lord was pleased to add St. Matthias to the number of the apostles.  We don’t know much more about Matthias.  The traditions about his life and ministry are vague and contradictory.  We don’t know where he preached or how he died.  This is no great tragedy.  Countless pastors have served God’s people in God’s Church who are not remembered.  The Lord, however, remembers them.  The Lord had a keen interest in them and their service.  The Lord blessed them for their faithful service, and the Lord blessed his Church through them.  That is what matters.

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

Sermon -- Chapel at Hope Christian Academy (December 8, 2023)

This sermon was delivered for the chapel service at Hope Christian Academy (formerly Huron Valley Lutheran High School) in Westland, Michigan.

REVELATION 20:10

JUDGMENT FOR THE DEVIL.

In the name + of Jesus.

      A common theme in movies is the bully who finally meets his match.  The story shows the bully mercilessly mocking and threatening and beating up a sympathetic character.  The star athlete picks on the kid in the chess club.  The bully also has groupies who congratulate him every time he belittles other people.  This goes on for a while, making you feel sorrier and sorrier for the one who is picked on.  Eventually, a hero steps in.  Maybe the kid in the chess club gets superpowers.  Maybe someone else shows up who challenges the bully.  The climax of the movie comes when the bully is humiliated and rendered powerless.  This formula works every time because we all want to see justice done.  We want to see the good guy win in the end, and we want to see the villain pay the price.

     Occasionally, the formula means that the hero dies to save others.  That formula should sound familiar.  The battle of good versus evil, especially the good man dying to save others, is taken from the Scriptures.  Its origin goes back to the Garden of Eden.  There, the devil deceived Adam and Eve.  He convinced them that God did not love them.  Why else would he forbid them from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?  He declared that happiness comes from taking what you want whether it is forbidden or not.  Adam and Eve bought the devil’s lie.  The devil ensnared them, overpowered them, and claimed them as his own. 

     We have not gotten any smarter or any better.  St. Paul wrote, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4).  The devil is the god of this world.  All people enter this world in sin and unbelief.  The ancient serpent holds us in his grip.  He wraps himself around our thinking and influences our will.  This is why we do not see God’s word as good, but oppressive.  We conclude that God withholds things from us because he does not want us to have fun.  The devil convinces us that happiness comes from taking what we want, whether it is forbidden or not.  Why else do people celebrate drunkenness and revenge?  Why else do we devote energy and time to satisfy our lusts and our greed?  Why else do we gossip, slander, and post insults on social media?  The devil deceives us into thinking that this is how we will find purpose and happiness.  But just like in the Garden of Eden, we discover that the devil’s lies result in shame and death.  Repent. 

     The god of this age had blinded us, but Jesus Christ came to enlighten us.  He shows us that God is not the enemy; he is loving.  His Law is not oppressive; it is good.  When God forbids us from doing things, he is teaching us to avoid what harms and destroys.  It is like he is saying, “Don’t poke your eye with this stick.  Don’t eat too much chocolate or you will get sick.”  This is not to rob you of fun, but to save you from shame.

     Jesus also enlightens you to see that he delivers you from death, that he covers your shame, and that he rescues you from the devil.  Jesus gave himself in exchange for you.  The devil, like a serpent, latched onto Jesus to consume him.  If he could destroy Jesus, he would be able to devour the whole world.  So, all our sins were taken up by Jesus.  The full curse of death was thrust upon him.  He died bearing the curse of all. 

     Even though the death of Jesus results in the payment for all sins, the devil could not help himself when he had the opportunity to put Jesus to death.  He chomped onto Jesus like a fish takes the bait.  But just as the giant fish vomited up Jonah, so death and the grave vomited up Jesus on the third day.  The death blow dealt by the devil was overcome.  Jesus has crushed the ancient serpent underfoot and has nullified the devil’s reign.  He has rescued the devil’s captives, which is you.  You are free from sin, delivered from death, and victors over the devil thanks to Jesus.  The bully has been humiliated, and he is rendered powerless.

     Nevertheless, St. Peter wrote, “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  St. Peter wrote that to Christians, to people who had been delivered by Jesus.  The devil continues to bully Christians.  He will make you revisit your past.  He will remind you of the shameful way to you spoke to your parents, the pain you caused when you mocked your friend, and the lack of sensitivity when you laughed at someone else’s problems.  As you continue to go through life, that playlist will get longer.  The Accuser will reissue the charges and rip open wounds that you thought were healed.  That bully will never stop his attacks.  He will taunt you so that you might give up hope.

     But you have been given a sure and certain hope in Jesus.  Jesus is the strong one who fends off the bully.  As long as you remain in Jesus, the devil cannot have you.  While the devil will present the truth when he accuses you of your sins, the devil is a liar.  The lie is that your sins still cling to you.  Jesus has taken them away.  Jesus continues to absolve and encourage through his word.  He exposes the devil’s lies.  He protects you through his promises.  He feeds and strengthens you in Holy Communion so that you do not grow weary in your struggle.  This is why the Church gathers every week to hear God’s word and to partake in the Holy Supper.  We get to feast on the body and blood which have overcome death and the devil.  By this, you are kept safe.  If you continue in this, the devil cannot snatch you back.

     Jesus is the hero who delivers you from that demonic bully.  The Accuser stands accused and condemned.  The sentencing of Satan will finally be executed at the final judgment.  His verdict has already been announced.  He has no hope, no future, no second chance.  And he knows it.  That is why he seeks you so relentlessly. 

     But the devil has been vanquished.  No matter how much he taunts, Jesus’ word overrules the devil.  Jesus has brought you under his reign of peace and joy.  And the day is coming when he will forever silence every lie, every accusation, and every plague of the devil.  Jesus will cast the devil and his demons into the lake of fire.  It is a fire that will never be extinguished.  It will inflict torment forever.  The bully, who sought to consume and torment us for eternity, will suffer eternally.  The devil, who strives to steal and destroy what the eternal God has made, will suffer eternal banishment.

     In the movies, when the bully finally gets his comeuppance, the audience gets a great sense of relief.  Justice was done; the bully cannot cause harm anymore.  How much greater our joy will be when the father of lies is forever silent, when the prowling lion poses no threat, and when the great Dragon can no longer breathe fire because he is being consumed by it. 

     God’s people will be secure.  That battles against sin and temptation will be over.  We will dwell with God.  And we will rejoice.  For, the enemy is dead, and Jesus lives.

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