In the name + of Jesus.
Christians are in the habit of going to
church. We know what to expect. We find comfort in it. We have friends here. But if a stranger were to ask you, “Why do
you go to church?” how would you answer?
Is it just a habit? An
obligation? That you would feel guilty
if you don’t go?
We go to church and to Bible Class to hear
God’s word for our comfort, encouragement, and guidance. We study it and to meditate upon it. Some might say that we come to learn, but
that is not quite right. Our best
attended service is Easter. You don’t go
to Easter services to learn things. You already
know how the story ends. Easter does not
present any surprises. Now, you will
have moments of enlightenment when something in the Bible strikes you like it
had not before. Those “Aha!” moments
come to us throughout our lives, and we are grateful for them. But that is not why we continue to come to
church and to Bible Classes. We come to
hear the words of Christ so that we will become like Christ. For, we are fruitful only in Christ.
When Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae,
he commented that “we heard of your faith in Christ
Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints” (Colossians
1:4). The Colossian Christians knew
about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for them. They had heard the Gospel and they believed
it. They knew the facts. They learned the passages. They trusted in God’s promises.
St. Paul wrote this letter to assure them
that knowledge of Jesus was a good start.
Paul’s prayer for the Colossians was that they would grow deeper in
faith, in wisdom, and in godly living. To
believe in Christ is good; to become like Christ is the goal. This is the prayer of the apostle for his
fellow Christians. It is God’s plan for
you, too. We are fruitful in Christ.
Here is Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, and
indeed for all Christians: “We have not ceased to pray for
you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in
all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). We long to be filled with the knowledge of
God’s will. But there is only one way to
know God’s will. He has to tell us what
it is.
Some years ago,
there was an exercise for engineers who were hired by Microsoft. They were given an assignment to fill Bill
Gates’ house with state-of-the-art technology.
They came up with some pretty slick ideas. Media was voice-activated. Lights were motion-detected. So, when Mr. Gates walked from one room to
the next, lights and music would turn on in the room he entered and shut off behind
him. But the best idea was by a group
that did nothing. They just asked a
question: “What does Mr. Gates want?” The
only way to be sure that Mr. Gates would be satisfied with the work is if it is
what he wanted. The only way to know what
Mr. Gates wanted was to ask him. We
are fruitful in Christ when we ask, “What does our Lord want?” And to know that, we must listen to his word.
First of all, the Lord wants you to know that
you have been redeemed. As St. Paul wrote,
“[The Father]
has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has
delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the
kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians
1:12-14). The Father sent his Son to redeem you from a
dark, dreary existence of fear, doubt, guilt, and regret. You are no longer ignorant of God’s love or your
eternal future. The Lord has enlightened
you to know that Jesus has redeemed you.
God the Son
became a man so that he could die. Jesus
died under God’s curse which was illustrated when the sun refused to shine on
him. He died in darkness with our guilt under
our curse. But this man is also true God;
so, his death is the sufficient payment for all mankind. The price to redeem has been paid in full. Sadly, many people do not know it. Many still live in doubt and fear, with guilt
and regret. They should not have to, but
since they don’t trust in Jesus, they live with darkened hearts and fearful
consciences. They have no real
hope. Not so with you. You have been delivered from the domain of
darkness to the light of God’s love, favor, and forgiveness. You have a hope that many do not have because
you have been brought to trust in a promise that all need. Regardless of what happens in this world, you
have a place in heavenly glory and bliss that awaits you. This is not based on a wish, but on the very
words of God.
This Gospel has
made you wise for salvation. But our
Lord also wants you to be wise for godly living. He wants you to have “the knowledge of his
will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). In his word, God tells you what his will is
so that you can have spiritual wisdom.
This wisdom means putting God’s word to action in your life. To
believe in Christ is good; to become like Christ is the goal. And we are fruitful in Christ.
We come together
in God’s house to be filled with spiritual wisdom. God reminds us that his word alone is eternal
and that everything else will pass away.
Then God’s word sets our priorities accordingly. God directs us to use the things he has given
out of love for our neighbor rather than loving things and using our neighbor. God’s word moves us to turn from sin because it
shows us that sin is always destructive.
It never satisfies. It always causes
harm. And it cannot be ignored. Wisdom means that we will cast off our sins
and fight against them. We do not want
to be sinful with wicked works, but fruitful with good works which are always
beneficial. We are fruitful as long as we
are in Christ.
We come to
church to hear God’s word. In doing so,
we become better acquainted with his will.
We are given motivation to repent of our sins and strength to renounce
them. The Lord fills us with wisdom and the
will to do what is pleasing to him. If
we are in Christ, we will be fruitful.
For this is what the Lord says: “I am the true vine, and my Father
is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does
not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he
prunes, that it may bear more fruit. …Abide in
me, and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you
abide in me. I am the vine; you are
the branches. Whoever abides in me and I
in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
nothing” (John 15:1-5).
We are fruitful in Christ, and we remain in Christ as we remain in his
word and are nourished by his sacraments.
God strengthens and sustains our faith through the Gospel. He prunes from us the sins that entangle us
so that they will not overcome us. He
nourishes and strengthens us so that we become like Christ and bear the fruit
he seeks. To believe in Christ is good,
but the goal is to become like Christ. And
we remain fruitful as long as we are in Christ.
We come to church in order to receive the answer
to another part of St. Paul’s prayer: to be “strengthened with all power …
for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). We live in a world that is hostile to God’s
word. People mock Christians when they “walk
in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:10). We are encouraged to embrace sin rather than
repent of it. We are regarded as strange
when our behavior is chaste and when our words are not obscene or profane. If you speak with people and do not pepper
your speech with filthy language, people will notice. Some will even ridicule you for being too goody-goody
because your godly behavior convicts them.
You need not be surprised by this.
St. Peter observes, “They are surprised that you do not plunge into the same
overflowing river of filth with them, and they slander you” (1 Peter
4:4). When the mockery mounts up, you may feel like
you have to apologize for purity and chastity.
You may become weary of holding on to godly living. If it seems like no one else cares, you will wonder
why you should care anymore.
Do you see why
Christians come together for worship, why we need to? It is so that St. Paul’s prayer, which is
also our prayer, would be answered: to be “strengthened with all power … for all endurance and
patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11). We need God’s word to keep us mindful of our place
in his kingdom and of the glory that comes to those who stand firm in the
faith. We need the sacraments to strengthen
us so that we will stand firm in the faith.
Our Lord sustains us when the fight for the faith gets hard. Jesus reminds us that he himself dwelt among
sinners with patience and mercy. He knows
what it is like to live in this world.
Rather than cast off people in disgust, Jesus interacted in mercy. In love, he called them out of the domain of darkness—out
of doubt, fear, and guilt to a life of comfort and confidence. In love, he calls us to be like him and to do
likewise. And when we prove ourselves to
be sinners, Jesus assures us of his faithfulness to us and forgiveness for us. He restores us, redirects us, and rejuvenates
us. In Christ, we are kept fruitful. For, to believe in Christ is good, but the
goal is to be like Christ.
We come to
church because we need each other for this encouragement. We support one another and pray for one
another as we patiently wait for our Lord’s return. When he comes again, he will gather all his
people together to give us the glorious kingdom he has won for us and has
promised to us. While we wait for our
Lord’s return, we gather in his name to hear his word and feast on his body and
blood. This enables us to wait with
patience, with endurance, and even with joy.
This motivates us to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Colossians
1:10). This keeps us fruitful and keeps
us in Christ—the only place we find redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
Why do we come to church? Because we want to be with the Lord. Here, he meets us in the word and the sacrament. Soon the Lord will return and take us to be with him, and we will be with the Lord forever. When that day comes, guess what? We will be like Christ. We will be perfected in the knowledge of God. We will be in perfect harmony with God’s will. Every trace of darkness will be driven out. All fear, doubt, guilt, and regret will be banished, and we will dwell in everlasting light. We will be gathered for everlasting worship—the heavenly feast, the choirs of angels, and the communion of all the saints in peace and joy forever. We will be with Christ, and we will be like Christ. That, after all, is the goal.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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