Here is the Tenebrae service from Good Friday -- April 3, 2026.
Showing posts with label Good Friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good Friday. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2026
Friday, April 3, 2026
Sermon -- Good Friday Tenebrae: The Sixth Word (April 3, 2026)
Good Shepherd celebrated a Tenebrae service in which we heard the seven words from the cross, followed by a brief homily on each word.
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THE SIXTH WORD — John 19:30
Everything Jesus ever did was done intentionally. He was fully obedient to God’s commandments. He recognized that the traditions of the Pharisees were customs. Even if those traditions were helpful for exercising piety, they were not commandments. It is like teaching our children to pray before meals. There is nothing in God’s word that commands us to pray before meals. It is still a worthy practice, so we teach it. But we cannot say a family is sinning against God if they do not offer up a prayer before digging into their salads.
Everything Jesus ever
did was done intentionally. He did not
waste his words when he taught about the kingdom of God. No miraculous healing was done by
accident. His mercy toward the tax
collectors and prostitutes was not to be confused with leniency, and his
scathing rebukes against the Pharisees did not arise from rivalry. Everything Jesus did was intended to lead
people to repent and to find their hope in him.
Some did; others did not.
Everything Jesus ever
did was done intentionally. His trip to
the cross was done according to his own timing, done to fulfill all the
prophets, and done as his Father willed it.
So, when Jesus uttered the words, “It is finished,” he stated that every
little and last thing was done to perfection.
Not a single jot or tittle of God’s Law was bypassed; rather, every jot
and tittle was fulfilled.
What this means for you
is that there are no extra chores or challenges you must complete to be assured
of eternal life. There are no unpaid
debts. Everything God has demanded, he
has received from Jesus.
“It is
finished!” This word Jesus uttered
just before he died. It is the word we
cling to when we face death. Because of
this word, we do not have to invent virtues that we do not have. Nor do we have to convince God and ourselves
that our sins are excusable. Are we
sinners? Yes, and Jesus came to save
sinners. Are we perfect? No, but Jesus applies his holiness to
us. Jesus has removed from us all that
condemns, and Jesus gives us all that saves.
“It is finished!” The perfect life has been lived. The cursed death has been died. The sins of the world have been paid for. Everything Jesus ever did was done with willful intention, with careful attention, and complete perfection.
Sermon -- Good Friday Tenebrae: The Third Word (April 3, 2026)
Good Shepherd celebrated a Tenebrae service in which we heard the seven words from the cross, followed by a brief homily on each word.
THE THIRD WORD — John 19:25-27
When God created the world, he also created vocations for us to fill. The second table of the Law says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Our vocations are the practical ways we do this.
The first commandment
in the second table is “Honor your father and mother.” The family relationship is the most basic
vocation in the world. No one comes into
the world without a father or a mother. Children
are taught to honor, serve, and obey their parents. While the age of children may alter how they
honor, serve, and obey their parents, the 4th Commandment is never
abolished.
Even while he hung from
the cross—weakened from the scourging, in agony from the nails, tormented by
divine wrath—Jesus fulfilled his vocation as the firstborn son of Mary. He kept the Commandment when we might have
excused him because of his sufferings.
Nevertheless, he loved his mother.
He assured her that she would be cared for.
Jesus had brothers,
probably step-brothers, who could have taken up the obligation to care for Mary. Instead, Jesus gave this responsibility to
the apostle John. John took her into his
home and cared for her physical well-being.
But Jesus’ ultimate
desire was for her eternal well-being.
He was dying for her sins. He
entrusted her to the apostle who would preach forgiveness, administer the
Lord’s Supper, and absolve her in the stead and by the command of Jesus. In this way, Jesus fulfilled his vocation as her
faithful son and her faithful Savior.
The Commandment is
fulfilled by Jesus’ obedience. The sins
of abusive or negligent parents and the sins of disrespectful or rebellious
children are paid for by Jesus’ death. He
reconciles to the heavenly Father. We
are adopted into his holy family. We are
gathered into the communion of saints.
Sermon -- Good Friday Tenebrae: The Second Word (April 3, 2026)
Good Shepherd celebrated a Tenebrae service in which we heard the seven words from the cross, followed by a brief homily on each word.
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THE SECOND WORD: Luke 23:38-43
When Jesus was suspended upon the cross, “those who passed by ridiculed him… In the same way, the chief priests along with the experts in the law mocked him among themselves” (Mark 15:29,31). That does not surprise us. But then Mark noted, “Those who were crucified with him also insulted him” (Mark 15:32).
Some people who
sit on death row develop a sense of regret.
Hardened criminals go to the death chamber breathing out obscenities and
cursing everyone within ear shot. One
criminal seems to have moved from one camp to the opposite. He began the day with curses. At least he could find some camaraderie among
those who mocked Jesus, right? But then
came the change. Why?
Consider the words by which people mocked
Jesus. “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of
God, the Chosen One! If you are the King
of the Jews, save yourself!” (Luke 23:35,37)! The mockers considered these claims worthy of
scorn. The criminal considered them
worthy of further consideration. And
upon his consideration, he recognized that everything they said
about Jesus was true. He is the Christ. He is the Son of God. He is the King who has come to save his
people and establish an everlasting kingdom.
This criminal
had given up all pretenses. He would not
pretend to be anything other than what he was—a sinner who was getting what he
deserved. But he saw that Jesus is the
Righteous One. Jesus had saved
others. Would Jesus save such a wretch
as he was? He asked Jesus for one thing:
Remember me.
Whenever the
Lord remembers in Scripture, he acts to save.
And that is exactly what Jesus came to do. Jesus was mindful of sinners and took the
curse of all, no matter what was on their record. He died for the mockers, malefactors, and all
mortals. Therefore, we pray with the
criminal: “Jesus, you have come to establish a kingdom. That means you will live again to reign over
it. Remember me in your gracious reign.”
The Lord Jesus would remember him. The Lord Jesus is mindful of you, too. You, too, will be with him in Paradise.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Worship Notes: The Triduum (The Three Days)
INTRODUCTION TO THE TRIDUUM
The enormous significance of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection has always been the central focus of Christian worship. Prior to the fourth century, Easter Day itself included all three emphases, but thereafter they were distributed over three days of special observance, which Augustine called “the most holy Triduum of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord.” These days have long been understood as the climax of the Church’s year.
MAUNDY THURSDAY
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GOOD FRIDAY:
THE SERVICE OF THE SEVEN WORDS
As the middle service of the Triduum, Good Friday is prepared for by Maundy Thursday. In turn, it leads into the Easter Vigil. The absence of a benediction the previous evening and again on Good Friday underscores the connectedness of the Triduum service. Good Friday is not a “funeral” for Jesus, but an austere celebration of the Lamb and his sacrifice. The bare altar, symbolic of Christ, is the focus along with a large, rough finished wood cross.
The Service of the Seven Words is a service that reviews the seven times in which Jesus spoke at his crucifixion. Each reading is interspersed with silence for meditation, prayers, and hymns. The Service of the Seven Words is intended as the primary Good Friday service and his historically been observed sometime during the “hours of the cross,” between noon and three o’clock. It may also be used in place of the Service of Darkness (Tenebrae) as an evening service, as is the case at Good Shepherd.
EASTER VIGIL
The climax of the Triduum comes in the Vigil of Easter, a service of watching and waiting which utilizes prayer, Scripture, and hymns. The Vigil is composed of four parts:
I. The Service of Light focuses on the Paschal Candle, the
representation of the unconquered life of Christ.
II. The
Service of Lessons uses Old Testament texts that
foreshadowed our deliverance and rescue by Jesus.
III. The
Service of Holy Baptism emphasizes our baptismal connection to
the crucified and risen Christ.
IV. The Service of Holy Communion proclaims the risen Savior and our blessed reconciliation to God.
In the ancient Church, the Vigil began on
Saturday and continued through to Easter Dawn.
It was at dawn that the cry rang out: “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
We honor the spirit of the Vigil, beginning our Easter Vigil at an early
hour on Easter Sunday. With the service
of Easter Dawn, we conclude the Triduum. Our Festival celebration
is held at our regular hour of Divine Service, at 10:00 AM.
May the Lord bless us as we observe these “three holy days,”
the Triduum.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Holy Week 2026
Holy Week Schedule at Good Shepherd for 2026
THE TRIDUUM (The Three Days)
Maundy Thursday
April 2, 7:00 PM
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Good Friday
April 3, 7:00 PM
Easter Dawn
April 5, 7:30 AM
Easter Breakfast -- 8:45 - 9:45 AM
Easter Festival Service -- 10:00 AM
Friday, April 18, 2025
Sermon -- Good Friday (April 18, 2025)
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BLOOD AND WATER POURED FORTH FROM THE LORD.
In the name + of Jesus.
In the days of the Colosseum, the emperor sponsored
gladiatorial games for the citizens of Rome.
Trained soldiers were given a variety of weapons to fight to the
death. After a brutal struggle, the dead
and wounded would lie on the floor of the Colosseum. Their blood soaked into the sand which
covered the wooden floor. Then, a jester
would come out with a red-hot poker. He
would dance to amuse the crowd, but his real purpose was to prance up to each body
and touch the red-hot poker to it. If the
man did not flinch, he knew that the man was dead. If the man did flinch, a soldier would take a
sword or spear and run him through to put the mortally wounded man out of his
misery. This practice seems to have been
utilized by the Roman soldier who was overseeing the death of Jesus.
As Good
Friday was winding down, three men hung from their crosses. Crucifixions could last for days as a
condemned man languished in a slow, torturous death. The weight of one’s body would rest on his
chest as his lungs slowly filled with fluid.
Breathing became labored.
Fighting for life, a man would push up with his legs to grab a small
gasp of air and then slump down to languish some more. Eventually, he would not be able to breathe
any more, and he would expire. But as
long as he could push up for that breath, he would hang from the cross.
“Since
it was the Preparation Day, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the
crosses over the Sabbath (because that Sabbath was a particularly important
day). They asked Pilate to have the men’s legs broken and the bodies taken
away. So the soldiers came and broke the
legs of the first man who was crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other
man” (John 19:31-32). With their
legs broken, the men could no longer push up for that precious breath. Death came quickly, and their bodies were
removed from their crosses before the Sabbath.
In the case of Jesus Christ, however,
breaking his legs was unnecessary. Jesus
had yielded up his life already. His
life was not taken from him. As Jesus
had told his enemies, “I lay down my life so that I may take it up
again. No one takes it from me, but I
lay it down on my own. I have the
authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again. This is the commission I received from my
Father” (John 10:17-18). So, Jesus
intentionally went into death. He did
not lose his life; “he gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).
Therefore, when the soldiers broke their
legs to hasten the death of the criminals, they did not need to do this for
Jesus. “Instead, one of the soldiers
pierced his side with a spear” (John 19:34). This was likely not an act of unnecessary
cruelty or boredom. This was likely
standard operating procedure. If Jesus
had flinched, he was not dead yet. But
the thrust of the spear up into Jesus’ heart guaranteed that he was dead. The Romans excelled at putting people to
death by crucifixion, and this act ensured that their job was done right.
St. John had been standing at the foot of
the cross, and he had witnessed all that Jesus endured there. He saw the soldiers nail Jesus to the beams
of wood. He saw the soldiers divide up
Jesus’ garments and cast lots for his seamless tunic. He heard the priests and Pharisees mock
Jesus. He heard Jesus speak seven times,
although most of Jesus’ sufferings were endured in silence. And John witnessed the soldier take his spear
and thrust it into Jesus’ side. This held
significant interest for John, and he strongly asserted what he had witnessed.
John wrote, “When they came to Jesus
and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side
with a spear. Immediately blood and
water came out. The one who saw it has
testified, and his testimony is true. He
knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe” (John
19:33-35). There was no comment made
to incriminate the soldier of barbaric behavior. There was no propaganda which would inspire
readers to resent the Romans. John
simply recorded the facts. The spear in
Jesus’ side confirmed his death. But John
saw something significant from this wound.
Part of it was the fulfillment of Scripture, “They will look at the
one they pierced” (John 19:37; Zechariah 12:10). But what truly caught John’s attention was
that blood and water poured forth from the Lord.
John stated emphatically that he had seen it. It is a historical account about the death of
Jesus of Nazareth. John’s Gospel is not
a propaganda piece. Nor is it a collection
of fables. John’s Gospel is a record of
history. He wrote about real people
engaged in real events in documented places among historical figures at times
that can be dated with relative certainty.
Even people who deny that Jesus is true God acknowledge that there was a
Jesus of Nazareth who died by crucifixion.
The death of Jesus Christ is recorded even by historians who had no interest
in defending or confessing the Christian faith.
These events were as real as the sins we
have committed against God. When you are
haunted by your sins, your guilt is real.
The devil does not vex you over things that never happened. He accuses you with the truth. You did say those terrible things. You did try to cover up your sins with a lie. You did try to pin the blame on someone
else. You did withhold your help from
someone in need because you didn’t trust them, didn’t like them, or just didn’t
want to be bothered by them. You fantasized
how harm would come to someone because that would somehow make your life
better. This guilt is real because those
sins were real. In order to find real
relief from such guilt, you need historical, well-documented proof of salvation
which was won for you. A mythical Savior
does nothing for you. A historical and
actual atoning sacrifice produces a real payment for sins. But besides a well-attested act of
redemption, you need a definitive way for that atonement to be applied to you.
The historical death of Jesus is
undeniable. You can take a trip to
Jerusalem and visit the place where Jesus was crucified. Of course, present-day Jerusalem does not
look exactly like the Jerusalem of Jesus’ day.
Archaeologists have taken their best guesses about which hill at
Jerusalem is Golgotha. In fact, there
are two places which are presented as the possible site of Golgotha. While the exact placement of Jesus’ cross is
debatable, his crucifixion is not. John
saw it. And John saw blood and water
pour forth from the Lord.
If you go to Jerusalem, you can pose in
front of the place where your forgiveness was won, but you won’t find
forgiveness there. The ransom price was
made 2,000 years ago, but the benefits need to come to you now. And this is why St. John was so emphatic
about seeing blood and water pour forth from the Lord.
John noted why the blood and the water pouring
forth from Jesus’ side matter. In his
first epistle, St. John wrote, “This is the one who came by water and blood:
Jesus Christ. He did not come by the
water alone but by the water and by the blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the
truth. In fact, there are three that
testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three are one” (1 John
5:6-8).
Jesus won your salvation for you in his
death at Golgotha. But how does he get
that salvation to you today, 2,000 years after he died on a hill 6,000 miles
away? It is by the Spirit, the water,
and the blood. The Holy Spirit guided
the apostles to record the very words of God so that we can know what God demands,
what God promises, and what God has done to save sinners. God’s demands show our need for a
Savior. God’s promises assure us that he
does not leave us hopeless in our sinful condition. And God’s actions through Jesus are how our
sins have been taken away.
To give us greater assurance of this
salvation, God has attached his promise to tangible things. You are not left to wonder if you believe his
words strongly enough, sincerely enough, or purely enough. God applies his salvation to you. He has washed you clean in your baptism and
has marked you as his redeemed. In holy
communion, he pours into you the blood which was shed as the atoning sacrifice
for your sins. There is no need to
wonder if God’s love and salvation are really yours. Blood and water poured forth from our Lord,
and now blood and water have been poured forth upon you. This is how the salvation which was won for
you on Golgotha is delivered to you here and now.
Our Lord is the source of life. He gave life to this world when he created
the world and everything in it. Most
things the Lord summoned into being. He
spoke and gave life to the world. Mankind,
however, the Lord set apart from the rest of creation. He formed the man from the dust of the earth. He breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life, and the man became a living being.
When it came time for the Lord to make a helper suitable for the man,
the Lord took a rib from the man and formed a woman. The life of the bride came out of the side of
her husband.
Our Lord Jesus Christ has betrothed
himself to the Church. Jesus is the
groom; the Church is his bride. Just as
the life of the first bride came from the side of the man, so also the life of
the Church comes from the side of Jesus Christ.
Blood and water poured forth from the Lord. It is through the water that the Lord gives
life to his Church, and it is through the blood that the Lord sustains that
life in his Church. Regarding the water,
we have the promise, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name
of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Regarding the blood, we have this
declaration, “This is my blood of the new testament, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
The blood and the water poured forth from the Lord’s body at the cross. It was a real, historical, documented event. Now the blood and the water are poured forth to the body of Christ in the sacraments. Here, the Lord applies true forgiveness, grants real comfort, and bestows lasting peace. Blood and water poured forth from the Lord. It is for you. For the forgiveness of sins. For real.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Worship Notes: The Triduum - 2025
INTRODUCTION TO THE TRIDUUM
The enormous significance of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection has always been the central focus of Christian worship. Prior to the fourth century, Easter Day itself included all three emphases, but thereafter they were distributed over three days of special observance, which Augustine called “the most holy Triduum of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord.” These days have long been understood as the climax of the Church’s year.
Since
the last half of the 20th century, Lutherans have been rediscovering
the richness of the ancient Triduum
(pronounced TRIH-doo-um) and adapting the traditional services associated with
it for use in Evangelical-Lutheran worship.
In keeping with their origins, the Triduum
services are closely connected with one another.
We observe the Triduum as a single service that extends over the “three holy days.”
MAUNDY THURSDAY (April 17, 7:00 PM)
GOOD FRIDAY: THE SERVICE OF THE CROSS (April 18, 7:00 PM)
II. The Meditation on the Cross.
The service is highly meditative in nature
and is celebrated simply and not hurried.
The Service of the Cross is intended as the primary Good Friday service
and his historically been observed sometime during the “hours of the cross,”
between noon and three o’clock. It may
also be used in place of the Service of Darkness (Tenebrae) as an evening service, as is the case at Good Shepherd.
EASTER VIGIL (April 20, 7:30 AM)
The climax of the Triduum comes in the Vigil of Easter, a service of watching and waiting which utilizes prayer, Scripture, and hymns. The Vigil is composed of four parts.
II. The Service of Lessons uses Old Testament texts that foreshadowed our deliverance and rescue by Jesus.
III. The Service of Holy Baptism emphasizes our baptismal connection to the crucified and risen Christ.
IV. The Service of Holy Communion proclaims the risen Savior and our blessed reconciliation to God.
In the ancient Church, the Vigil began on Saturday and continued through to Easter Dawn. It was at dawn that the cry rang out: “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” We honor the spirit of the Vigil, beginning our Easter Vigil at an early hour on Easter Sunday. With the service of Easter Dawn, we conclude the Triduum.
Our Festival celebration is held at our regular hour of Divine Service, 10:00 AM.
May the Lord bless us as we observe these “three holy days,” the Triduum.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Holy Week -- 2025
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
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Palm Sunday
April 13 – 10:00 AM
Private Confession & Absolution
April 14 – 7:00-9:00 PM
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April 17 – 7:00 PM
Good Friday
April 18 – 7:00 PM
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Easter Dawn
April 20 – 7:30 AM
Easter Breakfast (8:45 - 9:45 AM)
The Festival of the
Resurrection of our Lord
April 20 – 10:00 AM
Friday, March 29, 2024
Sermon -- Good Friday: The Fifth Word (March 29, 2024)
This year, we observed the Service of the Seven Words from the Cross. This is one of the sermons following the selected reading.
THE FIFTH WORD — John 19:28,29
To fulfill the Scripture, Jesus
said, “I thirst.”
It is hard to say for sure which Scripture
this fulfills. Most likely, it refers to
Psalm 69: “I am weary with
my crying out; my
throat is parched. … They gave
me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to
drink” (Psalm 69:3,21). It could refer to Psalm 22: “My strength
is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws” (Psalm
22:15). There may be other
references.
To fulfill the
Scripture, Jesus said, “I thirst.” What Scripture
is being fulfilled is not as obvious as others such as Isaiah 53 (which we
heard earlier) or as Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
(Psalm 22:1).
To complete the
work of salvation, to prove himself to be the Christ, to be the Way, the Truth,
and the Life, Jesus had to fulfill all of Scripture. From the clear prophecy that he would be born
in Bethlehem to the obscure prophecy that he would be called a Nazarene. Jesus fulfilled them all. To fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I
thirst.”
His thirst also
shows the reality of his sufferings.
Jesus is not God who merely plays the role of a man. Jesus is true man—flesh and blood, body and
soul, with intelligence and emotions. His
nervous system was taxed to its limit.
His bones and ligaments were stretched out. He was tormented by physical, mental, and
spiritual anguish.
Jesus had been flogged,
forty lashes minus one, which would be brutal on any body. On top of that, Jesus was sleep deprived. His face had been beaten. His head had been crowned with thorns. He was stripped bare and nailed to a cross
where he hung suspended over the earth.
Jesus had poured out plenty of sweat and blood. It is no wonder he thirsted.
Jesus hung on the cross to die. He also hung on the cross to fulfill all Scripture. The Scriptures foretold that he would be a guilt offering, that his punishment would bring us peace, and that by his wounds we are healed, even that he would thirst. He craved a drink, and it was given to him. Above all, Jesus craved your salvation. He satisfied God’s demands. He fulfilled all the Scripture. And by fulfilling all Scripture, he himself is satisfied.
Sermon -- Good Friday: The Fourth Word (March 29, 2024)
This year, we observed the Service of the Seven Words from the Cross. This is one of the sermons following the selected reading.
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THE FOURTH WORD — Matthew 27:45-49
At Noon, darkness
covered the whole earth, for the sun had stopped shining. God so loved the world, but the hatred, the
hostility, and the horrors of all the world were heaped upon the Son. The shame, the iniquity, and the rebellion of
all mankind were put on this man. Every
one of our dark moments, every filthy thought, and every dirty deed weighed on
Jesus.
God is light; in him
there is no darkness at all. But Jesus
was cast into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Sorrow produces weeping. The anguish and torment results in gnashing
of teeth. Jesus stood in the stead of
every sinner on earth. Bearing all sin,
Jesus was cut off, cursed, and condemned.
God had forsaken his only begotten Son.
From the cross, Jesus
recited his Psalms: “My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me? Why are you so far
from the words of my groaning” (Psalm 22:1)?
God had foretold it in the Psalms: Jesus would be forsaken—God
forsaken by God.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken
your only begotten Son? For you.
He was abandoned so
that you would be adopted into God’s family.
He was rejected so that
you would be reconciled to the Father.
He was banished so that
you would belong.
He wore the crown of
thorns so that you would receive a crown of life.
He was cast into the
darkness so that you would be the children of the light.
He was forsaken so that
you never will be.
Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema
sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me” (Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46)?
This is why: For you.
Friday, April 7, 2023
Sermon -- Good Friday (April 7, 2023)
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REPENT: TURN TO
JESUS.
He Bore Our Shame To Clothe Us In Glory.
In
the name + of Jesus.
Back in the Garden of Eden, when God was still able to declare that everything was exceedingly good, we hear this statement: “The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25). Adam and Eve lived in a state of innocence and righteousness. They had perfect self-control over their emotions and their impulses. Neither would leer at the other, plotting how to use the other for their own gratification. God created them in his own image, that is, they knew God’s will, they were eager to do God’s will, and they could do God’s will perfectly. “The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25), for they were clothed in righteousness.
But when Satan convinced
them to exalt themselves as God, they were stripped of the image of God. They were undressed of their
righteousness. Then they were filled
with shame, and then they sought to cover themselves. To this day, we cover ourselves. We are right to dress modestly. But even with modest dress, we fail to control
our impulses or our hormones.
We are all involved
in cover ups. We try to hide our
sins. We put up a good façade to make
ourselves appear better than we are. We
cover up our pains and our problems by pasting on a happy face. I think it is strange how we typically greet
each other now. A man walks past and says,
“How’s it going?”, but doesn’t break stride to listen to your answer. “How’s it going?” “Good,” you reply, but your answer is seldom
honest. You won’t show your shame, your
sorrows, your pain, and your fears. You
want everyone to believe that you have your life together. Others might be envious because they think
you’ve got it all figured out while their lives are a mess. If they only knew the truth.
The devil has
overtaken us and stripped us of our humanity.
We are not what God created us to be.
God did not create us for envy, bitterness, and discontentment. God did not design us to find our hope in
narcissism, alcohol, or sex. We have even
gotten to the point where men think that they will find happiness in becoming
women and vice versa, as if God’s created order is wicked. God’s design might get distorted by sin. We might fail to find contentment in it because
of our sin. But God’s order is not
wicked, and it is certainly not improved by disorder and confusion. We have been divested of righteousness; we
are covered in shame. We have lost the
joy of life and are marked for death.
Every man-made effort of covering up our fallen humanity rots as quickly
as fig leaves.
Therefore, God provides the solution. God has acted to restore our humanity to what
God has intended it to be. To do that, the
Lord divested himself of his radiant glory.
He entered our world as a man.
The almighty God came in weakness.
The glorious God came in humility.
The omnipresent God confined himself to the body of a Jewish man conceived
and reared in Nazareth. And most
stunning of all: the immortal God came to die. Although Jesus never stopped being God, he
became a man so that he would become one of us.
He humbled himself in order to bear the shame of humanity. He bore our shame so that we could once again
be clothed in glory.
Jesus’ mission was to restore humanity to
what God designed us to be. From the
moment Jesus was conceived, he experienced what is common to all mankind. He born of a woman and nursed by her. He grew in wisdom and stature. In working with his earthly father, Joseph, he
experienced a world of calloused hands.
In preaching about the kingdom of God, he experienced a world of callous
hearts. He responded to cries of mercy from
the weak and suffered the lies of the powerful.
He was patient with people who thronged to him to demand attention and
healing. He was patient with his enemies
who slandered him and demanded his death.
In all of this, Jesus remained a righteous and innocent man. Jesus was never ruled by bitterness, pride,
or narcissism. Jesus is the image of
God: He knew his Father’s will, he delighted in doing his Father’s will, and he
perfectly did his Father’s will.
While this perfect life was necessary, it was
not enough. Jesus is the image of God.
He is what God designed people to be. Jesus’
example of love and compassion may stir you to more love and compassion for
others. But it will not make you righteous
or innocent. Therefore, Jesus lowered
himself all the more. It is not merely that
God became a man—as if we can say “merely” about that! It is that the holy, righteous, innocent Lord
became sin, assumed our curse, and bore our shame. St. Paul wrote, “Being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Jesus bore our shame to clothe us in glory.
For us, the cross and the crucifix has
become a piece of jewelry or a wall decoration.
It has lost its terror and shame for us.
But when they saw a cross, the residents of Judea and the Passover
pilgrims would have turned their eyes in horror. Their stomachs would have turned in sickness
to see a crucifixion. Jesus’
cross and its shame were on public display for all people to see. Jesus was put to death just outside the city
walls on a popular road. This was on purpose. Crucifixions were done in public to deter
would-be criminals from wickedness. Jesus bore the shame of being a rebel. Even though the charge against Jesus was
false, it was written so that it could be understood by everyone—in Aramaic, the
common dialect of the Jews, in Greek, the international language of commerce,
and in Latin, the official language of the Roman Empire.
Jesus bore more than the trumped up charge
of treachery. He was also subjected to shame
by the soldiers carrying out the crucifixion.
“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and
divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But
the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to
one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall
be.’ This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, ‘They divided my
garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots’” (John 19:23-24). Artists usually depict Jesus modestly with a
loin cloth covering him, for which we are grateful. But the truth is that Jesus was stripped
naked at the cross.
Crucifixion was not only torturous, it heaped
shame upon the crucified. You and I
cover up in modesty. We would rather be
punched in the face than be exposed. I
suspect that if we ever had to use our defibrillator on a woman, she might rather
die than have her blouse ripped open. Of
course, all the men would avert their eyes out of respect. The fact that we are uncomfortable even
thinking about this shows an appropriate recognition for the need of decency
and modesty. But just as Adam and Eve were
divested of their righteousness and became ashamed in their nakedness, so Jesus
Christ was hanged on a cross in his nakedness to bear our shame.
It was even worse than that. “(Jesus) went out … to the place called
The Place of a Skull… There they crucified
him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them” (John
19:17-18). Those criminals suffered just
as much physical pain and shame as Jesus did.
However, Jesus’ agony was increased by the guilt he was bearing. Jesus lived in innocence, but he died covered
in guilt. Jesus possesses all glory, but
he died covered in shame. Jesus bore our
shame so that he could remove it from us.
Jesus was forsaken by his Father so that he could reconcile us to the
Father. Jesus willingly gave himself
into a shameful, cursed death so that he could restore to us the blessed life
God had created us for. Jesus bore our
shame to clothe us in glory.
Of course, you also know how the story
ends. Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. This man rose with a human body which is
exalted and glorified. In doing so,
Jesus has redeemed and exalted all humanity.
He will renew you to what God had designed you to be. He will restore the image of God and clothe
you in glory. Just as Jesus was raised
from the dead without becoming a totally different person, so you will be you
when you are raised. You are a unique
creation of God now, and you will be when you are clothed in glory. Are you male?
God will raise you up an exalted male.
You are female? God will raise you
up an exalted female. Whatever shade your
skin, whatever language you speak, it will be you to perfection, free of every
flaw, frailty, and fault.
Jesus bore our shame to clothe us in
glory. He has already bestowed glory
upon you in part. “For as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). When
God the Father sees you, he does not see you exposed in your sin and naked in
your shame. He sees the innocence of
Jesus Christ covering you. He sees you
holy and blameless. And Jesus has
changed more than your status. He has
even sent his Holy Spirit to change your heart.
The image of God is
being restored in you. You know God’s
will, for he has revealed in the Bible the good you are to do and the evil you
are to avoid. You desire to do God’s
will. For, the Holy Spirit has worked in
you a love for God’s word where God both comforts and directs your life. And you do God’s will to some extent. You do honor God and serve your neighbor with
your good works. You do seek the good of
others without angling for reward from God or praise from others. You can appreciate how God blesses others and
give thanks for their talents, their success, and their recognition. But we still live in this sinful flesh. We are not yet entirely what God designed us
to be. We still get discontent, confused,
jealous, and weak. For these things, we
repent and plead for God’s mercy. And he
who died for you continues to cleanse you of sin and clothe you in innocence.
Jesus bore our shame to clothe us in glory. When we enter the heavenly kingdom, we will be completely restored to what God has always intended. You will know God’s will. You will be delighted to do God’s will. And you will be able to do God’s will perfectly. You will be free from jealousy, bitterness, and discontentment. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away. For, Jesus will not only clothe you in glory; he will make you glorious.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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