Sermon -- Good Friday (March 30, 2018)

In the second part of the Triduum, Good Friday, we focused on the seven words from the cross.  While there was a brief homily following each word, I am posting just two.


The First Word -- Luke 23:26-34

     Jesus' prayer sounds strange: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)  The soldiers who were on crucifixion detail were fully aware of their assigned task, and they carried it out dutifully.  They did not know that they were putting to death the Lord of glory.  Their ignorance, however, did not excuse them from their sins.
     The Psalms teach us to pray, “Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” (Psalm 19:12)  It is a prayer that ought to alarm us.  By it, we are reminded that we sin and we are not even aware that we are offending God and our neighbor.  Our sinful nature has blinded us so that we do not even recognize some of our faults.  Others might be wounded by ours sins, but we don't see it.  We are too absorbed in our thoughts and schedules.  We can walk over other people and not even know it.
     What's more is that we are also victims of our age and our culture.  We have blind spots so that we accept as normal what God speaks against.  If I knew what those things were, I would urge you to repent of them.  But as I said, they are blind spots.  We don't see them.  But ignorance is no excuse.  God does not give us a free pass because our culture has influenced us or because we do not know better.  We are still accountable to God for all sins, whether we do them intentionally or not, whether they are obvious or we are oblivious to them.
     But the Lord Jesus Christ has come to win forgiveness for every trespass, whether they are open sins or hidden faults.  Jesus shed his blood to atone for all sin and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
     The Lord calls us to repent of sins of commission—when we do what is evil, and from sins of omission—when we fail to do what is good.  The Lord exposes the evil we are to flee from, and he directs us to the good we are to do.  But it is hard to flee from hidden faults.  Fear not.  Jesus does not condemn you, nor does he leave you to wonder if you have made enough corrections to be saved.  Jesus acquits you from sins committed in anger, from sins committed in weakness, and even from sins committed in ignorance.
     “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)  Jesus not only prays for forgiveness for the sinner, he provides it.

The Fifth Word -- John 19:28-29

     “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)  If you hunger and thirst for something, that means you don't have it.  You crave it because you need it.  

     Blessed are you if you hunger and thirst for righteousness—for that means you recognize you do not have it.  If you crave it, you also recognize that you need it.  And you do.  You need it if you are going to have life.

     The Lord Jesus Christ declared, “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)  Jesus is the Righteous One who satisfies our need for righteousness.

     But at the cross, it was Jesus who thirsted.  Crucifixion drains its victim and saps the body, so Jesus thirsted.  Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” (John 19:28)  Jesus craved not just a drink, he especially craved your salvation and your righteousness.  That is what brought him to earth.  That is what drove him to the cross.  That is what had him fulfilling even the most miniscule of prophecies.  What might seem irrelevant to us was necessary for Jesus.

     Jesus had celebrated the Passover with his apostles.  They partook of the lamb, the unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and the cups of wine.  Before they drank the final cup, however, they left the upper room.  For Jesus, the Passover had not been completed.  The final cup still had to be drunk.

     At the cross, the final cup was consumed.  Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” (John 19:28)  The cup of God’s wrath was drained.  Every drop was consumed.  The Passover was now completed.  Jesus has fulfilled all righteousness.  And so now God is pleased.  And so now death passes over you.  And so now heaven is opened.

     Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you shall be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6, paraphrase)

Issues Etc -- Pondering the Passion

If you are interested in a treasure trove of Holy Week meditation, check out the Issues, Etc. podcasts from this Holy Week.  There are a number of podcasts which will give you hours of interviews to listen to and consider. 

You can find Issues, Etc. here. 

I hope you can also find the time.

Sermon -- Maundy Thursday (March 29, 2018)

HEBREWS 8:6-13

JESUS, OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST, IS MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The old covenant between God and his people was very straight forward: “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today...” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)  The Lord had promised incredible blessing and continual favor upon Israel.  He promised to be their God, and he was pleased to call Israel his people.  However, the old covenant was flawed—but not because God was incapable of keeping his promises or unwilling to do it.  It was flawed because of one word: “If.”  If the Israelites would serve him exclusively, they would forever be the Lord's people.  If the Israelites devoted themselves fully to the word of the Lord, he would continually bless them.  There would be peace, comfort, and blessing if Israel would be faithful to the Lord.  If.
     When God blessed Israel so that life was cozy and cushy, Israel quickly forgot about the Lord.  They turned aside to selfish pursuits.  They deceived themselves with their worship rites which became empty gestures to God.  Only when the Lord gave them over to their enemies or afflicted them with problems did they return to the Lord.  You might think you would do better under the old covenant and collect all the blessings God promises.  But you and I are no better.  The old covenant does not prove how much good we should expect; it proves how much we are not good.  If you devote yourself to doing all the good God demands, you will discover that even with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, you can't do it.  If only our minds and our motives were not corrupted by sin.  If only our sinful weakness would not be our downfall again.  If only.  If.
     The old covenant reveals our sinfulness to us.  It does not bring blessing; it results in a curse.  Therefore, God resolved to establish a new covenant through his Son, Jesus.  But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)  The first thing we recognize is that the new covenant is not a conditional covenant.  It is not based on laws that we have to keep in order to get God's blessing.  It is based on better promises.  In fact, it is based completely on God's promises.  God had promised that he will do all the work to establish his covenant.  And since God does all the work, it will not fail.  There will be no “if's” attached to it.  It will be complete and perfect and flawless.
     Jesus, our Great High Priest, is mediator of the new covenant.  Since Jesus is both God and man, he is able to represent both parties in the covenant.  As man, Jesus stands in for us.  He keeps God's Law with his holy, innocent life.  God's Law is good, and it shows us what a good person does.  Since Jesus has kept all of God's Law, it shows that Jesus is good.  In fact, flawless.  When Jesus stood on trial before the Jewish courts, no one could find fault with him.  When Jesus stood in the Roman court, many accusations were hurled at Jesus.  But none stuck.  Pilate announced Jesus' innocence no less than four times.  But even more than that, God the Father found no fault in his own Son.  This man lived the perfect obedient life which God demands.  But since Jesus is true God, that innocence is rendered on behalf of all mankind.  For, Jesus did not live for his own gain, but for yours.
     Jesus, our Great High Priest, is mediator of the new covenant.  Throughout the Old Testament, every covenant was ratified by blood.  Animals were severed and the parties in the covenant passed through the blood trail to confirm the covenant between them.  Jesus, who is both God and man, ratified this covenant by his own blood.  The man, Jesus, was nailed to a cross where he shed his blood as one who is cursed for failing to keep the Law.  As man, Jesus died under God's curse for sinners.  But as God, Jesus' bloody death counts for all people.  The innocent blood which Jesus shed answers for all our sins.  Therefore, all your sins are covered.  All your guilt is blotted out. 
     Jesus, our Great High Priest, is mediator of the new covenant.  There are no “if's” attached to this covenant so that you would ever have to doubt whether you have kept up your end of it.  There are no conditions.  You cannot fail and mess it up.  The writer to the Hebrews quoted the prophet Jeremiah to show that this was always God's plan.  “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.” (Hebrews 8:10-11)  
     Jesus, our Great High Priest, is mediator of the new covenant.  In this new covenant, the Lord creates in you a clean heart which has been purified in Jesus' blood.  He renews a right spirit within you which God enlightens and directs.  When the Lord declares, “They shall not teach, ... saying, ‘Know the Lord’” (Hebrews 8:11), that does not mean we no longer need to devote ourselves to the word of the Lord.  People who stop hearing the word of the Lord end up being deceived because they end up crafting a god which appeals to them and agrees with them.  Their worship becomes an empty gesture to an imaginary god.  Just as a builder needs to keep on looking at his plans to get his building right, so also we need to keep on hearing the word of the Lord to be sure we are focusing ourselves on the true God.  The word of the Lord is necessary so we can know the Lord.  That is where the Lord reveals who he is, what he desires, and what he does.  Because God has given you his word, you know the Lord.  He is Jesus, God in the flesh.  He has established the new covenant by his innocent life and sacrificial death.  He pledges, “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)  These are the works of our Great High Priest, and these are the terms of the new covenant.
     One of the major festivals under the old covenant was the Passover.  It was an annual reminder that the Lord is the God who saves his people.  Israelite families would feast together and remember that the blood of the lamb caused the angel to pass over their homes.  By the blood of the lamb, death did not come to them.  Many generations of Israelites knew that deliverance only as a story.  They had not participated in that deliverance; they could only reminisce. 
     Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, served as the mediator of the new covenant.  It is no mere remembrance.  This feast is the new covenant.  By partaking in it, we receive all the benefits our Lord won for us.  The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)  We do not reenact a meal.  We feast on the body and blood of Christ, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins.  In this way, we participate in the body which bore our sin and in the blood which purifies us from all unrighteousness.  We ingest the promise of God: “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)  
     Jesus, our Great High Priest, is mediator of the new covenant.  In this new covenant, Jesus does all the work: He pays for our sins.  Jesus makes all the promises: He pardons our offenses.  Jesus Christ does not put God's covenant into question with the word “If.”  He makes God's covenant a sure declaration.  He punctuates God's promises with “Amen!” and ratifies it with his precious blood.

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

Private Confession & Absolution (Today, 6:00-8:00 PM)

PRIVATE CONFESSION & ABSOLUTION


On Monday, March 26 (THAT'S TODAY!) from 6:00-8:00 PM, you are able to make use of Private Confession & Absolution to acknowledge the sins that grieve you and to be absolved of them.  Why do this?  Luther's Small Catechism answers this way:

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

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

There is no need to schedule an appointment for today.  Come when you like.  The pastor will be prepared to explain the rite further to you and to absolve you of all guilt.

Palm Sunday leftovers

Yesterday's palms.

Next year's ashes.

Sermon -- 6th Sunday in Lent: Palm Sunday (March 25, 2018)

MARK 11:1-10

HOSANNA TO THE SON OF DAVID.

In the name + of Jesus.

     It is common for people to long for the good ol' days.  Society was nicer.  People were happier.  The weather was better.  The food was healthier.  And money purchased more than it does now.  Even people in the Church long for the good ol' days.  We long for the days when there were not so many divisions in the church, when the Gospel was boldly preached and people were converted to the Christian faith in mass numbers.  We long for the days when the Church's leaders were neither corrupt nor immoral, and when the Church did not have to contend with hypocrites or heretics. 
     There are two problems with longing for the good ol' days.  First, it is pointless to pine for days that are gone.  You can't bring them back.  Besides, the Lord has been pleased to have you alive here and now.  These are the days you live in—both to enjoy the good things, because there are always good things, and to endure the bad things, because bad things never go away. 
     The other problem is that the good ol' days never happened, at least not like you think they did.  As time goes by, our minds filter out the hard times and we recall the past being better than it was.  There has never been an era that has been free from problems.  The world has been corrupt since the Garden of Eden, producing thorns and thistles in the lives of all people.  Sometimes those thorns poked harder and the thistles scratched deeper than others, but they have never been rooted out of this world, not even in the good ol' days.  Nor has the Church known some golden age when everything was right.  It has always had to struggle and to battle.  It has always been the Church Militant.  Sin has affected every part of life, and the calendar year has not made a difference.
     When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people cheered his arrival because they longed for the good ol' days.  Part of their enthusiasm was because of the miraculous signs Jesus had done.  But the cries of the crowd give us the main reason for their cheers.  Many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.  And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!  Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:8-10)  
     “Hosanna to the Son of David!” was the cry on Palm Sunday.  The Israelites longed for the good ol' days of King David.  Even though they had not seen those days, they knew the stories.  David was the king who established Israel as a major player on the world scene.  David was a great warrior who had conquered the enemies around Israel and held them in subjection.  Once those nations were conquered, Israel dwelt in peace.  Under King David, Israel enjoyed a period of prosperity and prestige.  The people in Jesus' day were eager “the coming kingdom of our father David,” (Mark 11:10)  They wanted to have the good ol' days back.
     They also remembered a promise.  This is what the Lord had said to David through the prophet Nathan: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13)  It was as if the Lord had guaranteed that the good ol' days would not only come back, but that once they did, they would last forever.  Therefore, the people greeted Jesus by laying down their garments on the path so that his mount would not touch the ground.  They waved their palm branches in victory.  And they shouted and sang: “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!  Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9-10)  
     Hosanna to the Son of David!  “Hosanna!” means, “Lord, save us!”  It is certainly an appropriate prayer, and it is certainly directed to the right one.  For, the name “Yeshua” means, “The Lord saves.”  It is Jesus' name.  It is Jesus' identity.  And it is Jesus' purpose for coming.  He is the Lord who saves.  But the question is this: Saved from what?  The people who greeted Jesus uttered the right prayer to the right person, but many of them longed to be saved from the wrong things. 
     Are your prayers like theirs?  Do you long for the good ol' days because you have somehow convinced yourself that life was better then, and you want to have the better life now?  Are your greatest concerns that money is tight, or that you have doubts about your health, your safety, and your future?  While it is good to bring those concerns to the Lord in prayer, they are not your greatest problem.  Whoever has had money, health, comfort, and security has not escaped death.  Those things won't save you.  Heaven and hell are not determined by money, health, safety, or ease.  These do, however, reveal what matters to our hearts.  Repent.  The only thing that damns you is that long for these things more than Christ.  Outside of Christ and his kingdom there is only sin, death, and damnation.  That is what we need to be saved from. 
     Therefore we cry, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”  Jesus does not come to bring some nostalgic reproduction of the good ol' days where things will be happy for a while.  The Son of David has come to establish an everlasting kingdom.  He has come to take your sin and guilt away from you so that you will not be condemned because of your love for money, because you trust in safety and security, or because you fear a loss of health.  That is why when Jesus entered Jerusalem to establish his kingdom, he did not overthrown the governments of King Herod or Pontius Pilate.  He did not hand out money or magic elixirs to cure every ill.  Jesus came to suffer and to be slain.  Jesus made himself the sin offering which puts an end to your sin.  By setting you free from your sin, Jesus delivers you into his kingdom in which you receive forgiveness of sins and salvation.  Forgiveness delivers you from every curse of sin.  And salvation will finally deliver you into a heavenly kingdom forever free from all worry, pain, or struggle.
     Hosanna to the Son of David!  Jesus is the Lord who saves you and brings you into his kingdom of grace, and will deliver you into the kingdom of heavenly glory.  And to strengthen and keep you in the true faith until that day, Jesus answers your songs of Hosanna by coming to you in bread and wine to deliver the gifts of his kingdom to you already now.  Hosanna to the Son of David!  He takes the throne of David and lives and reigns over a kingdom that endures forever. 
     When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowds greeted him by waving palms in a procession of victory.  They had hoped to see the good ol' days return to Israel.    But Jesus brings a much better kingdom and a much more enduring glory.  St. John caught a glimpse of that glory in his Revelation.  After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10)  Those in heaven don't worry about money or health or crime or pain or sorrow.  They are totally focused on Jesus who is the source of all good things.  He is the Lord who saves and who makes all things well.  Therefore, the Church today is totally focused on Jesus, and for the same reason.  The victorious waving of palm branches is not a nostalgic memory of better days.  This is a taste of the days to come—the glorious kingdom where it is everlasting day.  It is the final answer to our prayer, “Hosanna!”  And it is the kingdom our Lord gives to us.  For he is our Yeshua.  He is our Lord, and he saves us for our eternal good.

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

Worship Notes: The Triduum (March 29 - April 1)

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

Thursday, March 29 -- 7:00 PM

        The theme of Maundy Thursday, best expressed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John, is the novum mandatum or “new command” of Jesus that his disciples “love one another.”  The institution of the Lord’s Supper sets forth the depth of Jesus’ love and gives power to the Church to live out his command.  For the Triduum, Maundy Thursday marks the end of Lent proper.  The service begins with the sermon and an exhortation regarding the end of Lent.  This unusual arrangement allows the minister to explain the meaning of the Sacrament and the liturgical actions that are to take place so that they may proceed uninterruptedly and vividly from this evening through Good Friday to the Easter Vigil.  The action of ceremonially stripping the altar prepares the chancel and the congregation for Good Friday.

GOOD FRIDAY:

THE SERVICE OF THE SEVEN WORDS

Friday, March 30 -- 7:00 PM

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

Sunday, April 1 -- 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.


        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.

        SERVICE NOTES:  

        1)  While the Triduum is designed to be one connected services over three days, each part still stands on its own.  So, if you are only able to make it for part of the Triduum, you will not feel lost, as if missing Maundy Thursday means that Good Friday will make no sense.

        2)  You may find it valuable to come ten minutes prior to each portion of the Triduum to read through the bulletin and acquaint yourself with the service.  This is also a good time to prepare for worship by prayer and meditation.

        3)  If you need to have a conversation with someone, please restrict that to the fellowship hall.  The chapel will be reserved as a quiet space for prayer and meditation before and after each service.  While this is a laudable practice throughout the church year, it is especially necessary since pre-service and post-service music has been suspended for the final weeks of Lent.

        Our regular Easter Festival Service will be Sunday, April 1 at 10:00 AM.  You may also join us for Easter Breakfast at 8:45 AM.  Please let us know if we can expect you at:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4eadab2eabfb6-nofoolin