God supplies all your needs in Christ.

 

Sermon for Thanksgiving Eve, November 27, 2024

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.

Philippians 4:10-20  ¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord now that you have revived your concern for me once again.  Actually, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  ¹¹I am not saying this because I lack anything; in fact, I have learned to be content in any circumstances in which I find myself.  ¹²I know what it is to live in humble circumstances, and I know what it is to have more than enough.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, while being full or hungry, while having plenty or not enough.  ¹³I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.  ¹⁴Nevertheless, you did well by becoming partners with me in my affliction.  ¹⁵You Philippians know that in the beginning of your experience with the gospel, when I left Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone.  ¹⁶Even while I was in Thessalonica, you sent help more than once for my needs.  ¹⁷Not that I am seeking a gift, but I am seeking the fruit that adds to your account.  ¹⁸I have been paid in full, and I have more than enough.  I am fully supplied since I’ve received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.  ¹⁹And my God will fully supply your every need, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  ²⁰Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever!  Amen. (EHV)

God supplies all your needs in Christ.

Dear generous friends,

            “Say thank you.”  How often did we hear that as children?  And how often did we also say that to our children, trying to teach them to show gratitude for gifts they received.  It is good and wise to give thanks when others share with us.  We all know it.  Yet, sometimes it might feel a bit forced.  Maybe the gift we received wasn’t as much or as great as we hoped it would be, or maybe we felt like we deserved something better.  Perhaps, even having a special Thanksgiving Day may, also, feel like you are being commanded to give thanks, whether you feel like it or not.

Now, Thanksgiving Day began with noble intentions.  The Pilgrims truly felt great gratitude for surviving a year that had begun with them in such desperate conditions that many had died.  President Lincoln declared the first national Thanksgiving Day in the midst of the Civil War.  He felt that too many people had forgotten God’s gracious hand while there was much reason to thank God and pray for further blessings.  If we are honest, though, Americans didn’t invent giving thanks.  That is something that flows honestly from hearts knowing that God supplies all your needs in Christ.

St. Paul received help from the congregation in Philippi.  Here, he expresses his gratitude to those faithful Christians who had supported him generously, time and again, even when no one else did.  Paul praises their loving concern for him and for his work.  Even more so, however, Paul is genuinely grateful for what their giving represents.  The Philippians weren’t trying to buy any favor with either Paul or God.  They gave because they believed in his mission of sharing God’s grace with fellow sinners in need of forgiveness and salvation.  They showed their loving concern for Paul, certainly, but also for the strangers in need of God’s grace.

There is much we can learn, here, about how we should give, but also how we should live, and how to be truly thankful.  We should give, not in some misbegotten attempt to earn favor with God or anyone else.  Real giving begins in the heart and leads to putting the needs of others ahead of ourselves.  We all know that can feel hard, and we likely would all admit to falling short of that goal, as well.  Thank the Lord, God supplies all your needs in Christ.  Not only does God give us exactly what we need, but He pours out His rich providence upon us, usually far above what our basic needs would require.  Especially, God has poured out His generosity upon us in the gift of His grace and forgiveness in the life and sacrifice Jesus made to take away all our sins, guilt, and shame.

Paul also pointed out for his fellow Christians the secret of happiness he had learned through the blessing of the Gospel.  Paul’s life assuredly had its ups and downs.  His early life was likely well up in the upper class of the Jews.  He had enjoyed the best schooling they could offer, and he was quickly rising up the ranks of power among his fellow Pharisees. 

That all changed after being brought to faith in Jesus.  Paul then realized how hopeless his early career had been.  Through the gift of the Gospel, Paul had learned that whether he was enjoying great material blessings, or being stoned, chased out of a place for his teaching, or being tossed into the sea by shipwreck, his God and Savior had everything firmly under control so that Paul’s eternal life was secure.

As Paul received this gift from his friends, he wanted them to know that he appreciated it, but he also assures them that he wasn’t thankful because he had been in dire straits.  Also, he didn’t want anyone to think that he had required, or somehow demanded their help.  At the same time, Paul did want them to realize that their faithful generosity would be rewarded in heaven.  He wrote, “Even while I was in Thessalonica, you sent help more than once for my needs.  Not that I am seeking a gift, but I am seeking the fruit that adds to your account.”

That my friends, tells us all we need to know about true Christian giving.  God doesn’t demand that we give anything to Him or His work.  When the Israelites proved unfaithful in their worship life, especially neglecting the sacrifices that pointed them to Christ, the Lord declared, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, because the world is mine, and all that fills it.” (Psalm 50:12)  He further explained, “Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and fulfill your vows to the Most High.  Call on me in the day of distress.  I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” (Psalm 50:14-15)  What God truly wants from us is to trust in Him completely.  He wants us to look to Him for every need, to trust Him to take care of us in hardship or plenty.  Especially, God wants us to look to Him for forgiveness, salvation, and life.

Therefore, our giving to the Lord isn’t required to appease an angry God or even to gain His favor.  He has already promised that, and more, and delivered bountifully since the day He created the world.  Rather, faithful giving comes from a believing heart that knows we will never outgive the Giver of all good things.  Again, when Israel had departed from trusting God, He challenged them, “Bring the complete tithe to the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Just test me in this,” says the Lord of Armies.  “See whether I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour down blessing on you, until there is more than enough.” (Malachi 3:10)

Whether in good times or bad, God always gives us more than enough.  Even if in His will, He determines to allow great hardship, persecution, or pain into our lives, He is always at hand to guard and keep us unto life everlasting.  Through the Psalmist, “The Lord says, ‘Because he clings to me, I will rescue him.  I will protect him, because he acknowledges my name.’” (Psalm 91:14)

Knowing that the Philippians gave their gift for his work solely out of thankfulness for the great blessing of having a Savior from sin, Paul could describe their generous gifts as “a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.”  Therefore, knowing that the Holy Spirit inspired this writing, you will understand that your giving to God’s work, not out of compulsion, or because you saw a shortfall in the budget, but only because you are thankful for everything God has given you and because you trust Him to keep taking care of you, and you truly desire to be a help to your neighbor both physically and spiritually, then your gift is a good and pleasing offering to the Lord God who loves you.

Consequently, living our thanksgiving isn’t a one-day event but the way we go about our lives.  When we believe what the Lord Jesus has taught us, we know that we never have to fear a shortage.  We never have to fear the troubles that surround us in a sinful world.  We can say with Paul, “I know what it is to live in humble circumstances, and I know what it is to have more than enough.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, while being full or hungry, while having plenty or not enough.  I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”  Learning to be content in every circumstance we experience is also our Lord’s gracious gift to us through faith.

Dear friends, tomorrow, most of us will gather around tables overflowing with good and hearty foods.  Most likely, many of us will eat too much.  As we do so, we will remember how richly God has blessed us.  We will give thanks for how He poured out His bounty upon us again this year, but especially, how for He has poured over us the water of life that washed away our sins in Baptism, and how He continues to bless us with His holy Word that so strengthens our trust in His faithfulness.  In doing so, we are looking forward to how God will remember the good works Jesus has accomplished on our behalf, so that when He returns in glory, Jesus can declare, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)  We truly believe that God supplies all your needs in Christ.  “Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever!  Amen.”

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, forevermore.  Amen.

Pay attention to the One everlasting.

 

Sermon for Last Sunday of Church Year, November 24, 2024

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Isaiah 51:4-6  ⁴Pay attention to me, O my people.  My nation, listen to me!  For the law will go out from me, and I will establish my justice as a light to the peoples.  ⁵My righteousness is near.  My salvation goes forth, and my arms will bring justice to the peoples.  The seacoasts will wait for me.  They will have confidence in my arm.  ⁶Lift up your eyes to the heavens.  Look closely at the earth beneath, because the heavens will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like gnats.  But my salvation will remain forever, and my righteousness will never be abolished. (EHV)

Pay attention to the One everlasting.

Dear friends in Christ,

            We’ve reached the end of the Church year.  The harvest is in our rear-view mirror.  For many or us, it might be time to sit back, relax, and enjoy some calm.  Yet, with the way the year has gone, with crazy weather stoking worries, first with rain delays making some wonder whether a crop would get planted, then when the weather turned, would there be moisture enough to produce a good crop?  Now, once the harvest is in the bins, but the prices have crashed, will there be enough money to carry us all through the coming year?

On top of those local concerns, an election year always brings stress and worry to many.  Whether you pick one party, or the other, surely someone in your group of friends was disappointed.  Now, with the election concluded, the pollsters and political pundits fill the news with their opinions on our future with a new administration.  So many troubles to bring panic to the masses: inflation, wars in various places, illnesses running amok, climate change hysterics, nuclear war threats, interest rates eating into budgets, stock and commodity markets in turmoil, government abuses and excesses, and old age eating at our bones.  The doomsayers are again having a field day.

But, what about us?  How are we reacting to the troubles of a world broken and corrupted by sin?  Who, or what, are we trusting for assurance in these trying times?  If we are honest with ourselves, as we always should be, it is more than a little likely that we too have fallen prey to the devil’s whispers, the evil one who always attempts to get us questioning God’s plan for His people.  The people of Israel certainly fell for that liar’s temptations.  In consequence for their departures from trusting God, they were at the time of Isaiah’s writing this prophecy, dwelling in exile in Babylon.  However, God never abandoned His people, so we too are reminded to Pay attention to the One everlasting.

The Lord God of heaven and earth, who is without beginning or end, (Psalm 90:2) cries out, “Pay attention to me, O my people.  My nation, listen to me!”  This is not the frantic whining of some childlike authority.  Not at all.  Instead, this is the Lord of life calling for His people not to lose hope.  Yes, they were undergoing some harsh discipline.  Yes, they had been unfaithful to the God who loved them unconditionally.  Yet, God’s plan of salvation was, and is, still intact.  God called to them when they were in despair, when they were worried, when they thought all hope was lost.  He had Good News for His people—Good News for all people on earth.

The One true God who made us His people through faith in Jesus Christ declared, “For the law will go out from me, and I will establish my justice as a light to the peoples.  My righteousness is near.  My salvation goes forth, and my arms will bring justice to the peoples.”  From the time of Moses through the Revelation of Christ Jesus given to St. John, God’s message of salvation and peace has been recorded for you and me to hear and believe.  God calls for us all to pay attention to what He has given us, because He has instructed us not just in what we should or shouldn’t do, though that is part of His Word, but God has mostly given us this instruction so that we will know His Son as our Savior.  To the opponents who so ruthlessly rejected Him and plotted to kill Him, Jesus declared, “You search the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them. They testify about me!” (John 5:39)

Already when Adam and Eve sinned, when Israel was enslaved in Egypt, as Moses led the Children of Israel through the wilderness, and still while they endured exile in Babylon, God’s righteousness was never far away from them.  The same is true for you and me.  After His crucifixion, death, and resurrection, before Jesus returned to His Father’s side in His ascension to heaven, Jesus promised His followers, “Surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Through His holy Gospel, the Lord God shouts to His people, “My righteousness is near.  My salvation goes forth, and my arms will bring justice to the peoples.  The seacoasts will wait for me.  They will have confidence in my arm.”  The Lord alone knows what troubles and heartaches we might face in the future.  Just as surely, He knows what troubles beset us right now.  The Jews of Jesus’ day refused to see Him as the promised Savior and Redeemer.  When our times of trouble, sorrow, persecution, or pains afflict us, will we remember who truly loves us, and has saved us from everlasting punishment?  Do we truly trust Him right now in every circumstance, trial, hardship, or blessing?

What an accusatory question that is.  Yet, it is one each of us must take to heart.  “Do you love Me,” Jesus asked Peter. (John 21:16)  Three times the Savior questioned that disciple.  Why?  Because in the moment of trial, Peter had denied His Lord.  Yet, Jesus wasn’t grilling Peter because He wanted to make Peter suffer.  Rather, Jesus wanted Peter truly to realize that His sins and betrayal were forgiven.  Jesus wanted Peter to understand that Jesus lived and died for us all, so that we all might believe and be saved.

After accomplishing the reconciliation of all mankind with His Father, Jesus was sending out the disciples who had all abandoned Him in His moment of greatest distress, because that is what God had planned from the beginning.  The righteousness of God is Jesus.  It is His perfect life, perfect obedience, perfect trust in His Father’s care, and His perfect love for sinners like us who don’t deserve it, and Jesus’ righteousness is credited freely to all who are brought to believe in Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament.  You see, God sent Jesus to be our salvation.

From the time Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit has been working through Baptism and the preaching of the Gospel to draw in people from all over the world to be His people, a chosen people ransomed out of slavery and death by the sacrifice of the holy Son of God.  For all of this the prophet of the Lord cries out to the weak and weary, Pay attention to the One everlasting.

When harvest comes to an end here on the plains of Minnesota, we kind of have a picture of our lives in the world.  We grow up out of the seed of our parents, then all too soon, we fade out of this life with only our seeds remaining.  Without faith in Jesus, it could really feel all too hopeless, and we know that for many people that is the case.  When afflicted with terrible pain or the thought of imminent death, all their hope disappears and despair takes control.  Yet, that is not at all what the Lord wants for any of us.  He promises, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens.  Look closely at the earth beneath, because the heavens will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like gnats.  But my salvation will remain forever, and my righteousness will never be abolished.”

God wants us to observe all created things and recognize that they are here for only a time.  This world is not the ultimate goal God had when He created it.  We don’t plant corn and beans just to see them grow.  We plant the various crops with the goal of a harvest, and so has God provided this temporary world for His harvest.  God had His prophet testify, “Yes, the people are grass.  Grass withers, flowers fade, but the Word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:7-8)  God’s intent from the beginning was to have all of us who believe in the Son together with Him forever in peace and harmony and joy.

The point of all this is that we should not remain so focused on the events of this world, the hardships and pains, the folly, rebellion, and debauchery of the world, and not even in the riches and good times of earth, but rather that in all things, we Pay attention to the One everlasting.  No matter the good times or the bad, know that you are loved with an everlasting love.  You are treasured by your Creator who so wants an eternal relationship with you that He was willing to send His own beloved Son to live righteousness for you, to die on a cross to take away the shame of sin from you, and to rise to live eternally ruling all things for your everlasting good. 

Jesus told us many signs to look for that would tell us He is returning to judge the world, and all of these signs have been evident for nearly two thousand years.  However, when Jesus gave us those signs to watch for, He said, “But when these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.” (Luke 21:28)  God wants us all to be confident in the salvation He has provided for us.  Just as much, He wants you to know that all sin was paid for by the blood of His Son, that the debt of sin is completely paid, and He has won for us everlasting life in heaven.  Before He willingly submitted to the punishment of death in our place, Jesus promised His disciples, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.  If it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)

Dear friends, no matter what might be happening in this world at any moment in time, whether everything seems to be going your way, or you face severe hardship, trouble, or pain, or even if life seems to be moving gently along as it always has, know that God has something far better planned for you.  He has peace for you that can never be seen on earth apart from Him.  He has joy and life waiting for you where there will never again be any sorrow, pain, or death, where the Tempter will no longer trouble or mislead anyone, and where you and I will rejoice in the presence of our Creator for all the eternities to come.  For all of that and more, Pay attention to the One everlasting.  Amen.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, both soul and body, be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.  Amen.

Both now and then, Jesus speaks life.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 26, November 17, 2024

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours, forever, from God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

John 5:25-29  ²⁵“Amen, Amen, I tell you: A time is coming and is here now when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will live.  ²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted the Son to have life in himself.  ²⁷And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.  ²⁸“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹and will come out.  Those who have done good will rise to live, but those who have practiced evil will rise to be condemned.” (EHV)

Both now and then, Jesus speaks life.

Dear hearers of the Word,

            Two weeks ago, we reviewed the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave.  We were reminded of how Jesus declared loudly, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43)  Incredibly, if Jesus had simply shouted, “Come out of your grave!”, it is completely possible that vast numbers of the dead, perhaps even everybody who had ever died, might have risen along with Lazarus.  Now, skeptics may deride this idea with mocking laughter, but do not be fooled, Jesus here explains the power of His voice by which Both now and then, Jesus speaks life.

Jesus said, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: A time is coming and is here now when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will live.”  Truly, adamantly, Jesus emphasizes that the power of His message never changes.  At the very beginning of time, God spoke, and everything came to be exactly as He desired.  St. John introduced His Gospel by teaching the world, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him everything was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)  Thus, the power of the Almighty is in Jesus and comes through His voice.

In every time and place, those who hear the Gospel, and believe it, receive the gift of life.  That was true for Adam and Eve, for Abraham, for the people who followed Jesus during His earthly ministry, in all the years of history since Jesus ascended to heaven, and it remains true until He returns again in glory to judge the world.  Jesus told His disciples the time had come to believe, and those who hear receive everlasting life through faith.  As St. Paul wrote, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

At the same time, we know, just as Jesus knew, that our earthly bodies have an expiration date.  Because of the curse of sin upon the world, and because we are all sinners, we all will die.  That’s why Jesus’ statement also points us toward His future return.  It is vitally important that every sinner understand that he or she will face Jesus at the judgment, “and those who listen will live.”  Those in whom the power of the Gospel has worked faith in Jesus will be raised to enjoy eternal life in heaven.  Thus, Jesus came into this world to give us life that doesn’t end. 

Jesus didn’t become our Savior because He enjoyed suffering the rejection of His people and persecution from those who should have recognized Him as their Savior.  Jesus didn’t take our place because He had a strong desire to live in poverty and meekness, or to endure brutal flogging, thorns pounded into His brow, nails ripping through His wrists and feet, or the piercing of a spear in His side.  Instead, Jesus came into the world because of love, the love of the Father and the Son for the people of the world, as Jesus explained, “No one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)  So, Jesus left His home in the glories of heaven to live holiness for us and to take the separation from His Father we deserved because like our first parents, we too have listened to Satan.

Jesus said, “For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted the Son to have life in himself.  And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.”  You and I and everyone who has ever been born from a woman’s womb, inherited from our parents the spiritual corruption that made us spiritually dead in sin which separated us from God.  On our own, we had no way to change the eternal death sentence, but as we said previously, Jesus has the full power of God to bring life to dead beings.  Jesus told His disciples, “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)

By His powerful hand in creation, God brought us into physical life.  Through the water and Word of baptism, His Spirit gives life to everyone who believes.  Now, because Jesus gave His life into death in order to save us, and because He has risen from the dead triumphant over death, the devil, and the grave so that we may enjoy everlasting life, the Father has given Jesus the due reward and responsibility of judging all people. 

For the sins of all people, Jesus bore the judgment of death, but to us comes the life.  To His disciples as they marveled about His words, Jesus admonished, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out.  Those who have done good will rise to live, but those who have practiced evil will rise to be condemned.”  Many in our world deny and even mock the idea that they will be judged and sentenced to eternal punishment.  Some are even so bold as to brag about their expectation of dwelling in the bowels of hell. 

Here, Jesus warns that those who have done evil will be condemned to a torment far worse than what our sinful minds might comprehend.  People look at the good and bad events of human history and assume that nothing could be worse than the pandemics, casualties and cruelties of war, the betrayals, murderous rampages and cruel rapes of sinful men, the crushing death toll of natural disasters, or even the depressions, manias, and malaise so common in the world. 

However, hell is a never-ending experience of suffering totally separated from God and any good thing He gives.  For those stuck in that awful place designed to punish Satan eternally for his deceptions and deceit, there will be no joy, no peace, no comfort, and no escape.  Their greatest punishment may well be that they will know, too late, that Jesus is Lord of all.  Speaking to those who rejected and despised Him, Jesus said, “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown outside.” (Luke 13:28)

While those who reject Him will receive their due reward of eternal suffering and separation from God, Jesus promises, “Those who have done good will rise to live.”  Here again, we see that Both now and then, Jesus speaks life.  Then and now, by His Word in the world, Jesus gives life to sinners and the sure hope of eternal life to those who believe in Him as their Savior.  Then, when He returns in glory on Judgment Day to judge both the living and the dead, the sound of Jesus’ voice will raise from the grave every person who has ever lived.  As the Lord declared through His prophet, Isaiah, “I have sworn by myself.  From my mouth a righteous word has gone out, and it will not return unfulfilled.  Indeed, to me every knee will bow, and every tongue will swear allegiance.” (Isaiah 45:23)  At that time, then, the wicked will finally realize with trembling and shame that they missed their chance to believe and be saved.  However, for those who do believe, their confession of faith in the Lord Jesus will be their triumph song.  Having received the crown of life by the Word of Jesus, we will rejoice forever worshipping at the throne of our God and Savior.

Hearing the words of our text, however, many wonder, who is it that has done good?  Who among us has ever lived a spotless life before the Law?  Who can say they deserve this crown of glory?  And of course, we know that no human, ever, except Jesus, can make that claim.  Therefore, how can any of us stand before Jesus on Judgment Day and live?  Both now and then, Jesus speaks life.  We repeat the message of Jesus’ words.  In answer to some who came to Jesus asking, “What should we do to carry out the works of God?”  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.” (John 6:28-29) 

Those who are counted as doing good on Judgment Day are not some who have lived perfectly holy lives in their deeds or even their thoughts and intentions.  They are instead those, and only those, who have been counted worthy through faith in Christ Jesus, the Savior who lived holiness for them and paid for all their sins.  Indeed, we rejoice, because “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

That dear friends, is the gift God gives to you and me.  As we live through these dark and dangerous days, when it appears more and more that the Last Day is swiftly approaching, we who believe in Jesus have nothing to fear.  When Jesus warned His listeners about the signs of the end times, He assured us, “They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  But when these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.” (Luke 21:27-28)

This second last Sunday of the Church year focuses our attention on the Judgment Day that is coming to all people.  This world will not last forever, but a day is coming when all people must give account of their lives.  For those who have rejected Jesus to follow any other god, philosophy, or idol, there is only eternal banishment and torment to come.  On the other hand, those who walk with Jesus by faith rejoice now, and then eternally, for that last day brings only our entrance into the glories and peace of heaven.  Give thanks to the Lord our God, for Both now and then, Jesus speaks life.  Amen.

To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.  Amen. 

Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity.

 

Sermon for Pentecost 25, October 10, 2024

May the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 8:1-9  Now brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that was given in the churches of Macedonia: ²In a severe test of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty overflowed into an abundance of their generosity.  ³I testify that of their own free will they gave according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, ⁴pleading with us with an urgent request for the gracious privilege of joining in this service to the saints.  ⁵And they did this not as we had expected, but in keeping with God’s will they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us.  ⁶As a result we urged Titus, since he had already made a beginning, to bring to completion this gracious gift on your part.  ⁷But just as you overflow in every way—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you also overflow in this gracious gift.  ⁸I do not say this as a command, but to test how genuine your love is, by comparing it with the eagerness of others.  ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich. (EHV)

Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity.

Dear friends enriched in grace,

            The question is often asked, “How much should I give?”  Sometimes, this question comes from a person seeking to know what the minimum requirement might be.  Some churches insist that their members tithe, or give ten percent of their income in order to remain in good standing.  A few, I am told, require a membership fee or to purchase a ticket in order to attend services.  At least one church I know of, at one time, annually required its members to pledge a certain amount each year, but if the elders thought you hadn’t pledged enough, they would demand that you increase your pledge.  How that could be seen as a voluntary offering, I am not sure.  Instead of such legalistic demands, though, and recognizing that we are Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity.

Now, when reading the words of our text, it is certain that Paul has something to say about our giving, so perhaps your reflex defenses even went up thinking that the pastor would now be flogging you about giving more money.  While this text certainly does touch on the action of generous giving, in reality, it is about love—God’s love for us and our fit response.  The Holy Spirit is reminding Paul’s readers about the two great commandments.  Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

A little background history would be in order here.  When Paul wrote this second letter to the church in Corinth, about a year had come and gone since he had last visited that place.  In that year, much trouble had afflicted the congregation.  In Paul’s absence, false teachers had infiltrated and afflicted the congregation with many wrong ideas.  Even an incestuous relationship had become known which needed to be admonished and the culprit brought to repentance.  There had been a lot of turmoil in this little church in just one year’s time.  Paul wrote his first letter to them to correct those serious problems.  Then, having achieved the goal of correcting those issues, it was time for these faithful Christians to pick back up where they had left off when the problems distracted them.

The year previous, the Corinthian congregation had enthusiastically begun gathering an offering to assist their persecuted and suffering fellow believers in Palestine.  Their good example had even served to encourage other new congregations in adding to the aid of their fellow Christian brothers and sisters.  Thus, Paul reminds them to finish the good work they had started. 

To re-ignite the passions of the people at Corinth, Paul told them about the amazing response of the Christians in Macedonia.  The Macedonians were not richer than the Corinthians.  Instead, they were suffering severe persecution and poverty.  Yet, that didn’t stop them from giving richly and abundantly from the depths of their hearts.  The Macedonians gave far above what any reasonable person might expect them to do.  Those not-at-all-wealthy people literally begged for the opportunity to give for the benefit of their fellow believers.

So, what does this all mean for you and me?  Are we supposed to give everything we’ve got and more?  Must we consider only the needs of other people and not our own?  Is our God making a legal requirement that we impoverish ourselves to help others?  Many ancient monastics seemed to think so.

Here’s where we would do well to mimic the Macedonians.  Paul reported that “they did this not as we had expected, but in keeping with God’s will they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us.”  In their example, we see the Holy Spirit at work.  In those formerly-pagan paupers, the Spirit worked a generous faith, not a faith of mandatory generosity, but a faith that fully trusted in the Lord and His amazing generosity to them.  Because of their newly received faith in Christ, those Macedonian Christians abandoned concern for the riches of this world.  They would gladly get by with even less than the little they already had in order to help their fellow believers they now gladly loved, even though they had likely never met any of them.  They were all fellow brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, so how could they not gladly and willingly give for their relief?

Paul then reminded the people of Corinth what they already knew and what had so gladdened the hearts of their fellow believers to the north: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich.”  This is what the Christian faith is really all about.  It isn’t about being the best or biggest givers.  It’s about loving God because He first loved us, and then living in that great love of our Redeemer and Savior, loving our neighbors, and especially, our fellow believers in turn.

You might remember this last verse of our text being used for a reading or a sermon text at Christmas time.  Leaving the majesty of heaven, Jesus entered this world by setting aside His glory, and the all-encompassing riches and power of His rightful place in heaven, all so that He could become a pauper for you.  Yes, Jesus gave up everything He rightfully possessed so that He could give you everything you really needed.  By His holy life and sacrificial death in human flesh, Jesus gives you forgiveness.  He gives you hope.  He gives you everlasting life, a home in heaven, and a crown of glory.  Christ won for you peace with God above—everlasting peace with the One who created you and all things.  Christ made you rich with an inheritance in the eternal glory of heaven.  Furthermore, while granting you the overflowing riches of His grace through His Son, God never neglects your physical needs here on earth.  Therefore, being made Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity. 

As is always the case in Paul’s writings, and the Bible as a whole, this text is really about God’s amazing love for fallen mankind, and the generous grace shown to us in His Son, Jesus.  John the Baptist once taught the crowds that came to him, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." (Luke 3:11)  The point isn’t that you must give away everything but the shirt on your back.  Rather, we should be as concerned for our fellow man and, especially, our fellow believers, as we are about ourselves. 

To be more concerned about holding on to our wealth than about the true needs of those being afflicted by the world is actually a form of idolatry, and no idolater has a place in heaven. (Ephesians 5:5)  Likewise, James wrote to his fellow Christians, “If a brother or sister needs clothes and lacks daily food and one of you tells them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but does not give them what their body needs, what good is it?  So also, such ‘faith,’ if it is alone and has no works, is dead.” (James 2:15-17)  

Consequently, Paul encourages believers to look past their momentary troubles and bask in the richness of God’s grace that they truly are enjoying.  The message for us, too, is to keep our eyes on our Savior.  Know what Jesus has won for you: salvation, and peace, and a sure hope of everlasting life.  Paul went on to say, “But just as you overflow in every way—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you also overflow in this gracious gift.  I do not say this as a command, but to test how genuine your love is, by comparing it with the eagerness of others.” 

Now, by no means does the Lord want us to boast in comparing our giving with that of others.  You see, it isn’t about the size of your gift, but the wealth of your faith in Christ, which will be shown in your attitude toward giving.  The Lord can and will take care of His faithful believers whether we are generous with material things or not, but He gives us the opportunity to share in His love for our fellow man.

Even so, God doesn’t demand that we become impoverished so that someone else might be enriched in material things.  Rather, we are encouraged to love our fellow saints and to share with them when they are in need while we are materially blessed.  It might even be the case that someday, if the tables should be turned that we will be in the position of need, that those who received our gifts may in turn help us.  For us then, also, God is demonstrating His concern for the welfare of every person on earth, and He works by blessing some of us for the good of others in a time of need. 

Furthermore, it is especially important that we continue to share the gift of God’s rich love with those of our world who don’t yet know it.  It is good and kind on our part to proclaim the Gospel wherever it might be heard, so that those on the outside of salvation may hear of Jesus and be welcomed into the Church.  Then, they too can experience the richness of God’s grace that is yours; that all of your sins—including even whatever sins you may have in the area of giving—are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, that we are all equal parts of one body made up of many members—the body of Christ Jesus—the holy Christian Church, and that all of us together have peace with God, a crown of glory, and a home in heaven above.

Therefore, dear friends, together with the whole Christian Church on earth, being Rich in grace, may we overflow in generosity.  Amen.

God will fully supply your every need, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever!  Amen.

See how Jesus loves you.

 

Sermon for All Saints’, November 3, 2024

To all those loved by God…called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

John 11:32-44  ³²When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled.  ³⁴He asked, “Where have you laid him?”  They told him, “Lord, come and see.”  ³⁵Jesus wept.  ³⁶Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”  ³⁷But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”  ³⁸Jesus was deeply moved again as he came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.  ³⁹“Take away the stone,” he said.  Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, because it has been four days.”  ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  ⁴¹So they took away the stone.  Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me.  ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.”  ⁴³After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  ⁴⁴The man who had died came out with his feet and his hands bound with strips of linen and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus told them, “Loose him and let him go. (EHV)

See how Jesus loves you.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            It is likely that we all have been in a situation like this.  We all have had to bid farewell to a loved one far too soon.  We maybe even fell into the same state as the Jews here who complained about Jesus, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”  How easy we find it to blame God when we are in the throes of sorrow for our loss.

At the same time, we can learn something from that Jewish crowd, because as Jesus shed tears when He met His friends in their grief, some of the crowd said, “See how he loved him!”  From their observation, you and I can take comfort and See how Jesus loves you.

When we read this account, it can be somewhat difficult to sort out the reactions seen.  Both Mary and Martha asked the same question, and it is a question similar to what the Jews asked, yet from a different point of view.  Each sister, upon meeting Jesus after Lazarus had been placed in the tomb lamented, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  In contrast, though, to the Jews question of why Jesus didn’t help, this is actually a question that comes from a believing heart.  Yes, it is a complaint, but both sisters trusted Jesus completely, and they were certain that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying, which is true. 

You and I pray to the Lord with the same confidence.  That’s why we pray.  We know that Jesus can intervene and do whatever is needed.  There is nothing we might ask of Jesus that He could not do.  We believe and trust in Jesus as the Son of God who has authority over everything in creation.  To be honest, that is exactly what Jesus intended to show His friends that day.

You see, when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He delayed coming to see him.  Then, when Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus had died, He even declared, “And I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe.” (John 11:14-15)  What more did Jesus’ disciples need to believe?  Primarily, that Jesus has power over death.  They would see that here plus so much more.

When Mary and Martha led Jesus to Lazarus’ grave, we See how Jesus loves you.  The shortest passage in the Bible tells us, “Jesus wept.”  Why did Jesus cry?  Jesus didn’t weep because He was powerless.  He didn’t weep because of this loss of life.  Rather, Jesus wept out of love for sinners.  He wept because He knows how much pain the curse of sin has laid on His dearly loved friends.  Jesus wept because He made Himself one of us.  He shared in our pain.  He feels our despair.  He knows how much we hurt because of the devil’s lies and the betrayal of our own weak flesh.  At the same time, however, Jesus didn’t leave His friends in their agony.  In fact, Jesus had just taught His disciples, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Jesus was deeply moved again as he came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.  “Take away the stone,” he said.  Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, because it has been four days.”  Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  So they took away the stone. 

If you’ve ever gotten up close to roadkill, you know how quickly death is followed by decomposition.  Without refrigeration or at least some form of embalmment, a body begins to break down almost immediately after death.  The people of that day were just as familiar with the effects of death as we are.  That’s why bodies are buried—to hide and cover up the decomposition.  We bury the dead to hide the effects of the curse of sin. 

Martha recognized the state Lazarus would be in when they opened the tomb.  Yet, notice Jesus’ response: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  Two things this tells us.  First, those who believe will see the glory of God.  In fact, we will see and experience it forever in heaven.  After we join the ranks of saints raised to life everlasting on the last day, we will forever after experience the glory of God face to face.

But back to their present time, the glory of God is shown to them as they would see Jesus’ power over death.  From the beginning of time, God spoke, and it came to be.  The very existence of this world came through the declaration of God.  St. John later testified, “The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)  Thus, in this miracle, we see how Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, but we also Jesus’ love for His disciples at large, and we See how Jesus loves you. 

Jesus wanted all of us to understand and believe with full confidence that He came to give us life.  He wants us to see His compassion for those who have been hurt by the curse of sin, which is all of us.  Jesus wanted us to see how easily He could conquer death and the devil on our behalf.  The disciples couldn’t yet understand what He meant when Jesus told them He would be arrested, crucified, and die but rise to life again.  They couldn’t understand how that was possible, because all they had ever seen, before Jesus, was death stealing life away.

Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.”  After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The man who had died came out with his feet and his hands bound with strips of linen and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus told them, “Loose him and let him go.

See how Jesus loves you.  Everything Jesus said and did that day, and really every day, was to show His love and compassion for you.  Jesus didn’t have to speak that prayer out loud.  Jesus and His Father in heaven are always in perfect communication and complete harmony in their commitment to giving you life.  Still, Jesus wants us all to know that He always does His Father’s will.  For sinners like you and me, this is life changing.  We have often been guilty of doing what we know is not God’s will.  On the other hand, Jesus perfectly obeyed every will and command of God so that we could be counted righteous by His Father in heaven.  Jesus never missed anything.  He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)

We see Jesus’ power in the result of His command, “Lazarus, come out!”  That man who had lost his life through illness, walked out of that tomb fully restored.  The illness was gone.  There was no stench of death on him.  As soon as the grave clothes were removed, Lazarus was free to continue his life. 

Now, the Bible doesn’t tell us how long Lazarus lived after he was raised from the dead.  Anything more we could say about that would be mere speculation.  However, we do know that Lazarus lives because of his faith in Jesus, for Jesus has promised us, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. … He who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.” (Revelation 2:10-11)

The second death is eternal condemnation in hell.  That is the everlasting separation from God that sin brought upon the world.  However, Jesus lived His love for us when He took that everlasting death away from those who believe in Him as He laid down His life in our place on the cross.  Jesus declared, “No one has greater love than this: that someone lays down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)  See how Jesus loves you as He gave His life into death to rescue you and me.  As the perfectly spotless Lamb of God, Jesus substituted His perfection for our imperfection.  He gives us His righteousness through faith in exchange for our corruption.  He gave His life to reconcile us with God so that we may have life in exchange, forever.

See how Jesus loves you.  How does Jesus love you yet today?  Today, Jesus demonstrates love through the Baptism by which His Holy Spirit brings you new life and faith in Him.  He shows His love and faithfulness by sharing His very body and blood with you in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper by which He testifies with an oath that your sins are forgiven.  Sin will no longer be held against any of His dear friends.  Jesus shows His love after your confession of sin as He declares your forgiveness through the proclamation of absolution by His called servants.  And Jesus, God’s own true Son, declares His love for you whenever that servant of the Gospel puts the blessing of God over you and your life in the words of the benediction.  You see:

The Lord told Moses to speak to Aaron and to his sons and to tell them to bless the Israelites with these words: “The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.  The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.  In this way [God said] they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27)

Today, as we remember those beloved ones, so near and dear to our hearts, who have been called away from this world to the glory of heaven, remember that God didn’t ignore or abandon them.  Instead, God called them from this veil of tears so that they may have life that never ends.  Furthermore, Jesus promises that He will return and raise all people from the grave, and those who have believed in Him will dwell forever, body and soul, in the peace, joy, glory, and life everlasting of His heavenly home.  In that promise, we again and again See how Jesus loves you.  Amen.

The Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.