Category: Higher Homilies

by The Rev. Mark Buetow

 St. John 16:16-22

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, pay close attention to Jesus’ words! Over the next several weeks of this Easter Season, Jesus will be speaking to His disciples of the time of the church and the work of the Spirit. Jesus speaks to us who live also in this time when He does not come to us to be seen by our eyes, but comes to us by His Word and Sacraments. By His Word, Jesus prepares His disciples for the time when He will longer be with them in the way they can see Him, but when He goes with them in His Word as they carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. So listen closely because Jesus’ words today speak directly to us for our salvation and comfort.

“A little while and you will see Me no more. Then a little while and you will see Me.” The disciples don’t get it. Even on the night when He was betrayed they don’t know what’s going to happen. It wasn’t much longer until Jesus was arrested and the disciples ran away. They didn’t see Him. He was taken away and tried and mocked and whipped and crucified. Even those who saw Him die didn’t see Him for a little while because He was in the tomb. In order to go into suffering and death for sinners, Jesus was taken away from His disciples. They were terrified and sad. They were miserable and broken. But after a little while, on the Third Day, they saw Him again! He was alive. Death and devil and hell were cast down, the stone was rolled away and Jesus is alive! His disciples don’t believe it. No wonder! He told them they would not see them and then they would see Him. But they didn’t get it. They didn’t believe it. So when it happened, they didn’t believe at first! But then they saw Him and He taught them about His resurrection and they believed. And the sorrow they had at His death was turned into the joy of seeing their Lord alive! And this sorrow turned to joy of the disciples is a small picture of our lives as Christians!

There is our life: We are full of sorrow because we suffer in this life. But joy will come when our Lord comes back. This we have a taste of each week as the Lord gathers us for His Divine Service. Out there is sorrow: sickness, suffering, death, trouble, brokenness, frustration, bills, family problems, struggles, crosses and heartache. A little while and you will not see Jesus. The Divine Service will be over and out you go into the world to suffer these things! But a little while and you will see Him. Here. At His font. At His altar. In His Word. Brothers and sisters, run to Christ’s church to receive the comfort that comes from Jesus’ words that your sorrow will be turned into joy. In this world you will suffer. You will weep. You will mourn. You will think that Jesus is gone from you for good. But He has not gone. It only seems like He is not there. So that all the more when you receive Him, when He comes to you, your rejoicing and gladness is all the more! Just about every day I get to see my wife and girls. But when I had to leave them behind to go to New Orleans for weeks at a time, I was even more glad to see them when I came back. So it is with our Lord. When it seems as if He is absent, He comes to us to give us that much more joy. Brothers and sisters, in Christ, here, in the church, where Jesus’ word is, there is true and lasting joy. Here is the Good News that the Jesus who went away from his disciples did it to save them and us from our sins. Here is the promise that the Jesus who seemed to be taken away from them, was taken away to die for your sins and rise again. Here, in Christ’s church, is the joy of the holy washing of water and the word, the Lord’s promise that your sorrow will be turned to joy. Here, in Christ’s church, is the word of absolution, declaring that the sorrow of your sins is turned into the joy of being forgiven and pardoned by your Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake. Here, in Christ’s church, in the holy meal of His body and blood, Jesus turns your sorrow into joy. True, you will have much sorrow in this life. And while you do, the world will laugh and have its joy: but YOU have Christ and He is all the joy that you will ever need against all the sorrow that you will ever have.

And herein lies our repentance, dear Christians. For Jesus says, “You will weep and mourn and the world will rejoice.” Brothers and sisters, the world has its joy now, but its sorrow will last forever. The great temptation that faces us is to trade our sorrow now for the joy now. To give up our sadness in this life and exchange it for the joy that the world offers. That’s tempting! And many do it. Many say they cannot handle the sadness, the misery, the sorrow, and so they seek their joy in this life. And they find it! They comfort themselves with lots of money or the toys this world has. They give themselves to the ways of the world and it makes them happy. For now. For this life. But when they die, they will perish in sorrow, for their earthly and fleeting joy will turn out to be ashes and dust and death. Don’t do it, dear Christian! Hear St. Peter’s warning in our epistle today not to give in to our fleshly lusts and to use our freedom in Christ for bad things. Dear Christians, the world has its joy now. It is comforted. It laughs at the misery and sadness of Christians now. But while the Lord’s people will have the rejoicing of eternal life, those who have given up Christ for pleasure in this life, will have an eternity of bitter sorrow and unquenchable misery. Therefore, hear Jesus’ words and repent! Repent of anything that would lead you to joy now at the expense of casting away Christ and His eternal joy that has been given to you in His gifts. Back to your baptism! Back for absolution. Back to the Supper. So that by these you will be strengthened against all temptations to temporary happiness and be kept in Christ the only source of our lasting joy and gladness.

Finally, dear brothers and sisters, be comforted by the promise of Jesus that there will come a time when your weeping will be turned into rejoicing once and for all. When Jesus returns, He will see you and will turn your sadness into joy. And no one will take that joy away from you. The world will have its joy snatched away on the Last Day. But on the Last Day, you, the baptized children of God, will have your sorrow taken away and replaced with everlasting joy. As the Psalmist says, “You turned my mourning into dancing!” And elsewhere, “Weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” And yet again, “My gladness increased more than all their new wine and oil!” This is how we have to face our problems, brothers and sisters: whatever sorrow or suffering comes our way, we simply declare and confess: I know that now I have sorrow. It may even kill me. But all that I suffer in this life, all that brings me down, all that causes me to weep—all of this is going to turn into the most wonderful joy when my Lord comes back and raises me from the dead and gives me eternal life! There is nothing in this life that can overcome my Jesus and what He has done. Just a “little while” and it will be all joy and gladness in Christ! Just like when a woman has a baby: it’s scary, it’s dangerous, it’s painful, it’s hard work, it’s misery. But then, when that little one is born the pain turns into joy and tears of happiness because the child is born. So it is with this life: for now, we suffer. Then we shall have joy. Have no doubt, dear Christian, that your suffering will soon be past and the Lord will appear and He will lay eyes upon you and you will have joy that NO ONE can take away!

In our Old Testament Lesson, Jeremiah the prophet writes after he watches the most horrible thing: the Babylonians came and destroyed Jerusalem. They burned the city and destroyed even the Lord’s temple. If you thought 911 was bad, it’s got nothing on what Jeremiah had to watch as Jerusalem was laid in ruins and he had to run for his life with a handful of Israelites. Yet even in the midst of this sorrow, he who was a prophet that pointed to the hope and comfort of the Savior can say: “The Lord will not cast off forever! Though He brings grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.” For a little while, the disciples wept while Jesus was gone. Then they saw Him again and rejoiced! For a little while, the time between each Divine Service, we suffer sorrow, but after that little while, we once again hear God’s Word and receive His gifts, turning sorrow into joy. For a little while, the length of our lives, we suffer and weep while the world laughs. But the time is coming in just a “little while” when Jesus will be back. And your sorrow will be turned into joy. And no one will take that joy from you forever. It will always be yours in Jesus. Amen.

The Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, IL, and the Internet Services Executive for Higher Things. He edits the Daily Reflections. He is married and father of three.

by The Rev. David Juhl

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit

There is no comparison between a shepherd and a hireling.  Jesus won’t allow Himself to be mentioned in the same sentence as a hireling.  The two positions are polar opposites.  A shepherd tends and defends sheep.  A hireling tends sheep but will not defend the sheep.

There lies the difference between a shepherd and a hireling.  Part of tending a flock is defending them from an enemy.  If a shepherd won’t defend sheep from an enemy, they do not deserve to be called a shepherd.  They leave the flock behind to fend for themselves.

Jesus says just after today’s Holy Gospel: My sheep hear My voice.  Now more than ever it is difficult for the sheep to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd.  There are so many hirelings who claim to speak on behalf of the Good Shepherd that the sheep don’t know whom they should listen.  There are also many other bleating noises that try to drown out the voice of the Good Shepherd.  How can you tell the difference between a hireling, a shepherd of the Good Shepherd’s flock, and all the other noises out there?

The sheep should listen to what those who tend flocks say.  See if you can guess whether or not this pastor is a shepherd or a hireling.  The pastor in question recently moved his flock to a former sports arena in a major metropolitan city.  If you visit the congregation’s website, you will see passing references to Jesus Christ, but you will also see lots and lots of pictures of the pastor and his wife, while seeing no pictures of Jesus.  You will see a “ministry” for nearly every situation in life: men, women, young children, teens, college-age, singles, single parents, married couples, even “ministries” to help you find out which “ministry” is right for you.

The pastor is a noted author who writes books about how you can better yourself.  Yes, the pastor quotes the Bible.  But does the pastor present Jesus Christ as the Savior from sin and death or as a life coach who empowers you toward better wealth and health?  Nowhere on the website do you see anything about Christ’s death and resurrection or the forgiveness of sins.  It’s all about making you a better you.

Compare that message with what you hear from this pulpit, what you hear when I visit your sickbed, or when I conduct a funeral.  You should compare what I preach with what you hear elsewhere to see whether or not your pastor proclaims the Truth of God’s Word.  The same should be said for every Christian pastor, within and without the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  If you do not hear the Good News of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, and how He delivers forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation through His death and resurrection on your behalf, then you are listening to a hireling bleat the siren call of self-religion.  If you do not hear a pastor preaching God’s Law in all its severity and God’s Gospel in all its sweetness, then you have not heard a Christian sermon.  You have heard a hireling tell you what you want to hear.

Other voices try to silence shepherds.  The voice of sports, hobbies, sleeping in, dining out, doing nothing, hanging out with family and friends, and the sweet, dulcet tones of rank unbelief also cry out for attention every weekend.  Some sheep know they should listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd.  But they can’t bring themselves to walk into His sheep pen.  Others think the Good Shepherd is a liar.  Still others believe the sheep pen is full of liars and hypocrites rather than real, true Christians.  Many more would rather go it alone, receiving sustenance and guarding themselves alone and away from the sheep.

We are envious of those who have hirelings for shepherds as well as those who are lost sheep and love to hide from the Good Shepherd.  They have it easy, or so we think.  They have no responsibility.  We are always under God’s thumb.  Wouldn’t it be nice to get lost one day and never return to the fold?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a shepherd who let’s you believe what you want to believe and live however you want to live?  All pleasure, no responsibility, zero guilt, and happy days!  Ah, there’s the life!

What kind of life is death?  That’s what life without a shepherd has in store for you who wish the Good Shepherd to get lost.  What will happen when the wolf flashes his teeth your way?  Who will you call upon to save you?

King David knew.  So did Ezekiel and Peter.  So do you.  The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  Those Words teach you to confess that you need protection from the satanic foe.  You have protection from a Shepherd Who became a sheep on your behalf.  That’s how far the Good Shepherd goes to rescue you.  The Good Shepherd takes on the form of a sheep in order to be attacked by the ravening wolf.  He is wounded and murdered so you may live.  He comes back from death to life so you may live with Him forever.  It sounds like crazy talk.  The Good Shepherd becoming like a sheep and laying down His life for the sheep.  But that’s exactly what Jesus does.  It’s exactly what a hireling won’t do.

Saint Peter writes, you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.  We love to hear the analogy of Jesus as a Shepherd.  The imagery hits close to home. All of us get lost now and again.  The Shepherd cares so much about you when you get lost that He risks life and limb to find you.  I myself will search for My sheep and seek them out…. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them…in good pasture…I will make them lie down…I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away…but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.

Not only will the Lord God provide for you, He will also protect you by destroying those who are fat and strong.  You can’t do this alone, even if you think you are strong enough not to need a Savior.  The Lord runs the verbs.  He alone will do these things, just as He alone has provided a Way out of sin and death for you.

Psalm 33 says, the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord…He is our help and our shield.  The Lord calls you out of darkness into His marvelous light (just as He does for Syri Anne today) through water and His Word in Holy Baptism.  He covers you with His blood and righteousness.  He places you in His fold forever.  He spreads a table before you in the presence of your enemies, giving you His True Body and Blood in His Holy Supper.  He puts His promise of deliverance from the enemy in your ears every Lord’s Day.  He provides, protects, and gives you a prosperous eternity not on your terms, but on His terms.

How great Christ’s love is for us.  He becomes the prey so we may escape.  When we get lost, He will find us.  It’s all in a day’s work for the Good Shepherd, Who never slumbers nor sleeps but keeps watch over His Father’s flock now and forever.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit

The Rev. David M. Juhl is Pastor of Our Savior Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Momence, IL. He is married and the father of one daughter. A man of many interests and talents, including that of radio D.J. during his college years, Pastor Juhl is also an avid blogger.

 by The Rev. Mark T. Buetow

St. John 20:19-31

Sometimes words are just information. For example: I could tell you I had Steak ‘n Shake for lunch last week. Or that Washington crossed the Delaware on a cold, winter night. Or that Perry County had almost 7 inches of rain over a week ago. Those are just facts. Take them or leave them. Maybe they’re true. Maybe they’re not. But sometimes words are more than facts. Words do things. They announce and declare and accomplish. For example, when the boss says, “You’re fired,” your job is over. Or when a jury says to someone on trial, “Not guilty,” that person is set free. Or when the government says, “We’ve found an error on your return and now you owe more money,” then you suddenly have a new debt. Sometimes words are information. Sometimes words actually do or give or accomplish something.

Most often, I think, the words of Jesus and about Jesus are thrown into the first category. We can say that Jesus was born, that He lived and preached and taught and did miracles. That He died on the cross and that He rose and ascended into heaven. But we live as if all those words are just information. Just facts. They sound nice. They tell a nice story. But they don’t do anything. The Christian faith is all about learning the facts and accepting this information as true. But, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Christian faith ISN’T just information. It isn’t just cold, hard facts for you to take or leave. No, true Christian preaching does something. It gives something. It bestows something. It delivers gifts! This is why Jesus appears to His disciples on the evening of Easter and declares to them, “As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven. If you retain them, they are retained.” With these words, Jesus establishes the Office of the Holy Ministry for the comfort and forgiveness of sinners and the judgment and call to repentance of the the self-righteous.

We heard Jesus’ words from the cross: “It is finished!” The work of salvation is complete. The water and blood have flowed from Jesus’ side and the sins of the world have been wiped out. The Lamb has been sacrificed. Redemption has been achieved. The price of sins has been paid. The punishment for our iniquities and transgressions has fallen upon Jesus. By His stripes we are healed. By His death our sins are wiped out. By His resurrection we have victory over sin and death. But Jesus’ salvation wouldn’t do us any good and we wouldn’t know anything about it if our Lord had not sent His apostles into the world preaching the Gospel and forgiving sins. If you look at all the other religions of the world, they all teach you some path, some way of life, some rules for making yourself religious. Only in the faith of Christ, only in the Christian church is salvation something that is given out to us from outside ourselves. We don’t have to find it or achieve it. It is given to us. Delivered to us. Given as a gift to us. In the Holy Ministry, the Lord sets apart men to go into the world and to preach that He has died for your sins and risen to life again in victory. These men are given the job of working as Christ’s ambassadors and spokesmen, preaching about what He has done, baptizing, absolving and administering Jesus’ body and blood.

It is in this way, and in this way only, through the word preached and the sacraments, that Jesus comes to us and actually does something with His words: calls us to be sorry for our sins, brings us to repentance and faith in His forgiveness. This is why Jesus sent those disciples out as the first Christian pastors: to forgive the sins of those who repent and to bind the sins of those who refuse to repent. That way, those who are troubled by their sins will have no doubt that their sins don’t stand against them. And those who are not troubled by their sins will have a witness on the Last Day that they were indeed sinners!

And this is why YOU have a pastor. And this is your pastor’s job: to forgive sins and to bind sins. To comfort troubled sinners and to call hard-hearted sinners to repentance. We need to learn what this is all about, brothers and sisters. We need to learn why the Lord gives us pastors and what to expect from our pastors and how they are to carry out the work Christ has given them to do.

“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven.” Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is true good news! When you have sins which weigh you down and trouble you, which seem to loom larger than you and block out the light of your heavenly Father’s face, then run to your pastor. His job is to forgive your sins! If this seems too much or too great a thing for a human being to do, then just listen to Jesus’ words again: “If you forgiven anyone his sins, they are forgiven.” Does this mean that if you want forgiveness, you should talk to your pastor? That’s exactly what it means! Your pastor is not given to you just to give you some information about Jesus, as if he’s nothing more than a salesman to show you the best religion for your money. He’s not here to be your life coach or insurance salesman. My job isn’t arguing politics or even recommending a good TV to buy. The pastors Christ calls to serve His church are to be concerned with one thing: the forgiveness of sins.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord has sent His preachers into His church to bring the comfort of the forgiveness of sins. It’s that simple. If you have sins that trouble you, if you are aware that all you have deserved is eternal death and damnation for your sins, then hear what your pastor has for you: your baptism! The absolution both public and especially private, where you can give voice to the sins which trouble and bother you and have them swept away by Christ’s word of forgiveness. The supper which your pastor gives you, to forgive your sins and by which Christ strengthens you in the faith. If you have sins, if you know you’re a sinner, if your sins trouble you—then you’ve come to the right place. Here there is limitless forgiveness for you. I’ll tell you about your baptism. I’ll remind you what the Scriptures teach about Jesus death and resurrection for you. I’ll absolve you of your sins. I’ll feed you with Jesus’ body and blood. That’s what it means when Jesus says to His ministers, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven.” Forgiven, as the catechism reminds us, in heaven as on earth, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.

But hear also these words of Jesus. These are the harder words to hear. “If you retain their sins, they are retained.” The ministers of Christ also have this responsibility: to call sinners to repentance and, when they do not want to repent, but live in their sins, hang on to their sins, not give up their sins, in those cases to bind their sins. What does that mean to “bind” or “retain?” It means to speak in Christ’s place to declare that sins are not forgiven. And if such impenitence continues, a person might die in their sins and be eternally condemned. What does this look like? It’s when the pastor comes to you and calls you to repent of what you’re doing. To call you away from sins which, if you keep doing them, will drive you away from Christ. Sometimes a pastor has to do this, just as parents come to their children and warn them their behavior has consequences. Just as a boss might come and warn you that if you don’t do your job you’ll be fired. So a pastor, when he finds out that someone is living in sin, has to go to them and warn them that their sins can be eternally fateful.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: I will try to be as plain as possible. If I discover that you are living in some sin, then my call is to come and warn you away from that sin. To call you to repentance. To tell you to stop doing that sin. If you want to hang on to that sin, then I have no choice but to declare to you that you won’t be forgiven as long as you persist in this sin. It means I won’t be able to give you the sacrament or tell you that your sins are forgiven. How awful! I never want to do that! And I never want you not to care if I do! It is one thing to fall into those sins that we do every day, even our habitual ones, for which we desire to be free and forgiven. It is quite another thing to be told that you are sinning and not care. To keep on doing it no matter what the Word of God says. So there is our repentance: to hear what the word of God says about our sins, to believe it and tremble at our sins and flee to Christ’s Word and holy gifts which make certain our sins are forgiven.

When our Lord tells St. Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,” He is speaking about us. We can’t see Jesus with our eyes as Thomas did. Yet He is not far away or gone. He is in His church through the ministry of the Gospel and the Sacraments. To those whose sins aren’t a big deal, that’s no big deal. But to you, whose sins ARE a big deal, a terrible curse, a frightening burden, this is nothing but Good News. For the Lord has not left you to work things out on your own or to get rid of your sins yourself. He hasn’t just sent some information to you to think about. No, He sends you the Holy Ministry, with words that actually do something: Words that make you God’s child. Words that forgive your sins. Words that give you the Savior’s body and blood. Words that save you. Spoken to you for your comfort and salvation. These are the words that can make dry bones come to life because they deliver Jesus who was dead and is now alive. Amen.

The Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, IL, and the Internet Services Executive for Higher Things. He edits the Daily Reflections. He is married and father of three.

by The Rev. Mark Buetow

Dear Christians, on this Friday called “Good,” rejoice in the blood and water that streams from Jesus’ side. The Lamb is pierced. And “it is finished.” There is nothing left to do for your salvation. Nothing left to be done to bring you to the Father. It’s all been done by Jesus. Tonight, it all comes down to this: your sin and Jesus’ water and blood. Your transgressions. Jesus’ water and blood. Your hating God and not loving your neighbor. Jesus’ water and blood. Your breaking of God’s holy commandments and earning everlasting punishment. Jesus’ water and blood. Death and the eternal and awful judgment of God against sin. Jesus’ water and blood. It all comes down to this, through history, to this day, the day our Lord’s side was opened and water and blood flowed out.

It shouldn’t surprise us. The Lord’s been saving people with water and blood since the beginning. Consider the blood of animals shed to make clothes for Adam and Eve. Consider the water of the flood which wiped out the world and saved Noah and His family in the ark. Think of the blood and water which flowed in Egypt, warning Pharaoh to let God’s people go. Then the blood of the lambs painted on the doorposts and the waters of the Red Sea through which Israel walked on dry ground while Egypt was destroyed. Consider the blood and water which flowed freely in the Tabernacle and later the temple as over and over the priests washed in water and sacrificed the animals, shedding their blood. Over and over, always pointing ahead, water and blood were the ways in which the Lord was caring for His people.

And now, on the cross, water and blood. Jesus was born in the flesh. Born of the water of His mother’s womb and shedding the blood of His circumcision. Baptized in the water of the Jordan. Bloodied by the bullies who crucified Him. But finally, there, on the cross, once for all, water and blood. From the side of God’s Son. Who has finished it all. There is nothing to add to that water and blood that came from Jesus’ side. Not our faith. Not our giving our heart to Jesus. Not our good works. Not our good intentions. Not our desire to be saved. Nothing can be added to His water and blood. His water and blood flows and takes with it our sins. Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you ever even for the smallest moment, doubt that your sins are terrible and great, then ponder the water and the blood that had to flow from the Son of God to take them away. And if you ever, even for the smallest moment, doubt that your sins are gone, then consider again that water and blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

But the water and blood don’t stop on Calvary. They flow from Jesus side down to the ground, down from that hill. The water flows into the font of Christ’s churches throughout the world. And His blood spills into the chalice of His churches. And there, at the font, from the cup, water and blood are given to you. Put upon you. What flows out of Christ flows upon you and into you, saving you. Your Baptism gives you Jesus. The Supper gives you Jesus. THAT is how you are saved, dear Christian, by the water and blood of Jesus, not just “back then” but here and now, given to you at the holy font and from the holy altar of Jesus. The soldiers pierced Jesus to make sure He was dead. Water and blood flowed so that you would be sure that you are saved. Your Baptism and His Supper are given to you for that purpose: that you never doubt God’s mercy and forgiveness, but cling to them, and live by the water and blood of Jesus.

It’s tempting, as we live in this life, to put Jesus out of our minds most of the day. We live our lives and suppose that faith and religion are all about something going on inside of us. My “believing” or my piety or how I practice my religion. Repent, dear Christian of any thinking or believing or religion or piety that does not include the water and blood of Jesus. Repent of any living that doesn’t acknowledge all that is given to you in Holy Baptism. Repent of any faith and piety that doesn’t include the Supper of Jesus in which His body and blood are given to you. Repent of ever wanting to add anything to His water and blood. It can’t be done. His water and blood are the proof that it is finished. Your salvation is a done deal by His water and His blood. Don’t ever listen to any voice that tells you there is anything more to your faith than the water and the blood. Run from any preaching or teaching that doesn’t point you to the water and the blood.

When Adam was alone, the Lord caused Him to fall asleep and took from His side a rib with with to make Him a wife. On the cross, when Jesus falls into the sleep of death, His side is opened and water and blood flow out. From that holy water and holy blood, a bride is made for Christ, His holy Christian Church. She is born of His water and blood from His side. She is born from above in water and the word and nourished and fed by His own body and blood. For her, and for you who are a part of her, the water and blood of Jesus are life. In His death, Jesus poured out water and blood. The water and blood of His death are the water and the blood of your life. That’s why this Friday is called Good. Amen.

The Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, IL, and the Internet Services Executive for Higher Things. He edits the Daily Reflections. He is married and father of three.

I have heard it said that everything in the Christian Church is about gifts. We usually associate gifts not with Lent and Easter, but with Christmas: The gift of God made man in the birth of the Messiah. Jesus becoming flesh for our salvation is the beginning of that greatest of all gifts we call salvation. Christmas is just the beginning.

If you think about it, though, this night is about gifts and giving just as much as Jesus’ birth. It is the night in which He was betrayed into the hands of sinners. He knew it was coming, and in just a few short hours he would agonize over that in the prayer of the Garden of Gethsemane. With all of this going on, how could He be thinking about gifts and giving?

Jesus knew His disciples. He knew that Judas would betray Him; he knew that Peter would deny Him three times; and He knew that they would all desert him at the Garden. Furthermore, He knows us. He knows that we betray Him every day; He knows that we deny Him with our words and with our actions; and He knows that we have all deserted Him and fled. You are no better than those disciples those many years ago, and neither am I. We, like sheep, have each split off in our own direction, not paying a moment’s notice to our Lord and His sacrifice for us.

As we look at this text from Mark, our unworthiness comes out strong and true. Jesus tells the disciples that one of them will betray Him. What is their response? “Surely not I?” (v. 19) They were saddened by the news, but you almost get the impression that they were more worried that they were going to get stuck, or get caught.

This is often our own response to God’s Law. Rather than repent and admit our guilt, we try to deny it, get around it somehow, blame our parents or some other circumstances, and so forth. This is who we are as human beings since the Fall. Guilty, but constantly trying to squirm our way out of it.

This brings us back to the gifts, and in many ways down to the basic question of why. Why would God send His Son into our flesh to be our Savior? Why would He care? The answer to that is very simple. It is God’s very nature to give. One church father put it this way: “God created man in order that He might have someone upon whom to bestow His blessings,” (Saint Irenaeus; Adv. Haer. IV.14.4).

If you think of it that way, one can see how incredibly painful and hard it must have been for our heavenly Father to see His children, us, denying and refusing the gifts He has given. I can hardly imagine the pain He must have felt at knowing that His own disciples would desert Him and flee at the sight of trouble. What could He do to strengthen them in their time of need? What can He give to us as we struggle with sin and death every day of our lives?

Looking at it from that perspective, we begin to get a glimpse of the wonders that Jesus has given to us in his Holy Supper. We live in a culture that glories in self-help. Self-help medicine, business plans, exercise equipment, self-serve gas stations, etc., etc., etc. But where do you turn when you are out of the “self-help” mode? Some would try to turn to positive imaging and visualization. I know when I was in elementary school fifteen years ago this was a big hit. Visualize your problems gone, and they will disappear!

Other groups would try to comfort the hurting sinner with doctrine. Sometimes I think that we in the church try to use the Bible as a Band-Aid. If you have a problem, pull out your cross-reference index, and then all of your problems will magically disappear. Now obviously our Lord wants us to use His Word, the source of our strength and life. He doesn’t want us to use it like a glorified self-help manual for living. There is a difference.

So what is that difference? The difference is Jesus Himself. Jesus in our text does not try to comfort or console or strengthen His disciples with pithy sayings and quick answers. He gave them the one thing that could heal their pain, and take away their sin: He gave them Himself. The Christian faith isn’t about a book or a doctrine; it is about a Person, the one and only Jesus Christ. That is what the Lord’s Supper is all about.

This is why Lutherans consider the Real Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament so important. Our faith is not based on remembering something that happened long ago. Faith is given and created through the Word, Jesus Himself, and probably the clearest place in all of Scripture where we see that is in the words of institution. Jesus body and blood are given to you for the forgiveness of sins.

Think of these words for a moment. Jesus gives you Himself. He gives you Himself for the forgiveness of your sins. As you kneel at the Altar and receive Him under the bread and wine, think of all of the blessings that He gives to you. Communion with Christ. Forgiveness of all your sins. Life. Salvation. Communion with the whole Christian Church, both in heaven and earth. In the Lord’s Supper heaven and earth are joined together, and you become one with all of the saints who have gone before. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, the Apostles and martyrs, and the whole heavenly host. That is why we say in the liturgy, “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious name . . .” Those are just words on a page or in your mouth. That is reality.

Considering the wonderful gifts and promises that God has attached to this blessed Sacrament, how can anyone stay away from such a blessed gift? Many feel that they are unworthy, and that they must become pure before they can receive communion. To this Dr. Luther answers with these words from the Large Catechism:

Here stand the gracious and lovely words, “This is my body, given for you,” “This is my blood, poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.” 65 These words, I have said, are not preached to wood or stone but to you and me; otherwise Christ might just as well have kept quiet and not instituted a sacrament. Ponder, then, and include yourself personally in the “you” so that he may not speak to you in vain.

66 In this sacrament he offers us all the treasure he brought from heaven for us, to which he most graciously invites us in other places, as when he says in Matt. 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will refresh you.” 67 Surely it is a sin and a shame that, when he tenderly and faithfully summons and exhorts us to our highest and greatest good, we act so distantly toward it, neglecting it so long that we grow quite cold and callous and lose all desire and love for it. 68 We must never regard the sacrament as a harmful thing from which we should flee, but as a pure, wholesome, soothing medicine which aids and quickens us in both soul and body. For where the soul is healed, the body has benefited also.

Our Old Testament lesson for tonight told of how after the sacrifice the priest was to turn to the people and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice over them. The sacrifice was made once and for all for you on Calvary, and Christ now offers you His body and blood to seal you in that forgiveness of sins. Here we become one with God. Here we truly are the Church, the body of Christ. Here, we may journey with Christ to Calvary, so that we may journey with Him to heaven at the end of our sojourn here on earth.

Come, then, and feast on the body and blood of our Lord for your salvation. The table is set, and the banquet is ready. Amen.

And now the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith unto life everlasting. Amen.

The Rev. Todd Peperkorn is pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He has contributed in many and various ways to Higher Things.

by The Rev. Jonathan Naumann

John 12:12-24

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This morning we will meditate upon the Gospel according to St. John, where we are told that ‘…the great crowd that had come for the Feast (of the Passover) heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, “Hosanna!”, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”. “Blessed is the King of Israel!”

At first His disciples did not understand what was really happening. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realise that his Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem had been written about Him centuries before it happened. Meanwhile they were carried along by the circumstances.

I am sure that all of us have know times when we were so carried along by circumstances that we didn’t know what was going on until after it was finished and we were able to look back on it, haven’t we?

In his Gospel, St John admits that for him and Jesus’ other disciples, the first Palm Sunday was one such occasion. They had no idea what was really going on behind the cheers of Hosanna and their master entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Only with the benefit of hindsight could they make sense of what had happened. At the time, they didn’t have a clue.

Wasn’t it great that God didn’t leave them permanently in the dark? In their case, God shed light on their lives through His Word. We are told that, ‘…after Jesus was glorified (they realised) these things HAD BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT HIM and that they had done these things to Him’. God still does shed light on life.

I now feel that this favour God does for us, of helping make sense of life, is one of the most wonderful gifts He gives us. ‘All things will work together for good for those who love God, those whom He called according to His plan’, the Bible tells us (Rom 8.28).

I suppose it is a sign that I have lived a few years that I can finally see that this promise really applies to me. It applies not only to the resolution of individual situations, but it applies to all of life.

Sometimes, just living day by day can feel like being swept along by circumstances doesn’t it? Yet, wouldn’t it be pathetic if that were all that life was about and nothing more? – just being swept along by circumstances, until we are finally swept into a grave and forgotten?

Yet, that pathetic view of life is all that many people may actually see, unless they know better than that and are able to grasp the reality of that which is unseen or behind the scenes.

People need to know the rest of the narrative to make sense of what they see happening in our lives, even what is happening before their very eyes. For example, imagine how mystified someone from a primitive culture who had never seen a cell-phone would be to see someone conversing on a cell-phone. They would conclude that anyone speaking into a plastic banana-shaped object was mad. They would go back to their tribe and say that they saw a pathetic sight – a mad person speaking into a plastic banana. The truth, of course, was that the whole thing would have made much more sense, had the foreign observer been able to hear the voice speaking from the other end of the line.

I think you see the analogy. Life itself can seem mad and pathetic, a matter of being swept along by circumstances, unless you hear the voice of God speaking to you from His word. Those who don’t listen to Him, cannot really make much sense of life.

You can imagine how St. John and the other disciples would have felt about life if they had not listened to God’s explanation to what happened to Jesus on that Passover weekend. They had given three years of their lives to following Jesus. They hailed Him as Messiah. They heard Him cheered as He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and they saw circumstances change – leading finally to Jesus gory execution and death. Had they not listened to God’s living-word and met the risen Christ, they would have written Jesus off as a pathetic victim of circumstances just as they would have regarded themselves as such.

Perhaps they initially did write Jesus off. After all, they all forsook Him and fled. But when Jesus came back from the dead and spoke to them, He helped them understand and make sense of all that had happened. From listening to God, they were able to see that even Jesus’ crucifixion made sense in the plan of God to redeem the world.

St Paul is another great example of listening to God, even when His message practically contradicted the man’s whole approach to life. St Paul was originally a Jewish scholar , and more than that, a Pharisee, who among all the Jews in history were the ones who were the most confident that they had everything all figured out. This Pharisee, Saul certainly felt that he had it all figured out – even to the point of forcing his views on others. Jesus Christ met that persecutor of Christians and explained Himself. Then St Paul too was able to see how the picture really looked.

Take the Passover as an example. As a Jew Paul knew that God had instituted the Passover as well as many other times of sacrifice. By listening to God, even the crucifixion of the Messiah made sense. So he was inspired to write: ‘(The Messiah) Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us – therefore let us celebrate the Feast’ (1 Cor. 5.7).

For many of us, having it all figured out, means concluding that we are all right as we are – we don’t need to change. Our philosophy of life works – and, as they say, “if it ain’t broke – don’t fix it”. Yet nothing quite shakes human beings out of our complacency like being face to face with what happened to Jesus.

Maybe that’s why Lent comes around every year – to expose us to the most life-changing thing of all: the suffering crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Because we know that if God had to suffer that way to redeem us from eternal damnation, then something was indeed broke and in need of fixing.

And, when we listen to God, we hear Him says to us, ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus’ (ROMANS 3.23-26).

Why the Passion of the Christ? Because ‘God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself …God made Him who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God by means of Him’ (2 COR. 5.19.21)

‘God was pleased …to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross’ (COLOSSIANS 1.19,20).

God saw that our relationship with Him was broken. So He sent His Son to pay for the repair of that breach. ‘Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God’ (EPHESIANS 5.2).

‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us …hanged on a tree’ (GALATIANS 3.13). ‘(He) …gave Himself as a ransom for all’ (1 TIM.2.6).

St John the author of today’s reading from the Gospel agreed with St Paul:

‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins’ (1 John 4.10).

Likewise that other, once disillusioned disciple, St Peter saw how it all made sense and wrote: ‘For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed …but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect’ (1 PETER 1.18,19).

‘Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God’ (1 PETER 3.18).

Carried along by circumstances? – yes and no. Yes, God, the Son, volunteered to let His saving plan carry Him along. But, no, it was all more carefully planned and executed than it appeared to be at the time. As it is said of Christ “I have come to do Your will”.¹

Parachute troops, (or ‘Paras’ as they are called in the British army), who jump from aeroplanes into battle may not know the whole plan as well as their commander, but they have thrown their lot in with their commander. They go where he carries them, and they listen closely to their commanders’ instructions.

Every Christian baptised in infancy can look back at his own baptism, and see an example of being carried along by circumstances. But for Ian and Helene today, their baptism is more than that. And for Steve and Julianna, their Christian life has become more than that.

They, as individuals and as a family, have listened closely to God’s word. Now, like the rest of us, they may not know the full plan of God for their lives, but they do know enough to know that no matter what life will throw at them, they must listen to His voice. He will instruct them. He will explain Himself to them. He will comfort them and He will sustain their faith in Him. Finally He will carry them to Himself to live with Him forever.

They are baptised that they might share their lot with Christ in life eternal. Today the God into Whose neverending family they are baptised and confirmed will express His love for them by giving them the body and blood of His sacrificed and risen Son, Jesus Christ, in the form of bread and wine.

Here again something happens for which we need God’s explanation for us to make sense of it. Jesus took bread and wine and gave it to His disciples, but not before explaining to them that “This is my body” and “This is my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins”.

Perhaps we need to re-consider those words, lest Holy Communion be reduced to mere circumstances when it is intended to mean much more to us.

It is because of Jesus’ words that we cherish this sacred meal as we do. It is because He tells us that He feeds us with His very Body and Blood for the forgiveness of our sins that we seek to receive this sacrament as often as we do. And the more we contemplate those words of promise, the more frequently we wish to receive that Sacrament.

The word of God is His explanation to some of the most important circumstances of our lives. It is a letter written in love and His holy Sacraments act as a seal of that love.

Today we thank God that he has brought the Traceys to us that they and us may be swept along together by the circumstances that He in His gracious will has brought into our lives. We welcome this family to take comfort with us in both God’s love letter to us and in its seals, confirming that God does give us His Holy Spirit and wants us to be sure that His love and His grace apply to us all.

Amen.

The peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

 1 Hebrews 10.9

The Reverend Dr. Jonathan Naumann is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church & School in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. He previously served as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in England… and he is Stan’s Pastor!

by The Rev. Richard Heinz

Matthew 21:1-9

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” This morning we hear the chants of praise echoing from the streets of Jerusalem, welcoming Jesus. Voices raised singing psalms to the Savior King as He humbly entered the Holy City, riding on a donkey.

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” These words from Psalm 118 were chanted to Jesus then, and they are sung to Him even now. Throughout the centuries the Church has continued to praise the Lord with this beautiful confession of faith.

This morning we hear a confession of faith from nine young people in our midst. They have been baptized. They have been catechized in the faith, as taught by the Church of the Augsburg Confession. Today, they acknowledge that gift and make a serious promise. This morning, they vow that they will endure life’s hardships and society’s persecutions; they will even die, if they must, rather than fall from the faith as taught by the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

But what about this confession of faith in the Entrance Gospel for this day? What do these words confess? “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna!” “Hosanna” is a Hebrew word that means, “Save us now, we pray.” It is what David sang in Psalm 118:25 – “Ana’ YHWH hosiah-na’ – Save us, we pray, O LORD!” The crowds gathering around Jesus, trying to get a glimpse of Him, singing for joy, did not take this word lightly. This single word was confessing faith in Christ! The One they shouted to was the One whom they believed could save them!

Granted, even five days before His death, the people still did not understand how Jesus was going to save them. Was He going to incite riots against the Roman garrison in Jerusalem? Was He going to work some miracle that caused the Roman occupation to get up and leave? No one knew. They just knew they were expecting great power and majesty, like one would expect from royalty!

Pastor Tannahill from Gloria Dei in Elizabethtown, Kentucky told a story this week. He was born and raised in Canada. Once as a child, Queen Elizabeth II came to his hometown and Pastor’s mother wanted to be sure he got to see her. They went to the event, and since the queen is not very tall, Mrs. Tannahill lifted her little boy so he could see above the crowd. “Can you see the Queen?” she asked. “No,” he sadly replied.

That evening, they watched the news. “There!” said Mrs. Tannahill, “Didn’t you see the Queen?” she said, pointing to a lady on the television who had a simple spring dress, a pill box hat, and handbag. “Well yeah, I saw her!” he said,… “That’s the queen?”

The portraits in his school, and other pictures he had seen diplayed the Queen in her regal robes, with crown and scepter, opening parliament, or posing for formal occasions. But this woman simply looked like someone’s mother! A regular person. Seeing her in person was not what he expected. She did not look powerful or regal or queenly.

Likewise, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, He did not look powerful, or regal, or kingly. The type of King that He is, is far different from what the common people expected. They wanted the miracle worker who fed thousands, who healed many. They wanted a man who could show great power and get their land back to the glories of David and Solomon.

We follow that pattern too. We want a powerful Jesus. We want the Jesus who can snap His fingers and produce all that we want or desire. We want a Jesus who will make life easy and trouble-free. We want a Jesus who will simply take away any illnesses or accidents or hardships from us and our loved ones. We want a Jesus who will bless our parish, school, and day care with lots of money, business saavy, and the envy of all the other churches around. We want a Jesus who will answer our self-centered prayers with a big house, expensive cars, HD TV’s, and all the latest things that our friends have. We want a Jesus who will place us in an easy job that we love, and surround us with others who appreciate the work we are doing. We want a Jesus who – plain and simple – is not Jesus!

Repent, dear friends. The people of Jerusalem may not have known any better. But you do. Lusting after the power, and glory of God in the image that we want Him to be, and trying to make that power and glory our own, has been a favorite sin ever since the Fall in the Garden of Eden. And imitating the ways of the world, as if its wisdom and ways were desired more than God’s, only leads to pain and judgment for the church.

Yet the Lord does not manipulate and remove trials from you. He does not wave a royal scepter like a wand and make you a force to be reckoned with, in the ways of the world. Instead, He surrounds you with His love and grace and forgiveness, as He bears your burdens and carries you through every trial and valley.

The wrong idea of Jesus? Even so, in this single word, “Hosanna,” we know that they looked to Jesus as Savior. We join them in this desire to adore our God and King. The people of Jerusalem needed a Savior. Adam and Eve needed a Savior. Those of us gathered here this morning, both now, and every day of our lives, need our Savior!

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” With these words, the people of Jerusalem also confessed that Jesus is the Son of David. Not only is He Savior, but He is King! This Descendant of King David was recognized for who He was, again, even if not completely understood. He is a Savior. And as a descendant of David, He is One who could claim the throne. He is Messiah – the Anointed One – the Christ who is the Promised King. This Royal Heir had Divine right to rule over them, and they welcomed the Anointed One!

Yes, Jesus is King. He does rule over all. But His kingdom is not of this world. He is, as many Hebrew prayers state, “King of the Universe.” Yet He has no geographic realm. His rule is spiritual, godly, and eternal – far surpassing any worldly ideas or ideals of what a king is to be or do. He goes beyond any limits of our imaginations for our ultimate King.

Why? Because the Son of David is also the Son of God! He IS the LORD, God Almighty in the flesh. Jesus Christ, our Savior and King is our God!

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” With the Name of God invoked, He brings His presence to His people. When two or three are gathered in His Name – “The Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – God blesses and bestows His presence.

Jesus, being God, brought the presence of the Lord wherever He was. Riding into Jerusalem, Jesus was (and is) God in the flesh! They were blessed to behold their King and to see and hear God – Jesus – coming in the Name of the Lord! But they were not alone!

Every Lord’s Day, we are blessed to behold and hear Him too. We hear Jesus Christ as He speaks through the lips of our pastors, reading and proclaiming His Word. We recall His promise to the apostles and pastors “He who hears you, hears Me.” We behold and hear Him as He uses the pastors’ hands to pour water on people “in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” transforming them into new creatures and rescuing them from death and the devil. We behold and hear Him as we approach His altar, tasting Christ and the forgiveness, life, and salvation that He gives. Miraculously, our Savior-King enters our bodies with His own Body and Blood, feeding our bodies and souls to give us life!

These nine youth have a lot on their minds this morning. My fervent prayer is that they are ever-mindful of one thing: Jesus bringing His presence in the Divine Service. We hear Him and receive Him week after week in His Word and in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Jesus DOES come to us. And every Sunday – every Lord’s Day – is a celebration of that presence.

That is why the Divine Service is the most important thing in any Christian’s life, whether they realize it or not. It is central to our faith. It is where God comes and gives Himself as a Gift! It is where the Lord feeds us so we have the strength and nourishment to continue in life. When people truly understand this, they desire to come to the Divine Service.

Dear youth, this morning you are swearing to the Lord God Almighty that you will be faithful and regular in coming to His House, receiving His preaching, confessing your sin, and partaking of His Holy Eucharist. This is a solemn vow that there is nothing more important to you than coming to the Divine Service in Christ’s Church!

The devil and the world will tempt you. They will try to convince you how boring it is to come to the Divine Service. Your friends and even family may try to persuade you that it is better to sleep in, play sports, watch a movie, or to go somewhere else that is supposedly more fun. It is a tough battle, and Satan will try hard to harass you. Even when you do come, the devil will try to convince you to let your heart and mind drift from the Holy Gifts that our Savior gives.

But our dear and blessed Savior is there. The same Jesus who hears our “Hosannas” and “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!” is still there. He continues to forgive us, even as we drift during the Divine Service. When we confess to our pastor and hear Holy Absolution, He forgives us. When we hear His Gospel preached, He forgives us. When we receive His Holy Body and Blood, He forgives us.

Forgiven and strengthened, Jesus our Savior-King makes you bold to confront His enemies, and unapologetic for your need of and dedication to His Divine Service. He brings you to cherish the very Gifts that have delivered His forgiveness; and gives you the wisdom to know the wonder and amazement of receiving more and more of Jesus!

And with joy, we respond to that forgiveness, singing as His redeemed saints, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The Rev. Rich Heinz is senior pastor of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church & School in Lanesville, IN, and the Front Page editor for Higher Things Internet Services.

St. John 8:42-49

“Um, Dad?” “Yes, Isaac?” “Well, we’ve got wood here. And we’ve got some fire. But, um, where’s the lamb for the burnt offering?” And what do you suppose Isaac was thinking as Dad tied him up and laid him upon the altar and raised the knife? Do you think Isaac at that moment remembered Abraham’s words, “God will see to the Lamb for Himself!”

Abraham kept God’s Word. And “keeping God’s Word” doesn’t mean what we probably think it means. When we hear that Abraham kept God’s word we usually think it means he “obeyed” God’s Word. True, he did; he was ready to sacrifice his son at God’s command. But why could Abraham do that? What was there that could let him go through with such an awful request? Simply this: Abraham was keeping the Word of God. Holding on to it. Trusting it. Believing it. But trusting what?

Keeping God’s Word is about far more than mechanically doing what it says. Keeping God’s Word means having a lively faith and trust and confidence in God’s promises. The Book of Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed that even if he went ahead and killed Isaac, God would have raised Isaac from the dead in order to keep His promise to Abraham to have a Descendant. In other words, Abraham kept God’s Word not simply by obeying its outward command, but by holding fast to the Word and promises of God. It is why he could drag his own son to an altar on a mountain and still confidently proclaim, “God will take care of the lamb for Himself.” And Isaac did not die that day. But the promise of God was fulfilled: Abraham had offspring. All the way down the ages to Jesus, the Lamb that God provided for Himself for an offering.

Now fast forward to Jesus’ day. We catch up to Him in a heated argument with the scribes and Pharisees. They’re the experts in the Bible. They know all about the Scriptures. But they don’t keep God’s Word. What drives them is not a sure confidence in the promises of God but a boastful attitude that they know the Bible and most other people don’t. What runs their thinking is not the joyous Good News that their sins are forgiven in Christ but that they are special to God because they are so holy and can keep the Law and Commandments. This is how Jesus knows they don’t know the Father.

But Jesus knows the Father. He keeps the Father’s Word. Jesus has a sure and certain and perfect trust in His Father’s Word and Promises. So much so that He can be the Lamb that Abraham spoke of. If Abraham believed God could give him his son back, how much more so the Son of God believed that He could give His life for sinners and not be destroyed. So much so that the Son came down from heaven and was born of the Virgin’s womb. So much faith and hope did Jesus have in His Father’s word that He could be baptized with sinners. So much trust in His Father’s Word Jesus had that He could battle the devil after even more than a month’s fasting. So much did Jesus keep His Father’s Word, that is, trust in His Father, that He could resolve even while covered in bloody sweat to go ahead and be that Lamb. Far more than Abraham who raised the knife but was kept from killing Isaac, Jesus goes the way of the cross knowing full well the Father is NOT going to spare Him but will instead lay upon Him the sins of the world and forsake Him. All done on behalf of sinners. But Jesus keeps the Father’s Word. He holds fast to it. He prays, “Into you hands, I commit my spirit” trusting that the Father will raise Him up on the Third Day. Christ, with perfect fear, love and trust in God the Father has kept God’s Word, held on to it, held fast to it, kept it as His comfort and hope even amidst the darkness of His death to save sinners. Above all, Jesus keeps the Father’s Word, by being the Lamb that Abraham promised Isaac God would provide for Himself.

But these Jews, these Pharisees and scribes and other religious folk, they don’t keep God’s Word. What runs them is not a happy and glad trust in their Savior but a small and shallow trust in their own goodness and ability to please God. And when Jesus dares to threaten their religion by calling them to trust in Him instead of themselves, they mock Him, call Him names, and say He has a devil. Rather than hear and learn what Jesus is actually teaching, what the Scriptures actually say, and how the Lord would rescue them from trusting in themselves, they circle the wagons and pick up the stones and are ready to throw!

This because they don’t KEEP God’s Word. They know the words of God’s word. They may even look like they outwardly OBEY most of it. But they don’t KEEP it. Treasure it. Live by it. Trust in it. This is our repentance, brothers and sisters in Christ. That we hear God’s Word. That we may even try to obey God’s Word once in a while. But that we don’t KEEP His Word. That we don’t hold fast to it as our greatest treasure. That the promises of God go in one ear and out the other. That there is so much more exciting and interesting stuff in our lives besides God’s Word. That there are so many more pressing problems in our lives to worry about that learning and believing God’s Word. And so what runs us is not the lively hope and confidence and trust in a Father who loves us by sending His Son to be the sacrificial lamb for our sins. No, what runs us is our own notions and ideas and fears and worries. And if anyone questions that or calls us to repent, then we pick up stones to throw at them! Repent, brothers and sisters, of not keeping, holding fast, cherishing, living by the Words and promises of Jesus.

Jesus says “Whoever is God’s hears God’s Word. If anyone keeps My Word, he will never see death.” These words of Jesus are not a whip-up-some-religion-in-yourself command. They are words that rescue us by calling us away from trusting in anything else in this world than Christ and His Word. To KEEP Christ’s Word means to live like Abraham: no matter what you see with your eyes, you know by faith what God has in store for you. No matter what you suffer, you live with the glad confidence that you can truly suffer no evil in Christ. To KEEP God’s Word means to cling to HIS Word and promises which rescue you from having to save yourself! And what promises are those? Everything that the Lamb has accomplished for you on the cross of Calvary delivered in His holy gifts. To KEEP Christ’s Word is to live from the waters of your Baptism, believing that you are a child of God and your sins have been washed away. To KEEP Christ’s Word means to live in the sure and certain knowledge that because you pastor has forgiven your sins, they are forgiven before God in heaven. To KEEP Christ’s Word is to run to His Supper to receive Jesus’ own body and blood, your certain promise that your sins are forgiven and that you will rise on the Last Day. In short, to KEEP God’s Word means far more than just obeying it. We do try to live according to God’s Word. But to KEEP God’s Word as Jesus is talking about is to live from Him and His forgiveness, not trying to save ourselves, not trusting in our own efforts, but believing that He has saved us.

And what is the good of keeping Christ’s Word in this way? Simply this: those who didn’t keep Christ’s Word got so worked up when they were threatened that they picked up rocks to kill Jesus! How’s THAT for obeying God’s Word! So you and I, unless we KEEP God’s Word, unless we live by faith and trust in God’s promises to us in Christ, will be only to ready at the drop of a hat to have to defend ourselves and our religion and our way of thinking by picking up stones to kill our neighbor! And that does no one else any good! But the person who lives by God’s Word, who KEEPS Christ’s promises held fast, doesn’t worry about what others think. The Christian who KEEPS Christ’s Word and lives by this confidence of eternal life can do good deeds and kind works for their neighbors and even the people they DON’T like, whether they get any thanks or recognition or just spit in the face.

Think what joy you would bring to your husband or wife or kids or parents or family or friends or anyone around you if you had such a trust in Christ and what your Baptism and Absolution and the Supper give you! Abraham rejoiced to see Jesus’ day and saw it by faith! So you have seen Jesus by faith. He comes to you in His holy Word and Sacraments. He gives you His Word and by His Holy Spirit keeps that Word in you. God has provided Christ the Lamb for Himself as the sacrifice. And Christ has given us His Word to forgive and save us. God grant that we hear and believe His holy Word and KEEP it that we never see Death forever! Amen.

The Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, IL, and the Internet Services Executive for Higher Things. He edits the Daily Reflections. He is married and father of three.

by The Rev. Brent Kuhlman

John 4:5-26 / Romans 5:1-8

The way Jesus works is so, so, scandalous.  Jesus does the unthinkable.  The outrageous.  He dares to speak to a woman in public.  That’s strike one.  She’s a half-breed gone astray from God’s ways Samaritan.  Strike two.  She’s a very naughty still in her sins Samaritan woman.  Been through five husbands.  Now she’s with a sixth man.  But he’s not her husband.  Strike three!

“Jesus, want a little advice?  Stay away from sinful women like that.  She may just be brash enough to put the moves even on you!  Don’t tarnish your reputation.  Hang out with some reputable folks for gosh sakes.  Three strikes and you’re out I always say.” 

We wouldn’t give her the time of day.  We believe that we’re better than her.  Compared to her we’re not so bad.  We think.  But we’re not. 

And here, together with Ms. Naughty Sinner Samaritan comes the Lord Jesus Christ.  When you’re squared up before the Lord all the comparisons with others stops.   You, me and this naughty woman are all equally sinners before the Lord.   

And yet Jesus deals with sinners.  Ungodly sinners.  He comes to them.  To the naughty Samaritan woman at the well.  To you and me.  We’re all in the same boat.  Deadbeat sinners.  Dead in our trespasses and sins sinners.  No Jesus!  No salvation!  Keep Jesus safely at bay and all that’s left is your dead sinful self.  And you all know where you’ll end up without a Jesus whose glory it is ALWAYS to have mercy on sinners. 

So Jesus comes with forgiveness.  Forgiveness for all your sin.  What sin do you have?  What haven’t you done that needed to be done?  What did you do that shouldn’t have been done?  What is the sin that you want to stop doing but just can’t muster the will and strength to quit?  It’s all forgiven.  Not counted against you.  For Jesus’ sake.  He died.  For you. 

What love!  What mercy!  It’s stunning.  After all, “while we were still weak . . . Christ died for the ungodly.”  You.  Me.  This woman.  The world.    “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

And with forgiveness for Christ’s sake, there’s life and salvation.  Jesus is the water.  He’s the drink.  The elixir of eternal life.  Drink from Jesus (believe in Him) and there’s the true worship of God!  Yes, that’s right.  The highest worship of God is faith in Jesus!  That’s worshiping God in spirit and in truth.

So drink up!  Deeply!  As much as Jesus avails Himself for you.  Guzzle down His Word of Absolution with your Amen.  Imbibe His most holy Body and Blood in the Sacrament.  There He comes.  In the divine service.  For sinners like you and me.  And there you see His glory!  The divine glory to always have mercy and to be gracious to you and me. 

And so because of Jesus you have peace with God.  Everything is all right with God.  Everything is restored with God because of Jesus and His dying for you. 

And now for some more amazing stuff from the Lord.  Now because of that Good Friday Jesus did for you, you can rejoice even in whatever sufferings you have.  That’s right.  Rejoice even in sufferings.  Why?  Because the Lord uses your sufferings to strengthen your faith muscles.  Do you realize that? 

What are your sufferings?  A broken marriage?  An illness?  The loss of a loved one?  Your everyday sins?  Well, when you’re the lowest, when you’re the weakest, there’s Jesus.  Your sufferings teach you to trust in Him all the more.  To count, to trust, to pray and to rely on more than ever!  And when you’re the weakest, then you’re strong.  Strong in Jesus who died for you.  Now you know that God’s cup of tea is working His power in weakness.  So you rejoice in your suffering because the Lord uses them to strengthen your faith in Him.    

And as the faith muscles are exercised through your sufferings the Lord gives you endurance.  To trust in Him (that’s the worship in spirit and truth remember) for the long haul.  Not just for the sprint!  But for the marathon!  

And then more giving from the Lord.  Endurance produces character and character hope.  Through your sufferings you learn that God’s grace is sufficient.  That Jesus will not ever leave you or abandon you.  His promises are always certain and sure. 

For the glory of God Jesus is to always have mercy.  To be gracious to you and bring you back to Him with penitent hearts and steadfast faith.  He did it with the Samaritan woman.  He’s done it with you.  What a wonderful Savior!

Happy worshiping Jesus in spirit and in truth:  FAITH.     

Reverend Kuhlman is Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Murdock, NE. He also serves on the Higher Things Board of Directors.

By the Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn

Matthew 15:21-28

Silence. Complete and utter silence. That was Jesus’ response to her. Her daughter was terribly vexed with a demon, a horror we can only imagine. She was at her wits end. All the parenting skills in the world could not help her daughter. She was at the end of her rope. She went to the one Man who could help her. She went to Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah. Surely He would help her! Surely He would look at her plight and would have mercy upon her by healing her daughter.

But God’s answer before her was silence.

Have you been there? Have you reached a point in your life where there is nowhere else to turn, nothing to do, and so you finally go to God? You reach out, you go to Him in prayer, and the answer is not what you want. Silence. More heartache and pain. Difficulties abound. Perhaps things even get worse. Where are you, God? Why don’t you answer me?

Our Lord’s ways are certainly not our ways. There are no quick and simple answers to why God does not make all the problems of life disappear as soon as we ask. But we can glean some answers from His Word on how He works and why things happen in this life the way they do.

First of all, we have to remember what God’s goal is for your life. God’s goal for your life is not that it be without troubles. That may be our goal for life. I think sometimes that all we really want is for there to be no problems or worries. That would make life pretty easy, wouldn’t it? No, God’s goal for your life is to bring you to heaven to be with Him forever. That is a very clear goal for him, but the problem is that because we are beset with sin, we cannot always see the path. What may be the most direct route for us may look like a terribly hard road. It’s kind of like looking over the top of a hill. You just can’t get too much of a sense of how much is left or even what’s on the other side as long as you are on the journey.

This goal of God’s, to bring you to heaven, is much more important than short-term fulfillment and happiness. He doesn’t want you to be without problems. He wants your life to be fulfilled and complete with Him. But in order to get there, sometimes God’s silence has to come before His voice of the Gospel.

That’s what St. Paul is talking about in our Epistle lesson for today:

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:1-5 NKJV)

What this Canaanite woman understood was that when everything else is stripped away, when her trust in herself is gone, when her trust in her family and lineage is gone, when every ounce of self-worth and fulfillment lie in the dust, then, and only then, can God’s work of healing and life begins. In other words, she had hope in Christ and not in herself.

We call that repentance. It is a profoundly Lenten word, and it is a word that Christians often forget, neglect, or act as if it doesn’t exist. Repentance, though, is absolutely central to our lives and growth as Christians. You can’t be a Christian without repentance. In fact, there is no such thing as faith apart from repentance, because in order to have faith in Christ you need to lose your faith in yourself.

I think that’s why God’s silence before this Canaanite woman is so important for you and I to understand today. God speaks with two voices, Law and Gospel. He speaks His word of Law to you to crush you, to destroy your self-reliance, to make you uncomfortable in your sinful skin, and to bring all of your self-made gods come crashing down. That Word of Law may come in many ways. Death is certainly the most obvious, but every time your life falls apart, every time things don’t go as they ought, it is our Lord at work using these horrible things that happen in life for good. For good? Yes. For our God glories in using Satan’s work and using it for His glory and your eternal life.

Our Canaanite woman had nothing to cling to on her own. She had no family. She had no name. She had no resources. Doctors couldn’t help. Nothing could help her daughter. All she had was God’s promise of mercy. And she grabbed on to that like a dog to a bone. She would not let God’s promise for a blessing go, no matter what. Just like Jacob in our Old Testament reading, she was willing to wrestle with God Himself in order to receive the blessing that He had promised.

Our Lord Jesus Christ says to you this day, repent! Repent of your self-made worth and fantasies. Repent of your thoughts that you can make everything work out as long as you try hard enough. Repent. But His Word to you does not end there. He also says to you, believe. Believe my word of promise. Believe that when I come to bless you, it will be a blessing that will last for all eternity. Believe.

Our Lord gives you and I the food that falls from His Table. We are unworthy to receive even the crumbs, but He gives us more than crumbs. He gives us His very body and blood as a sure pledge and guarantee of His love and forgiveness. This is no dog’s meal; it is a rich feast, and a full supper of life and salvation for your eternal good. Come to His Table, eat of His body and drink of His blood. The problems and trials of this life are but passing. But the gift He gives you this day, it will last for a lifetime. Believe it for His sake. Amen.

The Rev. Todd Peperkorn is pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He has contributed in many and various ways to Higher Things.