Category: Articles

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.