by The Rev. George Borghardt III
In the name of Jesus. Amen. There is the “Amen” of God. God’s “yes” answer. He’s at the place of Skull, Golgatha.
For our betrayal of God. He is betrayed. For our sin, He becomes our sin. For our unbelief, He becomes our unbelief. For the wraith of God, He suffers.
This is the Lord God Himself, the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. Through whom all things were made and apart from whom nothing was made that is made.
“Amen” on Good Friday is spelled, “INRI.” Jesus Nazarenus, rex Judæorum. Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. We’d erase that, tweak it, make it more agreeable with what we think. But, what was written, stays written.
“I thirst.” He says. God thirsts. It’s inconceivable that the One who was, and is, and is to come, needs a moist sponge to wet His tongue. How did it come to this?
You know. You know what you’ve done. I know what I’ve done. He bears it all. To save us from what we’ve done and haven’t done.
“It is finished.” One word, tetelestai. Account settled. All that was demanded by God’s law has been satisfied.
He bows His head. He gives up His Spirit. The Father says, “Amen.” Your sin is atoned for. Your debt paid. Your forgiveness achieved in the death of the only begotten Son of the Father.
God’s life, for your life. God’s death swapped out for your death.
This is God for you. This is God for me. Beaten, Bruised, Crushed, stripped of His clothes, hanging dead on the Cross.
This is the glory and majesty of Almighty God. His glory, we have beheld, the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. The glory of the Lamb having been slain.
Behold the “Amen.” Faithful and True. But, God’s “Amen” does you no good if He does not deliver His Amen and make Him your Amen.
Just follow where He is pierced. Blood and water flowed from His side. There in the Blood and Water, Jesus delivers Himself to you.
In the water and the Word of your Baptism – He Amens you and all of your sins are living-watered away. In the Font, your stain is cleansed – made holy – washed white in the blood of the Lamb.
Blood. Follow the blood into the chalice. His Flesh is real food. His Blood real drink. Whoever eats the flesh of Jesus and drinks His blood, has life and the Amen will raise you up on the Last Day. Raise you up as He has been raised from the dead.
Then, with Jesus on your forehead, in your ears, in your heart, and in your mouth, comes your “Amen.”
Faith, which is born from the Blood and water flowing from Jesus’ pierced sides says, “Amen.” Jesus died for you. He died for me too. That’s God’s Amen for me – Jesus dead on the Cross.
But, you’ll have a whole conference to learn about this good news, so…
Today, Behold the Amen, the Lamb of God, Faithful and True, slain for the sin of the world. He breathes His last and gives up His Spirit. He’s is God’s Amen. Your Amen too. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pastor George Borghardt is the Associate Pastor at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Conroe, Texas. He is also the Higher Things Conferences Executive and served as one of the Plenary Speakers at Amen. And… When Stan Lemon grows up he wants to be just like him!
