Category: Higher Homilies

by The Rev. William Weedon

Our Catechism teaches us to pray every morning and every night: “Let Your holy angel be with me that the evil foe may have no power over me.” And then in the morning, we are to go off to work singing a hymn; and in the evening, we are to go to sleep at once and in good cheer.

Where does such a prayer come from? This asking of God to let His holy angels be with us so that our evil foe can have no power over us? It comes from today’s Gospel. In today’s Gospel Jesus is not teaching us about angels. He is teaching the importance of humility. But he throws in – almost as an afterthought – a strange saying towards the very end. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 18:10)

“Their angels.” Theirs? It is not as though the angels belong to them. They are called, after all, the holy angels, and holy means (as it always does) “belonging to God.” When God calls something holy, when He makes it holy, he is simply marking it as His own in some special way. So why are they called “their” angels? Not because they belong to them, but because they have been assigned to them. This is what the Psalmist said: “He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” Jesus said that goes not just for the spiritually mature and advanced, but above all, it goes for the little ones that the disciples were tempted to overlook as being rather unimportant. Best not be overlooking them, Jesus warns! They are so important that they have an angel assigned to them, every one of them his own assigned angel. The angels, whose joy is to gaze upon the face of the Father, also delight in serving Him by looking out for the little ones.

And so when you see a child in church, you mustn’t think poorly of them – no matter how noisy and squirmy they may be. You must learn to see them as God sees them, as so precious and important to the King of heaven that to each one has been assigned a big, burly heavenly body and soul guard.

But by “little ones” does Jesus mean only children? No. He means those who, becoming as children, enter the kingdom. To become as a child does not mean to become childish. It means to be nothing but given to, a crying need that calls out to be tended and cared for. Such a little one you were made when you were baptized into Jesus. You only received, you had nothing to give. He did all the giving. Baptized, He gave you the forgiveness of all your sins (for a lifetime and more!). Baptized, He gave you His Holy Spirit to live inside of you and fill you with God’s own joy and peace. Baptized, He clothed you in the garment of His own holiness so that the Father sees you as pure and righteous in His sight, for you have been tucked into Christ by your Baptism. And yes, baptized, He assigned to you an angel to watch over you and keep you. Angels are no myth of childhood, but a solid promise of God. All wrapped up in a single word “their.” “Their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”

And thus your angel is always doing the will of the Father in heaven. That will is above that His holy angel be with you so that the Evil One may have no power over you.

The Evil One wants you to distrust God and His Word and promises even as he does. The Evil One wants you to be drawn into his bitter life of complaining and griping and railing against God and how utterly unfair He is. The Evil One wants you to share his misery not just here in this life, but eternally in hell. And make no mistake about it, the Evil One has set his sights on you, not just people in general, but on you. He hates you with a passion and he wants to bring about your ruin, to destroy your faith. And do you know why? Because he is filled with pride – the pride that thinks himself something special, and who looks down on you-you little pip-squeak – with utter scorn because God thinks you are so important that He would even assign His angels to guard and protect you. The Evil One rages against the very thought that angelic beings should stoop to serve the likes of flesh and blood.

Whatever shall we do against such a foe? Think of how weak we are, how prone to doubt God’s goodness, to question His wisdom, to complain about how He governs our lives and this world! How prideful we can be, despising and looking down on the little ones and forgetting how precious they are to God! Forgetting that we must all become nothing but such little ones, nothing but given to if we are to be saved.

Jesus reveals to us in today’s Gospel that the Father knows our weakness and therefore sends the holy angels to guard and protect us. They seek to keep us from the evil one. They seek to keep us with them, living lives of praise to the Father; living lives of trust in His goodness; living lives of joy in His presence. Their delight is to sing His praises and especially to sing the praises of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus. They delight to stand in amazement before what drives Satan batty! They celebrate the love He showed for us poor creatures of flesh and blood when He took on our flesh and blood in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and came and lived among us. They delight to remember and rejoice in how He allowed Himself to be taken and crucified, trampling down death by death, out of love for us, and how He rose again to destroy the power of death for all who are joined to Him. His is the story they delight to tell, His the praise they delight to sing, and in Him they have found the cause of endless adoration and joy.

The big job of your holy angel, in keeping you from the evil one, is to keep you rejoicing in your Savior. The big job of your holy angel is to bring to your mind again and again the remembrance of His sufferings for you. To call you to unite with them in their praise that does not cease as you stand with them at the Holy Table, where the One they serve continues to serve you by giving you His body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins.

So when you pray tonight: “Let your holy angel be with me that the evil foe may have no power over me,” remember what you are asking for. You are asking that your angel, assigned to you when you were baptized into Christ, would always guard and keep you so that the evil one does not seduce you into his empty, unbelieving, complaining and prideful ways. But that you be kept by the holy angels in the way of your baptism, being a little one who is nothing but given to, and so has no room for pride, yet a little one who delights in joining with angels and archangels in their endless doxologies to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit unto the ages of ages. Amen.

This sermon was preached at the Bread of Life conferences during Wednesday Matins.

Rev. Duane Bamsch

The big, awkward reveal is still in the future. Joseph will tell his brothers who he is and why they’ve been put through all of this, but not just yet. Our Lord God has a plan to protect and care for His people, and until it is ready, Joseph’s identity remains hidden.

Joseph’s brothers are beyond anxious though. They are concerned from the moment they approach Joseph’s door. “Now what? We are surely going to prison for stealing the money from the grain on our last trip! We are all going to die here!”

Even though they are assured that the money in their sacks is gift, they still worry. Why? A guilty conscience. After all, even when a good kid is summoned to the principal’s office for a good reason, he still worries, right? “What did I do?” “What’s going on?”

Joseph’s brothers are terrified of what’s going to happen. They are utterly certain that the end is near for them. They’ve finally made one mistake too many, and the wrath of God is going to smite them with a mighty smiting at the hand of this Egyptian.

Sure, it was all those years ago that they sold their brother into slavery and told dear old dad that he had been eaten by wild beasts. They even had a bloody cloak to prove it—to cover their tracks. Now, it was time to pay. Now the wrath of God is about to be revealed—they are sure of it.

But it was not to be. Against all of their expectations, they are ushered into the banquet hall. They are invited to the table, invited to the feast. They were worried that they were going to their own doom, but Joseph knew better. He had a greater plan in mind—a plan of love, a plan of salvation for his family, and a reunion with his long-unseen father, Jacob.

If anyone deserved to retaliate against his brothers, it would be Joseph, right? How could we deny him the opportunity to return the evil his brothers heaped upon him? Certainly, he would be justified in his wrath against these lying, scheming brothers of his. Even with that in mind, look how Joseph responds—not out of anger, not out of hate, but out of righteousness and love. Even when he has every right to destroy them, Joseph responds with love. He repays their evil with grace.

What about you? How often do you approach the Lord’s house in trepidation? How often are you afraid as you pass through the doors into His holy presence, certain that a great smiting awaits you? Certain that your lies and sins will be laid bare for all to see? Certain that everyone will see and know what kind of hypocrite you are, how much of a failure you’ve been, how much you’ve been hiding from everyone for so long?

Thanks be to God that Joseph is a picture of our Lord Christ for you today! Just as Joseph responds in love to his brothers who wished him harm, so also your Lord Christ sets you a place at His table at the feast and in peace and abundantly heaps up your plate.

Young Benjamin never could have expected to receive five times the amount his brothers received at the table. Yet Joseph blesses him beyond measure seemingly out of nowhere. But it wasn’t out of nowhere, was it? This was Joseph’s beloved baby brother. This is the one person he has wanted to see so badly for so long. And now, finally, he’s able to look his little brother in the eye and see that he is well.

Your Lord Christ, could have treated you as you deserved. He could have turned His back on you and abandoned you as Joseph’s brothers abandoned him. Yet, God our Father had a greater plan in mind—a plan to protect and care for His people, a plan to prepare a place for you, even if you were still His enemy, still turned away from Him in your sin.

But God your Father didn’t leave you as His enemy. His Joseph, your Lord Jesus, went into the enemy’s house—into death itself—and triumphed over it. He showed his Kingship and Lordship in His dying and rising so that you would have a place at His table. He washed you in the waters of your Holy Baptism so that you would be clean and dressed in His presence and at His table. And that place at His table brings you such a great and wonderful gift. Upon that banquet table, upon that altar is the very Body and Blood of your Risen Lord Jesus “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

And, as the Small Catechism says, “where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also [eternal] life and salvation.” In the face of all your sin, Christ Jesus—your “big brother” in the faith—refuses to treat you as you deserve.

He sets a place at His eternal feast for you. He has dressed you, He has called you into His presence, and He places before you His gifts—gifts to receive in joy, gifts that make you merry with Him, and gifts that preserve you, body and soul, unto life everlasting. Amen.

 

Rev. Mark Buetow

Consider for a moment the ashes smeared on your head. Or if you don’t have ashes at least look around at someone that has them and think about the ashes for a minute. And understand this: everything that you love, everyone that you love, everything that is a treasure to you is going to end up like that: ashes, dust, gone. All the boardgames I love to play, all the sporting equipment you have, all the video games that you play, all the cell phones we use, all of the money we carry around or wish we carried around, and yes, even the people we love and even ourselves—we’re all going to be ashes. Dirt. Dust. Nothing. That’s why Jesus says not to store up these treasures on earth. Because that’s how they end up. They are great while we’ve got them and we’ll spare no expense to grab them up and hoard them. But in the end, just like us, they turn to ashes.

Now consider for another moment those same ashes. They are smeared into your forehead in the shape of the cross. That’s because when you were baptized, you were marked with the sign of the holy cross on your forehead and upon your heart, to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. Your baptism is God’s own promise to you that because His Son was covered in your sins, you have a treasure that does not turn to ashes. What is that treasure? Forgiveness of your sins and eternal life! That water and word that was put on you is what rescues you from being ashes. Oh, sure, unless our Lord returns first, you’ll get put in the ground the same as everyone else, but your baptism is the Lord’s promise that because Christ has conquered sin and death and risen again, you will be raised up on the Last Day.

The reason that Lent focuses so much on the suffering and death of Jesus is so that we poor sinners learn what our true treasure is. The preaching of the cross is given to rescue us from all those things that we love so much not because they aren’t our gifts to enjoy, but because we always want to love them more than the Lord and His Word. The reason that fasting and alms giving and prayer are the traditional works of Lent is not because we need to be taught that our money and our toys are bad but because we need to learn that our money and our toys are not the true treasure; they are not the most important things our heavenly Father has for us. Rather, the treasure in heaven, the treasure that does not turn to ashes, is Christ Himself and His salvation. Jesus can’t ever turn to ashes. Ashes are the reminder of death and what happens when we die. But when Christ died for our sins, He did not turn to ashes but instead rose the third day and threw down sin, death, the devil and hell. He threw down those enemies that make us into ashes! He threw down their power to keep us forever as piles of dust! By His rising from the dead, Christ shows that He is a treasure that doesn’t get stolen or eaten by moths or that rusts away or rots into dust and ashes. He is our everlasting and ever living Savior who brings us with Him by His Word to the realms of glory and eternal life!

It’s OK if you want to give something up for Lent. But do it for the right reason: do it because you’re reminding yourself that such a thing is not true treasure, that it won’t last forever. But more than that, the real way to celebrate Lent is to have more Jesus. More of the true treasure! More hearing His Word. More confessing your sins and being absolved. More eating and drinking of His body and blood. More study of His Word and prayer. More of the true treasure. It is by those gifts that Christ piles up for you such riches that you cannot even imagine! Today there are two crosses on your forehead to consider: the cross of ashes and the cross of water and the Word of your baptism. The cross of ashes reminds you why you need the cross of Christ but it is the cross of Christ, put upon you at the holy font which rescues you from a future of ashes and gives you the promise of a future of life and joy and peace in Jesus Christ because by His cross your sins are forgiven and you are set with Him in the heavenly places where the true treasure lasts forever. Happy Lent in the Name of Jesus! Amen.

This sermon was preached at the Bread of Life Higher Things conferences. Pr. Riley preached this sermon at Wednesday Matins.

Rev. Donavon Riley

“And she said, ‘Yes, Lord, but even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.’ Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” (Matthew 15:27-28)

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen. Faith is the only correct answer to the question of God’s grace. Trust in Jesus is the only possible response. Jesus insists on it. The wrong question, then, is, “Do you have enough faith?” The right question is, “Do you have enough Jesus?” You can have great faith, but you can never have too much Jesus.

Jesus’ doing for this dog-Gentile wasn’t a, “Believe I’m God, go to church, clean up your life, and then I’ll perform an exorcism on your daughter” kind of transaction. It’s Jesus doing for her—for free—what she asks. All she’s got to do is believe it. Nothing else.

Jesus meant it when he said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” When people asked Him what they should do to work the work of God He said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one whom he sent.”

But then He goes even further and says, “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him.” Jesus didn’t come to judge you. He comes to rescue you from shame, and guilt, and fear, and blame. He comes to deliver you from sin and death.

That’s why Jesus just won’t count this strange, foreign woman’s personal history for or against her: how far she’s walked; who watches her daughter while she’s searching for a miracle cure; whether her health insurance covers demon possession; where she worships on the Sabbath. None of it matters to Jesus.

But shouldn’t there be more to God’s doing for her than bare-naked faith? Wouldn’t it be helpful for everyone if God’s grace had a price tag dangling off of it? At least then you’d know it’s value and worth. That’d be something at least.

But look at it from God’s side of the checkout counter. Listen to Ephesians 1:4. “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”

God chose her in Christ before the foundation of the world. We know this first, because God’s Word created this woman and created her daughter, too, and second, because Jesus is God’s Word in the flesh, and He’s present for her, there, now. No more proof needed.

That means that not only is the outcome of their conversation already a victory, the result was never in doubt. She was created and chosen to enjoy God being God for her “before the foundation of the world.”

It means, faith was fully present from the beginning in Christ. It’s God’s effort, not your effort to obey God, not your good intentions, not your happy thoughts, not even your heartfelt prayers, that wins the day. It’s His grace, not your works. That’s the thing. Look at yourself. Jesus’ already done everything terrifically for you. What more is there for you to do? What more can you do to add to His doing for you?

So then, why does Jesus just up and heal the woman’s daughter? Why doesn’t He tell her to do something to prove she’s worth the effort, or at least ask for proof of insurance? It’s simple. She’s been in Him all along. She’s been chosen in Him “before the foundation of the world.”

The only thing for her to do about such a fantastic arrangement is just shut up. Believe it. Enjoy it. She’s already got it. The God who created the heavens and the earth, who delighted in creating her, who wove a baby girl together in her womb, who stands in front of her right now, has already got a hold of her.

The only judgment you can make about what just happened between Jesus and this mother who worships the wrong god, in the wrong country, with the wrong people is that their whole back-and-forth is just Jesus hunting up faith so that she’s set free to worship true God… Set free to worship Jesus.

He’s not throwing her out. Jesus reveals that she’s been in the whole time. St. Paul writes that Jesus is God’s “yes” to every “no” the world issues. “There is now therefore no condemnation for them who are in Christ Jesus” (Roman 8:1).

He’s had you home-free from the start, too. No matter what’s happened, no matter how much you hurt, how powerless you feel, how angry, how beggarly, how alone…He’s always been here with you in your mess. You’ve been in Christ all along.

What saves you from sin, and rescues you from death, and delivers you from Satan is Jesus. The way you get a hold of him is through faith. And faith is something that doesn’t mean anything other than Jesus.

“Do you have great faith?” Wrong question.

“Do you have enough Jesus?” You can never have too much Jesus. Right answer.

Faith is simply saying “yes” to Him instead of “no.” It doesn’t involve any special theological training. You don’t have to work yourself up emotionally to trust Him. And above all, faith doesn’t depend on your custom-designed list of good works—whether you run in a charity marathon, find the cure for heart disease, or give away free hugs. Faith just trusts that you’ve been in Jesus since the beginning. Faith trusts that He’s been doing terrific things for you all along.

So enjoy what Jesus does for you. Have fun with His gifts. You’re that free. Free to act in faith. Free to burst expectations. Free to ask and free to demand. Free to fear and free to trust. Free to work…or take a nap.

You’re always in Christ. You’re in. You can’t lose even in sickness, and sickness unto death. You see, Jesus doesn’t wait for you to get to Him with the right question or with the right prayer or to believe the right stuff. He produces it. His love for you produces godly faith and works and prayers and worship.

In Christ, your hope isn’t a Savior waiting for you to be your best you now. It’s that He’s always with you: in faith and in works, in prayer and in praise, in life and life-eternal, when you’re at your best, and especially when you’re at your worst.

Your one true hope is the promise He breathes into you. It’s the flesh and the blood He feeds you. It’s that for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, He loves and cherishes you, ’til in death He does join you together with Him in life everlasting.

The Canaanite woman comes as desperate mother. She goes home as Bride of Christ. You come and go in the way of Bride and Bridegroom, too. Ashamed, fearful, guilt-ridden, shouldering blame, running from the truth, beaten down, or giving up, it doesn’t matter to Jesus.

In Christ, you’re always God’s beloved. In Christ, you’re Gospeled. In Christ, you’re Baptized. In Christ, you’re bodied and bloodied. In Christ, there’s no more crumbs for little dog-Gentile you. There’s a seat with Christ at His table. A feast is prepared for you. Christ the host and Christ the meal. Good Friday Body and Good Friday Blood. The wedding feast of the Lamb without end, and you, His beloved Bride, are the guest of honor. Believe it. Enjoy it. And why not… you’re in. In the name of + Jesus. Amen.

 

This sermon was preached at the Closing Divine Service of the 2016 Bread of Life conferences.

Rev. Mark Buetow

“Oh, hello, stranger. Walk with us.”

“What are you talking about while you’re walking?”

“All that stuff that happened in Jerusalem.”

“What stuff?”

“Seriously? Are you a stranger in these parts? Have you, like, been under a rock the past three days? The stuff about Jesus. He was a mighty prophet. He did miracles. We THOUGHT He was going to redeem Israel but the chief priests got a hold of Him and he was handed over and crucified! Then we heard some of our fellow peeps say that some of the women had seen angels saying he was alive and couple of our pals went over there and saw that the tomb was actually empty! But they didn’t see HIM. It’s been three days since all this started and we don’t know what’s going on.”

And there’s the kicker. Lots of people can recite the facts. Even atheists can say, “The Bible says Jesus died on the cross and rose again and was alive the third day.” But that doesn’t mean they believe it. That doesn’t mean it does them any good. That doesn’t mean that just knowing that stuff means you’ll find Jesus or know where He is. Lots of people can tell you the facts, the details and not believe a word of it; not have a bit of comfort or peace or certainty in life because of what Jesus did. For that we need the Word and Jesus Himself to come to us.

“Oh you ignorant guys! Slow of heart to believe all the prophets taught! It’s all there. From Genesis to Malachi, it’s all about how the Son of God was going to come and suffer and die and rise again. Look, let me explain. In the beginning…”

And so Jesus explains to them what the Scriptures are all about. More directly, He teaches them that the Bible from beginning to end is about Him. Jesus teaches these two guys walking to Emmaus that He came to fulfill God’s promise to send a Savior to crush the serpent’s head. Everything in the history of Israel and the preaching of the prophets was getting things ready for the time when the Son of God would become man, be born of the virgin, suffer and die on the cross and then rise again the third day.

“You knuckleheads! All the stuff you’re talking about HAD to happen. It had to happen for YOUR sakes to save you from your sins.”

Yes, Jesus is a prophet mighty in word and deed. Yes, Jesus was handed over and crucified by evil men. Yes, His tomb was empty and the angels announced He is alive. Because all of that had. To. Happen. That’s what the Bible is all about. It all had to happen to save sinners. To save you! So that you wouldn’t be doomed forever. For YOU. It all happened for you. To save you.

“Emmaus! That’s our stop. Listen, buddy, it’s evening, the day’s almost over. Why don’t you stop and hang with us. You can tell us more of this Bible stuff. It’s really cool.”

So they go in and sit down for dinner. And Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, and breaks it.

“Hey! Wait a minute! That’s Jesus! He IS alive! Wait! He’s gone! Man, it’s like our hearts are on fire! It’s…It’s like we just finished a Higher Things conference! We gotta go back and tell the others.”

Back to Jerusalem. “Guys! Guys! He’s alive! He’s alive! Christ IS risen!” And they knew. They knew because He was revealed to them in the breaking of the bread. You want to know that Jesus died and rose for you? Right there. The altar. The bread and wine that are Christ’s Body and Blood given and shed for you. You want to know that the resurrection really happened? Right there. The altar. Christ’s Body and Blood. There. He. Is! Right there! You never have to wonder where God is. Where did Jesus go? He’s right there in the breaking of the bread. The Bread of Life is right here so that you may eat His flesh and drink His blood and know that God keeps His promises. So that you know your sins are forgiven. So that you know Jesus rose from the dead, that the Scriptures are true, that the eyewitnesses really saw it. Right there, Jesus is in the breaking of the bread, so that you will be raised up and live forever, too.

So, here He is again. Your Savior, in the breaking of the bread. Given and shed for you. And you’ll run back home today declaring, “The Lord IS risen! And we knew Him in the breaking of the bread where He has always promised to be for us and where he will be every Divine Service. Until He comes again.” In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

 

This sermon was preached at Thursday Matins at the 2016 Bread of Life conferences in Nashville, TN and Fort Collins, CO.

Rev. Aaron Fenker

“What’s God done for ME?” It’s an honest question, and maybe we’ve asked that from time to time. “Well, God, what have you done for me lately?” Bread-of-Life Jesus gives us the right answer to that question. What has God done for you? Well, God’s done everything for your salvation in Jesus.

That’s not enough
Yeah, well, that’s not enough. That’s how we act! We’re like the Israelites. Salvation’s not enough! “Yes, we’ve been rescued from slavery in Egypt. Yes, Pharaoh and his army were destroyed—drowned dead in the Red Sea. But we’re hungry!” “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we had meat to the full…” “When the LORD heard, he was full of wrath…his anger rose against Israel, because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.” The Jews were still like them, and like us.

“We want more food!” Jesus calls them and you out: “You are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” “Yes, I’ve been rescued from the slavery sin; yes, the devil’s been drowned in the waters of Baptism; yes, I’m part of God’s holy people, but I want more!” We want Jesus to be a vending-machine God. From a better grade to a spot on the team; from more popularity to more money; from a better phone to getting us out of jam:

“What do I have to do to get God to do what I need Him to do! What sort of prayer do I need to say, what good work do I have to do, to get what I want?” “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” What indeed? What indeed?

It’s really more than enough—and more!
Well, Bread-of-Life Jesus sets the record straight. Thanks be to God He does! Thanks be to God that “the works of God” don’t have anything to do with you at all! “God’s works” have everything to do with God working…FOR YOU! That’s what Jesus means when He says, “This is God’s Work: you believe in the One He sent.” You believe in Jesus because God worked faith within you. You don’t have to do anything—not even muster up enough belief within yourself. In Holy Baptism He gave you faith. In Absolution He forgives your sins of wanting a have-it-your-way-at-Burger-King Jesus. All that’s forgiven. Now and forever. In the Word He sustains your faith. In the Lord’s Supper He strengthens you in body and soul unto life everlasting. These are all “God’s works” FOR YOU. All because Jesus is the Bread of Life FOR YOU. He is the Bread from heaven that gives life to the world by giving His life for the world—you too! “Body and blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” Then on Calvary. But Bread-of-Life Jesus isn’t done yet. Risen from the dead, He delivers His life to the World: “Body and blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” Now in His Supper. What Bread-of-Life Jesus has and gives never runs out: “Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

What’s God done for you? Well, what’s Bread-of-Life Jesus done for you? EVERYTHING! Died for you. Rose for you. Salvation forever for you. What have all the things we want really done for us? What can they do for us? Nothing. Not when you die. Bread-of-Life Jesus will raise you from the dead on the Last Day.

There’s not one thing you do for it. Nothing you can do! Not even your eating and drinking do it! “How can bodily eating do such great things?” Only because Bread-of-Life Jesus is true to His promises. Body and blood for you. Bread of Life for you. “Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: ‘forgiveness of sins.'”

And “where there’s forgiveness of sins, there’s also life and salvation.” And that, my friends, is ALL that God’s done FOR YOU. All Jesus working FOR YOU.

 

by The Rev. David M. Juhl

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

Every year we are reminded more and more how offensive is the Name of the Lord. The month of December is slowly becoming a month where people buy presents, attend parties, and celebrate a general holiday season rather than the holy day of Christmas.

This general holiday season is a season of sentimentality. We remember the days when we were younger when families actually celebrated the holy day of Christmas. We got cool presents. We visited family we loved or merely tolerated. More than likely we carved out a couple of hours to go to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus according to the flesh.

As we grow older, the holy day of Christmas begins to turn into this general holiday season. Christmas is more about children, decorations, presents, and gaining ten pounds rather than Jesus Christ. Any mention of the Savior’s birth or attending Divine Service to celebrate Christ’s birth, let alone extolling the joy of celebrating Advent, makes people wonder about our sanity. Perhaps they think it’s nice that someone still cares about those old traditions we once celebrated. But Jesus is too divisive in these enlightened days. So we wrap the holy day of Christmas in the swaddling cloths of sentiment and the soothing sound of sleigh bells.

It may come as a surprise to know that the same thing was happening in the Holy Land nearly two thousand years ago. Jesus and His apostles went from place to place preaching and performing miracles the likes of which we don’t see in the church today. We see in the Gospels that the Pharisees, the scribes, the high priests, the priests, the Levites, and
all who held themselves in high esteem considered Christ a betrayer and His teaching heresy.

It came to the point that John the Baptist and his disciples wondered whether or not Jesus was the Coming One. Perhaps John knew something his disciples didn’t know. Perhaps John had a crisis of faith. Jesus gets to the heart of the matter when He tells John’s disciples: blessed is he who is not offended because of me.

It is clear that Jesus’ preaching was offensive. Our Lord and His disciples were accused of consistently violating Sabbath laws. They were accused of befriending tax collectors and sinners. Jesus’ accusers were always looking for the right moment to catch Him in His speech or catch Him in the act of doing something that could be deemed offensive to the
Jewish way of life.

Are we Christians offended when we see the day of our Lord’s nativity
turned into a way to end a calendar year on a happy note? Do we laugh
when we hear a congregation’s Nativity set is missing its Baby Jesus
figure? Do we put more attention on how many houses we have to visit on
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day rather than visiting God’s House for
Divine Service either or both days? Do we spend so much time making this
Christmas better than Martha Stewart’s Christmas that we forget to
prepare the royal highway through repentance toward the forgiveness of
sins so the King of Kings can make His home among us?

What did you go out into the wilderness to see? Jesus asks the right
question. If we prepare to celebrate Christmas in the true spirit of
Advent, it seems we are in a lonely wilderness compared to the rest of
the world. No one wants to hear about penitence and preparation when
everyone else is in full-on Christmas mode. We enjoy being shaken by the
wind of culture. We enjoy wearing the soft garments of
self-righteousness. There is no time to pay attention to a crackpot
prophet preparing the way of the Lord.

There is no time like the present to prepare the way of the Lord. What
is offensive to the world is Good News of great joy to the Christian.
Everyone expects the hero of a story to broadcast every important moment
to the world; letting the world know that this is someone whom we need
to pay attention. Jesus Christ fits the bill of a hero…and then some.

A prophet whose father is struck mute by an angel is born at his
mother’s advanced age. The prophet grows up to wear wild looking clothes
and preach an unpopular message in the middle of nowhere. Before this
prophet was born, another angel visited a woman named Mary to announce
she would give birth miraculously to the Savior. When Mary went to visit
her cousin Elisabeth, the prophet John leaped for joy in his mother’s
womb. The Savior of the Nations has come, just as the prophets of old
promised!

When the Child Jesus was born, angels announced His birth to shepherds.
A star shined over the place where He was born. Our Lord’s birth
according to the flesh was surrounded by all kinds of strange and
miraculous events. Everyone should have looked at these events and known
something was up. But this Hero did not come with a sword in His hand,
ready to make war against the princes of man. This Hero came to die on a
cross, bearing the sins of the world upon His beaten and bloodied Body.
Where the Jews could not see the promised Savior, the Roman centurion
could: truly this Man was the Son of God.

This Jesus, Who was born to die, is offensive. Whoever thought of God
becoming man only to die a criminal’s death then come back to life only
to ascend into heaven so His Spirit could descend upon twelve men sent
to preach, teach, and baptize? Not only is this offensive, it’s
nonsensical. Yet our Lord’s Words to His disciples, and to you and me,
still stand: blessed is he who is not offended because of Me. Blessed
are we, for Jesus restores our sight after sin blinds us. Blessed are
we, for Jesus heals our diseased bodies through His Word of forgiveness.
Blessed are we, for Jesus cures our leprosy of sin with water and the
Word of God in Holy Baptism. We are no longer cast out into darkness,
but called into His marvelous light. Blessed are we, for our ears are
opened through the preaching of Law and Gospel to hear the Savior’s
mighty deeds on our behalf. Blessed are we, for our dead bodies are not
really dead but sleeping. Jesus will call us from the grave on Judgment
Day, change our sinful earthly bodies into sinless heavenly bodies, and
take us with Him to Paradise. Blessed are we, even if we are poor in
earthly things. We have a treasure that has no price because we have His
Body and Blood under bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper.

Advent is offensive. Christmas is offensive. Jesus is offensive. As this
world draws closer to its end, we Christians will have to get used to
the fact that Christ will continue to disappear from the month of
December. But Jesus will never disappear from His Church. Were there but
two or three gathered to hear His Good News, Jesus will be there,
offending the world while comforting the faithful who are not offended
by the Savior Who comes to rule heaven and earth with peace and joy.

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 Lutheran Church in Momence, IL.

by The Rev. Mark Buetow

St. Luke 21:25-36

Maybe this so-called recession is frightening you. But are you praying? Maybe you’re worried about your job or if your job is secure, how you’ll pay your bills. But are you watching and waiting for Jesus to return? Maybe you are depressed or worried by all the things you hear on the news: companies going under, retirement savings being wiped out and all that. But are you longing for the day of our Lord’s return? Perhaps you don’t care about all that financial stuff and you’re just living for today: partying and spending your money as fast as you make it and doing whatever things make you feel good and comfortable. But are you giving any time to prayer and hearing and learning God’s Word? Maybe things are generally fine and your main concern is just getting the parties planned and prepared and all the Christmas shopping done. But do you begin each day with the sign of the cross and your baptismal name? Maybe your biggest problem is how to fit all the people around the table for dinner. But are you coming to the Lord’s table to receive His feast of salvation? The world is going crazy right now: on the one hand, everything seems like it’s collapsing. But its the “Holiday Season” out there and that means doing tons of things that take up all our time and money. Perhaps that’s why we hear this Gospel during Advent. We hear our Lord say not to get caught up in drunkenness and useless living and the worries and cares of this world—precisely during that time of year that we’re doing that stuff!

Jesus will return soon and the world will be surprised and terrified. How about you, dear Christian? Will the coming of Christ catch you off guard? It shouldn’t. Jesus’ words tell us that it’s going to happen. You know that summer is near when the fig trees starting getting their leaves. When kids get antsy to get out of school and the Farmers Market starts up—those are all signs of summer. So look around: you see wars, and eclipses, and disasters and all kinds of other terrible things in this world. What do you think when you see that? The world has gone around trying to get as much stuff as it can even when it can’t afford it. Now we’re in a huge mess and markets are falling and there’s chaos and turmoil. What do you think when you see and hear all that? Do you think, as the world does, “How will I avoid this? How can I survive this? How can I get through this? How will I protect myself and weather the storm?” Is it all about you? Your problems and worries. Jesus is teaching us to think this way, to say, “I see all these terrible things happening. The Lord must be near. This world is passing away and if I am to survive it’s passing away, I shall cling to Christ and His Word which never pass away.” The world, brothers and sisters in Christ, is doomed. It is falling apart and coming undone. And it will keep doing so and getting worse until our Lord comes. But it does so in order that you will repent of clinging to this world and it’s stuff. The Lord allows the world to come unraveled so that you will cling to nothing but that which will save you: Christ’s Word.

Jesus says, when you see these signs, and when you see Him come again, “Stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.” That’s right. When all this is going on, stand tall as a Christian and know that your Lord is on His Way. Stand tall in a world that is shrinking away from trouble and terror. Stand tall and lift up your heads! Because Jesus was lifted up for you. Because our Lord was stood up on a cross for our sins. To a world that is only concerned about itself and doesn’t want to hear that it’s sinful, Christ came and bore our sins. Christ came preaching and teaching and bearing our sins. He came to stand us up and lift up our heads away from looking at ourselves and worrying about this crumbling world. He lifts up our heads to look at Him on the cross in faith. To “stand up and lift up your heads” is another way of telling us to believe and trust in Him. When the world is going to hell in a hand basket, you stand tall and confess that Jesus is your redemption, your salvation, your life, and your deliverance. When you see Christ coming, don’t be afraid! He’s not coming to destroy you but to rescue you once and for all! He who bore your sins on the tree of the cross is here to bear you home to paradise!

So how do you stand tall and lift up your head in a world that is falling apart? When we are surrounded by a world that would rather drink itself into oblivion and run around worrying and scurrying about all its problems, how do we stand tall and lift up our heads? How do you live in faith and stand tall and lift up your head when you are surrounded by a world that is trying to drag you down and get you to only think of yourself, so that when Jesus comes you are swept away? You stand and lift up your head by coming to the Divine Service. You stand and lift up you head as you hear the Lord’s Name put upon you in Holy Baptism spoken again into your ears. You stand and lift up your head as your pastor absolves you of your sins. You stand and lift up your head as you hear God’s Word read, the Scriptures written, as St. Paul says, to comfort you. You stand and lift up your head by giving attention to the preaching of Christ’s word and as we confidently bring our petitions before the Lord in prayer. You stand and lift your head as you open wide your mouth to receive Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Just as the fig tree is a sign that summer is near, so Christ’s Word and Sacraments are a sign and pledge and promise that Christ Himself is already hear with us so that when He comes again it will not be a day of terror but a day of joy and celebration. You stand and lift up your head in faith by living in the gifts of Christ which prepare us for His coming in glory on the Last Day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this world is passing away. Here today, gone tomorrow. As fast as the Halloween candy and decorations give way to the Christmas candy and decorations, this world is passing away. As fast as a disaster or war or attack can end the lives of people who never saw it coming, this world is passing away. As fast as the money comes in on payday and is gone the next on our bills and pleasures, this world is passing away. As fast as the food we eat is digested or as fast as the gas gauge goes from “Full” to “Empty,” this world is passing away. As fast as your children grow up or your parents age and die, this world is passing away. But Christ’s Word does not pass away! The world is clinging to all these things, finding security and hope in things that are gone so quickly! Don’t you do the same, dear Christian. You, cling to the one thing that will never pass away: the Words of Jesus. Cling to the Words of the Gospels which set before you Jesus as your redemption and salvation. Cling to the words of your Baptism and absolution and the Supper which deliver to you gifts that you never need to exchange or for which you never have to buy the extra warranty. This world is passing away so that you don’t try to hang on to it. Jesus knows this. It’s why He came in the flesh to give us His Word so that we may won’t pass away with this world.

The holy season of Advent helps us to live as Christians because it teaches us to stop running around like the world in its flurry of holiday activity and instead preaches Jesus who comes to save us. Think for just a minute about how the world does things versus how the church does. The world gets all geared up for Christmas, or as it is called now the Holiday Season. The world throws itself into spending more than it has and partying like there’s not tomorrow. Then suddenly it’s all gone. December 26 arrives and there’s nothing left but long lines to return the junk we don’t want. The Holiday Season has passed away and there’s nothing left. What a picture of this world! But in the church we celebrate Advent, the time of repentance and faith leading us up to the Twelve Days of Christmas. When the world’s holiday is over and done, the celebration is just getting started for Christ’s people. That’s how it will be when the Lord returns. For the world it will be the end of all things. For God’s people in Jesus Christ, our Lord’s return is just he beginning of our everlasting life. So stand up, lift up your heads and sing! Our Lord is coming. Amen.

Rev. Mark Buetow is Pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in Du Quoin, IL. Pr. Buetow is the editor of the Higher Things Reflections and Internet Services Executive. He has also been a guest on Higher Things Radio.

by The Rev. Brandon Simoneaux

1st Sunday in Advent
Mark 11:1-10

Grace mercy and peace are yours from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Today in addition to being the first Sunday in Advent it is also the first Sunday in the church year. So Happy New year to all of you. But if this is our beginning of the church year you might wonder why we begin with the Gospel reading that we hear on Palm Sunday the week before Jesus was crucified instead of something else like the birth of Christ being foretold or anything else leading up to the birth of our Savior.

Why does the anticipation of Christmas joy begin with the start of events that led to our Lord’s terrible death? Advent begins with Palm Sunday because Jesus is coming. The Palm Sunday reading reminds us of the way in which Jesus comes to us: First, as the fulfillment of the Scriptures. He comes in the flesh as Savior. He comes now in His means of grace. He will come again with glory as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. “Behold your king comes to you.” It was said to Jerusalem. Now it’s said to you here today. Behold! Your King comes to you! And He comes to die. He is not just stopping in for a chat or to visit with you. It’s not a family reunion or a side trip Jesus takes on His vacation. Instead Jesus comes to earth in the flesh for a purpose and that purpose is to die for sinners. The King comes to die for His rebellious people. The Son of God comes to take the place of sinners who don’t want to be children of God. He comes to take the place of all who, as Isiaiah says, have been in their sins for a long time, who are unclean, whose righteous deeds are like filthy rags. Our King comes for us. And so Advent begins with Palm Sunday so that we look forward to Christmas for the right reason: Not just a celebration of the birth of Christ, but the birth of the One who was born to die for us. Advent begins with Palm Sunday to teach us faith in the King who came for that reason. It gets us ready to celebrate Christmas as we should, that is, celebrating at Christmas time the birth of the Child who takes away our sins.

So how do we get ready? How do we welcome our King as He comes? Well first of all we recognize Him as the fulfillment of God’s promises. Jeremiah says a righteous branch will grow up from David’s line. He is the one the people proclaim in the Gospel for today. And Jeremiah also says His Name will be called “The Lord our Righteousness.” Look at the man riding into Jerusalem on a donkey! That is your righteousness. You are not righteous but He is. You are not perfect but He is. You are full of sin. He is sinless. You are a creature. He is the Creator. You are dying flesh. He is the Son of God in pure flesh. You are a transgressor. He is the Lamb who comes to be the sacrifice for your transgressions. To be ready as He comes is to see that this Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the Lord’s promises throughout the Scriptures. Every promise God ever made to His sinful creation has come together and is fulfilled and made good in the Son of God in the flesh. So it is fitting for the people to proclaim as Psalm 118 states Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Here God has come in the flesh for the salvation of all.

In the Gospel we heard the crowds shouted and cheered and threw down their cloaks or their outer garments. They waved palm branches and threw those all over the road too. But what about us today? How shall we greet our King as he comes to us? First we recognize why he has come. He has not come to hear us cheer him on our cheers are not his driving force. And unlike the people in the text we won’t welcome Him by tossing our coats onto the road. So, because He comes as our Savior, instead of spreading your cloaks before him spread your sins before Him! Cover Him with your transgressions and iniquities! Throw down for Him your idolatry, your adultery, your stealing and murdering. Throw down before Him your having other gods and despising other people. Throw down before Him your selfishness and self-righteousness. Our King has come for these! Our Lord doesn’t come for us to make a show for Him but instead he has come to take our sins and get rid of them even to trample them beneath his feet. See Jesus riding into Jerusalem not so He can have a parade but so that we can recognize Him as the King who is on His way to the cross for us. In this holy season of Advent, dear Christians, throw your sins to Jesus. Stand before Him so that He might throw upon you the white robe of His righteousness! He does so in Holy Baptism. He covers you with a better covering than you had. He welcomes you at the font as His own dear redeemed child of God! And so we sing, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!

And you don’t have to wish that you were there on the side of the road in Jerusalem to see Jesus that day. Our Lord is coming to us now! In a few minutes we will sing: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! We sing that because our Lord comes to us for real. Not on a donkey this time but under the bread and wine with His body and blood. With His own Words, our Lord puts Himself upon this altar and into our mouths to bring us righteousness and salvation. We are gathered here, brothers and sisters in Christ, because our Lord is coming! We are not here just remembering some stuff that happened a long time ago! We are here today because, by His Word and Sacraments, Christ is truly and really present among us! He comes to us through the ministry of the Gospel and Sacraments: as He reminds us of our washing, as He absolves us from our sins, as He comes down from heaven and comes among us on His altar. And He comes among us to forgive us, to strengthen us, to keep us in the faith, to take away our sins, to be our true and saving King! This is why we sing in the liturgy: Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.

And our Lord will come again! That Day is coming when our Lord will return. And have no doubts we are closer to that Last Hour than they were. So with Advent we are getting ready for our Lord’s coming on the Last Day. Fill your days with the preparation for his coming. And with all that there is to do, to prepare, to learn His Word, to live in our Baptism, to come often to His Supper-with all that, there is no time for wasting on fighting and arguing and despising our neighbor. No time to waste on holding grudges and shirking away from the responsibilities of our individual callings in life. No time for husbands and wives to be mad at each other. No time for kids to do everything except what their parents tell them. There is no time, with our Lord on the way, to be thinking only of ourselves and racking up debts of sin against other people! No, now is the time to learn to love one another. Now is the time to remember that our Lord came to love us so that we might learn to love, care for and serve others. Now is the time of waiting and expecting and anticipating. Now is the time of confessing our sins and now is the time for living in our Lord’s forgiveness. And since Jesus has come in the flesh for our forgiveness, now is the time to look toward heaven, eagerly expecting our Lord’s return, and longing for the day when we shall see Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven when we with all believers willsing: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

So why does Advent begin with Palm Sunday? Why does this whole time of Christmas begin with Holy Week? Why do we prepare for the joy of Christmas with repentance? Why do we welcome our Lord to earth by first welcoming Him to His death? It is because His coming birth is all about His death for us. His arrival is all about His coming to save us. The Lord has spoken this through out all Human history, from the time of Adam until now. Jesus’ coming, His advent was foretold in the prophets. His advent came to be when He came in the flesh and went to the cross. His advent is now in the holy Word and Sacraments by which we meet him even today to receive His Forgiveness. And Our Lord’s advent is yet to come, on the day of His return in glory and majesty: we long for that day and pray that it comes quickly! And just as the crowds sang and as we sing in the liturgy and will sing on that day, our new Church Year begins with those words that direct our faith and hope to Jesus, the Son of David, the Son of God, our Savior: And so every time He comes and until the time he comes again in clouds we will always sing: Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna! Blessed is Jesus who is our forgiveness for times past, for times present and our hope and salvation for times yet to come.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Rev. Kent Schaaf

1 Corinthians 2

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

Church is not a popularity contest, it’s not about who you know, what you know, and what you can do for God. And, in the same way preaching is not a popularity contest. Its not about what you know, how well you speak, what stories or jokes or words-mithing you can do for your hearers. Preaching is not about the elaborate sermon series, its all about Jesus, Him crucified, risen from the dead for you, for the life of the whole world. Proclaimed to you. Pastors are to preach the Word, in season and out of season, they are to correct, rebuke and reprove with all manner of gentleness and teaching. There’s not much popularity in that, with you or the world.

And yet in order for a pastor to do this job, he is to speak, he is to use his mouth…and oh how dangerous that can be. It’s a dangerous work because the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Our mouths can be a two edged sword, with one breath we can bless and the other we can curse. But even then there is the greater temptation for the pastor is to tell you what is popular, to connect with you and our modern ways of thinking and what we accept today as a society. We strive to remain faithful, but the old Adam is always there tell us to itch your ears, to tell you the things that you want to hear, the things that are not about Jesus and all His blessed life giving death and resurrection for you. There is great temptation for the pastor to speak something else.

But none of you are off the hook either. In the end I’m sure you’d rather your pastor be the one who is a bit more edgy, popular or who will at least keep you awake. Tell us something, anything than what we already know pastor. Yes, we know that Jesus was crucified for us, yes, we know that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins, yes, we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ. Yet, that whole Jesus on the cross things was so last week and the week after that and the week after that. Give us something fresh, relevant, meaningful, quit pointing to the gory dead God on the cross and give me a Jesus that is just alright with me. Give me a god who fits how I want god to be, just like myself. A god who will not look upon the secret sins of my heart saying that I deserve death, a god who will not require punishment and the shedding of blood to pay for what I’ve done, but a god who is my best buddy, my bosom pal. And yet Scripture says, “The foolishness of man ruins his way, And his heart rages against the LORD.”

This why Paul grounds both the pastor and you the hearer with our reading today. “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” Pastors are sent to preach the living and active Word of God so that what the prophet once foretold might remain true:

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire.”

Preaching the Cross is preaching the true Power of God. And by this preaching God sends and accomplishes what he desires the forgiveness of sins for you. For the blood Jesus speaks pardon on your behalf. Nothing flashing, nothing awe inspiring of pure Gospel power from the bloody pulpit of the cross….”forgive them for they know not what they do.” Jesus must be the preaching, for only Jesus does the dying and rising for you and for all.

Paul did it with fear and trembling, being totally counter culture, in fact he lost his life because of it. The Lord uses the foolish things of the world to overcome that which is wise, He uses the weak things of the world to overcome that which is strong. Forget what we want, forget what is popular. In our preaching and in our hearing it must always be, “sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Show us Him on the cross, show Him alive again, proclaim to me that I am forgiven, and you are. Let us see and hear Him so that we may know and receive the power of God. For faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word Christ and it is only by this faith we can truly respond Lord to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life.

To Christ alone be all the glory now and forever. Amen.