Last Sunday of the Church Year

 

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

    Imagine if you will that you are getting ready to go on the trip of a lifetime – one of those things you've always wanted to do. Let's say you and your best friend are going to travel to Egypt to see the Pyramids. And you've got a great trip planned – Cheryl Brutlag found you great hotels at fantastic rates, it's wonderful. Now, it's happening a bit later than you thought, because the trip was originally going to be back in the fall of 2020, and we all know what happened then, so there's a delay, and you've had to wait, but finally everything is set up and ready to go. And there you are, with your friend, in line at O'Hare, waiting to check on in, and you're talking with your friend about all the things you're going to do... and you pull out your passport, and your friend looks at you and says, “Why did you bring your passport?” “Because we need a passport to get on the plane, we are going to a different country. Didn't you bring yours?” “Eh, never bothered getting one.” “What do you mean, did it expire last year and you just forgot to renew it?” “Nah, never bothered to get one. I just figured I could borrow yours when we get up to the security check point.” What would your reaction to your friend be there? What would you call them – what term would describe what they are in the moment. I mean, it's not an accident, it's not I left my passport on the table or we slept through the alarm and left Kevin at home a la Home Alone... it's just rank disdain and a lack of seriousness or understanding reality. What would you call a person like that? Well, Jesus calls them morons.

    We have arrived at the end of the Church year, we get the parable of the wise and foolish virgins – literally “morons” in Greek, and it's such an odd day. There is a tendency to want to treat the end of the church year as such a solemn, serious day. It's dark, it's dire – maybe there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, and a barn burning sermon that peels the paint off the walls and scares us straight for the year to come. But we're Christians, and we're saved by Christ, we've been redeemed and forgiven, and we're looking forward to heaven and eternal life and the joys of the resurrection. And the parable for today – it's not a dire set up, it's joyous – Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. You approach a wedding day with joy and excitement – there's going to be a fantastic reception. You don't approach it like it's the worst day in the history of the world – or if you do there's something catastrophically wrong. This is a good thing – and these 10 virgins all know it's a good thing – they want to meet the bridegroom, they want to head to the wedding party – they are looking forward to kicking up their heels and cutting a rug and having the time of their life. That's the setting. All these gals know something great is coming, and there ought not be a drop of direness or sorrow in this story at all.

    You do realize that Jesus has won? Though your sins are many and varied and they attack you in a variety of ways – Jesus has died and risen, and you are thoroughly forgiven. Nothing could be better. The world around you gets nuts and crazy – eh, Jesus is coming and He will fix it. Your body falls apart – eh, don't worry, Jesus is going to raise you from the dead and your new body won't fall apart, won't get wrinkly, your ears and eyes will work – it's fabulous because of Jesus. That's the setting, that's the set up for this parable, that's where we are going.

    And the only thing that gets is the way is utter, abject stupidity and buffoonery. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them. Understand how foolish, how idiotic this is – how utterly bizarre and absurd this would sound to anyone hearing it. A lamp with no oil for one of these gals is as nonsensical as going to the airport having never gotten a passport – it would be like a groomsman not bringing his outfit but rather wearing Pjs to the wedding – it would be trying to go shopping for a thanksgiving dinner and buying a frozen turkey at 2:30 Thursday afternoon. It's actually really hard to think of anything that is just as utterly moronic as what these foolish virgins do.

    And all the gals fall asleep. A lot of hay gets made of that – it really heighten the absurd tragedy – there would have been time for them to have been prepared, to get things set up, but they waste it. And then the day is here, the moment arrives, the bridegroom not only soon will call us but has – Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” Loan me your passport. I forgot my suit pants, can I borrow yours. Hey Siri, how do you thaw and cook a 20 pound turkey in 30 minutes? We can't, you've simply got to go get your oil, you've got to get your act in gear... but it ends up being too late. They run out of time. And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the doors were shut. And they miss it, simply because of their folly.

    Jesus speaks this parable in the temple during holy week, just before He is crucified. And the idea is simple – God's great plan of salvation is being enacted – in just hours Jesus will go to the Cross, the atonement will happen, it is finished, everything the Scriptures had been pointing to will be accomplished. It's all good, it's all in the bag. And you, O hearer – you who know the Word and promises of God, you who know of God's mercy and salvation... just don't be stupid. Don't be so stubbornly stupid and idiotic that you literally drag yourself away from Christ and His salvation, because you have to go through feats of extraordinary stupidity to get yourself out of the Kingdom, to miss this party. And yet, many of those hearing Jesus preach this parable did just that. They ignored and rejected Christ, they ignored reality, they choose something else as more important in the most stupid and silly of fashions, and they missed it.

    And this really is the warning, the reminder to you today, my dear friends. You know who Jesus is – you know that He is True God and True Man, come from heaven to win you salvation by His death and His resurrection. You know that He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. You know that there is forgiveness, you know that you are baptized and have new life in Jesus. Don't be moronic and ignore this, or forget this, or pretend that it doesn't matter. Because that would be dumb. And the sad, simple truth that we can want to ignore, is that we are surrounded by stupidity and calls for us to be stupid. How many stupid fights are there in the world that try to pull you in? Not to put too dour a point on it, but how many family gatherings this past week saw utterly loveless stupid fights break out over the silliest things? That anger, that rage – that's just Satan trying to get you to become a moron and ignore Christ and His forgiveness, to not see all things in view of Christ, to forget that these people are people for whom Christ died.

    Think of the world and what it trumpets as important, as vital, as just what you need to do. And think of how much of it is stupid. Think of how much the world will try to distract and delude you by fashion, by trends, by faction. By busy-ness and oh this current thing and current issue is just so important and I have to pay attention to it and serve it... and Christ and His Church and the forgiveness that you receive and the forgiveness that you give to others in Jesus' name is forgotten. That's the world trying to make you foolish, trying to turn you into an oil lamp with absolutely no oil, dried out, worn, and empty.

    Question time. What is the first commandment? (You shall have no other gods.) And what does this mean? (We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.) Do you see how Satan is trying to make you moronic – how the world tries to twist your fears and your angers and your rage against people and how things turn out so that you forget wonders of Christ Jesus and His forgiveness? Do you see how Satan sets up so many stupid loves in front of you, where you run after them and chase after them and utterly forget Christ's Word of forgiveness and life? We all know those temptations, we all face them over and over. That's what sin is. But you know the solution to sin, you know the counter – you know who Christ Jesus is, what He has done. You know He is coming and ready to take you to the life of the world to come, and that this will be a good thing, the greatest thing ever – literally better than anything in the world. Don't be a moron and act like you don't know this. Because faith can wither and die when it's cut off from the Word. Faith comes by hearing; don't let Satan's use of rage or lust separate you from the Word of God. Because Jesus is coming, and it's good for you, and you need to be ready for that – and Jesus makes you ready by His Word, by His forgiveness.

    Christ is coming. He will come again. And if He tarries and we get to carry on as normal, we're going to going to start a new church year, and we'll spend time hearing again God's plan of salvation, how Jesus first came, born in Bethleham, God with us, God here to save us. And we will see Him take on the powers of sin and death and Satan, and show Himself to be True God and our Savior, and we'll see His Lenten journey to the Cross and we'll see Him rise again on Easter. And all of it, to make sure you are ready, that you remember and know, in the face of all the idiotic sin in the world, that Christ Jesus is your Savior, and His eternal feast is coming. And it's going to be fantastic – enjoy it in Christ Jesus. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

Thanksgiving Day Sermon

 

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

    God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. How will you receive the blessings that God gives you? In some ways, this is the central question of our time, of the world today – even though the world out there would never phrase the question this way. How do you receive what you have, what God has given to you? How do we handle our stuff, our things that we have in this world, even our bodies? Think for a moment on all the fights and wrangling that goes on in the world. Pretty much every political fight is a fight over “everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body.” There are economic and ideological debates about how wealth is generated or who is oppressing who and how advantage gets taken and who owes what money to this person and I have a right to free health care and a pony and it's my body, I can do what I want and on and on and on. And there's no joy, no contentment anywhere, even though we're as wealthy as any society in history and global poverty rates are dropping. Instead there's anger, fighting, blame, and aspersions, and all of it swirling around what Jesus simply sums up as daily bread.

    So ponder this. Over and against all the endless blather in the world, whenever you pray the Lord's Prayer, not just this Thanksgiving Day but every day, you are reminded, you are grounded, you are centered in a most wondrous truth. God gives you daily the things you need; you receive them from God as a gift, and thus are able to receive them with thankfulness, joy, and delight. The first part of this is that God gives, that God provides. In the face of sin and wickedness, God provides. God oversees the world, oversees society so that in spite of sin and corruption and fights people are pretty well provided for. With all the complaining about injustice or what have you... people pretty well get what they need. Even with problems like Homelessness in the US – the issue seems to be more that the homeless are making cities unsafe and dirty, not that people are starving to death everywhere. God provides, even in the midst of radically destructive approaches to life, even in the midst of conflicts and war. Evil people unleash the worst sorts of evil – and yet God continues to provide daily bread, to give good things.

    The Lepers are an example of this in our Gospel lesson. They are banished from society – they can't work, they can't produce, they can't even really beg because they have to be isolated and alone... yet they were provided for even before Jesus shows up to heal them. This is a wondrously gracious thing – something that folks then and even we today would simply over look. God provides – we have to work really hard at wickedness and stupidity to break apart God's providence. And we as individuals and societies will try our hardest to break down this daily bread, and sometimes for a bit it goes lacking, but God still keeps providing, keeps giving... even to all evil people.

    Do you see how this is a different approach from the resentful arguments over scarcity or from the greedy arguments about possession and what's mine? Instead of seeing a lack, instead of seeing a scramble, there is simply massive, wondrous abundance, given by God in spite of our sinfulness. God is good. And God gives you good earthly blessings... even if you aren't aware of them, even if you presume upon them.

    Most of the time daily bread is given is ways that we grow so accustomed to that we don't even think about the wonder of them. Think of all the work, all the coordination that had to go on for that turkey in the oven to be in your oven. The farming, the transportation of supplies to the farmer, of the bird to the plant, from the plant to the store, the store to your house – all the things required for you to have an oven and electricity or gas for that oven to work, for you to have access to resources to pay for these things. It's all an astounding symphony of care that God oversees and keeps moving along, even as sinful people mess things up. Daily bread is given wondrously indeed, even often without anyone's thanks or praise.

    But as the Gospel lesson points out, even if that daily bread is given in an abnormal way, in a miraculous way – still the awareness of it, still thanks and praise is lacking. Then Jesus answered, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 10 received a miracle; only one returned to praise. And before we shake our heads at that too much – it's the same thing today. Here we have a national holiday – schools and banks are closed – go and give thanks to God! Do we think 10 percent of the US population is at church today? Is 10 percent of our congregation at church today? Or to put a finer point on it – across our land will there be more people attending a service today or people shopping tonight (not that there's anything wrong with shopping per se)? The world, and even we ourselves so often forget and overlook God's astounding generosity and care in giving us daily bread.

    So, what is the point of all this? Well, remember – God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. God is good, and He blesses people. He blesses you. But point of these blessings aren't the blessings themselves. Daily bread is here today and gone tomorrow to be replaced by tomorrow's daily bread, and so on and so forth. But rather this – there's something more profound going on. God provides for you so that you would see and understand what He has done for you, so that you would thank and praise, so that you would grow in faith. And [Jesus] said to the [Samaritan], “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Go and enjoy your blessings, but go in faith. Go as one who sees Jesus, sees His blessings not only of Body but also of soul – of the care now and the eternal care that is forgiveness and life. Because then you will be well. Whatever happens, whatever comes down the pike, whatever troubles, whatever successes, whatever the reaction and terrors of the world may be – by faith you will be well, because you will see that Jesus still cares for you and in Him it is all good. By faith, you can enjoy whatever comes. Or as Paul puts in Philippians: Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Or in other words – Paul goes along thankfully, for by faith it all is well. And that peace, that joy, that confidence – oh, the world lacks it. And the powers of sin and Satan and evil in the world, they will try to rob you of it. But look and see – your Lord provides you your daily bread. He forgives you your trespasses. He leads you away from temptation and back to His House where by His Word He delivers you from Evil and promises to do so eternally. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. God's done it all for you, and you get to see that, to understand that, and to be confident in Him. What a fantastic gift. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

2nd to Last Sunday of the Church Year

 

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

    Ah, we continue our November sweep through topics that are weighty and heavy and can sound really scary. Last week we had “The End of the World” and this week we get “Judgment Day”. Oh, there's a term that still gets bandied about in society to ratchet up the tension and nerves. There's apprehension and fear... and in our text in Matthew Jesus describes Judgment Day... except there's not a lot of tension or drama in the text. There's no peels of thunder described, no keeping anyone in suspense. There's confusion, and there's some surprise – but it reminds you, O Baptized child of God, that for you, Judgment Day is a good thing. Let's just dive on into the text.

    When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Now, this is why we call this judgment day – this is date of royal decision making. The scene parallels what we have even today in a court room. Everyone rises, the judge enters in... and when the judge sits down, that's when things will get down to business. And who is before the heavenly court here in Matthew – Before Him will be gathered all the nations. Everyone is there – the whole throng of humanity that has ever existed, from all times and from all places. But then something happens that we might not have expected. See, we think of a judgment, a court case, and we expect there to be a trial. That's the image the world has, right? That God or St. Peter's going to go over all the things you've done, then look you over, and then you get a thumbs up or a thumbs down? Nope. Not what Jesus says. Not at all. Listen.

    [And] He will separate people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on His left. No trial. No examination. No lawyers making anyone sweat on the witness stand. Just – oh, you're one of My sheep. You're my baptized, redeemed brother or sister – over here on My right please. Oh, I know you, you've been in My house plenty of times, over here please. No trial, no drama, no surprise witnesses. Just Jesus the Good Shepherd knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. As easy peasy as the 23^rd Psalm – the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want – He makes me lie down on these green pastures right over here at His right.

    And then, in fact, it's the opposite of a trial. It's a gift giving session – Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Here you go. Great things for you – an everlasting and eternal kingdom is yours. And you simply inherit it – you receive it as a gift. No probate court ever ran so smoothly with so rich an inheritance! Do you see how smoothly this is running? This is all the stuff that we know we're going to get because Christ Jesus is our Savior and He has won us salvation. This is what Jesus' Cross wins for you – simple as pie.

    But here's where the confusion sets in, and here's where people, even Christians, can get tripped up. In addition to just giving the gift of eternal life – Jesus starts heaping on praise. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me. Jesus just starts gushing. There's not a trial, not a harsh cross examination – instead, the King starts praising the sheep to high heaven – quite literally. And the response from the sheep, as is appropriate, is confusion: Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You? What are you talking about Jesus? You're praising me for a bunch of stuff and I don't have a clue. Then we get the famous phrase: And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.”

    Alright – there's a lot to talk about here. We're going to talk about Good Works. Good works are things that you do that God delights in, rejoices in, is utterly pleased with. And Good works confuse us. See, if we hear the phrase “good work” we tend to think that they are bonus works, extra credit, things that we do that get us more stuff. We think in terms of exchange, in terms of reward – except that's not the point. We can hear that “For” in the text - “for I was hungry and you gave Me drink” and think that our works CAUSE God to bless us or give us the kingdom – that we're suppose to earn it somehow. Nope, that's not the image here. That “for” isn't a “because”. It's not “you're getting the kingdom because you did x, y, and z. No, it's an exclamation and an explanation of what God's blessings and what His Kingdom looks like.

    Consider – you are blessed by God. You're part of His Kingdom, His rule. God's reign of love and mercy rules in your life. You are forgiven and a forgiver – and you've got that now even in the face of sin and death – God's love and mercy has spilled over into your life and through you in countless ways... and you're just going to get that more and more for all eternity but then untarnished by sin. It's fantastic now, and it's going to be even more fantastic. You've shown the love of God and His mercy to countless people in ways that you hadn't even noticed because that's how simply and wondrously God's love and His kingdom came through you, O forgiven child of God. And now, for eternity – you get that in full splendor and power. That's what Jesus is saying. And this confuses us – because we still live in the world, surrounded by sin, hounded by temptation, struggling against our own flesh. We don't notice, we don't understand the fullness of what God does for us and through us even now – we don't understand the joy and delight God has in us right now even over the smallest and simplest things. And that might be for the best, actually, because in my own sinfulness I'd get a massively big head if I heard or understood God's praise. But this is the reality. You are a baptized, forgiven child of God. God is well pleased with you. He looks at you and delights in you. Prouder of you than the proudest parent. You are accounted and made righteous in Christ – God doesn't see your sin when He looks at you – that's on the Cross. All He sees when He sees you is His child who does simple and awesome things that He rejoices in. It's fantastic. No tension, no drama, just heavenly joy.

    Do you see? Good works aren't something that get you closer to God. Good works aren't even something I need to stand up here and wag a finger at you to get to do more of them. No – you're forgiven, so you'll do good. God's love will work in you and through you in ways that you won't even notice. And I don't need to give you the ideas; you've got the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, and He'll move you and urge you to wondrous things that I'd never even think of. You and I, we simply struggle against sin, beat down our own sinfulness that would try to get in the way of who we are in Christ. We receive forgiveness and are thus strengthened in faith towards God and in love towards our neighbor – and God is tickled pink with this. In fact, when you love your neighbor, even in the most simplest, mundane ways, you are in fact showing love to Christ Jesus Himself. You always serve God by and through serving your neighbor – and you actually do this all the time in ways you don't even notice or are aware of. How cool is that!

    So, not very terrifying or scary, is it? Then why all the falderol around judgment day? Well, Jesus does continue – Then He will say to those on His left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. You goats, you folks who want to live outside of Christ, outside of forgiveness and mercy – well, have it your way. You want to be grade A jerks, so go hang out with the grade A jerks forever in hell. Again, note – this isn't really a trial. Jesus isn't trying to discover anything – He is simply saying what is. You've rejected My love, you rejected My mercy – there's a place for you as that's how you want to be. And then there's protestations – Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty”... yaddy yaddy ya, excuse excuse excuse. And He will answer them saying, “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” And there you go. There are those for whom judgment day will be a terror, a bad day. The goats, those who live right now apart from Christ Jesus and His Word of forgiveness. And the thing is, apart from God's love and mercy, they're already stuck in a world of hurt and pain and anger and disdain – and they might not even notice. They might not care what gets dumped on the “little people”, not understanding who they are or the impact of sin. And come the day of judgment, that's where they're stuck. Fast bound in Satan's kingdom now – stuck with him for eternity. God grant that many of these goats hear the Gospel and be brought to faith – God grant that their hearts be turned and they become sheep! But some won't, and that's just how it is. And that's simply what Jesus points out here, without much drama or fuss. That's just the way it is.

    So then, what to make of all this. Well, there will be a judgment day – although it's not really a trial or an examination of whether we've done so much good or so much bad. The end will come, and Jesus will openly declare what He's said to you over and over in His Church. That you are forgiven on account of Christ, that you are His beloved child, that you are forgiven, that you are welcomed to the feast for all eternity, and it's all good. I mean, in many ways this service is practice and preparation for “judgment day”. Judgment Day will be no more scary than hearing the Absolution. It will be less scary than hearing a sermon, because I might preach a lousy one but Jesus certainly isn't going to. It's all good for you, for you are in Christ. May God bring more people to His house and kingdom before the Last Day! In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

3rd Last Sunday

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

    The end. Sounds dark and dire, doesn't it? Sounds like something we should be afraid of, right? That's the image we have in society – there are all those “end of the world” disaster movies. We even have the phrase, “It's not the end of the world” - which means, “it's not so bad.” The idea is that the end of the world will be a bad thing. Except, that's not at all what Christ Jesus teaches us. The end of the world is marked by Christ Jesus returning, giving you everlasting life, and taking you to the new world, the life of the world to come. This is why we confess every week in the Nicene Creed, “I look forward to the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come.” We look forward to it; we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus” before we eat. Thy Kingdom come – and deliver us from evil. The problem that we face as Christians isn't the idea that the world will end... the problem is that it's just taking so stinking long.

    And He said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go out or follow them. Did you hear what Jesus warns the disciples of – what Jesus warns us of? Jesus’ warning isn’t you that you better watch out because the scary end times are coming – oooOOOOooo. No. The warning is it’s going to take too long – and you will have the days where you sit and think, “I am tired Lord, I’m fed up with all the sin and wickedness and vice I see, I’m tired of my hurts and agonies and sufferings and I miss my loved ones and I want to go home.” And Jesus warns the disciples that they are going to have days like this – and He won’t have come yet.

    Isn’t this so completely the opposite of how we in America tend to think of the end times? We in America have been taught and trained to fear the end times. In many ways we are no better off than the monks in Luther’s day, terrified that God might actually come back. The end is nothing to fear. What is hard, what is difficult is living as a Christian in a sinful world. This world, with all its vaunted pleasures, can indeed be nice sometimes – but it can be mean and nasty and rough and painful the rest of the time. And Christ doesn’t pretend that it isn’t this way. God doesn’t play pretend with you – He is always honest. And yes, this life is rough – and you do have the days where you think, “Lord, just come back already”. You will, because as a Christian you will see the world for what it is. You'll see sin pop out, you'll see Satan and wickedness at work messing with things, you'll see death breaking things down and destroying things – and it will wear on you.

    And when you are hitting those points of struggle, when things seem long and weary – what do you do? You wait on the Lord – you don’t go running off after every fly-by-night scam artist with the latest and greatest heresy or false teaching designed to give you everything your heart desires right now. You don’t go running after the cult in Jonestown or Waco, you don’t buy into what the quacks are shouting. You simply pray “Thy Kingdom come,” and wait for Jesus. Why? Because when Christ delivers you, it’s going to be obvious that He is here to deliver you. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. When Christ comes back – it won’t be hidden, there won’t be a little secret coming where Jesus sort of sneaks around and talks to a few people to give them the secret decoder ring. No, when Christ comes again – He will come again and it will be right then and there. It's going to be simple and open – and you're right here where you need to be; in the church, hearing His Word, celebrating the Supper – for as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. If you're worried, don't worry – you're right where you need to be.

    And now we will get to some verses that I think can cause some consternation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They will be eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot – they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all – so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. We hear this, and man, it sounds bad. The end times will be like the flood – who wants that! The end times will be like Sodom and Gamorrah – I don’t ever want to see that, I don’t want God to wipe me away in a flood or smite me with fire and brimstone. We hear the punishments, we get panicky and nervous and scared.

    But let’s take a moment and listen to what Jesus says. Jesus doesn’t say it will be like the flood, He says it will be like in the days of Noah. So what happened to Noah? He was surrounded by a wicked, evil world, so wicked God couldn’t stand it. And what does God do for Noah – alright, here you go Noah, I will rescue you, I will save you. You will be preserved and these fools who do you such harm won’t even know what hit them, even though you warn them. Come into the ark, you and your family, and you will be saved. That doesn’t sound so bad – being saved, being rescued from evil. What is Christ saying here? I’m going to do for you, o Disciple, what I did for Noah – and that’s a good thing, that’s a comfort.

    Again, Jesus doesn’t say that the end times will be like Sodom – He says that they will be like it was in the days of Lot. So what happened to Lot? He was stuck in Sodom. He was stuck in a horrible place, people wanting to break down the doors of his house and abuse his guests, where there’s a real chance that his daughters will be brutalized. And so, what does God do? Alright Lot, it’s time to go, it’s time to get you out of there, let’s get you to someplace better. God rescues Lot from a wicked place. And even though Lot tries to warn the folks, tries to get them to repent – they never see it coming. What is Christ saying? I’m going to do for you, o Disciple, what I did for Lot – and I will rescue you. Be patient, endure wickedness, and know that I will deliver you. Don’t you see? The end times are not a curse. They aren’t something to scare you. Jesus is not the boogey-man or the monster in the closet; we shouldn’t be scared of His coming. Rather this – when Christ comes again He will do so to rescue you, to take you from this vale of tears unto the joys of heaven – and that’s not a bad thing.

    And yet, we are nervous about it. So was Lot. He dragged his feet in leaving Sodom – the angels had to pretty much drag him out of there. But what Christ is saying, what Christ is teaching us is this. Don’t fret, don’t worry about the end of times – indeed, don’t even worry about your own death – because I am your God, and I will deliver you, for I am with you always.

    That is Christ’s promise. Listen to the beginning of the Gospel lesson. Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them, ‘The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Do you hear what Christ is saying? The Pharisees ask Christ – so just when is the Kingdom going to come, when are we going to get the good stuff? And Jesus says, “Quit looking for signs, the Kingdom of God is here in your midst, I am here, what more are you looking for?” This, dear friends, establishes for us how we as Christians approach all things. This shows why we can be bold and confident even as life grows long and we become weary and things in the world just keep getting worse. While we wait for Christ’s second coming, we remember that we aren’t waiting alone. Christ is already here in our midst. What is the Psalm that we all know – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death – which is precisely the kinds of fears and trials this text talks about – yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil – and why? For Thou art with me.

    This is what Christ proclaims to you. Fear nothing, for Christ is with you – and Christ is bigger than anything that you might face in your life. Christ is with you now – for you are Baptized, you were joined to Him by water and the Word. Christ is with you now – He continues to speak His comfort to You through His Word. Christ is with you now – He comes to you in His holy Supper. Christ is always with you – and what does this mean? It means you will be rescued from every evil, every danger that this world can throw at you and you shall obtain the eternal life that Christ has won for you with His death upon the cross and His resurrection.

    That’s how we approach the end times as Christians. Not with fear, not with trepidation. We approach all these things remembering that we are God’s own children, that we are united to Christ. As we await the end times – we are simply waiting for God to show to everyone, to show to the entire world what we already know, what we already have. That He is our God who saves us, who protects us, who guides us, and who ultimately delivers us from wickedness unto His eternal life. So dear friends – fear not any talk of the end – for you know what happens, and it ends well for you. Christ Jesus is your Lord, and He lives, and He has won the victory for you – let not death, let not talk of the end appall you any longer. Be confident in Christ Jesus your Lord. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit + Amen.

All Saints' Sermon (to be Observed)

 

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

    So what is Jesus doing with the Beatitudes here in our Gospel this evening/morning? I mean, Jesus is starting the famous Sermon on the Mount – why start here? Why start with the Beatitudes? What is Jesus doing here? And why do we bring this up on All Saints' Day – the day of the Church Year where we remember those Christians who have died in the faith before us, whose number we one day will eventually join? What's the point? Well, there's a common theme running through all the beatitudes – “Blessed are”. 9 times, in 9 places and ways, Jesus points out people who are blessed, that you are blessed. And Jesus has to do that for a simple reason – you don't realize how blessed you are.

    What do you think of first and foremost if I say, “blessed”? What pops into your mind? Probably one of the varied good things in your life that you enjoy, that you are thankful for – that you expect me to bring up in a few weeks come Thanksgiving. We equate “blessing” with “good right now.” I had one dear old lady back in Oklahoma, who if you asked how she was doing would all ways, “I'm blessed.” Never, “I'm good” - always “Blessed.” And yet, the situations in the Beatitudes don't seem to mesh with our normal depiction of being blessed. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Um, did any of you think, “Man, I'm so fortunate that I'm down trodden and poor in Spirit. Man, I'm so blessed that I'm in mourning right now.” That's not what any of us think of when we think of what it is to be blessed.

    And hence, Jesus makes several wild assertions in these 9 beatitudes. Over and over, in the face of all sorts of lousy situations Jesus says, “No, even if you are poor in spirit, even if you mourn – you are in fact, in truth, blessed.” Because the issue at hand is we don't see everything. We don't see, not the big picture, but rather we don't see the full picture. We don't see and understand the Spiritual and Eternal realities all around us. Consider – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So, let's say you are poor in spirit, that life has got you down for whatever reason – whatever very real reason. There's lots of things that are heavy, that weigh upon us. And we can see them easily. Jesus says to you that nonetheless the kingdom of heaven is yours. And that's what we can forget in the moment, what we fail to see. We can see easily the things that crush us; we can overlook the kingdom of heaven. Right now, this moment, the Kingdom of Heaven is yours. You are a baptized child of God, forgiven, redeemed, bound for everlasting life. Right here, around you is all the host of heaven (including the names I'll be reading off in a few minutes). We claim this all the time – therefore WITH angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven WE laud and magnify You. OUR Father. But we forget it, we don't see it, we overlook it. So Jesus tells us again – it's good, you're good. The kingdom of heaven is yours.

    But I'm mourning, Jesus. Well, of course you are – you're in the sinful world surrounded by death. Even Jesus weeps when Lazarus dies. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. You know how Jesus was comforted when Lazarus died? Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. You know what is Jesus' plan is to be comforted over all the deaths of His people who have died? To raise them from the dead. All these names – Jesus is going to raise them. You yourself, Jesus is going to raise you from the dead. It's good, you're good, because of Jesus.

    But there's so many fights swirling around me, Jesus – and I know I shouldn't dive in, and I feel pathetic when I don't, but if I jump in and try to put someone in their place I just get dumped on, and people are nasty, and I can't fight back with their same nastiness, and it's lousy. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Jesus gets it. How often does Jesus get dumped on, how often does Jesus just take it? And while we can't always fight back well or have to worry about repercussions – Jesus can call on legions of angels. He wouldn't have to worry about any blacklash. Yet – Jesus was meek – that is, inclined to simply put up with stuff instead of making the fight worse. That's what it is to be meek. And you can be meek. You don't have to fight, you don't have to win everything for yourself. Why? Because you're already going to inherit everything. Jesus won you salvation by His meekness, by going to the Cross and dying meekly – and He rose victorious, and you know what? When He raises you from the dead, He's going to just up and give you a new heavens and a new earth. Jesus will fix it – you don't have to. You might think you do, that might be what you see, but Jesus reminds you here that because of Him you're already blessed. It's good, you're good – Jesus has it in the bag for you.

    Do you see the pattern? We get caught up in the problems, we see sin breaking out in the world, in ourselves. We see the consequences, dire and terrible, falling out all around us. And they are serious, and they are big, and they are nasty. But Jesus says to you that they aren't the whole picture. There's more going on that you might be missing, that you might not be seeing. Don't forget that Jesus is at work, doing things, fixing things, forgiving, saving you – and in Jesus it's all in the bag. Why? Well – Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Oh, Jesus wants righteousness, and He wants it a plenty – and He came to be righteous for you. Jesus not only takes away your sin, not only forgives you, but He gives you His righteousness, He makes you to hunger for it and He fills you with His righteousness – He fills you with righteousness by His Word and Spirit and then works in you and through you and for you... and He forgives you again and fills you again, and will do so until you are eternally satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Jesus gathers you here to His house of mercy, over and against all the sin and junk in the world, because you are His people of mercy and forgiveness – and indeed here the Lord has mercy upon you. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Oh, are your hearts not pure – well, that's why Jesus forgives you, that's why He speaks His Word you, that's why He proclaims these beatitudes – because He actually wants you to see Him, to be with Him for all eternity. And while we struggle now, there's a whole host who see Jesus face to face right now because Jesus has forgiven and purified them.

    Do you see, O Baptized child of God? Do you remember again? Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. There, at the font, at your baptism, God made peace with you. The rebellion of sin and death – the Triune God said it was over. This isn't just a sinful rebel, this is My baptized child – and the Peace of the Lord be with you always. And as you are a child of God now, you are set upon a path of making peace – of being a forgiver, of being one who takes the peace that Jesus has won and given to you and taking it and giving it to other people. I forgive you in the name of Christ the Crucified. He has died and risen for you. That's not only the message you hear, that's the message you proclaim and thus make peace.

    Hold up, hold up, hold up. Are you sure about that Pastor? Because if I go tell people they are forgiven because Jesus died for their sin, some might like it... but a whole heap of people are going to get really ticked off. Yeah, so what, Peacemaker child of God? Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Sinners in a sinful world are going to be mad at you for something. Haters are gonna hate. Might as well have them hate you for righteousness' sake, might as well let them be mad because you proclaim that Jesus has died and risen and all the sins of the world are forgiven. Their rage can't do a cotton picking thing to you, because heaven is yours right now. So yes, Jesus is in fact right when He says, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” The world can rage and complain and be all bitter and nasty. And I mean that seriously – wretched, horrible things get unleashed. Doesn't change the fact that Jesus died and rose for you. Doesn't change the fact that God Himself is present here today for you – doesn't change the fact that Jesus brings with Him all of heaven and we join in with all the Saints as we worship today. And your reward, the stuff that Jesus gives you in heaven in great. You get it now, in fact. Forgiveness. Christ's Body and Blood, given and shed for you. Singing with the saints. Life now in the face of sin as preparation for the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come. It's all good because of Jesus. Jesus has it all in the bag for you.

    So yes, you are blessed. And not merely with the typical things we all normally think of as blessings – and note, I'm not downplaying those things – we'll talk about all those great earthly and temporal blessings from God in just a few weeks. Rather this – remember the blessings that you don't always see in this life, that Satan and sin would hide from you and distract you from. You are a baptized child of God, forgiven and bound for eternal life. God has declared you to be His holy child – to be His saint – and nothing can trump that or wrest you out of God's hand. And those we love whom we mourn and are with the Lord – they see it all face to face without distraction, which is wondrous for them. For you, well, you get to be here now, in Jesus' house, with Jesus and with all the saints, hearing Jesus, being reminded of the things you don't see, even until you see them clearly when you see Jesus face to face. And you will. Amen.