Why We Fear Our Holy, Holy, Holy God

Trinity Sunday

May 31, 2015

Isaiah 6:5

Why We Fear Our Holy, Holy, Holy God

In the name of the Father and of † the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah was a faithful believer. He was sent by the Triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—to preach doom and hope to the people of Israel. And Isaiah was afraid in the presence of the holy, holy, holy God.

Woe is me for I am ruined

because I am a man of unclean lips

and live among a people of unclean lips,

and because my eyes have seen the King,

the Lord of Hosts. (Isaiah 6:5)

Ruin and woe because he was unclean and was surrounded by filth. No more than a snowman can exist on the surface of the sun can any sinful dirty man exist before the good and holy God.

As you thoughtfully repeat your Catechism every day (and if you don't, start tomorrow), you say, "We should fear and love God." We're big on love. But we don't know what to say about fearing God. What does it mean to fear God?

We're big on showing the happy face of God to our children: a happy Jesus letting the kids come to Him according to the Scriptures. But would a painting of a terrified Isaiah in the presence of God make it into our teaching material for kids? I don't know. It's in the Scriptures. Why do we hide Isaiah's fear of God? Some might say we must think of the children. We don't want to scare them. Perhaps. But perhaps we must consider that it's us, the adults, who are most afraid of being confronted with our holy and fearful God, who melts snowmen and men.

Our flesh refuses to think about God's anger at sinners. Not our sins, but us, as individual sinners who prove it with sin after sin after sin. Who wants to think about that? No one, of course!

We don't want to let God be God. In order to avoid the fear of God we "try to excuse God from everything that might cause us to fear Him" (Gerhard Forde, On Being a Theologian of the Cross, Eerdmans, page 40). And so the cute little baby Jesus is everyone's favorite Jesus. The resurrected Jesus is second. But no one wants to see Jesus hanging, beaten, and bloody from a cross. Look at what our holy God did to Jesus; look at God on the cross who suffered for your sin.

But in this cross—Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection—is grace. Grace for you. And in His gracious cross, you don't have to worry about having the right kind of fear or enough fear of God.

Unbelievers are afraid of many things, but never of the true triune God. On the other hand, like Isaiah, believers fear God's wrath and they stand comforted by God's act of mercy, which is why we love Him. And in His gracious cross, you don't have to worry about having the right kind of love or enough love of God.

Why do we fear our holy God? Because He is fearsome!

Why do we love our holy God? Because He loved us first, and died for us first, and rose for us first.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. Alleluia! Amen!

Be Steadfast in Your Receiving of Christ

First Communion Sunday

May 24, 2015

John 6:53-57

Be Steadfast in Your Receiving of Christ

In the name of the Father and of † the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Many years ago each of you was baptized into God's family. And since our congregation is blessed with many people who aren't from here, most of you weren't baptized here.

But that's the great thing about the blessed Sacrament of the Font. You could be baptized in Chicago or Tulsa or in a submarine or on the moon, and it's still and always will be a good Baptism.

Today will be the first time you'll receive Christ's forgiveness through the Sacrament of the Altar. But it's likely that you won't be receiving Holy Communion here at this altar for the rest of your life. For school and then work and family, you'll probably move to another congregation in another part of the country.

But wherever you go, be steadfast in receiving Christ. This is what you get to do as a member of the Church. You get to go to God's house as His invited guest and He serves you forgiveness through His Words of the hymns, liturgy, and preaching and through Holy Communion.

Very soon you won't have your parents living with you and encouraging you in your steadfast receiving of Christ and His gifts.

So be wise and seek out others who will continue to do so. Find friends who grasp that going to church is what they get to do. Find pastors who gladly bring you Jesus at church and into your home. Find a spouse who loves lots of baptized little babies and loves receiving Christ in Preaching and His Supper every Sunday. Raise up those little believing babies as children who love to pray with you every day.

This is the great good work that God gives you to do: to receive His gift of forgiveness.

[Jesus said:] "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink [My] blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. (John 6:53-57)

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. Alleluia! Amen!

Stephen's Big Confession Made the Church Smaller

Seventh Sunday of Easter

May 17, 2015

Acts 7:59

Stephen's Big Confession Made the Church Smaller

In the name of the Father and of † the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (Matthew 23:37)

I.

Before he was stoned to death, Stephen had just preached a masterful sermon. It connected directly to his Jewish hearers. It traced through the lives of Abraham and Moses. It preached Gospel and Law, culminating in these words:

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him—you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it." (Acts 7:51-53)

And what follows is our first lesson from Acts 7. They killed him for confessing the truth. Because of Stephen's big confession they killed him and the Church here on earth got a little smaller that day.

Every year our national church body, our synod, asks every church to report how many membership changes they've had. There's a spot for those who join a church by transfer from another Lutheran congregation. There's a spot for those who join who've had no previous recent connection to a church. There's a spot for those who have been baptized; there's a spot for those who've died. There's a spot for those who are alive, but no longer members. But there's no blank spot for martyrs, Christians who have been murdered for their confession of Christ.

But for Christians overseas, things are different. Last month Muslim terrorists murdered 28 Ethiopian Christians in Libya.* In February 21 Christians in Egypt were murdered by thugs of the Islamic State.* Many of the murderers are young men brainwashed by old Muslims. Christ, have mercy on the loved ones of these martyrs and have mercy on those who martyred them!

But as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, hatred is just another way of murder. So this last month the state-ruled Church of Finland defrocked five pastors. Their crime? They were serving congregations that correctly rejected having pastors who are women or men who exalt the evil of Sodom without shame.**

This corrupt Finnish state "church" (which doesn't deserve that term) demanded that these pastors throw out the Bible and preach the lies of our times. Hopefully separation from the rotten state church will open the eyes of a few Lutherans in Finland so that they see that the state church has rejected Christ and is dead. These bishops who serve the State are wolves in sheep's clothing who cover their ears so that they might not hear Christ's words. Christ, have mercy on these faithful defrocked pastors and on these bishops, who are white-washed tombs.

We see troubles even in our own Lutheran homes and churches over the true confession of Law and Gospel. Instead of instructing and encouraging the Scriptural practice of daily prayer at home and lifelong study of Christ's promises at church, some are tempted to grab onto the contemporary fads of promoting visions within the church and demanding that pastors become CEOs and charismatic leaders. These fads lead the shepherds of the Church away from the real job of a pastor: to be someone who cares for the souls of his flock. These fads also lead the flock away from their task: to be cared for a shepherd with Christ's words and sacraments.

This was the work that Christ had given to Stephen and it was work that he very much cared about: taking care of souls. For that congregation in Acts 7, Stephen cared for the souls of his hearers. He cared by telling them the truth. And they killed him for his caring. And the church in Jerusalem got smaller.

Now it might sound like God the Father did not protect Stephen from the Evil One. But listen to Stephen's last words and you will hear the Words of Christ on Stephen's lips.

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:55-60)

I am a coward and if I had been with him that fateful day, I would told him halfway through that sermon to shut it down. He would have ignored me. And when he started talking about heaven being open and seeing Jesus, the Son of Man, I would have begged him to be quiet. But Stephen always obeyed God rather than men. He wouldn't have taken my advice, praise be to Christ!

And as they martyred him, he clung to His Savior Jesus hanging from His holy cross. Stephen's final words echo the words of Christ on the cross:

"Receive my spirit; I commit My spirit."

"Don't hold this sin against them; Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

And then Stephen died. Because of his big confession, the church on earth got smaller. But the church in heaven got bigger.

As we receive His sacred words, may they fill us with the Holy Spirit and give us boldness to speak Christ first to ourselves, then to our family, and to those whom God has put into our lives. Because of Christ's promises, we will battle our flesh, our family might disown us, and our friends might desert us. But in the end we will be saved by these very Words.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. Alleluia! Amen!

* christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/april/more-martyrs-isis-executes-ethiopian-christians-libya.html (accessed May 14, 2015)

** wmltblog.org/2015/04/church-of-finland-removes-confessional-pastors/

Tabitha, Get Up

Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 10, 2015

Acts 9:40

Tabitha, Get Up

In the name of the Father and of † the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. (Acts 9:40)

I.

We're not told if Tabitha was a mother, but she was clearly like a mother and sister to many people. And she was busy! She went to church and received the preaching of Christ. She went to Communion and received the very body of Christ. She was busy doing good for herself by joyfully receiving the gifts of God every Sunday.

She also joyfully made clothes for the Body of Christ, which is another name for the Church. She made robes and other clothes for those who needed clothes. So when she died, it came as a great calamity for those who loved her and depended on her.

But then what happens next is strange. If you don't slow down and think about, you won't notice it.

About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!" (Acts 9:37-38)

Peter ended up at Tabitha's death bed because two men were sent to get Peter. But why? Why did they send two men to Peter? What were they expecting to happen? Were they expecting a resurrection or were they simply expecting Peter to preach for her funeral? Were they expecting Tabitha to rise from the dead on that day or the last day, when all the dead will rise?

II.

Of the resurrections in the Bible, the getting up of the little 12-year old girl by Jesus' reminds me most of Him using Peter to get Tabitha up.

When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." So Jesus went with him. . . . some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?" Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe." He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. (Mark 5:21-24a, 35b-43)

Some deaths make the news: Ebola deaths in Africa, the deadly Nepalese earthquake, a family suddenly attacked in Wisconsin, or even overnight the police officers killed in Mississippi.

However, most deaths don't make the news. But they are still nothing less than personal catastrophes. For Jarius and the friends of Tabitha, these deaths were calamities. Their world was now very different.

You might be able to relate. When someone we love dies, the taste of death is sharp and bitter. For some of you who have lost loved ones in recent years, the bitterness may still be sharp. For others who may have loved ones visibly close to death, the waiting is difficult.

Whether the death in your life is newsworthy or not, let's be honest, as only Christians can be. Death is senseless and cruel. Trying to find meaning for death is a hopeless task, because death is unnatural. Death is not a natural part of life. Death wasn't how God made us. Our sin brings death to us, and since we live in a world filled with fellow sinners, death is all around us. The little 12-year old girl died, Tabitha died, and so will we.

III.

And that's why Jesus died. So that He could save us from our death.

The most striking words ever spoken to Tabitha and the little girl were "Get up!" In the original language, the words used by Jesus and Peter were different: Jesus was literally telling the little girl to wake up from sleep; Peter was telling Tabitha to stand up from death. And in Christ waking up from sleep and rising from death are possible and actually happen.

What does this mean for your mothers? For your little daughters? For all of us?

Let me explain it this way. Most of the time Jesus makes wine the slow way using sunshine, rain, vintners, fermentation, bottles, and the grocery store. Once He sped things up and made wine from water at the wedding of Cana. He did it to make sure the wedding guests had wine to drink; He also sped things up to show His people who He is.

At the end of time Jesus will awaken and get up sleeping dead bodies, speaking His Word to bring life back into dust. Let's call this the slow way. But once in a while, He sped things up. Jesus got up from the dead first and most importantly. The getting up of the little girl and Tabitha follow. And at the end, if we do die, we will be gotten up. Paul wrote:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a Man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)

For mothers and those are who are like mothers to us, for daughters and those daughters that were never born, we will be patient in Christ, the Great Getter-Upper.

What were Tabitha's friends expecting when they went to get Peter? Nothing less than the promise of Christ to Tabitha and all of us: that when Death brings us down, He will get us up.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. Alleluia! Amen!

The Vine Opens a Branch in Philippi

Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 3, 2015

Acts 16:14

The Vine Opens a Branch in Philippi

In the name of the Father and of † the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul. (Acts 16:14)

I.

During the week, Lydia ran made good money selling purple cloth. But on the day of rest, she went down to the river to pray. And this is where Paul found her. He preached Christ to her and through His Word, God opened her heart so that she was able to see that Christ is the vine that gives life to the branches.

She trusted that the direction of life is from God to her through Christ Jesus. And as a branch she understood that she was alive. And a branch that is alive makes fruit. So naturally her fruit was inviting Paul and his fellow travelers to stay with her. They needed daily bread; she had daily bread and gave them what they needed.

Some might see Lydia's fruit and end up thinking that Lydia would never do anything as good as helping Paul and fellow pastors and travelers. But they'd be wrong; after Paul and company continued their journey, all the daily bread that Lydia provided for her loved ones in her household was just as important and cherished by Christ as what she had done for Paul.

Having the pastor over for Sunday supper is an important occasion, but just as important (and sometimes a heavier cross) is feeding the other members of your family on a Tuesday morning.

Christ is the vine; we are His branches. And as branches of the vine, all our fruit is good in Christ.

Christ through His Word grafted Lydia into Himself, a new branch onto the ancient vine. Then she became alive and bore much fruit. Praise Christ for Lydia and her whole household, baptized into life!

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

II.

Sadly we face troubles in our own households. Some who have been grafted into the vine through Holy Baptism and who have received Communion at least once have come to believe that a branch can stay green and living outside of the vine.

Since Christ wants to be found only in His Word and that Word is given into ears and tongues at church, staying away from church cannot bring life. One cannot be a Christian outside of Christ and His Church.

Out of love for souls and out of love for the truth that life exists only in the Vine, caring churches and pastors cannot go on pretending that branches that have cut themselves off of the vine are still alive. Caring churches and pastors cannot go on pretending that people who never come to church and won't talk to their pastor are still members of the church.

Pretending that these missing souls are still living branches of the vine is not truthful. Pretending that these branches are still branches only hurts these former branches. Keeping names on a list at church will not save them. The only thing that saves dead branches is the Word, not in abstract way, but in actually pruning them with the Truth and watering them with the Water of Life.

The only way to help dying or dead souls is to preach to them. Preach who we all are and who Christ Jesus is for us. This is why Lydia was filled with joy and why she delighted to serve those who brought her this good news that He was crucified, died, and was buried for all sinners and that He's risen, He's risen indeed!

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. Alleluia! Amen!