Connected to the True Vine

“As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” 

The image of the Vine and the branches is one that has great importance in our day to day lives.  Each day we are confronted with the truth of what would happen if we are separated from the Vine:  we die!  What happens to a body that’s separated from its head?  Apart from the Vine, branches can do nothing!  We have no life apart from Christ.  The sap that flows from the vine nourishes the branches.  We confess that our very lives sprout forth from our Heavenly Father, and that by our sin, we have cut ourselves off from our source of life.  Yet, by His grace through the blood of His Son, shed on the cross for the sins of the world, our sin, we have been reconciled to God, grafted back into the true vine!

The life that flows from the side of Christ Crucified and Risen now nourishes us with His life and forgiveness, so that by faith we might live in union with Him.  The message of the Vine and the branches gives us hope!  Through being grafted into the Vine and by the care of the Vinedresser – we bear His fruit!

So how can our lives be altered, changed, transformed?  Remember, we don’t produce fruit – Jesus does.  When our lives are so consumed with all sorts of things other than bearing the fruit of Christ – then we are the branches that need to pruning of the vinedresser.  The word for pruning in Greek means “Cleanse”.  It takes this pruning – this cleansing – to remove bugs and disease that will cause the branch not to produce fruit.  It’s for that reason that we need pruning.  When we experience this pruning, we must trust that God is in control and the Vinedresser knows that He is doing – He’s working for our very best!

Satan would love for us to think otherwise though.  Satan works very hard to convince us that we don’t need pruning – that He would never cut into our lives – that we would be in compete control.  But jointed to satan – we are dead!

Thanks be to God – for we are alive in Christ.  One of my favorite parts of God’s Word is Galatians 2:20 which says, “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  We are alive in Christ – the true Vine – and through Him we produce His fruit.

That fruit that we produce is what Paul speaks of in Galatians chapter 5 - the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. These are, above all, characteristics of our Savior in his relationship with us.  But they are also the fruit that He produce in us as we are joined and grafted into Him.

Being grafted into the True Vine, may the Holy Spirit use the good fruit we produce to be a blessing to each other, our families, and our community and to give the glory to God the Father.

 

Heart Transplant

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Proberbs 4:23

God looks at each and every one of us and proclaims that we need a brand new heart.  He’s not talking about the organ beating in our chest – but that which really makes us tick from the inside out.  God wants us to have a new heart that recognizes sin, mourns and repents of this sin, and treasures God’s forgiveness.  Having this heart transplant is literally a matter of life and death.

The process for this heart transplant begins with repentance.  What is the definition of repentance?  To turn away from sin – to believe what God says is the truth about you.  We were all conceived with a heart that doesn’t want to take responsibility for sin, a heart that doesn’t believe that sin is worthy of death.  The wages of sin IS death.  We know that we are powerless to turn because we are dead in sin, incapable of returning to God.

God reveals that our problem (as his people) is not outright disobedience – but its with the heart.  There is no such thing as a “safe sin”.  We tend to justify our sin because we haven’t done anything terribly disobedient or we haven’t done anything that isn’t being done by everyone else – or my sin is far less than what so and so has done!  But God is blunt, saying, the soul that sins shall die.  God demands perfection.  Every last one of us falls short of that.  Therfore, the result is death.

Our self righteousness can even run so deep that we find ourselves blaming God for the mess we’re in.  It’s as old as Adam saying to God, “The woman who YOU gave to be with me…she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate.”  Things haven’t changed.  Every one of us at one time or another has pointed the finger at others, even God, as the reason for our wrong-doing – as if this excuses our sin or removes us from any accountability before God.

Only in repentance can we be restored so that our thoughts, words, and deeds match God’s will.  It is not repentance that saves us; but rather repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus.  We are made right with God because prior to all else, Christ lived, died, and rose for us.  Sinful men and women can only be changed into new creatures by the marvelous work of God in Christ Jesus.  Through the atoning work of Christ, we are able to do the will of God – to answer gladly when the Lord calls.

The true and reliable source of life is in Jesus Christ.  How does God give us this new heart for life?  It’s a lot like the way you would receive a new heart if you checked into the hospital for a heart transplant.  Before you can receive a new heart, someone has to die.  Not only that, the person must be willing to give of their heart and it has to be a match or your body will reject it.  You see the similarities with Jesus, don’t you?  Jesus give us the new heart that God demands.

He made that possible by living the perfect life that God demands and dying the death our sin deserves on the cross.  An organ donor is only willing to give you their heart once they’re done with it, not a moment before.  Jesus willingly went to the Cross so that you could receive His heart – now!

And how do we treat this new heart?  We treasure it!  We treasure the new heart and forgiveness God has given to us.  We “cast away all our transgressions” or as Luther put it – our entire lives are lived in repentance – treasuring our relationship with God above all things.  We nurture our new heart with the Word and with the life-giving food of Christ’s body and blood.

Therefore, when we face sin and temptation, we TURN away from it and rejoice in the promises of God that give us strength.  When we face doubts and circumstances that take away our confidence, we TURN to the promises of our Baptism and the sure and certain truth that we belong to God and we have been given a clean heart and have been restored in salvation.



Clothed with Christ

In the month of October we often times talk about dressing up.  Usually we are speaking of dressing up for a Halloween celebration.  The real reason I want to talk to you about dressing up is because of what the Bible says we, as Christians, are clothed with – Christ’s righteousness.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ lived the perfect life that we are totally unable to.  He died the horrible death that our sin deserves.  He then rose victorious from the grave to ensure the promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation for us!  This is good news!  It’s even better news when we realize that through Baptism, we have been clothed with the very righteousness and innocence of Christ.  This Good News affects everything we do as renewed, redeemed, and reformed children of God.

We have been clothed with Christ!  Galatians 3:27 tells us, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."  As Christians who have been clothed with Christ’s righteousness, we have the awesome opportunity to give witness to the forgiveness, life, and salvation found in Christ alone.  May the month of October serve to remind us of the most important garment we have – the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.

 

God's Labor Through Us

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  James 2:17

With the words of James, we are thrown into an age-old debate. It is a debate that is more often sparked by the words that follow in verse 26: "faith apart from works is dead." The problem we have is understanding how these words jive with others of Scripture, like Paul’s in Romans 1: "The righteous shall live by faith" (1:17). But ours is a tradition based on faith alone, grace alone, and Word alone.

It’s all about order. Works do not count for our salvation. We are saved only through the righteousness of Christ, a righteousness carried out in His perfect life, His suffering, death, and resurrection and given to us by the grace of God in our Baptisms. We know the words. But then it’s the actions that follow that seem so inconsistent.

There are two sinful outcomes of a Christian’s life when he or she dismisses works because they can’t save. We either do whatever we want because God’s grace is there to pick us up (which is exactly the problem Paul had to warn the Romans against), OR, we do nothing because it counts for nothing. Instead, it’s important for us to understand that what we do or don’t do does matter. It matters to God and your neighbor. Moreover, those actions are connected to our faith, not in order to be saved, but because we are saved.

And so James is writing also to each one of us. In his day, James was confronting a problem in the
Church. There was a disconnect between the faith they professed and how they lived out their faith.
The same caution is extended to us in our day, especially as we hear the example of this disconnect that James gives. Two men enter the assembly, the gathering of believers in the presence of God. One is dressed well, the other not. The one dressed well is distinguished among the church family. The other is given a lower place because he doesn’t measure up. "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself, well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" (vv 8–10).

So what we do really does matter! And what do we do now? It can seem as though all of James’s words, including those about faith being dead without works, all add up to this: "Do better!" Is that it? Do better? Do better so people can see you’re a Christian? Do better so God knows you’re serious about Him? If that’s all James is saying, then why don’t we simply do better? Why don’t we just do everything God says? After all, God said to do it; just do it! But we don’t. In fact, we can’t. If James is saying nothing more than "Do better!" he’s actually doing exactly what he condemns in vss. 15–16 of our text: "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, filled, body, what good is that?"

On our own, we can’t "do better" just because James says so any more than the indigent person can be warmed and filled by our words alone. That’s because our sinful nature always has its own selfish agenda. Our sinful nature always looks out for itself, not for our neighbor in need; that’s just what the sinful nature is: all out for itself.

So the age-old debate is set before us: Either James’s words are empty encouragement for us as we live our lives in perpetual disappointment to God, or there’s more...

Indeed, there is more! We don’t have to look far for a hint at where to turn in our confusion. In verse 7, James makes what seems to be just a passing comment in the middle of his encouragement to do good. He refers to the "name by which you were called." However, it’s not just a passing comment; it’s filled with the answer to the problem here. It suggests there was action prior to ours. That action is the action of the One who called us, for we can’t call ourselves. It’s God, of course, who has called us. He’s called us into a relationship with Him that is lived out in relationship to one another. It really is all about order.

It all begins with God’s action toward us and continues as we live out His action toward us in our actions toward others. To understand, let’s put the shoe on the other foot. What if God made distinctions? What if God analyzed our worthiness and acted accordingly? What if God analyzed our works and dealt with us according to what He saw? - and He sees all!! What if God kept a scorecard and awarded our place before Him based on that scorecard?

Here’s the content of our faith: God does not! If God did make such distinctions, we would be left
to work out our own salvation. And as hard as we might work, we would never know if we had done enough. Instead, He has worked out our salvation for us. The content of our faith is Jesus Christ and His work of salvation on our behalf. He lived the perfect life we cannot live. He died to pay the price we cannot pay. He rose to defeat death and make it possible for His righteousness to become ours. Our faith is in a labor, but not our own. Our faith is in a labor accomplished on a cross and emanating from an empty tomb. Our faith, without Christ, is dead! Our life begins, continues, and ends with Him and in Him, which is why what we do and what we don’t do really matters.

The life we live is the life God has labored for us in Christ. His life—what He has done for us and what He has given to us—animates and motivates our lives. He is the content of our faith and the content of our living. Therefore, He is the content of our labor. Any other understanding of the relationship between faith and works creates an either/or proposition—either faith or works. Rather, Christ in us and Christ through us creates a both/and proposition—both faith and works; first faith, then works, and never ever one without the other.

Now, what about when I fail? In the either/or proposition, our failure means one of two things. Our
failure means either we have no faith OR our failure doesn’t matter. We know our failures can’t simply be overlooked, so in the either/or proposition, we’re sent back within ourselves to do better. We’re left to find our own inner strength. Our faith, though, isn’t in ourselves; it’s in Christ and in His atoning work. This is where the both/and proposition of both faith and works finds a firm hold on
our lives as God’s children. Because if everything begins with Christ, then He is where we go when we fail. When we fail to live as we should, we’re sent back to Christ. We’re sent back to His Word and Sacraments and the reassurance of God’s grace given in Baptism as we hear His Word of forgiveness. We’re sent back to feed on Him in His Supper in order to receive from Him strengthening of our faith and strengthening of our lives lived in that faith. We’re sent back to the One true God, who holds no distinctions but lived and died for all. That is, He loves us whom He has graciously called and to whom He has given His name. His grace is our salvation, and His grace is our strength to live, to live lives that look like what they are—God’s Labor of love – Christ in us and Christ through us.

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (v 17). However, we are not dead. We are alive in Christ, and so we live and labor in Christ who works in and through each one of us!

 



No Longer I

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  Galatians 2:20

We live in a nation that places a high importance on appearance and shape.  We see evidence of this fact in our lives every day.  People in advertisements and magazines seem to always be those people who have a beautiful appearance and are in the best shape.  It is hard to flip through the T.V. channels and not see a commercial for a diet pill that promises weight loss, or a workout machine that will help you get in great shape.  We see countless examples of before and after pictures to prove these results.  After using these products, people who were previously out of shape and unattractive, become a whole new person, fit and good looking.  Galatians 2:20 speaks of a different kind of shape, a different kind of before and after picture.  The text speaks of the shaping power of Christ living in us.

Through our Baptisms, Christ now lives in us.  We possess the righteousness of Christ before God.  Through our Baptisms, our old self is crucified with Christ, and a new self is resurrected.  This fact is shown in Romans 8:10-11, which says, “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

Because Christ died and rose from the dead for our sins, and lives in us, we live our lives in a different way.  We see a different before and after picture.  We now live our lives by faith.  This faith is not from any merit or work on our parts.  This faith is given to us by God.  What a difference this makes in our lives, what an amazing before and after picture!  Christ now lives in us! 

In Baptism we are made new people in Christ.  We are free from the bondage of sin and the Law.  Does this mean that we are free to go about sinning as much as we want?  Surely not!  God forbids this.  Christ lives in us and because of that we are free to follow after that which is keeping with His will.  Of course we all still sin and fall short of God’s will.  But by the grace of God we realize that we are not condemned before God.  We live as people who are free, and not under the condemnation that the Law brings.  Our response to this grace in the way we live our lives as Christians shows that we live free from the Law.

Christ living in us truly shapes our lives.  Our old selves were crucified with Christ and a new self was resurrected with him.  So the next time you’re flipping through the channels and you see another commercial promising an amazing physical change, remember the before and after picture that Paul tells us in Galatians, and how we are made new through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Scars that Save

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

John 10:27-28

There is a story about a hot summer day in Florida, and a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.  In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran down the dock as fast as he could and flew into the water.  What he didn’t realize was that as he swam out into the water, there was an alligator swimming toward him.

His mother, in the house looking out the window - saw the two approaching each other.  In utter fear, she ran out the back door screaming at the top of her lungs for her son to turn around.  Hearing the alarm in his mother’s voice, he made a quick U-turn to swim back to shore.  But it was too late.  Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.  From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs.  That began an incredible tug-of-war between the mother and the alligator.  The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was too passionate to let go.  A farmer drove by, and hearing the screams and seeing the incredible struggle, he stopped and got the gun from his truck and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived and the doctors and surgeons were able to save both legs.  His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack.  The local paper and television news team requested an interview of this heroic little survivor.  The reporters asked if they could see his scars.  Everyone expected to see him left his pant legs, but instead he rolled up his shirt sleeves.

On his arms were deep scratches.  The reporters said, “We want to see the scars the alligator’s teeth made on your legs.”  “I could show you those awful things, but I would rather show you these.  These are the scars from my mother’s fingernails.  These were made because my mother refused to let go of me.  These scars are why I’m alive today!”

You and I can identify with that little boy.  We have scars to point to as well - not from a mother but from a Good Shepherd.  Our Good Shepherd refused to let go of us, His sheep, therefore, He faced the vicious attack of the ravenous wolf by Himself.  Satan attacked the Shepherd in hopes to devour and scatter the sheep.  But no one can snatch us out of His scarred hands. 

We bear the mark of the cross on our forehead and heart - the mark of the love of God for us that He would rather send His Son to die on the cross than let go of any one of us.  The cross is a beautiful mark - for it reveals the love of our God who refuses to let go of us - despite the fact that we are sheep, and sheep love to wander, and sometimes we wander into dangerous situations.  St. Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Death can’t, life can’t, principalities and their evil values can’t, nor things present like cancer, trials, nor height, the greatest times, nor depth, even the lowest of depression, nor anything in all creation, can snatch us away.

What greater safety can there be than to know that the Lord takes your hand, and in the power of His saving Name, promises to never let go - when we face cancer, a job loss, problems in relationships, no matter what struggle or in the midst of any great joy - our Good Shepherd firmly grasps us and assures us of our forgiveness, He restores us in His peace, He comforts us with His presence, and He gives us eternal life.  We are safe in the Name of our loving Shepherd, and we have the scars to prove it - and they are on His hands that hold us forever.

 

From Darkness to Light

Darkness makes us uneasy because it creates dangerous uncertainty.  When power outages occur and we have no flashlight, trying to find our way can be hazardous—heads can bump into a wall or door frame, feet stumble over a footstool or trip on a toy left on the floor.

One great truth runs through the pages of the Bible: God always come through in the darkest hour of uncertainty!  Whether He was rescuing the Israelites from Pharaoh’s armies or protecting the three men in the fiery furnace or ordering Abraham to hold back his knife from plunging it into Isaac, God shows Himself to be a trustworthy Savior from life’s uncertainties in our darkest moments.  The resurrection of Christ that we celebrated last Sunday reminds us that God’s Word brings light and certainty, for three times did Jesus predict He would be raised from death.  The Old Testament also offers its record of God’s promised Messiah, and now that promise is a light that breaks through our uncertainty.

Do you face uncertainty about your job?  Do you struggle with doubt about your children’s future?  Did the doctor notify you about a matter that casts doubt on your own health?  Don’t try to cheer yourself with thoughts that things will eventually get better. Let the light of Christ’s resurrected glory dispel the darkness of those things that cause you to stumble in uncertainty and doubt.

What a glorious difference Easter makes for us!  Christ has been delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification.  The darkness of our sin has been overcome by the light of His resurrection.  Death and the grave have been overcome by life in Christ for eternity and new life in Him every day.  Easter’s glorious light lifts us above our daily battles and puts a spring into our step.  Easter’s glorious light brightens our darkest day and keeps the smile of faith on our lips.  Easter’s glorious light shines down on our deathbeds and puts a light that cannot be extinguished into our graves.

As long as this world of darkness stands, Easter people like us will find their greatest joy in the risen Savior, who said, “I am the Light of the world.  Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  Turn to Christ in confidence that the light of His resurrection has triumphed over evil.  In your Baptism, you were transferred from the kingdom of darkness and made a child of the Light!  The light of Christ’s resurrection enlightens us with promise: “Because I live, you also will live.” Because you have been buried with Him by Baptism into a death like His, you will also be raised to a new life like His in resurrected glory.  Christ’s promises are just as sure and certain as the sunrise that scatters the darkness and brings the new day.  Easter allows us to see the Cross in the Light of the empty tomb: Because Jesus walked away from His tomb, we’ll walk away from ours.  That’s life-changing power, darkness-overcoming Light - and Easter makes it yours.  Thanks be to God!  Christ is risen!

 

It is Finished!

Do you know the two words alpha and omega?  Perhaps you recognize them as the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet just as A and Z are in ours.  Do you know that those two Greek letters are also one of Jesus’ names?  In Revelation chapter 22, the Savior applies this name to himself. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End,” he says (verse 13).  What does this name mean?

Consider how we use those two letters in our language.  When a store advertises, “We have everything from A to Z,” we know what it means.  It’s claiming, “We have it all. Everything you need you can find here.  We are all-sufficient.”  This claim may or may not be true.  But when Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” it’s true, wonderfully true.  He has it all. He is all-sufficient.  There is nothing missing.  He is all we need for salvation.

Scarcely had the sponge soaked with sour wine moistened Jesus’ parched lips when we hear Him speak.  “It is finished,” He says.  Although only one word of four syllables in the Greek language, yet these are words of great significance to the world. Nor are we exaggerating when we call them the most important words in the history of the world.  “It is finished,” Jesus said, not with the whisper of the dying that you have to bend low to hear.  No, He spoke, as the gospel writers tell us, with a loud voice so that all might hear.  “It is finished,” He wanted the whole world to know. 

With these words Jesus was telling all who would listen, “I have won.  My work of salvation is done.  I have opened wide the gates of heaven for mankind.  I have kept all of the law perfectly for every person.  I have paid for all sins. Not one sin is left, whether seemingly large or small.  I have suffered the agonies of hell that were reserved for sinners.  I have endured the full punishment and anger of my Father over sin.  I have shed my precious blood to redeem all mankind.  And now, it—My work of salvation—is completely finished.”  Not a single sin in the mountain load on His back was left unpaid.  From His cross the Savior could turn His gaze from the first sinner to the last and see no one whose guilt He had not covered.

Thank God we know our salvation is all done.  Thank God we know that whether we call Jesus Alpha and Omega or A and Z, he is the only Savior we’ll ever need.  When Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End,” we can take Him at His word.  He truly is all we need for salvation and all we need for heaven.  May the Lord in His mercy keep this confidence in our hearts this Good Friday and always!

 

Pleasure to Serve - a Maundy Thursday Reflection

A favorite restaurant of mine is Chik-Fil-A.  There is something about that restaurant that always seems to stand out to me – their customer service.  The thing that really set their customer service apart to me was how the person at the drive through window will always say, “It’s my pleasure to serve you!”  The first time I heard them say that it kind of caught me off guard.  I thought, “It’s really a pleasure for you to serve me a chicken sandwich and some fries?”  But it’s true…there really is pleasure in service.

Maundy Thursday is all about service.  We see that it truly is the Lord’s pleasure to serve as He washes the feet of His disciples – the job of a slave.   At Jesus' time, the common practice was to have the household slaves wash guests' feet as they entered the house.  Since most people wore sandals, and the roads were dirty, dusty and hot, the cool water and gentle washing would be a relieving and refreshing welcome to your guest.  A pitcher, basin and towel at the door were marks of hospitality.  Of course, it was also a menial task - even demeaning.  The feet of a traveler would be dirty, sweaty and smelly.  Foot washing was a sign of hospitality and love but it was not done among peers but done by children and slaves.  John is the only one who tells of this demonstration of love and servanthood but Matthew records a similar message to His disciples when Jesus said:  Whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

In fact, Jesus whole earthly mission was one of service as He says in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”  Paul echoes those words in Philippians 2:5-8, where he says, “Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Jesus served us with His very own body as He was our once and for all sacrifice for sin on the cross.  And on Maundy Thursday we see the Lord continuing to serve us with His body and blood through the Lord’s Supper.

I love Martin Luther’s quote about the Lord’s Supper.  He said, “If we were handing out gold coins at the altar, the balcony would collapse under the weight of those who would be waiting in line.”  He also goes on to say, “Blind people would swim across rivers to get such treasure!  But the Lord’s Supper is a far greater treasure that moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal. Here we have the body and blood of our ascended and glorified brother!  The body and blood hidden under the bread and wine serves no other purpose than to rescue us poor sinners from the guilt, punishment, and rule of sin.”

What an amazing treasure the Lord serves us with!  At the Lord’s Table, Jesus serves us what the Lutheran Confessions call a visible Gospel. The Lord attaches His words of promise to the eating and drinking of bread and wine.  God’s promise, “given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins,” fills our ears and moves our hearts to faith.  His grace touches our lips.  We, quite literally, “taste and see that the LORD is good.”  Even our sense of smell is permeated with His divine assurance.

Not only is Christ’s body and blood placed in our mouths, but so is our forgiveness.  After a week of struggling with sin, there is no more intimate way that God could assure us that what was done on Calvary is ours!   When our Lord Jesus, by the hand of His undershepherd, gives you His body and blood, there can be no mistake who Jesus is addressing with forgiveness.   Christ is, in effect, saying to you, “I mean YOU when I say ‘given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.’ How can you tell?  I, Jesus Christ, place My body and blood into your mouth. You are a beloved child of the heavenly Father because of what I have done here.”

Forgiveness, grace, mercy, love – these are all blessings that we are indeed served in the Lord’s Supper and through the Divine Service.  From the beginning to the end of worship we are being served by God.  How amazing is that!?!?  That’s why we gather in worship – to be served by God with the blessings that He gives to us.

As the Lord serves us and blesses us with His gifts, we are then equipped to serve each other and everyone else we come in contact with.  It effects our entire lives and every role and responsibility we have.  What a pleasure it is to serve others…whether it be through our vocation, or through our roles as husbands and wives, mothers or fathers, children, friends, co-workers…with the gifts that God has equipped us with!

Do we fail in this service to one another?  Absolutely!  Our sinful nature says to serve only one person – ourselves!  We fail in our service to both God and one another.  But the Good News is that when we fail – Christ is still there to serve us with exactly what we need – His full and free forgiveness.

Chick-Fil-A has it right.  It is a pleasure to serve.  And the reason it is a pleasure to serve is because of the One who continues to serve us with all that we need for both body and soul for all eternity!

 

A Change in Circumstances



"I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die."  John 11:25

 

A number of years ago, a letter appeared in the national news that was sent to a deceased person by the Indiana Department of Social Services. It read as follows: Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away.  You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.

The good news, through the power of God’s Word – is that God has a resurrection for you!  God has given us the ultimate change in circumstances!  The powerful story from John 11 speaks to this.  For John, this story was a drama of the tragedy of death and the triumph of the new life.  Let’s go back and review it again. Mary and Martha who live in Bethany are some of Jesus’ closest friends.  They send word to him that their brother, whose name is Lazarus, is desperately ill.  But by the time Jesus gets there, Lazarus has died and has been in his grave for four days.  Mary and Martha come out to meet Jesus and they express their grief: “He’s gone. We’ve lost him.  O Lord, if only you have been here, our brother would not have died.”

The family and friends have gathered and in their deep sorrow, they begin to weep over the loss of their loved one, Lazarus.  The heart of Jesus goes out to them, and Jesus weeps with them.  He loved Lazarus, too, he loves them, and he shares their pain. Jesus goes out to the cave-like tomb and he says to them: “Roll back the stone!”  Martha, always the realist and ever ready to speak out, protests: “But Lord, we can’t do that. He has been in the grave for 4 days.  By now there will be a terrible odor.”  Jesus says to her: “Martha, only believe and you will see the power of God.”

So they roll the stone away, and Jesus cries out in a loud voice: “Lazarus, come forth!”  And incredibly, miraculously, amazingly, before their very eyes… Lazarus is resurrected!  He comes out of the tomb.  He still has on his grave clothes.  His head and feet are still wrapped with mummy-like bandages.  Jesus then turns to the friends and family and says to them, “Unbind him and let him go.  Unwrap him and set him free.”

In this powerful and dramatic story, three amazing lessons jump out at us.  Three great truths emerge which are helpful to us today.

First, Jesus wept with those he loved and he still does.  John 11:35 is famous for being the shortest verse in the Bible.  While that may be very helpful for Bible Trivia – there is even more importance found in those two words – “Jesus wept”.  Those two short words tell us of our Savior’s love and care for those He came to redeem – like Lazarus, and each and every one of us.

Jesus wept with those He loved, and He still does.  He hurts with us.  He feels our pain.  We all face suffering some time and when it comes, one thing we can know is that our Lord is hurting with us, and He will love us through it.  He will walk through the valley with us and in time He will bring us out of the valley of sorrow to the mountaintop on the other side.  Jesus wept with those he loved and he still does.

The second truth we find is Jesus raised people up and he still does.  How does Jesus do this?  Through His living and active Word.  We also see this in Ezekiel.  We too, ask along with Ezekiel, “Can these dry bones live?”  When disaster strikes, when someone we love dies, when our health is broken, when we’re disappointed and crushed, we ask – can these dry bones live?  The answer is, YES!  They will live because God Himself will draw them together with sinews and muscles and cover them with skin and breath into them His life – His Word.  Impossible?  Not for our God, a God of mercy, grace, and love.  Not for the God who has redeemed His people from the guilt and power of sin when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to give His life on the cross.  There on the cross Jesus’ Word proclaimed victory saying – “It is finished.” 

The same Word that brought life to the dry bones in Ezekiel cries out to Lazarus.  And just as Jesus said to Lazarus, “come out” – He now speaks in the Word and personally addresses each of us by name saying “come out”.  “Come out of death, guilt, and bondage – and into life.”  Jesus has come that we might have life – but now and eternally.  He offers and gives peace, joy, and everything we need – but can’t find anywhere else.  He offers and He freely gives forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Jesus’ raising of Lazarus shows us that out of death comes new life.  Lazarus’ raising is a powerful sign of the Easter message of resurrection and new life.  The death of Lazarus proved to be an opportunity for Jesus to show once again the power of His Word.  At the conclusion of the story we learn that many who accompanied Mary to Lazarus’ tomb also believed in Jesus.  Not only can new life come out of death, so can the faith that leads to eternal life.

The third truth we find is that Jesus included others in the healing process, and he still does.  Notice what happens when Lazarus comes out of the tomb. Jesus turns to his family and friends and says, “Unbind him and let him go. Unwrap him and set him free.”

Jesus knew how important it is to have our family and our friends helping us, surrounding us with love, supporting us, encouraging us.  Another thing we see in this story is that Mary was accompanied by her grieving friends who grieved with her.  There is something supportive and therapeutic about having friends around you who love you to grieve with you. 

That is what the church often is:  a community of Christ’s compassion and consolation to one another.  In our busy and active culture, we often don’t have time to live deeply with our feelings.  In our hurried up plastic world, we often don’t have time to share deep love or deep sorrow.  In our shallow materialistic world, we attempt to minimize death.  But not in the church.  We know love; we know grief; and we share it with one another.   

God’s powerful Word has a resurrection for us each and every day.  Daily we fall short and die to sin – but through the forgiveness won for us by Jesus Christ, we begin each day remembering our Baptism and the robe of Christ’s righteousness that has been placed upon us.  God also has an eternal resurrection for us.  For just as Christ has been raised imperishable – so to will all believers be raised to new and eternal life in heaven.  Talk about a change in circumstances!



Citizens of Heaven

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3:18-21

If you have ever filled out an application for a passport or travel visa, you know that there is a great deal of information needed to validate the truth that you are a citizen.  Name, birthdate, social security number, address, phone number, eye and hair color, height, weight, parents’ name and maiden name - all facts that link you directly and unmistakably to your citizenship in the country.

Paul reminds us of our citizenship as Christians - a citizenship which is in heaven!  In his letter to the Philippians, Paul is clear - citizens of heaven are citizens because of the cross!  Citizens of the world are enemies of the cross.  The people at Philippi knew what Paul was getting at.  Philippi was a Roman colony but it was on the edge of Asia Minor and Greece - a long way from Rome - the spoke Latin, dressed in Roman garb, and attended theater just like in Rome.

In the same way that Roman citizenship requires a certain “way of life” - likewise, being a citizen of heaven requires a different way of life.  Enemies of the cross also have a certain behavior - their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. 

When we continue to live in the hurt of the past without forgiveness, we are an enemy of the cross; when we spend more time speaking words of gossip rather than God’s Word, we are an enemy of the cross; when we fail to see one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are an enemy of the cross; when we set goals for the future according to earthly standards, we are an enemy of the cross; when we struggle between what is ours and what is God’s, we are an enemy of the cross.  It led Paul to tears and Jesus to lament, where does it lead you?

Also, the minds of citizens of the world are on earthly things.  They simply cannot see beyond the health they have or don’t have, the money they have or don’t have, the job security or power, the recreation toys, the pension plan and the new car.  As long as there are amply blessings, God is good; but if there is struggle, then God’s goodness is measured against what can be achieved in the here and now.

But thanks be to God: for we have this promise - when we grieve and repent of our sins, Christ replaces our grief with His peace and forgiveness.  He restores and reconciles.  He makes new.  He gives us understanding that our citizenship in heaven has far more blessings than the temporary and fleeting ones of this world.

Proudly bear the cross of Christ and use it to free your life from the shackles of sin and death so that your body will be filled with praise and thanksgiving for the body you have is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  With the cross of Christ before you this Lenten season – may your soul sing out in eternal joy, “Heaven is my Home!”

I’m but a stranger here, Heav’n is my home;

Earth is a desert drear, Heav’n is my home.

Danger and sorrow stand  Round me on ev’ry hand;

Heav’n is my fatherland, Heav’n is my home.

LSB #748

 

You are Loved!

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10

Valentines Day can be a big deal - not only for the sale of cards, flowers, and candy - but most importantly to share just the right words with those we love and care for.  When I think about the right words for Valentines Day, I immediately think of one of my favorite parts of the upcoming holiday – the little candy hearts with words on them!  I wonder what the little candy hearts would say if they contained a message from God.  Based on God’s Word it would be safe to say that the message from God would read something like, “You are loved”.

God’s Word is very clear about His love for us!  God’s love for us is perfect.  God love for us is unconditional.  His perfect and unconditional love for us is shown most clearly through Jesus Christ.  Out of love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior from sin, death, and the devil.  Jesus shed His blood in order to set us free from the condemnation that our sin deserves.  His death and resurrection have won for us forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation.

As repentant sinners, Christ’s blood has paid for every hate and murder and every harsh word, every affair and divorce and every look that was a little too long, every perjury, and every promise we have ever broken and every gossip we have ever spoken.  Though our hearts are corrupt with daily sin - God doesn’t tolerate these hearts, He gave His Son to die for them.  God declares them righteous, clean, new hearts solely on the account of Jesus Christ.

God’s valentine to you is: “You are loved!”  Carry that message in your heart each and every day, and rejoice in the forgiveness, life, and salvation that is yours because of God’s love for you shown in Jesus Christ!

 

Overcoming Evil with Good

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:21

I came across a story this week of a man who was a big gardener.  His new neighbor saw him digging a hole in his back yard.  “That’s a pretty deep hole”, the neighbor said, “What are you going to put in it?”  “I am replanting some of my corn,” was the quick response.  “But you surely don’t need such a deep hole to plant a few seeds of corn,” the neighbor replied.  “I surely do,” replied the gardener, “The seeds are all inside one of your chickens.”

Sometimes we go to great lengths to get revenge!  It just comes so natural to us – when someone hurts us in any way, we want to get back at them.  We want to “get even” and settle the score with our enemies and rivals.  The fact that vengeance is so intertwined into our sinful flesh makes the words of Romans 12:21 seem strange to us.

God does not want us to seek revenge on those who hurt us but to “overcome evil with good”.  How do we do that though?  The Lord gives us numerous examples in Scripture of how to overcome evil with good, but none of them seems to be more shocking to us than the Lord’s Words in this Sunday’s Gospel lesson from Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Pray for those who persecute us?  Absolutely, that’s what Jesus instructs us to do.  We have to admit though, we don’t always do this perfectly.  But thanks be to God – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has done this perfectly for us – on the cross!  Jesus Himself prayed from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”  What great love Jesus showed for us and all people as He did not seek revenge on those who were crucifying Him, but instead bore the full weight of our sins and died the death we deserve in order to give us forgiveness and eternal life!

May our Lord’s love not only be our example – but our refuge for forgiveness where the evil of our sin is overcome by God’s perfect goodness!

 

Nothing

For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

There is a story about a former NBA basketball player Rodney Hundley.  Hundley roomed for a while with Elgin Baylor, one of the greatest scorers in the history on the NBA.  One night, Baylor set a league record by scoring seventy-one points in a game.  In that same game Hundley scored 2 points.  As they got into a taxi for a ride back to their hotel after the game, Hundley put an arm around Elgin and noted triumphantly, “What a night we had, buddy!  73 points between us!”

The way a lot of people see salvation is similar to that story.  The fact that we have nothing to give God but our sin is thinking that is contrary to what most people in the world think.  They’ll claim that God certainly has done most of the work – but we still contribute a little bit to our salvation, at least 2 points worth.  But the fact remains – we have nothing and we contribute nothing to our salvation.  It is a wonderful gift of God given only through His love and grace. 

The same is true for each and every one of us.  God has given us all that we need – and more.  God promises to give us what we need for this body and life – but He has also given us so much more.  This world of sin and everything that goes with it will fade away.  But because of God’s love and His desire to give us everything – He gave us eternal life through our Lord and Savior.

We take comfort in what God has done for us out of His perfect love.  We also take comfort in the fact that we do not have to earn God’s love – for while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!  God’s perfect love was shown most clearly in this: God gave us His Son, the Lamb of God, to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He did this because without the cross of Christ, we would have nothing to put our hope in.

Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to the cross I cling.

Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.

LSB 761

 

Is the Church Relevant?

Is the church relevant to your daily life?  Does God’s Word have a Word for you?  There have always been those who question the relevancy of churches who peach the stuffy old Word of God and sing old hymns like we sing.  Come to their “relevant” church and you will have fun and it will be relevant because its new, its you, it’s life the way you like it.  There’s a lot of clamor in our world today for something new, a departure from the “same old, same old”.  It’s true when it comes to computers and cars and technology.  You don’t stay in business if you only offer the same old thing.  You don’t stay cool with hand-me-downs and yesterday’s news.  It’s also true when it comes to religion – people want something new.

The new alternatives today really aren’t new.  Other alternatives are merely old heresies with a fresh coat of paint.  In a survey of people today, few would say they practice paganism, Gnosticism, eunomianism, enthusiasm, pharisaism.  But they do – today they go by the name of new age, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, moral relativism, and meditation.  These all share one thing in common: they are all religions of the law.  In other words, every last one of them teaches that you win salvation, gain healing, find strength, secure divine favor and receive eternal rewards by YOUR work, YOUR meditation, YOUR efforts.  It’s up to you to save yourself.  That’s not new.  That’s an old ancient doctrine that’s been around since Genesis 3 and it hasn’t saved a single person yet!

Within Christianity, many sound the call for something new.  They say we should have new worship to keep up with the times and people.  We should adopt new doctrinal positions to become more open and tolerant of other lifestyles.  We must imagine a new vision for reaching those around us. 

In the middle of all this, we gather for worship.  We speak creeds that go back more than a millennia and a half.  We sing liturgy that goes even further back.  We read Scripture lessons that make those creeds and liturgy look young.  And with all of this, we proclaim the same simple but urgent message of sin and grace!

Sin and grace.  It may not sound new to you and me, because we’ve heard it time and time again.  What should be our response to such repetition?  Sheer thankfulness and joy!  The Lord continues to shower this message of salvation upon us.  We come to worship as people with a variety of concerns, worries, and problems.  We come with blessings to celebrate.  As we worship we hear God proclaim that Jesus died on the cross to redeem us.  With that Word, the Lord declares forgiveness of those sins and struggles that trouble us.  By God’s authority, He sends the devil away.  He gives us His Word that He will use all things to our good, and that He will deliver us from this sinful world to life everlasting.

   
Jesus asked the disciples, “Will you go away?”  And Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God.”  May we confess with our lives, with our worship, with our mission, that God’s Word alone has the authority to be relevant for us.