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.

 

The Star of Epiphany

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.  (Matthew 2:1-2)

Today is the day of Epiphany.  You all know the plot line of Epiphany.  Epiphany is normally the day when the Wise Men are the stars of the day.  It is their day in the spotlight, their day to take center stage.  Epiphany is the day the cameras focus on the Magi, coming from the East to bring gold and frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. 

In Numbers 24:17, God had promised, “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”  It’s likely the Wise Men had studied that passage and interpreted it to mean that a star would mark the birth of the One who would hold the scepter of Israel, that is, the Great King.

You know the story.  The Wise Men travel a great distance to Jerusalem to find the newborn King of the Jews.  They consult with wicked King Herod, who pretends to wish to worship Jesus too.  Then, leaving Jerusalem, they complete their journey to Bethlehem and reach their goal.  But the Wise Men aren’t really the “stars” of the day on Epiphany – the star is!

The star that brightly shined in the East is God’s invitation for all people to worship One Savior.  The Wise Men were faithful because they had something to place their faith in – God’s promise of a Savior.  

God put the star in the sky where all could see.  That was God’s way of announcing that Gentiles too, people of all lands and languages and backgrounds, are included in those promises.  We are included – you and I, and all people.

The message of Epiphany is: Christ Jesus is our Savior no matter who we are, where we are, or how sinful we are.  May this be what you think of when you hear the word “Epiphany” - God’s bright shining Light revealing His love and salvation for you!