Under Review

As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:12

If you like to watch sports like I do, one of the challenges is making sure that every call made by the referee or umpire is the correct one. But it seems as though the only way this is going to happen is by going to the replay. It all depends on the video.

It seems as if everything these days is somehow, somewhere, on video. Whenever something happens, it’s either on someone’s cell phone, a surveillance video, a dashboard camera, or body cameras. This can be put to good use - many crimes are being solved these days because of this technology. But it can also be bad - just ask the candidates running for president. Every misstep or misstatement is captured and played back over and over again by their opponent. To sear it into the public’s mind, that this is what this person is all about. So don’t vote for them. You can’t possibly vote for them. See?

But this isn’t necessarily a new thing. In one sense, it is. The advancement of technology has brought us to this point - relying on the replay of video. But in another way, this is nothing new. It’s a tool that satan has been using for a very long time. Because if you’re like me, he keeps replaying the vidoes of your sins in your mind. Over and over again. He doesn’t want you to forget all the mistakes you’ve made, all the regrets, all the shortcomings and failures.

This Easter season, rejoice that Jesus gives you a new video to re-play in your mind - not of your sins and failures and regrets, but of His triumph and forgiveness. You might not be able to stop satan from replaying those horrible videos in your mind, that show you how sinful and unworthy and unqualified you are to be a Christian, but every week you come back to God’s house and hear and see something else. New images put into your mind. You learn that is not your faithfulness, not your obedience, not your success, not your dedication that makes the difference - but Jesus’.

Christ is risen and lives to mercy you, absolve you, wash you, cleanse you, and raise you with Himself. To give you who are unholy His holiness. To give you who are unworthy His worthiness. To give you who are dead His life. To give you who are spiritual orphans His Son-ship. That no matter what your past, no matter what your video replay shows, in Him, you have a glorious future.

So while satan may keep replaying the video of your sins over and over in your mind, know this: that video has been erased in heaven. Those sins and videos no longer exist in Christ. They’ve been erased with His blood and buried in His tomb. Your sin?  Separated from you as far as the east is from the west.

Easter means you have a glorious future, now and forever. You’ve been set free from the past. To forgive, to be forgiven, to live without fear, to hit the delete button for others who have sinned against you, that’s the joy of Easter. The joy of our risen Savior, for you, and for all. The joy that enables you to proclaim that Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen!

The Humble King

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out, “Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”  And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

John 12:13-15

On Sunday we enter holy week with our celebration of Palm Sunday.  On Palm Sunday we confess our faith in Jesus, the true and humble King!

In Jesus Christ, we have a true King – a humble King - who gets down on His knees to wash the feet of His followers.  We have a King who searches for His lost citizens like a shepherd who searches for his lost sheep.  We have a King who comes forward and volunteers to be executed for the crimes we have committed that are deserving of death.  We have a King who submitted Himself to every word of Scripture, every Law, and every measure of wrath for our sin – just to be our Lord.  He did it all – for you!

Jesus didn’t give up His glory or being God – but He became one of us.  Jesus was at the very same time true God and true man.  Sometimes we think that Jesus being both God and Man somehow lessens His suffering and struggles.  But remember this – unlike a normal man, He could see amidst all the palm waving and the shouting of hosannas to what lied ahead for Him.  Jesus saw Good Friday before it was Good Friday.  He saw what was in store for Him – yet He still went forward to the cross.  Jesus went forward to the cross all because He saw you, and He saw a world in need of a Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil.  That is true, perfect humility – putting others first.  That is also true glory – as Jesus glories in saving us before preserving His own life.

As Jesus Christ shows us true humility and true glory through the cross and the resurrection – we can joyfully confess that Jesus is our true King and Savior!

Confidence in God's Presence

And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.  If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.  1 John 2:28-29

Children of God, rejoice – for we have confidence that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God abides with us now and for all eternity! 

The world in which we live is full of questions and doubts – especially now in light of the coronavirus and its effects on our lives.  People look at the world today and doubt that God even exists.  In the midst of all the hardships of life –illnesses and disease, failed relationships, financial struggles, stress, and natural disasters – people tend to question the existence of God.  Even those who believe in God, sinfully tend to doubt His love and presence in our lives.

As Christians, we have the wonderful message to proclaim that God truly does exist – and more than that, He is not a distant God, but a loving God who abides with His creation.  This is where we get our confidence as children of God: God did not leave us in the sin and despair of this world.  Instead He sent His one and only Son to become flesh in order to redeem the world by living a perfect life on our account, dying the death our sin deserves, and rising victoriously from the grave to win the victory over death for us.

God continues to abide with us through every day of our lives.  Not one moment goes by that God is not right beside us.  God is also present with us through His means of grace – Word and Sacrament.  Through His Word, God speaks His faithful and true promises and the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith to believe and hold fast to the promises of God.  In our Baptism, we were marked by God as His children – as the water combined with the power of God’s Word washed away our sin and clothed us with Christ’s righteousness.  And in the Lord’s Supper – Jesus Christ is truly present with us as we partake of His body and blood which were given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins.

As God abides with us, we can live our lives with confidence - knowing that when we see God face to face we will not shrink away from Him in shame.  Instead we can stand boldly in His presence – clothed with Christ’s righteousness – as His children.  It is this knowledge that enables us to live each day – not in fear or doubt because of the hardships this sinful world brings – but in the blessed assurance of forgiveness, life, and salvation which is ours through Christ.

I need Thy presence every passing hour;

What but Thy grace can foil the tempters power?

Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.

(LSB 878)

All Things For Good?

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,

for those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

A third grade Sunday School teacher was making the point with her class that God was omnipotent – that He was able to do anything.  She asked the class, “Is there anything that you can think of that God cannot do?”  There was silence.  Then one little boy held up his hand.  Somewhat frustrated that the point had been lost on this little boy, she asked, “Well, just what is it that God can’t do?”  “Well,” replied the boy, “He can’t please everybody!”

As sinful human beings, its easy for us to blame God when we’re not happy or when things aren’t going the way we think they should.  When we’ve prayed for something and haven’t gotten the answer we’ve been looking for, it’s tempting to be displeased with God.  When we're faced with the fear and uncertainties that have arisen due to the Coronavirus outbreak, it's easy to for us to direct our anger at God.

In the midst of difficult times when we become displeased with God, we need to be directed back to God’s Word.  In His Word, God gives us His sure and certain promises that we can hold onto no matter what we face in life.  One of these promises is found in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”  Even in the most difficult of times - even in the midst of a pandemic - God is at work for our very best!

Not only is God at work for our very best, He’s also given us His very best.  God has given us the tremendous gift of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.  Through His life, death, and resurrection we have the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life.  Later on in Romans 8 we are told that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus! 

These are the sure and certain promises of God that we can hold onto no matter what we face in life!

Through the Storm

And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?”  Matthew 8:26-27

At Home Readings: Matthew 8:23-27   Psalm 107:1-29

Imagine following Jesus around during His earthly ministry.  You witness leprosy healed!  You hear the power of Jesus’ Word as He heals the centurions servant!  And if that weren’t enough, Jesus shows you His power over the devil and his demons as He cast out demons with His Word. 

One day, you find yourself on a boat with Jesus.  Jesus is sleeping when all the sudden a massive storm strikes.  You’ve been through storms before, but this one seems different. Quickly, you wake Jesus and plead for help.  He says some troubling words, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”  How do you react to this?

The disciples reacted, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?”  Many times we read this and wonder why the disciples would even ask a question like that?  Didn’t they know Jesus had this kind of power?  Why couldn’t He calm the storm?

“What sort of man is this?”  He is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God – our Savior.  He is the One who has power over sin, death, and the devil.  He promises that He will lead us and protect us.  With Him, we need not fear – He will get us through the storm!

Heavenly Father, Lead me and protect me through all the storms of life.  Amen.

Reflecting in Lent

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

In the season of Lent, the Law is ever before us.  We are reminded of the many things that we have placed before God in our lives.  We are reminded that we normally have our minds and hearts fixed not on Him but on our own pleasure and convenience.  It is easier to watch television than to pray.  It is more convenient to love gossip or the lusts of the flesh than His cross.  For family bickering, there is always time.  For His Word and a family devotion, well, perhaps later.  It is time now for the sports page, not for a page in the Bible.

It gets worse.  We imagine in our total wickedness and depravity that we are NOT totally wicked and depraved.  We actually think that we really don’t deserve what He endured; and we yawn or are maybe even irritated when someone points it out, especially during Lent.  We vainly assume that somehow or other there is at least a scrap of merit in us for which we should not have to suffer and for which He should therefore not have had to suffer either. 

So foolish are we, to put it another way, that we imagine there is some good in us that does not require His journey to the cross.  It’s just another way of saying that deep down inside we think we have actually helped Him somehow, at least once in a while, at least sometime or other.  That may be the greatest sin of all and the one we are least likely to recognize, much less confess.  It is the sin of thinking that at least a little bit in us needs no forgiveness and, yes, is even deserving of some eternal reward.

Yes, the Law is certainly all around us.  This penitential season of Lent is the time when we look at our sins and reflect upon them – realizing that it is those very sins that gave Jesus the death sentence we deserve!   From beginning to end, all that Jesus does on His journey to the cross - He is doing in our place, in our stead, on our behalf.

We know that our Lenten journey ends with the sweet message of the Gospel.  It ends with us beside the empty tomb of Christ, where we celebrate the forgiveness, life, and salvation that are ours through His life, death and resurrection!

Cry Out to the Lord

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Psalm 34:17

There are many things in life that cause us to cry out to the Lord.  When we hear news that a family member or close friend has died.  When relationships fail.  When financial difficulties loom and anxiety is high.  When the diagnosis of a disease comes as a surprise.  When a loved one falls away from their relationship with the Lord.  These and many more situations all lead us, as Christians, to cry out to the Lord.

In the midst of all the struggles and difficulties that this world brings, we may not always feel that God is listening and answering our cries for help.  Well, if there is an expert on “crying out to the Lord”, it’s David.  David reminds us in Psalm 34 that when we cry out to God, we certainly are not wasting our breath!  God hears and answers prayer!  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit! 

As Christians we know full well that we are not somehow exempt from disappointments, temptations to sin, and other difficult experiences.  Yet, we have the marvelous promise that God is near to us and He indeed saves us!  Augustine writes, “A great mystery, Brethren.  God is above all:  you raise yourself, and touch Him not; you humble yourself, and He descends to you.”

May we remember each and every day the great blessing and privilege we have to pray to the Lord – knowing that He hears our cries and promises to answer with what He knows is the very best for us!

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit; Oh, what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

LSB #770