Sermon - Thanksgiving - Deuteronomy 8:1-10

Deuteronomy 8:1-10
“Giving Thanks for Pomegranates”

A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to you all. Every year we observe this national holiday. The 4th Thursday of November is set aside by longstanding presidential order as a day of national thanksgiving. Your history books might tell you that the first day of thanksgiving was December 4th of 1619, when the Pilgrims in the Virginia Colony first celebrated the day. Or you might think of the Massachusetts Bay Colony marking their first thanksgiving in 1630. But the truth is, harvest festivals have a longstanding history in many nations and cultures. And we find something similar even in ancient Israel.

We Lutherans teach and value the biblical value of thanks-giving, and instill it in our children when they learn their catechism.  Consider the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed, where we credit God the Father who: 

…has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him.

Likewise, as we study the Lord’s Prayer, we learn the importance of daily bread:

God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all wicked men; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread?

Everything that belongs to the support and wants of the body, such as meat, drink, clothing, shoes, house, homestead, field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful magistrates, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

These two long lists that some of us have memorized and forgotten a dozen times in our life don’t even scratch the surface of the blessings we could count.  But they are a good starting place, and a good encouragement for us and our children, to be thankful.

Here in Deuteronomy, Moses gives some words of encouragement to his people as they were just about to enter the Promised Land. He warns them to be careful in following God’s commands. He reminds them of what God had already done for them. These 40 years of desert wandering had been a time of testing and preparation. But they were also a time in which God cared for his people. Throughout those years, God fed them daily bread from heaven – not just to keep them alive, but also to teach them that “man does not live by bread alone”. It was Jesus himself who quoted these words when fending off the devil during his own wilderness wandering.

Furthermore, God provided that for 40 years their clothes did not wear out. Most of us are quite used to choosing clothes from our closet full of options each day – and still sometimes they wear out (or perhaps we out-grow them). But the Israelites weren’t toting around extravagant wardrobes – their clothes, like their food, were simple but sufficient.

And so this time of testing and disciplining was close to its end. The Israelites stood on the threshold of their promised land – a veritable paradise. The land flowing with milk and honey. Actually, more than that. Compared to the manna they ate every day, the description of that land of plenty must have seemed like heaven:

A good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

After a daily desert diet of bread, and a generation which had seen subsistence but scarcity, their destination must have been a dream come true. They had much, in those 40 years, for which to give thanks. But they would have even more in the years to come, as God’s promise is fulfilled. Plentiful water, mineral resources, bountiful harvests of rich foods – even pomegranates! Bread will keep you alive, but pomegranates! Now that’s the good life!

I don’t know why the pomegranates jumped out for me. We read this same passage every year on Thanksgiving. I have preached on it before. But I don’t think most of us think much of the pomegranates. Kind of an unusual fruit for us to eat in modern American life. But not foreign to the ancient middle east. But even better, the pomegranate is mentioned elsewhere in scripture – and it has an important symbolic value.

Exodus chapter 28:33-34 directed that images of pomegranates be woven onto the borders of Hebrew priestly robes. 1 Kings chapter 7:13-22 describes pomegranates depicted in the temple King Solomon built in Jerusalem.

Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate is a symbol for righteousness, because it is said to have 613 seeds which corresponds with the 613 mitzvot or commandments of the Torah. Many Jews continue this tradition by eating pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah.

But the pomegranate is also a Christian symbol. With its many seeds united as one, it has served as a symbol for the universal Christian church. It is also used to represent royalty, hope of a future life, and resurrection.

Was it for any of these reasons that the pomegranate was mentioned in the list of blessings the people could expect in their new homeland? No. Moses was simply describing the lush conditions they could expect.

But is it wrong of us to think of greater blessings along with the lesser ones? Shouldn’t we Christians give thanks for the mundane gifts as well as the extravagant? Shouldn’t we ponder, on this Thanksgiving and always, those blessings below as well as those above? The good things given, the daily bread, but also that we live on more than bread alone?

Give thanks for bread. Give thanks for pomegranates. And give thanks for more.
For we have God’s holy law, and we have God’s precious Gospel. We have the righteousness of Christ our royal High priest, our true temple. We have a future hope in him of a resurrection to immortality. And we have been made members of his body, the church – like the many seeds of a pomegranate – we are all found in him.

Give thanks for bread, but give thanks even more for every word from the mouth of God. For it is in those words that we truly find what sustains life.

There we read and hear about Jesus who died, Jesus who lives, Jesus who forgives, and Jesus who makes us alive. It is Jesus who is the life-sustaining and life-giving Word of God made flesh, the bread of life from heaven. If we give thanks for anything at all, it is for him and to him.

Consider, then, also the ten lepers in our Gospel reading.  All ten are healed – as God bestows his blessings on the righteous and the wicked – just as the rain falls.  His gifts are given freely and without strings attached.  We don’t earn our daily bread, or our eternal life, any more than these lepers earned the mercy of Christ.  But Christ gives freely.  Christ shows mercy.  Christ brings blessings.

And in this case only the one, the Samaritan, returned to give thanks.  Thus shaming the others in their thanklessness and showing us an example for faith to follow.  Always get back to Jesus.  Always give thanks to him. 

This Thanksgiving, as always, give thanks to God for his many blessings. Take some time to count those blessings. Consider the mundane blessings, the bread. Consider the greater blessings, the pomegranates. And consider the greatest blessings, which come through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sermon - Christ the King Sunday - Luke 23:27-43

“Christ the King”
Luke 23:27-43

Why this reading today? This is Good Friday stuff! Why is the Gospel from an account of Jesus' crucifixion? It’s the end of November. Isn't today at least supposed to be about Jesus as the King of kings crowned in glory! It is Christ the King Sunday right? The Last Sunday in the Church Year! Isn’t that when we talk about Christ as King?

I’ve been watching a TV show called, “The Crown”, which follows the lives of Queen Elizabeth and her family through the years.  It’s an interesting glimpse of what life might actually be like for the royal family, and some of the struggles they’ve had to face.  It’s an imagining of what it’s like behind the veil of pomp and pageantry, ceremony and tradition that surrounds the royals in all their glory.
When we think of Christ the King Sunday we often think of what we know of earthly kings and Queens and their robes and crowns and thrones and palaces. But behind all of that, they are ultimately just regular people.  With Jesus, we have something of the opposite.  Behind his humble form, his lowly appearance, his ignoble suffering and death – lies a glory that not kings of this world can match or fathom.  It is in the cross that we can most clearly see Christ the King, the King of Kings, in His glory.

Today's reading points to the glory found on that Friday that is called good. Good Friday was like a public coronation and at that public coronation Jesus' throne is not made of gold but made of blood stained wood, His crown is not filled with precious gems it is a crown of thorns, and yet above His head-stricken, smitten and afflicted-Jesus has the words inscribed, “This is the King of the Jews.”

The Gospel of John records how Pontius Pilate commanded that those words be put there in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek, and John records how the Jewish people who had orchestrated Jesus' death at the cross, the chief priests, protested saying, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

Now this proclamation might have been meant to mock Jesus, it might have been meant to frustrate the chief priests - Pilate saying to them 'I'm going to give you what you want but I'm not going to completely give it to you the way you want it," so however it was intended those words are true, “This is the King of the Jews.”  It’s one of those bitterly ironic details of the passion in which the truth is spoken in spite of wicked men.  Remember when the high priest advised, “It is better that one man die” and when the crowd cried out, “his blood be on us and our children”.

Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews and ultimately not just their king, Jesus was, and is, and ever shall be the King of kings and LORD of lords. John in the book of Revelation says that those words "King of kings and LORD of lords" are written on His clothing and on His skin.

St. Matthew records how Jesus said at His Ascension into heaven, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me." Yes, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Christ Jesus, the King of kings and LORD of lords.

At a royal coronation great care is given to how and in what way the new King or Queen will be given honor, the salutes and the words said by the people gathered there, the military the government officials. But at the cross St. Luke records how the chief priests, and "the soldiers [who were crucifying Jesus] also mocked Him, coming up and offering Him sour wine [essentially vinegar while] saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” No honor was given by the soldiers as the King of kings and LORD of lords hung dying upon the cross.

In fact one of the two Criminals hung there with Jesus likewise said, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” One of the meanings of the word Christ is "The Anointed One," and when a King or Queen has their coronation they are anointed. So this man, this criminal likewise says, “Are You not the [Anointed One]? Save Yourself and us!”

But what about the other criminal? What does the other criminal say? The other man who hung there with Jesus? Does he ask for the same as the first one? No. He brings a different petition to Christ the King, He says, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

In our hymnal there is a hymn called, "Come, My Soul, with Every Care" In it we sing,

"Come, my soul, with ev’ry care, Jesus loves to answer prayer; He Himself has bid thee pray, Therefore will not turn away."

And in the second verse we sing,

"Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring; For His grace and pow’r are such, None can ever ask too much."

These two men, these two criminals, these two sinners, hanging there with Jesus both bring large petition to the King of the Jews. But these two petitions are very different. Do you find yourself in either of these two men? Do you find yourself in their petitions?

Maybe you today have a situation, a trouble, a suffering that you are experiencing and even if it isn't on your lips, maybe it's in your thoughts, the plea "Save me!" Save me right now! Make this all go away! Jesus come down off that cross, take me down off of mine and let's get out of here, let's just go and get something to eat and have drink or something, LET'S JUST GO! Can't this suffering, this death, this torment just end, and end right now. Do I have to go through it? “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” Maybe your prayer is simply a petition for relief from suffering ... maybe not even for yourself, maybe it is for the relief of the suffering of another, relief from future suffering.
Consider this: Just after celebrating, the Last Supper, Jesus went with His disciples to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives and with sweat like great drops of blood, face down in the dirt, He prayed to His heavenly Father saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” He had the festive cup of wine with His disciples, but what lay ahead was the sour wine, the vinegar of the cross. The answer Jesus received when He prayed, "let this cup pass from Me" was no, You must drink it. To serve His Heavenly Father's Will Jesus could not answer the petition of the one Criminal when in desperation he asks, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”

Could Jesus have answered this petition? Could He have come down off of the cross? Walked out of the middle of His coronation, set aside His crown of thorns and walked out of there with this man. Yes, I suppose Jesus could have but where would that leave you and me and all people? To save one for a couple years Jesus would have had to condemn the World. But just because you can do a thing doesn't mean that you should do a thing.

What does the book of Hebrews say? "Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." For the sake of this man's sins, for yours, for mine Jesus endured the cross and did not walk away from it. As He drank the cup of suffering at the cross. Jesus was perfectly patient as death approached, His trust was secure. When we are not perfectly patient in our suffering but remember you have a King who faced this flawlessly and in Him is your forgiveness.

What about the other prayer, the other petition? “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” The other criminal, recognizing his guilt and the consequences of it, turns to Christ Jesus and shows patience and trust. From his words you can see that he has somehow already heard of the kingdom of God that Jesus preached throughout His public ministry, and believed that this kingdom really was coming, and that however dark that day of death had become on Golgotha, the place of the skull, with the three of them crucified their together, a new day was going to dawn and that promised kingdom was indeed coming.

This repentant man hanging next to Jesus says, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom,” Although he is a criminal, somehow still he has heard and believed, and in his suffering he places his trust in Jesus. The first man is so caught up in this present suffering that he can't see the coming joy that was set before him, while this man looks past the suffering to the promises made by Christ Jesus. And what does Jesus say to the man who prays, "Remember me when You come into Your kingdom," Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”

Our epistle reading says that Jesus, "is the image of the invisible God, ... all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." This is the King who hangs upon the cross, and as unlikely as it might seem to be, even there at the cross in suffering and death, "in [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him," God reconciled to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, through Jesus at the cross, and peace was made by the blood of His cross.

So again the question: Why this reading today? This is Good Friday stuff! Why is the Gospel from an account of Jesus' crucifixion? The Christmas Trees are about to go up. Think about what the angel Gabriel says to the Virgin Mary when He came to announce to her that she would be the mother of our Lord, He said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

When we think of Kings and Queens we think of people set apart, they are not dropping in for tea, or supper, we don't hang around with them, they are not with us like family or close friends. And yet God Himself in the Second Person of the Trinity, in the Son, in this Jesus who is, "the image of the invisible God," does live with us. He is God with us, God with you. God with you in happiness and joy, God with you in sorrow and suffering, even in death, Christ with us. Your King is not sitting comfortable set apart away from you: He took on your death that you might have His Eternal life. This is true glory. He is before you, ahead of you, but He is also with you.

At the cross Jesus has come into His kingdom, Jesus remembers you in your joy and in your suffering, He comes to you today in Holy Communion, and He will take you to Himself at your time of death and on that day you will be with Him in paradise. Today is a foretaste of the feast to come. Today your King is with you here. Amen.

This Sermon adapted from one by Rev. Ted Geise, by permission.

Sermon - 23rd Sunday after Pentecost - Luke 21:5-36

Luke 21:5-36
 “Your Redemption is Drawing Near”

We mentioned last week that these last few Sundays of the church year, before we begin Advent in December – focus our attention on the last things, or what we call, “eschatology”. Last week we focused particularly on one aspect of that – the resurrection of the body.  We Christians will, on that day, rise from the dead, and live, body and soul, with God forever. But you might think of the end, and Scripture certainly also speaks of it in other terms:  as judgment day, the day of destruction, the second coming of Christ, or the day of redemption and the beginning of the kingdom yet to come.

No matter what you call that day and its events, talk about the end gets people – even Christians – a little nervous. Maybe a lot nervous. Will there be gloom and doom and destruction and plagues and suffering and cataclysmic disasters? Or more personally, will I, myself, have to stand before the throne of God and answer for all my sins? How will I be judged on that day of judgment? These are the sorts of questions that make people want to read some other passage of the Bible. Let's just no think about it.

And some of what Jesus says today might bring us fear. For while he speaks, on the one hand about the end of days, he also weaves it together with predictions about the fall of Jerusalem. And still, he manages to include us and all believers in his warnings – and his promises – about the things to come.

Jesus knew it would be tough for his disciples, and for you. He knew that there would be all sorts of troubles and temptations. Persecution and pitfalls. He warns them, and us – of the difficulties – not just of living in this world, but as one of his disciples. The difficulty of avoiding false teachers who come in his name. The dangers posed by authorities who are hostile to his teaching and his people. There's a lot going against us. It could make us hang our heads.

But there is hope.

For Christians living in this world, there is hardship, trouble, grief, pain.... but all these things are temporary.

Even the most permanent things in this world will melt away. The great and mighty temple of Herod, with huge stones built high and magnificent – that would be torn down not 40 years from Jesus' departure.

Here’s a little history review:  Most of this we know from the Jewish historian turned Roman sympathizer Josephus.  It was 70 AD when the Romans finally had enough of Jewish rebellion, and Roman General Titus, son of the emperor Vespasian, laid siege to Jerusalem.  It was a horrible event.  The Romans circled the city.  Josephus describes starvation, mass crucifixions, and a death toll of around 1 million people.  They set fire to, and destroyed the city and its monumental temple, which was knocked down.  They left only the western wall (which stands to this day) as a testament to how great the city was that they had destroyed.  They Jews call it the Wailing Wall.

Now Jesus said almost as much.  But he said “not one of these stones will be left upon another”.  So was he wrong?  No, because he wasn’t only speaking of the historical events of 70 AD, but also of the termination of history itself.  The end of this world and the beginning of the world to come.  In a way, all these kinds of catastrophes and disasters of man-made or natural origin – all of them are a sign of the impending doom of all creation.  Then, Jesus’ warnings of destruction will come true in the fullest sense.  And woe to the ones who are outside of his protection in that day.  A stern warning to the ungodly.

But also a strong promise to the faithful.  For we know that no matter how bad things get here, there is an end.  No matter the suffering and trouble, the persecution or danger or sword – all of it will amount to nothing in the end, for Christ gains the victory, and we with him.  So the fact that all of this is temporary is also good news for the Christian.  Because it’s all corrupt, and it must go to make way for the new heavens and new earth.

And then there's our very life. Yes, we know we will die. This corrupted body won't last – it can't. Sin takes its toll. Its wages come due. And the grave waits for us all. Whether it comes through sickness or accident or because someone takes our life away – no matter. Jesus spoke these words to his disciples, who were, almost to a person – to die a martyr’s death.  Crucified upside down (Peter), stoned and clubbed to death (James), stabbed (Matthew), burned (Matthias), and beheaded (Paul).  The early Christian martyrs were thrown to the lions and tortured and killed in all manner and fashion.  And yet Jesus says, “not a hair of your head will be harmed”.

So too, our earthly life may be taken, but our eternal life is secure. Our body may be destroyed, but not a hair on our head is harmed – not according to his promise. For we shall rise at the end, and stand-  hair and head and hands and feet and heart - and live in perfected and glorified bodies – living with our Lord and all his people forever.  Even more, God makes death his own servant – as in Christ we are buried in baptism, and as bodily death becomes the gate to eternal life.  And he even uses death itself to conquer death, by the death of Jesus on the cross.

None of the troubles of this world will last forever. Even death itself is on the clock. But Christ says his words WILL endure forever. And we believe it by his grace!

All that terror and destruction the Bible describes – all the horrors of the end – are all consequences of sin. And while we bear them in part, even now, and while we may bear them more fully as the birth pangs of creation increase and the end hastens – only one bore all the suffering for sin. Jesus Christ.

His cross is the end of sin's hold on this world, and on you. His sacrifice there is the death of death, the source of your life. And the words he speaks, even there, will endure forever: “It is finished”. Sin, death, the power of the Devil – all are finished at the cross. Salvation is accomplished there on Calvary. It is confirmed at the empty tomb of his resurrection. And it will be completely fulfilled on the day that he has appointed. For the world, and for you.

We don't know when it will be. But we see the signs. All around us we see the things Jesus is talking about – wars and rumors of wars. Earthquakes, famines, and pestilence. Persecution of Christians – we may even feel we are under siege like ancient Jerusalem. We look around and the world seems so messed up, our country is in turmoil, and our own personal lives are a disaster.  We could hang our heads low in despair.  We can only see the trouble that is before us.  We might think all hope is lost.  But Jesus says,

“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Straighten up!  Raise your heads!  Stop looking down in despair, but stand tall, look up in hope.  Your redemption is drawing near. It's a sure word of hope in the midst of all that is tumbling down around us. It's a sure word of promise that gets us through the dark days into that bright tomorrow of forever.
You have been redeemed by the blood and death of Jesus.  And you will see the fulfillment of that redemption when he comes again in glory.  Here are words to hold onto when the world is crashing down around us, stone after stone.  When you’re fainting with fear and foreboding and the heavens themselves are shaking – here’s a firm place to stand – in your baptism,  under the cross of Jesus.

They can take away our life, goods, fame, child and wife – but the kingdom ours remaineth. His word fells the adversary. And though this whole world and everything in it will pass away, His promise never goes away. We belong to Jesus – that's the eternal truth that will never change, yesterday, today, tomorrow – even at the end. Amen.

Sermon - Luke 20:27-40 - 22nd Sunday after Pentecost

Luke 20:27-40

Jesus’ usual opponents were the Pharisees.  They were the legalistic party of the Jewish Sanhedron, or ruling council.  They were really the conservatives.  Hyporcrites, to be sure.  Arrogant show-offs, greedy for gain, who balked at Jesus’ teachings and incurred his most firey rhetoric.  It is the Pharisees who are the forefathers, really, of modern-day Judaism.

Not as often, we hear Jesus contend with that other party – the Saducees.  They were mostly of very high social class.  Though they were more concerned with politics than religion, they were the religious liberals among the Jewish leadership.  They denied heaven and hell, did not believe in the existance of angels, and cried foul at the promise of the resurrection of the dead.  That’s a big part of what is behind their questioning today.  Their false teachings put them at odds with both the Pharisees, but also with Jesus.  And so their question about the details of marriage in the day of the resurrection really illustrates their lack of faith in this important promise of God.

Isn’t it strange, then, that Jesus ends up agreeing with the Pharisees on this one.  There really are angels.  There is a heaven and a hell.  And there is a resurrection of the dead.  But more than just another argument that Jesus wins, more than just him defeating his opponents on the field of rhetoric – here Jesus is also teaching us about our own future as his people, and that our God is God of the living.

We are in November, and the church year is drawing to a close.  Advent is at hand, starting the first week of December.  So these last few weeks of the church calendar, as every year, focus our attention on the end times, the judgment day, the second coming of Christ.  The study of these matters is called “eschatology” from the Greek “eschatos” meaning, “the last things”.

We don’t know all that much about eschatology, quite frankly, but what precious little Scripture tells us is actually very comforting.  We know that Christ will come at a day and hour that no one knows – but that all eyes will see him.  We know that this world, corrupted by sin, will be destroyed and God will make a new heaven and new earth for us.  God’s people there will live with him forever, and as we heard of All Saints’ Day, last week – God himself will wipe every tear from our eyes. 

We confess some of this, also, in our creeds, “he will come again in glory to judge both the living and the dead” and that we believe in the “resurrection of the body, and the life of the world to come”.
Today, we hear from Jesus a few more details about all this.  He specifically focuses on the resurrection.  He affirms it as a fact.  He dispels their silly question about marriage – by stating plainly that we who attain to that age, and to the resurrection, will be like the angels.  There will be no marriage in heaven.

But the dead are raised, and even Moses showed it.  When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, he called himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Well by the time Moses was around, those patriarchs had been dead and gone for hundreds of years.  But, not quite true!  Though they were did, yet did they live!  Though their bodies were buried, their spirits lived on, and still live on with the Lord.  But even more than that, they will be raised in the resurrection – body and soul – to live with all the saints in glory.  This is the argument Jesus is making.

Death, to be sure, is a great enemy.  Death comes to each of us, the just wages of sin.  Most of us know the sorrow of the death of a loved one – perhaps even the bitter sorrow of losing a parent, sibling, spouse or a child.  Part of what makes death so grievous is that it is so final.  You never get to see the person again, talk with them, embrace them.  That is, unless you have a hope for something beyond the grave.  A hope of life beyond death, and we Christians have just that.

Jesus says God is a God of the living, not the dead.  The dead have no place with him.  That is, those who are dead in sin.  But those who have died in the faith are not truly dead.  See, for Jesus life and death are far more than whether you have a pulse and brain activity, or even whether your body is currently breathing and moving around.  Sure the body is important, and it will be raised.  But life is more than that. 

Consider Jesus words to Martha in John 11: 

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask Him.”

“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.

Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.

It almost seems as if he is speaking double-talk here.  Do I live or do I die?  Even though I die, I live, but really I never die?  Huh?

What he means is this:  There is no life outside of him.  But whoever believes in him, Jesus, doesn’t need to worry about death.  Because even though our bodies die, we, ourselves never do.  Our spirits live with Christ – just as the thief on the cross went to paradise that very day – and they rest in peace, and await there for the final promise to be fulfilled – the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.  “Though he dies, yet shall he live.” Though the body dies, the body will rise again, and body and spirit together will live, glorified with him.

For he is God of the living.  And Jesus has destroyed death.  And Jesus is the first born of the dead.  And the dead in Christ will rise.

This promise – the resurrection of the body – is one that is sadly missing in action from many Christian sermons, especially at funerals these days.  Sure it’s nice and comforting to think of our loved ones being with the Lord, that their spirits are at peace in the arms of Jesus.  And a good funeral sermon will remind us at least of this.  They rest in peace.  They’re in God’s presence in heaven.  But that’s only part of the story.  And it’s not even the best part.

The final hope of Christians is not a purely spiritual heaven, a disembodied eternity, but a restoration of the entire person in a resurrection of the body.  Just as Jesus rose from the dead and lives, even now, lives – so too we will rise in our bodies.  After he rose, Jesus went to some trouble to prove his resurrection to his disciples – he touched them, ate with them, even showed them his wounded hands and side.

Paul gives us the most to go on in 1 Corinthians 15, where he lays forth the hope of the resurrection – that we will be changed, and that the dead will be raised incorruptible.  No longer under the dark cloud of death – because the sinful flesh has been put to death.  No longer subject to pain and suffering, troubles and sorrows.  We will live, and live in a glorified body.  We will be in perfect communion with God, and see a joyful reunion with all those we love who have also died in the faith. 

Death only comes because of sin.  And sin is forgiven in Christ.  That means death has lost its sting.  Though we die, yet we live.  And we see in death the gate to eternal life.  We stand at the grave of a loved one and say, “Where oh death is your victory?!”  For the Christian, death It is temporary.  Life is eternal.

Today we have people who, like the Saducees, would deny the afterlife – either heaven or hell.  We also have people who would make up all sorts of other beliefs about it – apart from what God reveals.  Reincarnation, purgatory, or merging with the energy of the universe – all human ideas about the afterlife which deny the promises of God. 

Don’t fall for any of that, Christian.  For we have a blessed, joyous hope.  We have a glorious future in a resurrected and restored body.  God will once again make all things the way they are meant to be.  Jesus Christ has died to win this promise for us!  Let us hold to his cross tightly, by faith, and in the hope of eternal life.

And it’s already begun, in Christ.  New life is already yours, in baptism.  You’ve already died to sin and been raised with Christ to new life.  So even if and when death comes to you – your eternal life is already secure, and it will continue – resting in peace with Christ until the day of resurrection – and then in a glorified body forever.  Believe it, for the sake of Jesus Christ who died, Jesus Christ who rose, Jesus Christ who lives, and Jesus Christ who will come again.  In his name.  Amen.

Sermon - All Saints' Day - Matthew 5:1-12

Today, All Saints Day, we recognize and celebrate an important spiritual reality.  That for those of us who are in Christ, we are different from those who are not.  Scripture speaks of this in various ways.  John often contrasts believers with “the world”, that is, the wicked, the unbelieving world.  Rather, we are “beloved children of God”.  Revelation pictures the church in glory – a great multitude clothed in the white robes of Christ’s righteousness.  Other places in Scripture consider the church a royal priesthood, a holy nation.  The New Israel.  The sons of light, called out of darkness.  Or even – the saints, that is, the holy ones of God.  The righteous who live by faith.  And so on, and so on…

But another way to consider the Christian is through the lens of this beloved Gospel reading from Matthew 5 – commonly called, “the Beatitudes”.  Perhaps you’ve seen this passage on a Christian poster or stitched in to a wall-hanging at Grandma’s house.  Maybe you’ve even memorized it.  It’s some of Jesus’ own poetry, and a beautiful passage at that, aesthetically pleasing in its own right.  But even better, it teaches an important truth about us as Christians – we are blessed.  We are bless-ed.

Make no mistake, Jesus is speaking here to Christians, specifically.  For while others may meet some of the criteria here – or fit into one of these beatitudes – for instance, there are plenty of non-believers who mourn, or are poor or meek.  Yet context is key.  Jesus speaks here to his own followers, believers, as part of his famous Sermon on the Mount.  And by the end of the passage he’s talking about being persecuted for his name’s sake – which is something that only a Christian would ever dare endure.  Indeed, the Beatitudes are for Christians.  He’s speaking here, to the saints.  To you and me.

We are blessed.  And the very nature of the blessing is that it is a gift.  It is not earned.  It is by grace.  It is something God gives to us without our earning or deserving it.  These beatitudes must therefore, by definition, be seen not as rewards for a job well done or prizes for feats accomplished.  Rather, always and only from the pure and free grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ.  Just like all our blessings – without any merit or worthiness in me or you.

Also, before we dig into them – we must say that though in general these beatitudes poetically describe the Christian and the Christian life – they don’t do so perfectly – for we are not perfect.  We may be poor in spirit, for instance, in our repentance – coming to God claiming nothing.  But even our repentance is always tinged with sin and self-seeking.  We hold back.  We hedge.  We plan to do better, but always seem to know we don’t really, fully mean it.  We mourn, but we don’t always mourn what we should, when we should, and sometimes we mourn what we ought not.  And so forth…

So must we be without these blessings?  Do we fail to measure up to the standard, to receive the kingdom of heaven?  To be comforted?  To inherit the earth?  To see God and be called Sons of God?

Dear Christian, just like always, Jesus is the answer.  All of these blessings are our in Christ.  For he fulfills it all perfectly.  And he gives of himself freely.  And so we do come undeserving, incomplete, beggars looking for crumbs that fall on the floor.  And gives what we don not deserve, completes us, and feeds us with a lavish feast even of his own body and blood.  The saints are holy, only in Christ.  The dead are alive, only in Christ.  The lowly are raised, the hungry are satisfied, the empty are filled, the mourning are comforted, the poor are rich, and the wretched are blessed with all good things – all blessings in Christ.

With this clear – we can look at the beatitudes and find in them the great blessings Jesus intends us to receive.  And we can further rejoice that we – all the saints and children and people of God – we are truly blessed in Christ.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Poor in spirit.  Humble and knowing our need. Only thus do we receive the kingdom of heaven.  If we claim to be rich, then we have no need.  But if we are poor, then he comes with his riches, his blessings. 

Jesus knew poverty, and emptied himself for us – even unto death.  He, the king of kings, set his throne aside to take up the throne of the cross for us, to be mocked as king of the Jews and crucified under earthly authorities.  So the blessings of his kingdom come to us, in him.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

What do we mourn but our sin and its wages?  What do we mourn but all the troubles and turmoils life in this great tribulation brings?

But here is the promise for the blessed:  a place in that great multitude of white-robed worshipers around the heavenly throne.  Waving our palm branches, and singing God’s praises, as he spreads a tent over us, dwells with us, and comforts us.  That God himself would wipe every tear from our eyes.  Yes, we will be comforted, here by faith – and there in all fullness, for all eternity. 

 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

The meek, the lowly, those who in this world seem so bereft of honor, will see the great reversal when Christ returns in glory.  They will, we, the blessed will, inherit the earth.  But this only happens in the new creation – the new heavens and the new earth will be our eternal dwelling, and that with God himself.  For to inherit we must be made heirs upon death – and so we are God’s children in Christ.  And so has Christ died to win us the inheritance.  And so we are blessed.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

We have many hungers and thirsts, and not all are good.  We have many wants in this life – and some never seem filled.  This isn’t a promise of daily bread – for man does not live by bread alone.  This is a promise for fulfillment of our greatest yearning and need – righteousness.

But the blessed are righteous!  We have a righteousness that comes from God, through faith in Christ.  And Christ feeds us!  He fills us with the forgiveness that comes by his body broken and his blood shed for us and for many.  He satisfies us with such a feast even today.  Who can be as blessed as we?  And yet even this is but a foretaste of the feast to come.  When we will not only by faith, but in fullness commune with all the saints and with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy"

“Lord have mercy,” the blessed pray, for then know who to turn to for mercy.  “Christ have mercy” the center of the mercy sandwich – the source of all grace and mercy .  “Lord have mercy”, we pray a third time for mercy, in the great Kyrie Eleison repeated by the saints for millennia.  It is a prayer of confidence, knowing the merciful One who hears the prayer has already answered it.

And so we show mercy.  Just as we forgive trespasses against us because our trespasses are forgiven.  Just as we forgive our debtors knowing our price has been paid.  And we are blessed to do so.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”

We have no purity of heart, instead Jesus says the heart is the source of all kinds of wickedness. It’s what comes out of a man, out of his heart, that makes him unclean, impure. 

But Jesus makes the unclean clean, with a touch, a breath, a word.  And only in such purity can we stand and face our God.  For as Job said, “I will see him in my flesh, I and not another” In a resurrected body, you too, will see God face to face.  What a blessing.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Like Father, like Son.  And when the Son makes you an heir, and a son, when you receive the peace that Jesus lives and breathes, that passes understanding.  When your warfare with God is over in Christ, then you are shod with the Gospel of peace and you leave its tracks wherever you go.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

And perhaps strangest of all, Jesus counts us as blessed, even in persecution.  You’re in good company, then, for so they persecuted the prophets before you.  Even so they persecuted the ultimate prophet, the Son of God himself.  But no persecution or trouble or danger or nakedness or sword pointed at us can ultimately avail.  For the kingdom ours remaineth.  And we are blessed of God, blessed in Jesus Christ.

Blessed are you, dear Christians, on this All Saints Day.  Blessed – by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.  All blessings are from him, and all praise, honor and glory and might be to him, now and forevermore.  Amen.